Fifty Plus (50+) - Vehicle that can carry bikes

I've always been a fan of smaller vehicles. My current car is 2004 BMW 325i sedan. And if I want to take my road bike to a distant location, I can fold the rear seats down and load it in thru the trunk with no problems (front wheel removed, obviously).

If my wife and I are both going on an outing, I put on the roof rack. But this has some hassles, such as dropping my gas mileage from about 30 to 25mpg; bikes out in the weather; and if we stay overnight, we feel we have to take the bikes into the room.

My wife has a Mazda3 hatchback, which is easier to load than the 325, but still won't hold both bikes (laying them on top of each other is not a good option!).

So if I'd like my next vehicle to be capable of carrying two bikes inside with room left for two people and some gear, what might I be looking at? Would a small SUV or crossover do it? What do you folks carry your bikes in?

Dodge Grand Caravan.
4 bikes with all wheels attached + 4 people!
Inside.

Something Square. I don't care for many of the crossover square SUV and mini wagons but for hauling bikes inside they work. Mini-vans work very well. Scion xBs work reasonable well even if I find them a bit.... well never mind. The best units have a low floor and a tall roof. I like old school full size SUVs because they will take two road bikes with wheels on and the back seat folded down. I also like being able to lock my bikes inside in case I happen to stop somewhere to get something to eat. I use a bike rack when hauling friends and their bikes to an out of town ride. But when it is just me and my wife the bikes go in back. But you might give a mini-van.

The best bike hauler I owned was a Ford Areostar minivan. I could fit one bike behind the rear seat with wheels on. taking out the rear seat I could carry two or three bikes bikes by careful stacking - along side each other not on top of each other. A simple floor rack could have easily added more bikes. Not sure if newer minivans have the same volume. i would look at Honda Element or a full-sized pickup truck with a cap. I currently own a small half ton pickup with a cap - good for one bike laying in the bed; not enough head room for multiple bikes with a floor mounted rack. If you are carrying multiple bikes, you need height as well as floor space. A big back door is nice too. Get out and look at the car lots of your favorite brands to identify candidates for bike hauling. good luck with the search.

There was a thread about this just a while ago, and I seem to recall a couple people saying a Honda Fit would hold two bikes without disassembly.

I usually carry my bike in the train or on the rack on the front of the bus. ;) It's been many years since I owned a personal car. But if I were to have one, I suppose it would be some sort of cargo van. I don't think I'd leave bikes visible inside a vehicle overnight if I could help it, though.

chevy express - 5 bikes inside, 4 outside, 12 people inside :)

If a small car is a priority, I would go for one of the tall wagon type cars. My PT Cruiser will carry three bikes and three people inside if I remove the wider of the rear seat sections. The bikes face the rear with front wheels removed and forks attached to a mount on a board at the rear. Three bikes takes some work, but two bikes is easy.

Corvette Convertible - Draw Tite hitch and 2 bike Swagman. Hitch weighs 15 lb and is barely noticeable. Very easy to drop bike into Swagman. Swagman also works with hitch on 2006 Cadillac STS. Neither car could use roof rack or trunk rack.

I would not let bikes dictate what car I would choose.

Honda Element - The bikes roll in the back and off you go. Perfect for a couple.

Some good suggestions here -- thanks! I'll definitely take a look at the Element, but since I'm realistically not going to be in the market for a couple of years yet, I can always wait to see what comes out by then.

Station wagon. Holds lots of stuff; drives and handles like a car. We find our Mercedes 300TE ideal.

Paul

How important is it to put the bikes in without taking the wheels off? Unless you find a car that has plenty of length- then it will not be possible- and you want a small car.

Here you go,35 mpg,1939 American Bantam Sedan Delivery:
http://wmspear.com/Bantam/blupanel.jpg

You don't have one?

You guys can have all the new Junk....

Anyone put a bike rack on an Auto Moto (http://www.theautomoto.com/)yet?

I've always been a fan of smaller vehicles.
My wife has a Mazda3 hatchback, which is easier to load than the 325, but still won't hold both bikes (laying them on top of each other is not a good option!).

So if I'd like my next vehicle to be capable of carrying two bikes inside with room left for two people and some gear, what might I be looking at? Would a small SUV or crossover do it? What do you folks carry your bikes in?


I have a 2004 CR. It replaced my 2-door explorer. Both allow carrying two bikes upright. Almost any suv shaped smaller vehicle can carry two bikes upright if configured properly. At least mountain bikes. Road bikes may work depending on the vehicle.

I use a board across the vehicle on the rear floor against the hinges of the folded-up rear seats. I mount two skewer clamps on the boards to hold the forks. The clamps are fitted to put the bikes as far towards the outside of the vehicle as possible. I put the rear wheels together in the center of the vehicle to reduce the fore-aft space required. If the rear overhang is low, you tilt the bike over to get the saddle under. You load from the rear and just set the fork down near the board then move to the rear side-door and attach the fork to the skewer clamp.

We use a plastic basket between the two bikes for shoes/helmets/gloves/etc. The wheels fit on the sides in sleeves the wife made. There's plenty of room left for clothes bags and even a few days worth of groceries in the CRV.

The floors are generally uneven where the board has to lay. I used a gray foam of the kind used to make white water canoe saddles/knee-pads under the boards for stability. That provided space to pass a couple of bungee cords which hold the board/bikes against the folded-up rear seat. It takes about 5 minutes or less to install/remove the board. I made prototype out of scrap before I made the final version using more substantial materials.

