General Cycling Discussion - What vehicle good for bicyclists?

I am looking to purchase a vehicle with room to carry bikes,gear,friends,family,pets to events,rides. I would appreciate your preferences, what you have, why you think it is a good "bike friendly" vehicle, help me narrow down my search. Thanks.

Are you going to be using it for just getting to places that have roads or are you going to also want to load up the MTB and head into the middle of nowhere too?

For the former, I'd suggest a minivan or station wagon or even one of those small SUVs. I personally like the Saturn VUE and you can get one with a built-in internal bike rack too. Other good contenders include the Honda Element and of course I have a soft spot for Volvo station wagons.

For the latter, then it depends on how much gear and people you want to carry and how rugged you need it to be to get you to where you want to go. True offroaders are getting harder to find these days. I myself have a Jeep ZJ and can carry three bikes (one inside and two on the hitch rack) along with three people and full gear in relative comfort even while going offroad. I could add the two-bike extension on the hitch rack and carry four people and four bikes. The Nissan Xterra seems well suited for outdoor excursions into the wild too.

A compact or mid-size station wagon. Use a roof rack, as the vehicle is low enough to attach the bike or bikes to without a step stool or ladder. Plenty of room for family, pets, and stuff. They also drive like a car, not a truck, and get better fuel mileage.

Something to get bike and boards to the beach, canoe and MTB to river, road bikes to races with two kids(11 and 15) and wife.

Do you have a price range that you want to stay within to help narrow things down a bit?

Something to get bike and boards to the beach, canoe and MTB to river, road bikes to races with two kids(11 and 15) and wife.

I'm thinking you fit in the former category then. I'd suggest station wagon, minivan or small/light SUV. Contrary to popular opinion, something like the Saturn VUE gets pretty decent mileage all things considered. Another good pick would be a Subaru station wagon which has mileage on par with the VUE. The Element also has comparable mileage. All seem to fall in the mid to high 20s for composite mileage.

Get a 4dr pick-up.

And an Exxon card.

I'd like something like This :D (http://www.subaru.com./shop/windowSticker.jsp?model=BAJA&trim=TURBO)

If you don't mind used and a bit fuel inefficient, get an 87 marcury grand marquis wagon. For having a 5.0L it gets decent fuel economy (it was a modified version of the 5.0 truck engine)...I got about 30 on the highway with overdrive, but got jack for city, possibly 12. It can seat 6 with reaosnable comfort, has plenty of room in the back for bags...even more if you gut the +2 seating in the cargo area into another storage area, and you can easily fit a rack on top...I bet if you find a way to make sideways mounts you could probably get really funky with it.

When I was in highschool, I had one, and I always had the car packed...the rear was gutted for soda *cough beer not soda cough cough*, and could hold 5+ cases easy, jsut to give an idea of how much room is in one of those cars.

Another great was the thing had a traction control in the rear, and had a pneumatic load balancing system standard....the more weight you put in the rear, to a limit, and the rear suspension would get more pressure to keep it up at the proper ride height.

The car was also luxed out....leather interior, power everything...it was definately not a kid's car...but man I loved that thing.

Honda Element!
Those are so roomy inside. Plenty of room for bikes, fairly cheap and good mpg's.

The Mazda 3 wagon is awesome too.

i have a 4 dr pickup and a small SUV. I can take my bikes everywhere. The pick-up can carry almost anything, from bikes, motorcycles(dirtbikes), etc. The SUV can carry one bike, front wheel off, w/o folding a seat. It can carry 3 bikes, front wheels off, w/ the rear seat folded.

So I guess anything with a high enough roof would suffice, assuming you want to carry it inside.

What vehicle good for bicyclists?

My Choice (http://www.merlinbike.com/bikes/cielo.aspx)

I'm sorry couldnt help myself :D

The UNIMOG should fulfil all your needs.

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/com/e/home/products/trucks/extremeoffroader/index.html

The UNIMOG should fulfil all your needs.

