Transporting Bikes

First: weigh and measure the bike

Every transport decision starts with two facts: how heavy the bike is, and how big. Don’t rely on the catalogue weight, which may be for the smallest frame size without battery, pedals or accessories.

1. Weigh yourself on a bathroom scale.
2. Weigh yourself holding the bike, but only if you can lift it safely (a helper can pass it to you). Subtract the first number. That’s the bike’s weight, as you’ll actually carry it. If it’s too heavy to hold comfortably, take the battery off and weigh the bike and battery separately, or ask the shop to weigh it for you.
3. Weigh it again with the battery removed. That’s what you’ll load onto a rack.
4. Measure the wheelbase (centre of front axle to centre of rear axle), the overall length, the tire width, the handlebar width and, for trikes, the overall width.
5. Note the frame shape. A step-through frame, a very large frame or a full-suspension frame can be hard to fit on some racks.

Hitch-mounted platform racks

A platform rack slides into your vehicle’s trailer hitch receiver and holds bikes by their wheels on trays. For most e-bikes, it’s the most practical carrier: the bike stays low, so you don’t lift it far, and nothing clamps the frame.

Loading a heavy e-bike safely

1. Take the battery off first (and any bags, baskets or child seats). It lightens the bike and protects the battery.
2. Use a ramp if you have one, and walk the bike up with the brakes ready.
3. If lifting, lift with a partner, one at each end, using your legs, not your back.
4. Put the heaviest bike closest to the vehicle, unless the rack’s manual says otherwise.
5. Secure the wheels and frame as the rack’s instructions show, then shake each bike to check.
6. Check again after the first few kilometres and at every stop.

Tongue weight, explained

“Tongue weight” is the downward load on your hitch. For a trailer, it’s the weight on the ball. For a hitch rack, it’s practically the whole weight of the rack plus the bikes, hanging out behind the bumper.

That load has to stay within the lowest of several limits:

• the vehicle’s tongue weight rating, in the owner’s manual;
• the hitch receiver’s rating, on its label;
• the rack’s total capacity;
• the rack’s limit for each bike.

The rack and bikes also count against the vehicle’s total payload, along with passengers and luggage. Many hitch and rack instructions also warn that a hitch extension, which moves the load further behind the vehicle, reduces how much you can safely carry. Follow the instructions for your rack and hitch.

A worked example

These numbers are made up to show the method; use the real figures from your manuals and your scale.

1. Find the limits. Suppose the vehicle’s manual allows a tongue weight of 90 kg, the hitch label says 160 kg, and the rack is rated for 55 kg total and 27 kg per bike.
2. The lowest limit for bikes is the rack’s total, 55 kg. But the vehicle limit of 90 kg must cover the rack too.
3. Weigh the bikes without batteries. Suppose 25 kg and 23 kg: 48 kg total. Each is under 27 kg, and together they’re under 55 kg.
4. Add the rack. Suppose the rack weighs 22 kg. Rack plus bikes = 70 kg, under the vehicle’s 90 kg.
5. Check payload. Add those 70 kg to the passengers and luggage, and check the total against the vehicle’s payload rating.

In this example the setup works. Put the batteries back on, though, and add a third bike, and it may not.

Pickup trucks and toppers

A pickup is one of the easiest ways to carry bikes, including heavy e-bikes, as long as you can get them up into the bed.

Ways to carry bikes in the bed

• Bed-mounted wheel carriers. Trays or wheel chocks bolted or clamped in the bed hold the front wheel. The bike stays whole, and nothing touches the frame.
• Fork mounts. You remove the front wheel and clamp the fork to a mount. Very secure and compact, but you need to take the wheel off and put it back on, check that the mount fits your bike’s axle type, and protect disc brake rotors. Don’t squeeze hydraulic brake levers with the wheel out.
• Tailgate pads. A padded cover over the tailgate lets you hang bikes by their down tube over the tailgate, front wheel outside. Quick and simple. Use straps so the bikes can’t bounce or swing, and check that the pad suits your frames and doesn’t cover your tail lights or plate.
• Lying down. Bikes laid flat with blankets between them work in a pinch, but scratch easily and can damage derailleurs.

Securing and protecting

• Strap every bike to the bed’s tie-down points so it can’t move side to side, forward or back, or bounce up.
• Pad anywhere a frame touches metal or another bike.
• Keep derailleurs facing up or away from contact.
• Remove loose items: bottles, pumps, bags, lights.
• In an open bed, bikes are exposed to rain, hail, gravel spray and road salt. Rinse them after a winter or gravel-road drive.

