Bicycle carrier for motor vehicles

Various arrangements of a bicycle carrier for transport by motorized vehicle include a particular type of clamping device for securely gripping the tire of a bicycle wheel mounted therein. The clamp comprises a pair of generally parallel, spaced-apart side panels adapted to receive a bicycle wheel and frictionally engage the tire when the panels are drawn together by a suitable closure, such as a bolt and nut combination. Theft protection is afforded by a padlock extending through holes in the two panels. In one arrangement, the clamp is stamped of sheet metal with the side panels being flexible enough to accommodate being drawn together by the adjustable closure. In another arrangement, the side panels are hinged to a base plate so that they can be pivoted into frictional engagement with the bicycle tire. The carrier mounts transversely on a longitudinal support member adapted for installation in the receiver portion of a conventional vehicle-mounted trailer hitch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a bicycle carrier adapted for mounting on a motor 
vehicle and, more particularly, to apparatus for retaining one or more 
bicycles in a support arrangement which may be mounted in the receiver 
portion of a conventional vehicle trailer hitch, on top of a car, or in 
the bed of a pickup. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Bicycle riding has long been a popular recreational activity. In 
particular, in metropolitan areas and their environs, bicycle paths are 
maintained for the exclusive use of recreational bicycle riders in parks, 
along beaches and other available open flatland. Access to areas where 
facilities for safe, off-road bicycle riding are provided is generally 
accomplished by motor vehicles which are usually equipped in one way or 
another with racks or carriers for transporting the bicycles. Moreover, in 
the past few years, so-called "mountain bikes", motocross competition and 
other off-road cycling have become increasingly popular. Again, access to 
areas where such activities are permitted is generally by means of motor 
vehicles equipped to transport the bicycles. 
For many years, more or less standard bicycle transport arrangements have 
sufficed for the purposes of transporting bicycles by means of motor 
vehicles. The more conventional carrier racks generally incorporated a 
provision for supporting the rack on the vehicle bumper, either front or 
rear, with an arrangement for hanging the bicycle on the carrier and tying 
or strapping it in place. Oftentimes the carrier rack includes means for 
connecting the upper end of the carrier to the vehicle to secure it in 
place. One common type of rack is arranged to hang the top bar of the 
bicycle frames of two or three bicycles from a pair of horizontal support 
members with the bicycles being tied together and also to the vehicle. In 
such an arrangement, the bicycles usually rub and bump together, causing 
scuffing of the paint finish on bicycle and/or transport vehicle with 
possibly other damage as well. This problem with this type of rack has 
been exacerbated with the development of modern bicycles having varying 
shapes and sizes of frames which preclude their hanging properly. Having 
the bicycles rub or bump together during transport is clearly 
unsatisfactory, considering that a good mountain or road bike costs in the 
range of $800.00 to $3000.00. 
Allen U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,134 discloses a bike carrying system which is 
particularly designed to carry a plurality of bicycles in a manner which 
maintains spatial separation between them, thereby protecting them from 
the damage that may occur in the carrier rack systems of the type 
described above. The patent shows use of straps as a means for securing 
the bicycles in place on the bicycle support frame. It also calls for 
removing the front wheel from the bicycle fork before mounting the bicycle 
on the carrier frame. 
The Hannes et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,504 discloses a bicycle rack which is 
provided for the cargo compartment of a pickup truck. While this 
disclosure involves a mechanical arrangement which is more secure than 
using straps to mount the bicycles to the rack, it is still somewhat 
cumbersome to use because it calls for removing the front wheel from the 
bicycle fork before mounting the bicycle to the rack. 
Cole U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,893 discloses a bicycle carrier for mounting on 
top of a motor vehicle, such as a station wagon. A U-shaped stanchion has 
a clamping mechanism to retain the bicycle in upright position. Straps are 
used for holding the bicycle wheels in position. 
Carriers for enabling motorcycles to be transported at the front or rear of 
motor vehicles are also known in the prior art but these generally involve 
different design considerations from bicycle carriers because of the 
substantially greater weight and handling difficulty of motorcycles. 