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/com/e/home/products/trucks/extremeoffroader/index.html

you mean this?
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/com/e/home/products/trucks/extremeoffroader/images/15212.jpg

OHG!!! I think I need one of those.. If only I had the $$$$$. :)

I am looking to purchase a vehicle with room to carry bikes,gear,friends,family,pets to events,rides. I would appreciate your preferences, what you have, why you think it is a good "bike friendly" vehicle, help me narrow down my search. Thanks.

Mini vans are the most convenient IMO but I can't stand driving vans all the time. Any 4 door car that you can mount a roof rack on would be my pick. Just make sure the roof line is low enough for easy loading and unloading of gear (not an issue with most cars). I have a newer Nissan Altima with with Yakima roof rack, perfect for carrying 2-3 bikes with gear and riders.

I am looking to purchase a vehicle with room to carry bikes,gear,friends,family,pets to events,rides. I would appreciate your preferences, what you have, why you think it is a good "bike friendly" vehicle, help me narrow down my search.

New or Used?

I bought a used Ford Excursion - room for everything. I took my family of 3 plus brothers family of 5, plus a dog along with all the luggage, kayaks on roof rack, bikes on trailer hitch and pulled a popup camper. Sure I only got 10 miles a gallon but considering we would have had to drive 2 cars otherwise it wasn't bad. I get about 14 mpg on the highway without pulling a trailer. Bikes can go inside or out or on top. Seating for 8 and with 3rd row seat removed and 2nd row folded flat you can fit 4x8 sheets of plywood inside with the rear doors closed. The best versitile vehicle I have ever owned and got it for less than a new Ford Explorer. You can get regular ones for about $15k now and limited for just a bit more.

The V-10 engine I have can pull up to 10,000lbs - more than enough for my camper or boat trailer.

Feul Economy - For what I can haul and the price I paid, even paying a bit more at the pump it was still worth it. Never buy new - used vehicles are almost being given away these days.

Mark

mercedes benz 230 coup

I bought a used Ford Excursion ...Mark

Better put on the Nomex, it's gonna get pretty hot in here! :D

The UNIMOG should fulfil all your needs.

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/com/e/home/products/trucks/extremeoffroader/index.html

While I like unimogs.. especially the new ones with the Vari-Pilot, I think I'd rather have a Pinzgauer (http://www.pinzgauer.uk.com/).

http://www.pinzgauer.uk.com/images/G27.jpg

Of course you could always get one of those Montague Paratrooper folding bikes which will mount to the side of your new Stryker assault vehicle nicely...

http://lib1.store.vip.sc5.yahoo.com/lib/montague-military/pro3c.jpg

Another vote for the Element. It's reasonably priced, gets decent mileag, and can haul a lot of gear. Stay away from the XTerra. For as big as it is outside, it doesn't have all that much room for gear on the inside. Not as much as you'd think anyway.

Volvo wagon with a Yakima or Thule roof rack. If you need to drive in bad weather, get the AWD version.

another vote for the volvo wagon. they are roomy so everybody sits without leg cramps, they have lots of cargo space in the back...oh and they also have a bike rack option which swings down from the roof so you can attach the bike at ground level. then you just swing it up and it locks into place. i really want to see one in real life. looks neat in the catalouge though.

I have an Audi A4 wagon. It's a great car, fits the dog in the wayback and the bikes on the roofrack. The 1.8L turbo motor gets decent mileage and excellent acceleration and has AWD so it handles brilliantly in the rain and snow.

I wouldn't mind a wagon that was a bit bigger but the fullsize Volvo and MBnz are superspendy. That new Subaru Outback is pretty good looking; I may have to check that out.

I wouldn't mind a wagon that was a bit bigger but the fullsize Volvo and MBnz are superspendy.
If price is an issue, one can always get a used Volvo wagon. They are popular with the surfers out here.

Subaru Legacy or Outback wagon. All wheel drive, proven reliability, half the cost (or less) of an Audi or Volvo wagon.

