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Today December 2021

and bikes (i guess they do not want grease in the interiors?)
We invested into a blue tarpaulin (ブルーシート), available in every DIY store, for the back of our family car. It does a pretty good job at keeping the rear seats and trunk clean when I occasionally load my bike. Or you could rinko the bike.
 
I frequently rent cars from various places (never from Times though...), generally biking to pick the car up, placing my bicycle in the car and driving back with it. Never has anyone asked me not to do that, and in most cases the employees will help me put it in.

If you're worried, use @joewein 's suggestion as a blue sheet will keep everything in the car clean and you shouldn't cause any problems. Never used one in a rental car but do when I put my bike in friends' cars.

(If you have one nearby, Nippon Rental Car is fairly cheap and have fairly new cars.)
 
thanks @joewein and @Benedikt, yeah using the tarp is a good practice, its just that i dont understand that sign/rule for no bicycles. knock on wood, just thinking about a scenario where i get into an accident with a bike inside my car, then times can tell me that they wont cover it because i am not using the car correctly by loading a bicycle but oh well i guess i am just too fatalistic lol.
 
@mrkamot The few times I've rented a car and I put my (and wife's) bike into rinko bag. I think it would be more compact than bringing a tarp. Although I've never used Times Car Share, it kept everything clean.
 
@mrkamot The few times I've rented a car and I put my (and wife's) bike into rinko bag. I think it would be more compact than bringing a tarp.
True, but blue sheets big enough for the back of a car aren't exactly huge. Folded they'll easily fit into a backpack (for ride to rental car place). While I'm out on the ride from my destination I don't care how big or compact the sheet is as it stays in the car.

The main benefit is time. It's much quicker to load / unload a bike with a spread-out blue sheet protecting the car than using a rinko (which my bike is too big for anyway). I just lift the whole bike in through the rear hatch as it is. 1 minute blue sheet vs 5-10 minute rinko.
 
On the subject of rental cars, FYI I've found tabirai.net to be a great website for booking cars at good prices. I've used it for 4-5 years now and their prices are consistently cheaper than booking directly through the rental company.
 
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how bad is this? @bloaker I am stuck inside and can't think of a darn thing I can spend some money on that is cycling related and that I also have a pressing need for. Any ideas?
 
how bad is this? @bloaker I am stuck inside and can't think of a darn thing I can spend some money on that is cycling related and that I also have a pressing need for. Any ideas?
You clearly need one of these!!!
You know - for safety. Sometimes the weather is too bad for your car, and this is the machine that can safely get you and 4 panniers to the grocery store!!!

SAFETY!!!


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