I want to ride my bicycle

June 30, 2023 2:50 PM

Sorry not sorry for the earworm. I have a lovely, older bike I purchased that I have been trying to get up on a rack for some time now.

First off, I'm a newbie and I love it so much. I like a dedicated trail around here which goes through forests, farmland, and over streams (besides the fact that the most drivers around here are bent on homicide).

The trail's not bikeable from me.

I was a gifted a rack which worked for a bit; but it was pretty cheap and slid around a lot. On the advice of my former makes-house-calls bicycle repair man, I got a new one (Saris $200) and had a friend help put it up.

The car I have now is a slight bit higher and maybe the bike rack is, too, by a couple. I'm strong, apparently not in my upper body.

I've thought I could:

- Learn to lift weights -- long term solution and I'd really like to be riding this summer.
--Fit in my trunk withe the back seat down (yes, but only with tools and expertise I don't have)
--Get a step stool (which seemed foolhardy and hazardous)
--Get a car with a hitch. Add a hitch to current car (is that even possible?)
--Stand on a retaining wall/hill/elevated area where the car was parked below and put the bike on the rack.

As you may have guessed, this is brainstorming/witholding judgement. Seriously, though I can return the rack in 30 days, that would leave me without a way to get to my biking eden. As is the situation now.

So--since people seem to ask--"What is your question?" a lot, how can I get my bike to my hitch or to another hitch to get over?

I think it weighs about 30+ pounds. It's a Schwinn Alloy Seven:https://bikeindex.org/bikes/396304 (sorry, I spend more time messing around with the link thing that I should)

I'm crushed. I love my bike and biking so much.


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posted by intrepid_simpleton to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

You might like to know that aftermarket hitches are a thing.
posted by dum spiro spero at 2:53 PM on June 30, 2023

Is yours a roof rack? What about a trunk bike rack? Would you be able to lift the bike onto one of these?
posted by CleverClover at 3:00 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

+1 for building functional strength, for future you to gain from.

+1 to the step-stool (or small ladder or decorator's frame) approach for getting you stable height right now. The decorator's platform folds down like a ladder and can go in your trunk while also being something you can stably stand on.
posted by k3ninho at 4:07 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

That is a fun bike!! Depending on the style of your rack, you might consider getting a crossbar designed specifically for step-through bikes - it essentially creates a more traditional straight "top tube" between the handlebars and seatpost that would mean you wouldn't have to lift the bike as high in order to attach it to the rack. Here's an example.

Alternatively, what usually helps me in these situations is bending down and using my legs to lift rather than relying on my upper body. Also, if you're able to get the seat over your shoulder, it can help as another leverage point for getting the bike up using your legs. That might be tricky with this style of bike, but it might be worth experimenting.
posted by Ms. Toad at 4:19 PM on June 30, 2023

Response by poster: Ms. Toad, I got a crossbar/adapter straightaway on the advice of my bike friends. Thanks for the tip about the seat -- I already use my legs to lift.
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 4:29 PM on June 30, 2023

I come from a world (outdoor rec) where lots of folks carry stuff on their cars, and a step stool is a very common solution. I'd get a really sturdy one that also fits in your trunk. Like go to a good hardware store and step on and off a few there.

Also, your bike is super cute, and very heavy. I bet it might weigh as much as 40 pounds? So might a newer, lighter bike also be a consideration? You might be surprised how less a bike could weigh, even if it's another used one via Craigslist.
posted by bluedaisy at 4:52 PM on June 30, 2023

Maybe some sort of ramp? You have the "wrong" sort of rack for this DIY option and lack a hitch for this off the shelf option. However, if you are only the assistance of a few inches, maybe a plastic car ramp?
posted by oceano at 5:05 PM on June 30, 2023

i have gotten hitches put on two separate cars just for the purposes of bikeracks. cost me $200 at U-Haul, IIRC
posted by adekllny at 6:11 PM on June 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

It really depends on how much money you want to throw at the solution. Hitch racks with trays are the easiest way to carry a bike without without worrying about weight or frame style or wheel size or thru axles or whatever. But they are not cheap.