A preferred bicycle carrier for transport is one that separates the 
bicycles from touching each other and will hold the bicycles securely in 
place. It should have mounting points which are common to most bicycles 
and should be easy to use, both with respect to installation on the 
transport vehicle and in placement of the bicycles on the carriers. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Arrangements in accordance with the present invention satisfy the design 
criteria of the preferred bicycle carrier described above. A principal 
feature of arrangements in accordance with the present invention involves 
the use of a clamping device for the wheels of the bicycle being 
transported. In its simplest form, this clamping device comprises a pair 
of parallel panels connected in a U-shaped configuration and provided with 
a fastening device to squeeze the panels together. One tire of the bicycle 
slides between the panels and the fastening device, typically a bolt and 
nut, squeezes the panels together, thereby clamping the tire in place. The 
clamp may be provided additionally with a locking mechanism to protect the 
bicycle against theft. 
In one particular arrangement in accordance with the invention, a bicycle 
carrier apparatus is constructed with a central longitudinal support 
member having one end which slips into the receiver portion of a standard 
trailer hitch of the Class C type or similar. Such a hitch is fixedly 
mounted in place on the transport vehicle. The receiver portion is 
generally centrally located immediately below the rear bumper of the 
vehicle. 
The longitudinal support member is preferably fabricated from hollow square 
metal tubing, about 1.5 to 2 inches square. A single bicycle carrier 
mounted on the longitudinal support member comprises a transverse support 
arm approximately equal in length to the overall length of a standard 
adult bicycle, less one wheel radius, and similarly formed of hollow box 
tubing, either square or rectangular in cross-section. At one end of the 
transverse support arm is affixed, as by welding, a vertical stop member 
fabricated of metal box tubing like the transverse support arm. The stop 
member and the support arm may be fabricated of somewhat lighter tubing 
than the longitudinal support member, since the load carrying demands are 
less. 
A clamp in accordance with the invention is affixed to the vertical stop 
member a distance above the juncture with the transverse support arm 
generally approximating the radius of the rear wheel of a bicycle to be 
transported. Another clamp like the first is mounted to the transverse 
support arm at a position approximating where the front tire of a bicycle 
to be transported rests on the support arm. The transverse support arm is 
mounted on the longitudinal support member with a fixture that permits 
fore and aft adjustment of the carrier, after which the fixture is 
tightened so as to establish a rigid mounting arrangement. The transverse 
support arm is attached to this fixture with lateral positioning so that 
the weight of a standard-size bicycle is approximately balanced on the 
longitudinal support member. 
In the preferred embodiment of the bicycle carrier apparatus described thus 
far, two individual bicycle carriers are mounted on the longitudinal 
support member such that the bicycles positioned thereon face in opposite 
directions. The individual carriers are mounted in opposing orientations 
and slightly staggered from each other to minimize interference between 
the associated bicycles. If more than two bicycles are to be carried, a 
longer longitudinal support arm may be used and additional individual 
bicycle carriers may be transversely mounted thereon with the carrier 
orientations alternating from one carrier to the next. Typically as many 
as four bicycle carriers may be installed in this manner. 
Alternatively, a standard longitudinal support member for two bicycle 
carriers may be provided with a connector assembly in which a section of 
box tubing having the dimensions of the receiver of the trailer hitch and 
forming a receiver socket is welded to the outer end of the longitudinal 
support member at 90 degrees thereto so it extends vertically from the 
support member. A short stub of box tubing having the dimensions of the 
longitudinal support arm may be attached, as by welding, in a vertical 
orientation to the underside of a second longitudinal support member which 
may have an additional one or two individual bicycle carriers mounted 
thereon. The second support member may then be installed on the first 
longitudinal support member by slipping the stub into the vertical 
receiver socket and attaching the two firmly in place with a retainer pin. 
This arrangement permits ready adjustability of the capacity of the 
bicycle carrier apparatus from a carrier for one or two bicycles to a 
carrier for three or four. In addition, this arrangement provides for the 
elevation of the second pair of bicycles relative to the first pair so 
that additional clearance from the road for the vehicle and carrier 
combination is achieved. 
