Originally Posted by
VegasJen
Since it spends so much time on the back of the car, everything from quick trips to the store to drives into Vegas, it gets a lot of road grime just sitting back there. I'm probably not as good as I should be about keeping the chain cleaned and lubed. But is there really any other downside to this? I'm sure the UV out here doesn't do rubber and plastic any good either. Anybody else just drive around with a bike all the time?
You hit the main problems of leaving the bike strapped to the rear of a car. I traveled in a motorhome for 5 yrs carrying a bike on the bumper, and though the bike itself suffered serious deterioration, it did work when needed. However I did take extra care with matinance, especially lubrication. Also, when driving in wet weather I would often cover the bike with a fitted cover to reduce rain getting into bearings.
What do you do about theft?