Bike racks that clamp the front fork of a bike (a “fork mount”) are desirable particularly for high-end bike frames. These racks avoid the need to clamp the tubes of the frame, and they hold the bike more firmly, substantially avoiding incidental vibration and movement of the bike frame in transit. However, when a fork mount is used to carry a bike, the front wheel that has been removed must be carried somewhere else. Thus, there is sometimes a need for a device for carrying an isolated wheel. Similar needs exist for support vehicles that carry spare wheels for races or organized road tours. This type of device may be referred to as a “wheel carrier, a “front wheel holder,” or a “wheel mount.”
Wheel carriers are inadequate for many purposes. Some wheel carriers are not mountable on crossbars of various shapes and sizes. Some wheel carriers are not versatile enough to carry wheels of different sizes. Some wheel carriers do not hold a wheel sufficiently tightly to minimize vibrations, which may be noisy, annoying, and potentially damaging to the wheel and/or wheel carrier. Some wheel carriers do not adequately protect against theft. Thus, there is a need for an improved wheel carrier.