In its simplest form, the clamping device may be stamped from a single 
piece of sheet metal into a U-shaped configuration in which the bottom of 
the U has a width approximating the width of a standard bicycle tire, 
thereby spacing the opposed parallel sides of the clamp by a suitable 
distance to receive the tire of one of the bicycle wheels between them. 
The clamp possesses sufficient flexibility that it may expand slightly 
around a larger bicycle tire or be squeezed together to encompass a 
thinner bicycle tire. The two sides of the clamp are provided with 
opposing holes, strategically located, to receive a fastening device in 
the form of a bolt and nut which serve to clamp the two sides in 
frictional engagement with the bicycle tire. An additional pair of opposed 
holes may be provided to accommodate a padlock or other locking device 
used to secure the bicycle wheel within the clamp. 
In an alternative arrangement, the clamping device is in the form of a 
backing plate with a pair of side members pivotably attached thereto. A 
simple hinge mechanism may be used to provide the attachment to the 
backing plate, one for each of the two planar side members. A nut and bolt 
may be used as the fastening device, as in the first-mentioned clamping 
device. 
The clamping device is mounted on the carrier by suitable attaching means 
to the vertical stop member or the transverse support arm, as the case may 
be. Attachment may be by welding or any standard attaching means. 
In an alternative embodiment designed for transporting bicycles in the bed 
of a pickup, the clamps may be attached to a cross bar which is adapted 
for mounting transversely between the side rails near the forward end of 
the pickup bed. The clamps may be affixed to the cross bar by concealed 
mounting screws or bolts and nuts to which access is blocked when a 
bicycle tire and wheel combination is positioned within the clamp and 
secured therein. Where a transverse support device, such as a standard 
tool box or the like, is already installed in the pickup bed, the clamps 
can simply be affixed to that device without the need for a special 
crossbar mount. 
Carrier apparatus in accordance with the invention may also be used as a 
cartop rack. In such an arrangement, two or more individual bicycle 
carriers are secured on a frame member which extends between the two. This 
configuration establishes a rigid carrier apparatus which may be secured 
in position on top of a vehicle, either to an already installed car-top 
luggage rack or with straps and clips that are customarily used to attach 
an add-on cartop luggage carrier. 
In still another alternative arrangement, the carrier apparatus of the 
invention is formed in a configuration which permits the bicycles to be 
transported with the bicycle frames aligned in a generally vertical 
orientation along the rear end of a motor vehicle such as a station wagon, 
van or other utility vehicle. In this arrangement, the longitudinal 
support member which mounts in the receiver portion of the vehicle trailer 
hitch is relatively short, just long enough to support a T-shaped frame 
which is welded to the support member in a generally vertical orientation. 
The individual bicycle carriers are affixed to opposite ends of the 
T-shaped frame crossbar, preferably positioned on the crossbar so that the 
lowermost bicycle wheel is approximately at bumper height. Preferably the 
stop member of the individual bicycle carrier is at the lower end of the 
carrier, approximately at the level of the longitudinal support member. 
Further details of a similar arrangement of bicycle carrier apparatus are 
shown and described in the co-pending application of James D. Fletcher, 
one of the inventors herein, entitled Bicycle Crank Shaft Support Carrier, 
application Ser. No. 08/184,996, filed Jan. 14, 1994, which is now U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,476,203 issued 19 Dec. 1995. The disclosure of that patent 
application is incorporated herein by reference as though set out in haec 
verba.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
One particular arrangement of a bicycle carrier apparatus in accordance 
with the invention is represented schematically in FIGS. 1-6. This 
apparatus 10 is shown comprising a pair of individual bicycle carriers 12, 
14 mounted transversely on a longitudinal support member 16 which is 
adapted to be installed in the receiver portion 18 of a conventional 
vehicle-mounted trailer hitch. 
The longitudinal support member 16 is preferably formed of square hollow 
metal tubing of cross-sectional dimensions such as to permit insertion of 
the support member into the aperture of the trailer hitch receiver 18 in 
place of the removable hitch portion to which a trailer hitch ball is 
customarily attached. The support member 16 is retained in the same manner 
in the hitch receiver portion 18 with a retainer pin 19 as is customarily 
used in trailer hitches of the type described. 