The ultimate bike rig: Toyota Chinook. I've hauled 5 bikes and 3 guys in it before. I've even lived in it for 3 months.

http://img22.photobucket.com/albums/v66/gonesh9/bikeforums/chinook_copy1.jpg

Swallow your pride: Ford Taurus Station Wagon, any since '96 model (more rounded). Inexpensive, not bad mpg, and the roof is low and long for bikes, kayaks, etc. Volvo's are good too, but the parts and service for a Ford Taurus is much cheaper.

I'd have to say a mid to late 80's Toyota Land Cruiser Wagon. You could haul bikes on the back, and in the back, and have plenty of room for more. 4wd, legendary durability, and excellent quality. You can pick them up from 4-8K in decent shape.

Nissan Murano.
Toyota Highlander....camry chassis...rides like a car
Honda Pilot...

If you didnt have kids you could us one of these like I do....

I like that Chinook..I have an 86 Toyota truck. I'm narrowed down to something used,something I can put the bike(s) inside. Think I'll go to Honda dealer and try the Element, then over to Toyota for that xbox thing. thanks all.

How about the new Scion xB from Toyota? Ugly like hell but very cheap, loaded with features, and very roomy.

If you're environmentally conscious, try those Toyota hybrids. The new Prius, which is a hatchback, provides lots of room. And the soon-to-be-released hybrid Highlander looks awesome--powerful, efficient, and SULEV!

man I hate honda's engine designations

first there was LEV =low emission vehicle
then ULEV = ultra low emission vehicle
now SULEV = super ultra low emission vehicle
what's next XHMSULEV? = "Xtra" hyper mega super low emission vehicle?

man I hate honda's engine designations

first there was LEV =low emission vehicle
then ULEV = ultra low emission vehicle
now SULEV = super ultra low emission vehicle
what's next XHMSULEV? = "Xtra" hyper mega super low emission vehicle?

They aren't just Honda's designations. My '98 Passat was a ULEV... even had the sticker on the glass.

A used minivan or domestic wagon probably gives the most bang for the buck but BMW has offered a 4 door wagon since 93.

maybe they should jsut put the year of the improved emission standard...like LEV97.

Given it doesn't sound as nice, but it gets rid of this mega-ultra-super-duper-califragilisticespialadocious-low-emission-vehicle mess of a naming system.

Honda Element!
Those are so roomy inside. Plenty of room for bikes, fairly cheap and good mpg's.

I agree. One of the guys at my LBS has one and he loves it. They get decent mileage and cost somewhere around $22,000.

As for me I have a Jeep Cherokee, BMW 5 series and Jaguar. I have a roof rack on the Jeep and BMW and there's really no difference between having a rack on a car or SUV unless you get something that lets the bike fit inside (Honda Element, Excursion, Tahoe, etc.). The Jaguar doesn't haul any bikes.

Sounds to me like a sedan with a roof rack would work for you.

Maybe too old for ya, but the 1989-1999 Mitsubishi Monteros were really nice. I have a 1990 and can fold up the rear seat (pull cord and latch) to fit four bikes in back. In the later models the room is very similar but you get a high output 3.5l V6. Certain models came with a air actuated locking rear differential, and the 4wd system is extremely good. Very strong drivetrain overall, and decent gas mileage. Low resale value means they are cheap so a strong value as well. I got 153,000mi on my 1990 and basically just change the oil. Runs like new. I'm sold on these things :D

I'd have to say a mid to late 80's Toyota Land Cruiser Wagon. You could haul bikes on the back, and in the back, and have plenty of room for more. 4wd, legendary durability, and excellent quality. You can pick them up from 4-8K in decent shape.

Unless you live in the midwest. Those things were notorious for rusting out... Great offroad vehicles though.

Well I have a Ford F-350 Super Duty 4WD. I can get almost anywhere pull alot more than any SUV or minivan it gets 20 MPG, and for hauling bikes and people we got a 18' Layton goose neck trailer, this bad boy sleeps six has a full bath, and kitchen, with fold out awning.

