Bus fulltimers, where do you store your bicycles?!

[jjrbus]

 I know they are insane, but a recumbent with USS and a seat that folds would slip right in there, slicker than ??   JIm


 

[RJ]

Scott -

Your last pic matches my idea #2.  One bike facing forward, one facing back.  I know that works because that's what I used to do.

Will probably mean rearranging other stuff, or perhaps maybe re-evaluating what "stuff" you really need to have aboard?

FWIW & HTH. . .

 

[Scott & Heather]

You guys are constantly cracking me up...the recumbent bikes are awesome to ride, but not practical for my style of riding. They have a HUGE turning radius and are much longer than a normal bike. Measure one sometime. I used to ride one...so it wouldn't fit in the bay without breaking it down. Here's the deal really, we ride every day...just did a quick 18 miler yesterday. We just wanted a quick, safe way to put the bikes in and out of our "garage"/aka luggage bay that was easy and quick. If it's too hard, we just won't do it or we won't bother riding if we're just on the edge of not wanting to go out. Deflating the tires/removing handlebar stems which require a certain amount of torque to reinstall them is just too much effort for an everyday deal. Sometimes we go out twice in a day. In the last photo, the bike is literally jammed in there. Doesn't quite make it.    I'm thinking we'll get a hitch rack for the rear of the bus with a waterproof canvas slip cover for the bikes. Pull the cover, pull the bike, and go....when we return set the bikes back in the hitch rack, drop the slip cover over the top and we're done. I can't think of any other simple solution. The sliding tray/drawer idea sounds cool, but again, the bikes are still too big to do that...flat or upright. And there isn't enough room for the width of two bikes one on top of the other to slide under that center utility chase. Checked that too. Hanging them above the driver's/passengers seat would be awesome since we have a 9 inch roof raise, but we stuck a full-size bunk bed up there. So no go there. As for cliff, I'm not sure our bus has the tow rating to tow a recumbent 

[luvrbus]

Take the tunnel cover off lot of wasted space in there I bet you can raise it ,the price my wife's trike cost I told her too buy a used Harley,

 You bike people spend way to much money for something without a starter lol then water is a little cheaper than gasoline in today's market

good luck

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I only spent $40 for mine,  used.   

[jbnewman]

A few thoughts:

Here's a prefab option:
http://www.sportworks.com/products/transit_racks/luggage_bay_rack/

It's designed for MCI, but you'd obviously need to see if it would fit in your 9. Or, use the design to build your own.

In addition to your proposed rear rack, you could also consider a front (transit-style) rack.

For the folks without a bicycle (or considering an upgrade):

Folding bicycles generally fold up into a space about the size of a brief case. Storage shouldn't be much of an issue. They're designed to fold quickly and painlessly; commuters routinely take them on the train.

For a full size bicycle, if one is feeling flush, full size bicycles can be purchased with S&S couplers to make (dis-)assembly reasonably quick. (Quick is relative though - it's not as quick as with a folding bicycle). Most competent frame makers will build with S&S couplers for a price. There are also a number of frames (Surly Trucker Deluxe and Panasonic OSD come to mind) that come with couplers and could be built up by any competent bicycle mechanic.

[Dlsnow]

We have 8 kids, 8 bikes
no solution yet but i want to do like the city bus and front mount them if i can.

[Scott & Heather]

Jbnewman, now that's what I'm talking about! Sweet stuff! A couple other guys had already suggested a shelf that slides for two bikes! I had no idea their concept was already invented! Cliff, I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm pulling it tomorrow to see...


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[Jeremy]

If I had a valuable bike and wasn't able to keep it 'inside' the bus anywhere, I'd consider building something like this:




You see those boxes frequently here, especially for carrying skis. They are counted as 'luggage' rather than being a permanent part of the vehicle, so get around the maximum length laws. You'll notice that the whole box swings out of the way to allow access to the engine etc.


As it happens I'm quite a keen cyclist myself and have a fairly nice bike, but fortunately storage isn't a problem for me - one consequence of having a mid-engined bus is that I have a very big and very tall rear bay.


Jeremy

[Scott & Heather]

Very cool Jeremy... europe knows how to make some big buses. Mercy. That box looks super useful. Another idea I'm having is building a box similar to that onto my tow dolly. The tongue arm is long and there's a tremendous amount of wasted length/space on the bar that doesn't even come close to getting touched even when jackknifed. Just a thought...in other news, we've biked 100 miles in the last week...

[wyle.e.kyote]

We have 8 kids, 8 bikes
no solution yet but i want to do like the city bus and front mount them if i can.

5 kids + 2 adults (riding a recumbent tandem  ) 

Draftmaster http://www.atoc.com/


BTW, I've crossed the US (more than once) on a recumbent, riding a wedgie (regular bike) those kinds of distances is insane.

[wagwar]

Our solution was to install a 2" receiver on the front of the bus and buy a Kuat NV 2 bike rack. They also sell an add-on so you can carry 4 bikes. It is expensive, but a very nice rack, very solid and comes with a built-in cable lock. The hitch has an included lock and tightener so the rack does not rattle or shake at all. We are now having a local auto upholsterer build a bike bag that will enclose the entire rack and 2 bikes. You can see pics of the rack on the bus at the blog www.mightybus.wordpress.com

One draw back is the bike partially block the high beam headlights, but we almost never drive at night.