Each individual carrier 12, 14 comprises a transverse support arm 20 to 
which a vertical stop member 22 is affixed at a proximal end 24. The stop 
member 22 is provided with a clamp 26 in the form of a pair of parallel 
side panels 28, 30 extending from a base plate 32. In its simplest form, 
the clamp 26 may be stamped from a single piece of sheet metal into a 
U-shaped configuration in which the bottom of the U has a width 
approximating the width of a standard bicycle tire. A retainer assembly 34 
comprising a bolt 38 and nut 36 is positioned to retain a bicycle wheel 
within the clamp 26. The side panels 28, 30 are deformable so that, when a 
bicycle wheel is positioned within the clamp 26 and the nut 36 is 
tightened on the bolt 38, the bicycle tire is frictionally engaged and the 
wheel is readily clamped in position. The carriers 12, 14 are mounted in 
opposing orientation to each other and preferably receive a bicycle with 
the rear wheel in the clamp 26. Another clamp 26' is mounted at the distal 
end 25 of the carrier. The clamp 26' is identical in construction to the 
clamp 26 with its components being designated with like reference 
numerals, primed. 
Each transverse support arm 20 has a mounting fixture 40 for securing it to 
the longitudinal support member 16. As particularly shown in FIG. 5, the 
mounting fixture 40 comprises a pair of angles welded to the underside of 
the transverse arm 20 and spaced apart by a distance equal to the 
transverse outer dimension of the support member 16. The position of the 
support arm 20 can be set by moving it along the longitudinal support 
member 16 and then tightening the bolt and nut combination 44 to fix it 
rigidly in position. 
The carrier apparatus 10 of the first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 
as comprising two individual bicycle carriers 12, 14. FIG. 7 shows an 
arrangement in which four individual bicycle carriers may be installed in 
carrier apparatus 10A, simply by using a longer longitudinal support arm 
16' which is of sufficient length to accommodate four individual bicycle 
carriers side-by-side. 
FIGS. 8-10 schematically represent an alternative embodiment to the clamp 
26 of FIGS. 1-7. FIGS. 8-10 depict a clamping device 50 comprising a pair 
of side plates 52, 54 pivotably mounted by hinges 56, 58 to a backing 
plate 60. Clamp 50 may be mounted to a support member (not shown) by bolts 
such as 62. Retention of a bicycle wheel within the clamp 50 is effected 
in the same manner as described hereinabove for the clamp 26. A bolt 64 is 
installed through aligned holes 66 in the plates 52, 54 and a nut 68 is 
threaded thereon, drawing the side plates 52, 54 together when the nut 68 
is tightened, thereby squeezing the bicycle tire within the clamp 50 to 
retain the bicycle rigidly in position on the carrier. 
Either type of clamp, 26 or 50, may be installed in the manner described 
herein. 
FIGS. 11 and 12 schematically illustrate use of a clamping arrangement of 
the present invention to support a bicycle in position within the bed of a 
pickup. A bar 70 is installed by suitable fastening means 72 at opposite 
ends of the bar 70 to the side panels 74 of a pickup bed. Clamp 76 is 
intended to represent either type of clamp 26 or 50, disclosed herein. The 
clamp 76 is slidably mounted on the bar 70 by means of a U-shaped mounting 
bracket 78 and a pair of bolts 80. Tightening the bolts 80 rigidly secures 
the clamp 76 at a selected position along the bar 70. A bicycle may then 
be secured in the pickup bed by positioning a wheel, preferably the rear 
wheel, in the clamping device 76 and tightening the nut 82 on the bolt 84 
until the bicycle tire is tightly held within the clamp 76. 
