Critique my DIY bike carrier

We're not really into bicycles, but my wife and I are going to Alaska (for our second time) in a month and we kind of want to take the bikes with us. Last time up there we did all the "dirt" stuff and explored in the 4Runner but this time we're going to be in the south, on the coast, checking out the little towns and doing the touristy thing. We'll likely also ride the train to Denali NP and spend a day or 2 up there, and it's a bike friendly park (can't even drive your own car past the 15 mile point on the main road).

We sleep in the 4Runner so having access to the hatch is important (so no hitch hauler for bikes). I have a winch so I can't run a front hitch to haul them. That kind of leaves the roof. I have a Yak basket up there so I was looking at ways to mount bikes to it, and the only really viable solution was a contraption that held the front forks (minus the front wheel) and then had a plastic ratchet strap that lashed down the rear wheel. A track runs between the fork holder and the rear wheel lash point. That fucking thing was like $180 for one.

So I asked the guy at the bike shop if it was reasonable for me to just buy a couple of $25 pick up bed fork holders and attach them to the basket, and then lash the rear wheels down to the basket with cam buckle straps, since that setup would cost me like $50. He told me I was a fool and that would be a super wonky setup and then he referred me to the $180 x 2 Yakima Forklift thing that basically did the same fucking thing. He literally went on for like 5 minutes about how dangerous a homemade version would be and how if it was such a good idea everyone would be doing it, etc. I didn't know that no one was doing it because I've literally never given a shit about hauling a bicycle in / on a car before so I've never looked at anyone else's setup. I asked him what the purpose of the track between the fork mount and the rear wheel was and he couldn't say.

I didn't buy the $180 setup because I felt I could build something cheaper / as good.

I did build 2 attachments using Thule pick up truck bed fork mounts, U bolts, and once I got them dialed in I used red loctite to secure the nuts on the U bolts. The bikes basically ride right against the inside sides of the basket and I can secure the rear wheels with cam straps in 2 places on each wheel. The bikes are solid enough in there that I can pick the basket up (from the ground) and turn it upside down and shake it and the bikes don't move. I took it for a freeway speed test drive and again, they seem super solid. I packed the basket as we would for a trip and there was plenty of room and the bikes didn't interfere with loading / unloading at all. (Note, the other gear will be held down by adjustable ROK straps, I didn't install them for this)

But still, the bike guy's chastising of me kind of has me worried. Is this reasonable for a 7500+ mile month long trip? I know I'm giving up some height (9'08" loaded) and I wouldn't want to beat up the bikes / forks by bouncing around offroad, but we're basically going to be on pavement 95% of this trip anyway, so I don't see that as an issue. Am I missing something? Is this somehow more dangerous than the $180 manufactured version? Any of you hardcore cyclists who haul your shit globally have a better idea for me?

Also don't judge our welfare bikes.

Here's the $180 Yakima version:



And then here's mine.

 

Looks pretty good to me. I've been running roof racks and mountain bikes for 30+ years. As long as the mounts are super secure to the rack, and the rack is super secure to the roof rails of the vehicle, it should be good. Keep an eye on rotation and loosening, especially at speed and the first few times you go fast on the hiway.

I would get ny-lock nuts, or loc-tite those nuts. They will get loose very quickly because there will be a lot of buffeting and various torques on the mount from the wind resistance of the bikes. I speak from experience as a long-time cyclist who has seen and/or caused multiple roof-rack disasters.

You are smart to strap down the back wheels... don't skip out on that. You'd be surprised what can happen to a loose bike in a cross wind or when passing a semi.

 

Thanks man. I sent the link to this thread to some buddies who ride a lot and/or who are pretty inventive and they all seemed to think it was good to go except that it was suggested I replace the cam buckle straps with ski straps or similar... since those are like $5 ea that's no big deal and I'll do that.

I red loctited the U bolts and I threw a 7/16" socket into my tool bag to retorque them on the road if needed.

I seriously appreciate your reply. Genuinely amazed no one else piped up.

 

Diggin’ it. Another win for the DIY guys. Well thought out, staying tuned for how it handles on you trip. Imma hold on to this along with your PVC Softopper roll up solution

 

Status update:

8100 miles
20 days
Freeway at 90 mph, rocky double track at 2 mph in 4Lo, twisty mountain roads damn near on 2 wheels
0 ft above sea level to 6,000 ft
28 degrees to 97 degrees

Didn't budge a bit

I used Voile ski straps to snug down each rear wheel in two spots instead of the pictured cam buckle straps and they were a good choice.

Also it was awesome to just ride around the small towns on bicycle, you could see and do so much more than if you were driving or walking.

Only down side to this style of mounting is that the dirt that coats the truck also coats the front of the bikes and gets into the forks. So far no issues but I wouldn't be surprised if a fork seal goes prematurely due to that. Probably cover the forks with a bit of a plastic jug or something next time.

Pic is near Valdez Ak on the back side of the Worthington Glacier