Under a truck-bed topper

A topper, or cap, keeps bikes dry, out of sight and out of the wind, and lets you lock them away. It also brings its own puzzles:

• Height. Measure the height of the topper’s rear opening and the inside height. Many bikes with handlebars and saddle up won’t stand inside. A fork mount lowers the bike; so does lowering the saddle and turning the handlebars.
• Getting them in. You’ll be lifting the bike up to the tailgate and then sliding it in, often while bent over. With heavy e-bikes, a ramp up to the tailgate and a bed slide or rolling platform can save your back.
• Securing inside. Bikes still need to be strapped or mounted. A loose bike under a topper can slide forward under braking and damage the cab, the topper window or other gear.
• Batteries. A closed topper on a sunny day gets hot. Carry e-bike batteries in the cab, out of direct sun.
• Theft. A locked topper hides the bikes, which is a big help. Add a cable through the frames to a tie-down point for longer stops.

Weight and lifting

Pickup beds are high. Lifting a heavy e-bike to tailgate height is a real strain for many people and a common cause of dropped bikes and sore backs. Remove the battery, use a ramp, or lift with two people.

Inside an SUV, van or car

Carrying a bike inside keeps it safe from weather and theft, and needs no rack. It works best for lighter bikes and folding bikes.

• Measure first: the cargo floor length with seats folded, the height of the hatch opening, and the width between wheel wells.
• Remove the front wheel if needed. Many bikes have quick-release or thru-axle wheels that come off without tools. Lower the saddle and turn the handlebars.
• Protect the interior with an old blanket or a cargo mat. Chains and chainrings mark upholstery.
• Tie it down. An unsecured bike becomes a heavy loose object in a sudden stop or crash. Strap it to cargo anchors.
• Folding bikes are the easy case: fold, secure, go. Check that the fold latches stay closed while you lift.
• E-bikes can be too heavy to lift into a cargo area safely. Take the battery out first, and get help.

Roof racks

Roof racks leave the rear of the vehicle free and carry light bikes well. But for heavy bikes, and for many riders, they’re the hardest option.

• Lifting overhead. You have to raise the bike above your head and place it on the rack, often while reaching over the car. With a light road bike that’s manageable. With a heavy e-bike, it’s difficult and risky; most heavy e-bikes are a poor match for roof racks, and many roof carriers have weight limits too low for them.
• Roof load limit. The vehicle’s owner’s manual gives a maximum roof load, which must cover the rack and the bikes.
• Height clearance. With bikes on the roof, you won’t fit into a garage, a parkade, some drive-throughs or under low branches at a campground. Put a reminder note on the dashboard.
• Wind. Bikes on the roof catch crosswinds on the highway, add noise and use more fuel. On a gusty southern Alberta highway, you’ll feel it.
• Batteries off. Always remove e-bike batteries before roof transport.

Trailers and specialized carriers

For oversized, heavy or non-folding recumbent trikes, cargo bikes, or several e-bikes at once, a trailer is often the most practical answer.

• Utility trailers with wheel chocks or a rail can carry trikes and heavy bikes at a low loading height. A rear ramp gate makes loading easy.
• Enclosed trailers add weather protection and security, and can double as storage.
• Specialized trike carriers exist for hitch receivers, designed around a trike’s width and three wheels. Check their weight limits and tongue weight as for any hitch rack.
• Secure every wheel, and strap the frame down at more than one point.
• Know the towing rules and limits for your vehicle, including the tongue weight and towing capacity in the owner’s manual, and the trailer’s lights, safety chains and brakes as required.

Folding recumbent trikes

Some recumbent trikes fold to fit in a car. “Folds” can mean very different things, so check:

• Folded footprint: length, width and height when folded, compared with your cargo area.
• Actual folded weight: weigh it yourself, with any motor and with and without the battery.
• What must come off: some fold with everything attached; others need the seat, rear wheel or a front wheel removed.
• Ease of folding and unfolding: do it yourself, in the shop, three times. Note any fiddly latches, stiff hinges or need to bend down low.
• Lifting: a folded trike is still lifted into the vehicle, often awkwardly. Can you do it alone, safely?
• Fit with your vehicle: ideally, try it in your own vehicle before buying.

Carrying e-bike batteries

• Remove the battery for rack transport, as many e-bike manufacturers recommend. It lightens the bike, keeps the battery out of rain, road spray and vibration, and protects it from theft.
• Carry it inside the vehicle, secured so it can’t slide or be hit, in its case or a padded bag.
• Protect the terminals with the cover provided, so nothing metal can touch them.
• Keep it out of the heat and the cold. Don’t leave it in a hot car, truck bed or topper in the sun, or in a freezing vehicle overnight.
• Don’t use a battery that was dropped or damaged in transit. Have it checked.
• Cover the bike’s exposed connectors on the rack if your bike has them.
• Flying? Canada’s air security agency, CATSA, says lithium batteries over 160 Wh are not allowed in carry-on bags and are permitted in checked baggage only with the airline’s approval. Most e-bike batteries are well over 160 Wh, and many airlines won’t accept them. Ask the airline long before you book, and be ready to rent a bike at your destination if they say no.

RVs and campgrounds

Bikes and RVs go well together, but the combination needs planning.