Pickup trucks are not infrequently equipped with a toolbox or similar 
fixture extending across the forward end of the pickup bed. In such cases, 
clamps 26 or 50 of the present invention may readily be installed along 
the rearward surface of such a device. FIGS. 8-10 may be considered to 
show the clamp 50 being mounted on the rearward wall 92 of a toolbox 90 
conventionally installed in a pickup bed. With mounting arrangements using 
bolts to secure the clamps of the present invention in place, theft is not 
a problem because when a bicycle wheel is frictionally engaged in the 
clamp, access to the mounting bolts is blocked by the wheel and it is 
virtually impossible to remove the clamp. Additional protection against 
theft of a bicycle which is clamped in position by clamps of the present 
invention may be afforded by use of a padlock 96 (see FIG. 10) which 
extends through corresponding aligned holes in the side panels of the 
clamp. 
A variation of the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1-6 is shown in FIGS. 13 
and 14. These figures show an individual bicycle carrier designated 12", 
equipped with three individual clamping devices 27, 27' and 37. These 
clamps are similar to the clamps 26, 36 shown in FIG. 2, except that they 
are smaller and are three in number rather than two. Clamps 27 and 27' are 
positioned along the transverse support arm 20 and vertical stop member 22 
to support a single rear wheel of a bicycle being carried on the carrier 
12'. This provides improved stability for the bicycle with lighter weight 
clamps. 
FIG. 15 depicts an arrangement whereby a second support arrangement for an 
additional pair of bicycles may be mounted on a bicycle carrier apparatus 
such as that shown in FIG. 1. That portion of the apparatus labelled 10 in 
FIG. 15 is identical to the apparatus 10 of FIGS. 1-6 with a pair of 
individual bicycle carriers (only carrier 14 is shown), except for the 
addition of a mounting socket 102 adjacent the rear end of the 
longitudinal support member 16. This socket 102 is like the receiver 
portion 18 of a trailer hitch, having the same dimensions and with 
provision for a retainer pin 104. The receiver socket 102 is preferably 
affixed by welding to the longitudinal support member 16. A mating stub 
106 is affixed, preferably by welding, to the underside of a second 
longitudinal support member 16' to complete the connector assembly 107. 
The stub 106 is fabricated of the same stock as the member 16 so that it 
readily fits within the receiver socket 102 where it may be retained by 
the pin 104 in a rigid, secure mounting. The support member 16' preferably 
supports a pair of individual bicycle carriers (only carrier 12' is 
shown). This arrangement is disclosed in further detail in companion 
application Ser. No. 08/184,996 of James D. Fletcher entitled Bicycle 
Crank Shaft Support Carrier, filed concurrently herewith. This arrangement 
permits carrier apparatus in accordance with the present invention to be 
readily expanded to accommodate a second pair of bicycles and is somewhat 
simpler and quicker to use than the arrangement shown in FIG. 7. 
Arrangements in accordance with the present invention provide improvements 
over those known in the prior art for transporting bicycles by means of 
conventional motor vehicles. Designed for standard use with a pair of 
bicycles, one of the individual bicycle carriers may be readily removed so 
that a single bicycle carrier is provided. In alternative arrangements, 
additional bicycles may be accommodated in similar fashion so that three 
or four may be transported in the same way as two. Apparatus of the 
present invention is principally designed to attach to a vehicle by means 
of the receiver portion of a conventional trailer hitch which is generally 
welded in place on a vehicle to project underneath the rear bumper. 
A significant feature of the invention is the particular bicycle wheel 
clamping device which is employed. Clamping devices such as are disclosed 
hereinabove may be adapted to mount in the bed of a pickup so that 
bicycles may be rigidly and securely retained by these clamping devices, 
whereby the bicycles are securely positioned within the bed of the pickup. 
Clamps of the invention are simply constructed and easy and quick to use 
while eliminating the necessity sometimes encountered in prior art 
arrangements of partially dismantling a bicycle to enable it to fit in 
particular prior art bicycle carriers. 
Although there have been described hereinabove various specific 
arrangements of a bicycle carrier for vehicles in accordance with the 
invention for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the 
invention may be used to advantage, it will be appreciated that the 
invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, any and all modifications, 
variations or equivalent arrangements which may occur to those skilled in 
the art should be considered to be within the scope of the invention as 
defined in the annexed claims.