Well I have a Ford F-350 Super Duty 4WD. I can get almost anywhere pull alot more than any SUV or minivan it gets 20 MPG, and for hauling bikes and people we got a 18' Layton goose neck trailer, this bad boy sleeps six has a full bath, and kitchen, with fold out awning.

A couple of us were out doing a metric century last year and we stopped off at a park by a river for the midpoint turnaround. As we were waiting, we noticed a big RV in the parking lot. As we were chewing down energy bars and refilling our waterbottles, a male cyclist rode up on a really nice Colnago (sorry... couldn't tell which model) and stopped at the RV. The door opened up and a woman let him inside. We just stood there staring. A short while later, the cyclist appeared from the RV and came over to the park area, presumably to stare at the river or something. We mentioned that he had a nice sag-wagon. He commented that it was the only way to travel and that e even had a jacuzzi hottub in there. :) I also noticed the DirecTV dish popped up on the roof and just imagined him strolling back towards that RV and sitting in the hottub watching bike races on OLNtv.

A 2001 Honda Prelude is NOT a good car for bicycle hauling. I can fit my bike in the "trunk", but I have to disassemble the goddamn thing to do so. :(

I know someone selling a 1985 Land Cruiser 5-speed for $3500, and it's in great shape. He lives in Cincinnati/Newport KY. PM me if you're interested.

A 2001 Honda Prelude is NOT a good car for bicycle hauling. I can fit my bike in the "trunk", but I have to disassemble the goddamn thing to do so. :(

I know someone selling a 1985 Land Cruiser 5-speed for $3500, and it's in great shape. He lives in Cincinnati/Newport KY. PM me if you're interested.

Hey man God never damned anything ok?

A couple of us were out doing a metric century last year and we stopped off at a park by a river for the midpoint turnaround. As we were waiting, we noticed a big RV in the parking lot. As we were chewing down energy bars and refilling our waterbottles, a male cyclist rode up on a really nice Colnago (sorry... couldn't tell which model) and stopped at the RV. The door opened up and a woman let him inside. We just stood there staring. A short while later, the cyclist appeared from the RV and came over to the park area, presumably to stare at the river or something. We mentioned that he had a nice sag-wagon. He commented that it was the only way to travel and that e even had a jacuzzi hottub in there. :) I also noticed the DirecTV dish popped up on the roof and just imagined him strolling back towards that RV and sitting in the hottub watching bike races on OLNtv.


:)
WOW! That is a sag wagon!

A 2001 Honda Prelude is NOT a good car for bicycle hauling. I can fit my bike in the "trunk", but I have to disassemble the goddamn thing to do so. :(

I know someone selling a 1985 Land Cruiser 5-speed for $3500, and it's in great shape. He lives in Cincinnati/Newport KY. PM me if you're interested.

Sounds good, I used to live in Wilmore,Kentucky...a bit too far to drive from here in North Florida though.

Let me help set the record straight. You watch the Tour de France, or any other bike race on OLN, and what kind of car do you see as a support car? A compact or mid-size station wagon, even on the US based teams and in US races. No mini-vans, no SUVs, and no pickups. They seem to work well for the pros.

Let me help set the record straight. You watch the Tour de France, or any other bike race on OLN, and what kind of car do you see as a support car? A compact or mid-size station wagon, even on the US based teams and in US races. No mini-vans, no SUVs, and no pickups. They seem to work well for the pros.
The man has an excellent point

Let me help set the record straight. You watch the Tour de France, or any other bike race on OLN, and what kind of car do you see as a support car? A compact or mid-size station wagon, even on the US based teams and in US races. No mini-vans, no SUVs, and no pickups. They seem to work well for the pros.

They work well over there because of the roads. Some of those roads are very very skinny. If I took my big battleship of a truck up some of those MTN passes I would be pushing peds. off the side of the MTN.

They work well over there because of the roads. Some of those roads are very very skinny. If I took my big battleship of a truck up some of those MTN passes I would be pushing peds. off the side of the MTN.
While the road size may be an issue - the fact that they make these smaller vehicles work for thier purposes should stand for something.

2005 2.5L turboed Outback wagon, duh!