[Rickcin]

Okay, with help from other members, I have now learned hot to fit two mountain bikes, with front tires in tact, in the back of my Element.

The only problem is the tires leave black marks on the light gray (titanium) interior. Armor cleaning wipes do little to remove them, just lighten them.

What is the best product to remove the marks and what protectant should I use on all of the light colored plastic ?

 

[CivicEM205]

I'm not sure what to tell you about cleaning the marks you already have but to prevent future markings use some old t-shirts / towels and drape them over where your tire contacts the interior trim. Works great!

 

[E_BikeR]

Agreed, tire marks are a pain to remove. I designed a tray that holds two bikes but you have to take the front wheel off each bike to mount them in the E. This way you can even keep one rear seat in and functioning if you want.

I loaded my bikes "wheels on" and ran into the same issue you are. Good old 409 is finally what took off the marks on the plastics. Side and rear pic of the bikes loaded. Here is the clamp that I have on either end of the box to clamp to the fork. It's been in use for a little more than a year, no problems. Here is the original post.

 

[CivicEM205]

that's a pretty cool setup e_biker.

on second thought you might want to try using Tuff Stuff - a readily available carpet cleaner that's usually for sale at automotive stores, wally worlds, etc. Spray some of that on the spot, scrub with a brush, and wipe clean.

For general interior cleanup i use a wet rag sometimes spray a little soapy water on the hard surfaces. On the dash and steering wheel I like to shoot a spray of CRL Plastic Cleaner - it's very close to Plexus but half the price.. and it DOES NOT leave streaks or fade the dash.

http://www.amazon.com/C-R-LAURENCE-...5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1252377888&sr=8-5

 

[E_BikeR]

that's a pretty cool setup e_biker.

on second thought you might want to try using Tuff Stuff - a readily available carpet cleaner that's usually for sale at automotive stores, wally worlds, etc. Spray some of that on the spot, scrub with a brush, and wipe clean.

For general interior cleanup i use a wet rag sometimes spray a little soapy water on the hard surfaces. On the dash and steering wheel I like to shoot a spray of CRL Plastic Cleaner - it's very close to Plexus but half the price.. and it DOES NOT leave streaks or fade the dash.

http://www.amazon.com/C-R-LAURENCE-...5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1252377888&sr=8-5

Tuff Stuff, good suggestion, and Thanks for that link to CRL, I'm going to try it! I have been looking for a new plastic cleaner like that!

One last thought for Rickcin, marks that can get left behind from tire rub is more of a problem if the tire has mud or grit on it and with vibration while driving the E, lightly sands a plastic surface. Unfortunately, once that happens, no cleaner will repair the damage. Hope that's not the case for you Rickcin.

 

[calvin13]

Leave the battle scars.

You will be getting many more. I decides when I got my E that I was not going to worry about such things. Not that I trash my E but after a 135k miles, dogs, kayaks, surfboards, paintball field and anything else, there are plenty of marks.

Try Griot's interior cleaner or plastic cleaner. I use both and they work well.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/interior+detailing/interior+cleaner,+35+ounces.do

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/car+care/interior+detailing/plastic+cleaner,+8+ounces.do

 

[Rickcin]

E Bike R

Agreed, tire marks are a pain to remove. I designed a tray that holds two bikes but you have to take the front wheel off each bike to mount them in the E. This way you can even keep one rear seat in and functioning if you want.

I loaded my bikes "wheels on" and ran into the same issue you are. Good old 409 is finally what took off the marks on the plastics. Side and rear pic of the bikes loaded. Here is the clamp that I have on either end of the box to clamp to the fork. It's been in use for a little more than a year, no problems. Here is the original post.

That photo really helps me !

I purchase two of the Thule fork holders and have mounted them to a piece of wood, however, I mounted them side to side, so they need to be further apart since the handle bars need to clear each other.
It never occurred to me to place the bikes in opposing directions so they can be closer together and take up less room!

I guess your two bikes are full size mountain bikes as well ?

I now need to rethink and most likely redo my fork mount setup.

Thanks so much!!

 

[E_BikeR]

Anytime! Glad to help. The tray/box design started from all the mud and dirt falling off the bikes onto the floor prior to building this box. This keeps the crud contained for vacuuming up later.

The bikes pictured above are a Haro 20.5" frame (large) and a Santa Cruz XL (extra large), so yes they are full size. I have to lean each one slightly to have the seat fit through the rear opening, but that's just because I have my seat pretty high. Depending on the type of pedals you have on your bikes, might make the loading and unloading process more tedious, (some stick out further than others), but overall I am happy with the layout.

Good luck!

 

[Jim N]

I like E_Bike R's tray/box design too...

There is a whole thread on interior bike mounts:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54381

I chose the 'front wheel off method' and built a board to hold two mountain bikes. This idea came from the above thread. With the wheel off, the bike fits better (doesn't rub against front seats) and locked down to the fork mount is much more stable (without bungees, tie-downs and the like). I usually carry only one bike, but it can get kinda dirty, so sometimes I put down an old blanket or beach towel to catch drips, mud, sand, etc.

 

[Rickcin]

Tray/Box Design

I agree with you Jim. The tray/box design does work the best, especially since the positions of the bikes oppose each other which take up less width than having both forks at the same end as each other.

I had originally constructed the fork mounts along side each other, however after viewing E Bike R's tray detail, I thought, wow, that makes the most sense.
I then placed two bikes in the Element, positioned them so they fit tightly together and reinstalled my fork holders to the opposing positions. It now takes about about half of the space than it did before and leaves tons of room for luggage or other items.

My thanks to E Bike R!

 

[E_BikeR]

One last thing about the box that even I forgot.... I added a scrap of old low pile shag carpet underneath,(carpet side down), and used an air compressor staple gun to secure the carpet to the bottom. That was a needed improvement over my first build, and keeps the floor in the E from getting wear marks.