Homemade Bike Racks for a Car

Creating a bicycle rack for your car can be challenging, particularly for a vehicle that does not possess window gutters or even travel luggage racks. Several commercially produced racks allow transportation of bulky bicycles on small cars or even family sedans. However, these racks have a tendency to be costly. There is actually a cheaper alternative for those wanting bike racks for their vehicles.

Things You'll Need

  • PVC pipe
  • Saw
  • Screws
  • Glue
  • Tape measure
  • Marker
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Instructions

  1. The Fork Mount

    • 1

      Cut two portions (24 inches in length) from PVC material. Both pieces will create the upright portion of the bike rack, which holds the lead section of the wheel in position.

    • 2

      Cut eight pieces of PVC pipe into lengths of 1 foot. You will also need to cut 3-inch portions of the PVC pipe; this piece will form what is called an elbow. Sand the ends of each pipe so they are smooth.

    • 3

      Apply glue towards the two 24-inch leftover "T" connectors and insert the four ends from the 1-foot size portions.

    • 4

      Insert the pipe directly into a single 3-inches pipe section or elbow. Apply pressure to the elbows and duplicate this process on the other 24-inch pipe.

    • 5

      Add PVC adhesive to four of the five one-foot pipes ends.

    • 6

      Fasten "T" fittings onto the opposite ends of single one-foot pieces so they are in a 90-degree direction.

    • 7

      Join a single 3-inch pipe section to the end of a 24-inch pieces using glue. This should make an upside down "U" shaped piece.

    • 8

      Flip the bike rack right-side up. Keep the car bike rack facing towards the trunk of your vehicle. Lay a blanket or plastic padding on the surface area of the vehicle. In case your automobile is a four-door sedan, one pipe may rest on the top of the trunk area and one pipe can rest along the side of the trunk area. For a minivan or even an SUV, both pipes can rest on the rear glass of the trunk's door.

    • 9

      Connect two straps and work them through the bicycle rack up to the hinge of the trunk area. Place the straps at the base of your trunk's lid by holding each clip in position so they hook across the bottom door, staying in place.

    • 10

      Open your trunk slightly and place two clips between your trunk top and the actual body of the car. Close the trunk and pull on the straps within the framework of the trunk. Tighten the strap by tugging its end to hold the bike rack in position.

    • 11

      Tighten all of the straps as much as possible. Pull on the entire body of the bike rack to ensure you cannot move it. Shut the lid and tighten.