If you want to stick with your trunk rack, assuming it's rated to carry a bike the weight of the Schwinn on your car (Saris offers a trunk rack fit guide here), then you'll need to get a step stool or step ladder or learn to lift with your legs. That bike is definitely is a tank.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:50 PM on June 30, 2023

Response by poster: Google said 44 pounds. I never would have guessed. Unfortunately I don't have a lot for extras right now, and I got a good price on this one ($50, I believe).
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 8:27 PM on June 30, 2023

You can add a hitch mount to most cars. The hitch mount for my Honda Fit was $150 from etrailer.com I installed it myself with the help of a friend who had tools and those tire ramp thingies. You can also pay someone like uhaul or Rack Attack to install it for you if you don't have the desire or tools. (I watched a video of someone doing the install on my model of car before deciding I could do it. )

We got a nice tray style rack that only involves lifting the bikes about 1 foot off the ground. It can handle step through bikes. We went for an expensive rack to meet our needs - ( 2 mountain bikes but also be light enough for my wife to lift the rack itself by herself.) There are cheaper options that might meet your needs.

The hitch mount plus tray style rack was more expensive than what we had first tried (a $200 Saris trunk rack) , but it was worth it for us to solve the same problem you had - my wife's shoulder injury meant she couldn't lift a bike onto the trunk rack. Even without the injury, I feel like we got our money's worth - loading and unloading this rack is easier, and since it doesn't interfere with trunk access it's easy to leave it on all season. In hindsight, we could have gotten a heavier (cheaper) version, since we only install/remove the rack itself once a year.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 8:32 PM on June 30, 2023

Best answer: If you have a local bike shop, ask if they will swap out your front wheel axle for a quick release. (And if you're untrusting, get a lock so that no one walks off with your front wheel when you park your bike.)

Now ask the bike shop person to show you how to remove the front wheel. It's a bit weird the first time, so a demo is really helpful; but it's not technical and it doesn't require tools.

Now you can load your bike in the car much easier, because the front wheel pops off in seconds.

I have fit a bike like this in a Mustang with the seats down - possibly one of the most annoying trunks ever - so any more normal car should work just fine.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:37 PM on June 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: OK, I posted before I saw your latest response regarding not much budget. If you have the same Saris Bones rack that we had, it has a lot of adjustability. Have you tried adjusting the straps and/or the angles of the various arms so that the whole thing is just lower down? This will depend a lot on the shape of your car.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 8:39 PM on June 30, 2023

I need a little vertical help loading my kayaks onto my SUV's roof racks. I bought an aluminum work platform like this and it works great. It's very stable, and I feel a lot safer using it than a stepladder, because the platform I stand on is very roomy. I can still step up onto it in one step, and it's exactly how much boost I need to get my boats up onto the rack. It's not making the kayaks any lighter, but I'm not having to maneuver them at the very extremes of my reach, so it feels so much more manageable and controllable.
posted by xedrik at 8:51 AM on July 1, 2023

Best answer: It's a rack that sticks out the back of the car?

Lift just the front half, strap it in loosely, then lift the back half up and over. Tighten both straps.
posted by flimflam at 11:32 AM on July 1, 2023

Best answer: Just to weigh in on the answer marked “best,” that is a bolt on wheel. Not a thru axle. You can’t change a bolt on to a quick release. That would require a new wheel. Just invest in a 15mm wrench. Don’t use an adjustable wrench as you risk stripping the axle bolts.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:25 AM on July 2, 2023

The basket and front fender make me think the quick-release for the wheel isn’t going to work, because you’ll still have the fender and basket on and those can get banged around and might get out of alignment.

You are struggling to lift your bike to a rack off your trunk, right? You still have to pick up the bike to load it on trailer hitches. And those can get pricy.

I know you rejected the idea of a new bike, but it’s a buyer’s market for used bikes right now in some areas. You might be able to get a new, lighter bike for the $200 you spent on the rack.
posted by bluedaisy at 7:53 AM on July 2, 2023

Response by poster: No fender and no basket. It was a photo, not the actual bike.
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 6:41 PM on July 3, 2023

Response by poster: I am again foiled because it isn't a quick release, and my pal says I can mess up the brakes taking this apart (I am the furthest thing from mechanically inclined and may have to take her word for it). I *may* return the rack and get a cheaper, lighter bike, but can't decide what would be best. Or keep the rack and by a stepstool. Hopefully not throwing good $ after bad. All I want to do is ride my bike.
The good news is, I know so much more than when I started. Thanks, Metafites.
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 2:44 PM on July 14, 2023