The Low Cadence Honda Fit bike mount system
It is funny how certain posts that I wouldn’t imagine would be that popular end up being some of the most widely read and the ones I get the most contacts about. This was the case with my post and video about the bicycle mount I built for my 2009 Honda Fit. So, here is an explanation about how I built it.
First, you need to measure the floor space in the back of your Fit. For my 2009 Fit, there is a special floor rail system for adding aftermarket accessory holders. I measured the floor space between those rails and from the back of the rear seats to back door. Once I had my measurements, I went to a hardware store and got a board about an eighth of an inch thick. I cut it according to the dimensions I had measured and then moved to the next step. Click on the images to see a larger version.
The 2009 Honda Fit bike accessory
That next step was to place the board in the back of the car, place my bike in the back without its front wheel, and then mark on the board where the fork rested. I did this by connecting the fork mount to the fork and drawing a line around where it rested. I actually had two fork mounts and it is possible to put two bikes there, but for now I only have one.
Attach the fork mount to the platform
I then removed the board and marked the holes where the fork mount would be attached. For my $14 Hollywood mount, I needed three bolts and nuts. After marking the holes, I painted the board flat black and then attached the mount to the board with the bolts. I made sure the heads were on the bottom and the nuts on the top. This allowed the board to lay as flat as possible.
Make sure the bolt heads are on the bottom
I’m sure an engineer would tell me I need some washers or something, but I felt pretty secure with having the three bolts holding the fork down and the large board makes for a very stable base for the system. I have been able to take my bike around without having any bungee cords or ties holding it down. The platform is really quite stable and holds the bike firmly.
Slide platform into the floor mounts
You then just slide the platform into the back of the car. You can keep it there with the seats up or down, or you can easily remove it. One of the things I plan to do is cover the platform with some black industrial carpet. I’ve found some at Home Depot that looks very much like the Honda’s carpet. A rubber mat might also be a good idea.
Ta da! It fits perfectly!
I find that when I put my bike in, I have to angle the rear wheel towards the outside of the front seats. I have an aftermarket armrest with a storage compartment. That takes just enough space from between the two front seats to keep from being able to put the rear wheel there. I know that before I added the arm console, I could put my bike in straight back and not impede my arm movement.
The floor rails also have a hook for securing the bike(s)
Of course, there are other ways to secure your bike if you want to. In the upper right corner of the above photo, you can see a hook for the aftermarket cargo net. It also works as a good connector for your bungee cord or whatever else you want to use to secure your bike. In the picture, you can also see the floor rails that I mentioned earlier.
I intentionally didn’t give any exact measurements (other than the thickness of the board) because you need to measure twice and cut once! Just in case your model doesn’t match mine, I don’t want to get blamed for your frustrations. Really, once you have the measurements, it is pretty straight forward.
This system appealed to me because 1) the larger base makes the entire system more stable, 2) using the wider, but thinner board gives me maximum height for placing the bike in the car, and 3) once I get the carpet on the platform, a person would think I had attached the fork mount to the floor — it just looks cool.
Tags: bike mount, Honda Fit
April 15th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Thanks very much. Very interesting post but I wonder how you would do this with two fork mounts. I’ve put two bikes in the back of my fit with front wheels off but the first one’s rear wheel went between the seats and the slightly shorter second one was angled in. I just leaned them against the side of the car where they barely fit (so to speak) and I’m not sure how you could use two fork mounts to lock them in place.
Richard
April 15th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Richard,
Take a look at this post and you can see two bikes front fork locked in the back of a Fit:
http://lowcadence.com/2009/03/16/two-fit-canadians-in-a-fit/
You would follow the same directions as I mentioned above. Take the two bikes and put them in the back of the Fit. Bring the bars as close to the back window as possible and then angle both rear wheels so they go between the two front seats. Mark the location of the forks on the board and then place the fork mounts there.
I’ll admit that with my non-stock center armrest console this is a little more tricky, but with the stock armrest, it should work just fine. It might also be a problem if you are trying to carry two mountain bikes - as they have larger tires.
April 21st, 2009 at 8:08 am
[...] been doing this since last October I have some details and video here: Building a cool bike mount inside your Honda Fit | Low Cadence A different kind of bike Fit - The 2009 Honda Fit | Low Cadence The bike in the video is a 58cm [...]