On the RV

• RV bumpers and frames. Many RV rear bumpers and some rear receivers aren’t designed to carry a loaded bike rack, especially over rough roads where the long overhang bounces. Check the RV manufacturer’s guidance and the receiver’s rating before mounting a rack. On a travel trailer, weight hung off the back also takes weight off the hitch, and too little tongue weight can make a trailer sway. Heavy e-bikes are usually better carried on the tow vehicle.
• Front-mounted racks on travel trailers add weight on the trailer tongue, which changes how the tow vehicle handles. Count the rack and bikes in your tongue weight.
• Tow-vehicle bed or cab. With a fifth wheel or travel trailer, bikes often ride best in the tow vehicle, under a topper or inside.
• Bikes inside the RV must be strapped down so they can’t shift in travel. Folding bikes fit storage bays well.
• Rough roads and gravel to campgrounds shake racks and bikes hard. Check straps and clamps at every stop.

At the campground

• Lock bikes to the RV, a picnic table or a tree with a cable and lock, even at a friendly campground, and bring them in or cover them at night.
• Cover them from rain and dew, but don’t seal them in plastic, which traps condensation.
• Charge batteries inside the RV only where you’d charge at home: on a hard surface, away from beds and exits, with a working smoke alarm, and never overnight while you sleep. Check that your site power or RV inverter can handle the charger.
• Check campground rules for bikes and e-bikes on roads, trails and in day-use areas. They vary, and parks set their own e-bike rules.
• Ride the campground at walking pace, with children, pets and backing vehicles everywhere.

The transport questions

Answer these before you choose a carrier, or a bike:

1. What vehicle do you use? Car, SUV, van, pickup with or without a topper, RV.
2. What hitch, if any, is installed, and what’s its rating and receiver size?
3. How heavy is each bike, with and without battery?
4. How many bikes will you carry?
5. Do you need to lift the bike, and how high?
6. Can a ramp be used?
7. Will you carry a recumbent trike or another wide or long cycle?
8. What’s the total rack and bike weight, and is it within every limit?
9. Can you still safely reach the rear of the vehicle, and see the plate and lights?
10. Are there width, height or clearance limits, such as a garage door, parkade, campground gate or steep driveway?

Tool C: How will I transport and store it?

Tell the tool about your vehicle, bike, weight, size, number of bikes, hitch, lifting, ramps, storage and security, and it will suggest carriers and storage approaches that fit.

Carrying bikes on southern Alberta highways

Most bike trips from Lethbridge head west or southwest, into the windiest country we have. At the Lethbridge airport, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s climate normals (1981–2010) show west as the most common wind direction in every month, with a mean speed of about 18 km/h and a record gust of 171 km/h. Bikes on a hitch or roof rack catch that wind like a sail, and a side gust tugs at the bikes, the rack, the hitch and the back of your vehicle.

Those drives cross the areas Environment Canada names in southwest wind warnings. A warning on October 1, 2024 covered Crowsnest Pass, Waterton, Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod, Magrath, Cardston and Del Bonita, with gusts to 100 km/h and hazardous driving for high-profile vehicles.

• Check before you load. Look for wind warnings on weather.gc.ca, and for closures, conditions and highway cameras on 511 Alberta.
• On a gusty day, carry bikes inside the vehicle, the truck bed or under a topper if you can, rather than on a rack.
• If they must ride on the rack, slow down in open country and recheck straps and clamps at your first stop.

Sources

• CTV News Calgary, “Bike rack obscuring licence plate nets Calgarian $162 fine” (2022): calgary.ctvnews.ca
• Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), Guidelines for batteries: catsa-acsta.gc.ca
• Health Canada and Transport Canada, Misuse or modification of lithium-ion batteries in e-mobility devices (2023): recalls-rappels.canada.ca
• London Fire Brigade, Charging electric bike and electric scooter lithium batteries (smoke alarms, never overnight, damaged batteries): london-fire.gov.uk
• Your vehicle’s owner’s manual (tongue weight, payload and roof load ratings), your hitch receiver’s label, and your rack’s instructions are the final word for your setup.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010, Lethbridge A (west the most common wind direction every month; mean wind about 18 km/h; record gust 171 km/h): climate.weather.gc.ca
• Parks Canada, Cycling in Waterton Lakes National Park (Kootenai Brown Trail 6.9 km paved; e-bike rules; strong winds): parks.canada.ca
• Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, Parks, trails and playgrounds (23 km Crowsnest Community Trail; asphalt, gravel and natural surfaces): crowsnestpass.com
• Lethbridge News Now, Wind warning issued for southwest Alberta (October 1, 2024; areas named, gusts to 100 km/h, high-profile vehicles): lethbridgenewsnow.com
• Government of Alberta, 511 Alberta road conditions, closures and cameras: 511.alberta.ca
• West Lethbridge Weather, Crosswind Checker: westlethbridgeweather.com