How to tie a bike to the roof of a car... without a rack?
Hi, folks. I've got a Burning Man/bike transportation question for y'all.
Here's the background info.
I'm flying into Reno two days beforehand, renting a car, and driving said car to and from the event.
I also would really like to bring a Craigslist bike (or a cheap walmart bike), but I won't have money for both a bike
and a bike rack this year.
I've heard that it's possible to strap a bike onto the roof of a car (which, importantly, LACKS a roof rack) in the following manner:
1) Put a blanket/thick towel down on the car's roof, to protect against scratches.
2) Take the pedals off the bike.
3) Lay the bike flat on the roof, with the handlebars turned sideways (so they're parallel to the roof, and the front wheel is perpendicular to the roof... I guess).
4) Loop a lot of sturdy rope around/through the bike frame and wheels, and then through the (back?) windows of your car. And then tie those rope ends together inside the car.
5) Drive cautiously and pray nothing comes loose.
Has anyone tried this before? I feel like securing a bike to a car roof would be a little less stupid than doing this with, say, a mattress, because you can loop the rope or rachet straps through the bike, as well as around it. With a solid block of mattress, on the other hand, you can only wrap the rope around the mattress, and have to hope you've tightened the straps enough to keep the mattress from slipping through their clutches!
Please, gimme your advice!
Here's the background info.
I'm flying into Reno two days beforehand, renting a car, and driving said car to and from the event.
I also would really like to bring a Craigslist bike (or a cheap walmart bike), but I won't have money for both a bike
and a bike rack this year.
I've heard that it's possible to strap a bike onto the roof of a car (which, importantly, LACKS a roof rack) in the following manner:
1) Put a blanket/thick towel down on the car's roof, to protect against scratches.
2) Take the pedals off the bike.
3) Lay the bike flat on the roof, with the handlebars turned sideways (so they're parallel to the roof, and the front wheel is perpendicular to the roof... I guess).
4) Loop a lot of sturdy rope around/through the bike frame and wheels, and then through the (back?) windows of your car. And then tie those rope ends together inside the car.
5) Drive cautiously and pray nothing comes loose.
Has anyone tried this before? I feel like securing a bike to a car roof would be a little less stupid than doing this with, say, a mattress, because you can loop the rope or rachet straps through the bike, as well as around it. With a solid block of mattress, on the other hand, you can only wrap the rope around the mattress, and have to hope you've tightened the straps enough to keep the mattress from slipping through their clutches!
Please, gimme your advice!