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What could be a greater simple pleasure than bicycling? Whether you’re riding trails or taking a whirl on the road, just hop on your bike and get started.
However, when you have a bike that doesn’t fit into the standard bike specifications, attaching it to your car’s bike rack can be a bit difficult.
If you don’t know, mounting a ladies’ or children’s bicycle on a traditional bike rack or carrier can be a bit tricky! A ladies’ bike, in particular, may pose a challenge if you intend to mount it on a rear-mounted car rack.
As women’s bikes lack horizontal crossbars and top bars, they differ greatly from men’s bikes. This makes mounting them on a bike rack difficult.
No worries, I’ve got a solution and it doesn’t require you to change your rack, car, or bike. Let’s talk about it.
Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Bikes
The first thing we need to do is identify the problem. Here is a photo that illustrates both men’s and women’s bicycles.
On the women’s bike, you can see the top tube slopes down steeply from the handlebars toward the back wheel. In contrast, top tubes are horizontal on other bikes (see image above), and are the parts that connect to car bike racks.
This sloping top tube is actually common in many types of bikes, causing the same problem as you’re currently experiencing. You can see it most commonly on low-step through bicycles, and full-suspension mountain bikes.
The bottom line is that this horizontal top tube needs to be replaced with something else, and that’s where crossbar adapters come into play.
What Is a Crossbar Adapter?
Bicycle crossbar adapters, or women’s bike rack bar adapters, add a top-tube so that most bicycles can be carried on a traditional bike rack.
Any type of rack that secures a bike by the top tube of the frame will work with this accessory. If you have women’s bikes, step-through bikes, or any other frame that is tricky to mount, you can use this to create a temporary top bar that can be attached to a bike rack.
Benefits of this accessory include:
- The crossbar adapter assembles easily.
- An internal spring holds your bikes in place.
- The plastic coating of the hooks protects the bicycle from damage.
- It is useful for non-traditional frames, step-through frames, etc.
Crossbar Adapter to Mount Women’s Bike On Bike Rack
Unless you fit a crossbar adapter first, mounting a women’s bike on a bike rack is tough. Hence, to begin with, you will need a crossbar adapter. You can find one here.
This small and lightweight crossbar adapter fits easily on most bikes. When attached to the handlebar stem and connected to the seat post, it allows the bike to be mounted on a rack like a conventional bike with a horizontal top tube.
Take it off your bike and put it back in the car when you’re done. Here’s a YouTube video that shows you exactly how to use them:
Video credits: allensportusa
How to Mount Womens Bike on Bike Rack (Step-by-step guide)
Here is how to mount a women’s bike on a bike rack once you have the top-tube adapter:
Step 1 – Install the Crossbar Adapter (Top Tube adapter)
You can create a top tube that is similar to the one on men’s bikes by attaching a crossbar adapter to the bike. This will allow the bike to be easily mounted to the rack.
Step 2 – Make sure the rack is firm
There must be no flex in your bike rack. Your bike rack should not move when the car moves. This is especially important when braking, accelerating, and turning. You should tighten the fasteners on your bike rack if you notice it is shaky.
Step 3- Secure the rack arms
Upon firming up the bike rack, locate and lock its arms. A rack arm is more like a natural arm in holding the bike. To lock it, you have to simply pull it up.
There may be a screw in some arm locks that you will need to tighten. Be sure that the arms are raised slightly when locking the bike so that it does not touch the car.
Step 4 – Secure the Bicycle to the arms of the rack
Now, attach your bike to the rack arms with great care. Be careful not to damage either your car or your bike. The top part of the frame can be positioned first.
While you’re at it, make sure the weight of the bike is equally distributed on the bike rack. To prevent damage to the car’s paint, place a rag between the bike and the rack.
Step 5 – Secure your bicycle
Secure the bike on the rack by clamping down the arms of the rack. After securing the bike that way, you can lock or strap it if you feel it needs additional security.
How to Mount Women’s Bike on Bike Rack (Without the top tube)
Even without the top tube, you can mount a women’s bicycle on a bike rack, provided that you have the appropriate wheel fasteners.
The following is a quick guide to getting started:
- Be sure the rack can hold a bike by testing its strength
- Place the bike on the rack after locking the rack arms
- Balance the weight of the bicycle
- Strap the wheels firmly to the rack, around the rack arms, and ensure that they are tightly secured
- After you have made sure that no wheels are dangling, you are ready to start driving.
Women’s Bikes on a Bike Rack: Things you Need
To mount a woman’s bike on a rack, you’ll need any of the following:
Bike Rack
If you want to mount a women’s bike on a car, you must have a bike rack. Do not panic, though, if you lack it. One can be purchased online and mounted on your car.
There are various types of bike racks that can be mounted on different parts of your vehicle, such as the roof, the trunk, the spare tire, and the hitch. Whichever you prefer is up to you.
Hike racks are particularly convenient for me since they allow me to attach and detach my bike easily. In addition, most of them are extremely durable and can carry multiple bikes at once.
Allen Sports 4-Bike Hitch Rack falls into this category. You can mount this bike rack on the hitch of your vehicle and take four bikes along.
In order to use this hitch rack, however, you will have to have a Class II or Class III 2-inch hitch installed first. It takes minutes for the rack to be installed since it comes with everything it needs.
To learn more about car-bike racks, you can check here.
U-Lock
If your bike is shaky, you can secure it with a U-lock. Despite being strong enough to withstand heavy tools, the lock is still easy to open with a key or combination.
It is advisable to choose a hardened steel u-lock, like the Kryptonite New York Standard Heavy-Duty U-Lock Bike Lock. You can lock this hardened steel u-lock with combinations or keys. It can resist cutting and breaking, so it’s fairly secure.
Wheel Straps
You can use wheel straps to fix your bike to the rack at a cheaper price. These straps hold the wheels in place on the rack.
Take a look at SIGSIT Reusable Bike Wheel straps and bring them along on your next road trip. With the non-slip gel add-ons, these nylon stabilizer straps will not slip off. Furthermore, vector and elastic layers are used to create the straps, ensuring both strength and flexibility.
Bike Lock Cable
A bike lock cable is also an option for locking your bike to the rack. U-locks and cable locks all serve the same purpose.
A locking cable, however, can be cut by anyone. Therefore, it does not prevent theft of your bike; it only locks your bike onto the rack. You should check out the Titanker Bike Lock Cable if you need a good bike lock cable.
Secure your bike on the rack with this 4-6ft bike lock cable. It has 4-dit combinations for locking and unlocking. Moreover, a mounting bracket is included with the keyless lock cable so that it can be transported easily.
Conclusion
There you have it, how to mount women’s bikes on the bike rack. Adding a crossbar adapter to your women’s bike is a great idea. It allows you to transport kids, women’s and step-through bikes with ease.
You can also opt for wheel straps to attach your bike to the rack if you want a more affordable option. They keep the wheels from moving around.
In this way, you are able to transport your bike securely and conveniently using the above guide. If you correctly mount your bike on the bike rack, you won’t experience any problems. That’s what this guide will help you with.
