The Tri Car

The top tube length is too short to accommodate
the width of the bike rack arms.

I ran into issues with the new bike fitting on my existing bike rack because the rack arms are too wide for the narrow opening in the bike frame.

The bike rack.

So, what's a guy to do?  The only reasonable thing to do is take my wife's 2001 Honda Civic, which she so graciously traded with me for my much newer and nicer Trailblazer, and turn it into my rolling triathlon training-mobile.  If I can't fit the new bike on the outside of the car, I guess I'll just have to fit it on the inside.

Let me give a little background information.  I never, never have anybody ride in this car with me.  When we go somewhere as a family (her, me and The Furricane) we always take the Trailblazer.  The Honda is my little good-gas-mileage-scoot-around-towner, which is usually littered with running shoes, swim stuff, bike gear, etc.  So I thought to myself, what would be a good solution to haul all of my gear around while keeping my bike safe?

The Dilemma:  The bike is made of carbon, therefore it's both expensive and fragile.  So, I can't just cram it into the trunk or throw it in the backseat.  It needs to be stable and secure with little to no pressure applied to the frame.  Also, the constant chore of transferring my bike stuff from the house to the car one day, then my run gear the next, followed by my swim stuff--back and forth, to and fro, repeat, repeat, repeat was getting to be a bit annoying.

The Solution:  Tri Car

Bada-Bing

I removed the front seat to allow space for the bike. This has multiple benefits, including some unforeseen.   Benefit 1:  My bike can go with me to train.  Kind of important.  Benefit 2:  The person sitting in the backseat on the passenger side has more leg room than on a first-class flight.  If Shaq ever needs a ride, we're good to go.  Benefit 3:  Norman can now ride comfortably in a car he once battled relentlessly in pursuit of stable transport.  The distance between the floor and the ceiling of the car is absolutely perfect for the bike to gently wedge itself in.  Better lucky than good.

Bada-Boom

Speaking of better lucky than good,  the front bolts that once held the seat are in the perfect location to attach a ratchet strap.  Boom. This little puppy's going where?  Nowhere.

Not something you normally see.

There is one major problem with this setup.  Every time I back out of my driveway or a parking space, I reach for the passenger seat, and it's not there...and it feels weird.  I don't like it.

Ignore the leaves, it's fall.

I also upgraded the trunk and the dilemma of traipsing back-and-forth with different gear everyday is no longer a hassle.  The bin on the left is swim gear, the center is bike and the right is run.  Swim, bike, run--just like a triathlon.  I have to keep it in that order or else I'd be screwed.  You'd see me running beside my bike wearing fins and goggles if I didn't keep the system simple.  The two bags on the left contain cold-weather gear and yoga clothes.  The tray in the bottom right corner is where I put sweaty stuff because it's an elevated grate that allows air circulation.  The car of a triathlete can get a little stinky.

Norman, a.k.a. The Furricane