Drop handlebars may complicate things requiring more fore/aft space than available in the CRV or require moving the fork-clamp up, but I think it might just work in the CRV.

Our favorite vehicle is our 2001 F150. I have a camper shell and a lift-back vice a tail gate. I made a custom mount similar to the CRV's but turned around so it sits at the rear of the truck bed. The bikes are put in rear first. The lift back gives good shade on a hot day.

Since the truck runs & looks/feels like new, reliable and is fully depreciated + payed for, it's not cost effective to worry about gas mileage yet.

I might add that a roof box of the long/narrow type does not seem to affect the CRV's gas mileage all that much. We use one if we need more space with the bikes inside. I prefer bikes inside if at all possible.




Al

How important is it to put the bikes in without taking the wheels off? Unless you find a car that has plenty of length- then it will not be possible- and you want a small car.

Taking the front wheel(s) off is not an issue. I realize that carrying two bikes upright with wheels would require a good-sized van or SUV. I guess what I'd really like is one of those vehicles that are larger on the inside than they are on the outside.

I guess what I'd really like is one of those vehicles that are larger on the inside than they are on the outside.

That would be a "Tardis".

That would be a "Tardis".

:roflmao2::roflmao2::roflmao2:

Says Who!!



So DougG are there any issues with owning more than two vehicles? We drive the wife's Camry around town and haul bikes in our old '94 Ford E-150 Conversion Van. We get to drive an economical vehicle of our own choosing as a daily driver and still have comfortable, roomy cargo hauling capabilities with the Van.

We get 21 mpg out on the road with the Van, 17mpg with the A/C on (my '03 S-10 only get 21 mpg on the road), plus it can be used to haul all kinds of "household freight". We can configure it to transport seven adults in luxury, or pull the seats and load it up with an apartment full of furniture, or of course our bikes. We can seat four comfortably and still roll our tandem or LWB recumbents inside.

Though it may not be the generic answer for everyone, it works great for us.

Here's what I did with my Prius this week. I put an Allen three-bike rack on the back, me plus two other riders inside, plus camping and clothing duffles for each of us. The car had room for maybe two more bags before being stuffed to the gills. Then we drove 280 miles north to St. Ignace, MI to meet the tour group for a 325 mile 6-day tour around the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. With the bikes, 37 mpg on the highway. Same vehicle normally will give me 44 mpg without bikes cluttering up the airflow

I guess a Prius is a vehicle that can be used to transport bikes.

Dodge Grand Caravan.
4 bikes with all wheels attached + 4 people!
Inside.

+4

I have done this with two different Grand Caravans (both totaled in accidents that were not my fault), and my current Chrysler T&C

My wife and I can (and do) stop just about anywhere, get the bikes out and go for a ride with about 2 minutes of getting the bikes out. No worry about the front wheels, etc.

Mileage is good on the road - up to about 25 mpg.

+4

I have done this with two different Grand Caravans (both totaled in accidents that were not my fault),
.......

Yep, that's the same thing my wife says about all three left front fenders (wings) we replaced on her Camry.
Well......actually she's correct as I'm sure you are too Dnvr., but I still get a chuckle out of the 'They weren't my fault' phrase.

You have brightened up my evening Sir. My thanks to you. :)

Yep, that's the same thing my wife says about all three left front fenders (wings) we replaced on her Camry.
Well......actually she's correct as I'm sure you are too Dnvr., but I still get a chuckle out of the 'They weren't my fault' phrase.

You have brightened up my evening Sir. My thanks to you. :)

Well, just for the record, the 1st was a man going into a diabetic coma who turned left directly in front of us as we entered the intersection. Flipped his truck and totaled our van. 2nd was a girl and her dad following closely behind a huge 1 ton pickup. The pickup swerved around us while we were stopped at a traffic light and the car behind him didn't, and we were collapsed between the car in front and the one that hit us.

So, there!!

My Mid 60's SAAB 96 worked Quite well , 3 Yakima rails connected by the bike trays,

the rear 3rd set of rails were attached to the trunk lid.

Ah nostalgic for cars with Proper rain Gutters ..

An interesting smaller car option is a PT Cruiser. That is actually catagorized as a light truck because it has a flat floor. Pull out the back seat and it will easily hold 2 road bikes vertically with the front wheels removed.

We have the 08 model with stow and go, I could get 3 bikes w/ front wheels removed maybe, but the rear seats would have to be folded into the floor leaving room for two only.. You seem to be pretty inventive!

Yes, rear seats permanently in stow and go, bikes standing up. It is just my wife and myself - we have seating for four with the bikes loaded.

I have a Ford Escape that works well for hauling people or things. The rear seat cushions come out really easily and give a flat cargo floor that easily swallows my bike and would take a second one. Mine is a minimalist version with 5 speed manual and FWD only, it gets 32mpg on the highway if I keep the speed below 70.

For a larger vehicle it's hard to beat the stow-and-go interior of the Chrysler/Dodge minivans. I had to rent one for work and was really surprised at how well that system works.

Thinking outside the car, here's another idea: a trunk rack. I also like to have the bikes inside, but after a few trips, you might find that it is a hassle squeezing the bikes inside. A car that can fit two bikes inside isn't going to get the good gas mileage you want.

A trunk rack is probably not going to affect your gas mileage much. We still get over 38 MPG with our 2002 Echo when the bikes are on the back.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CR4yNJ2gHAo/SgccgfATLuI/AAAAAAAAA48/YIDtEOZiKGA/s400/BryceToArches+020.jpg

It's a snap to put our Allen rack on our car and load the bikes, and we drove across the country with the bikes there (http://carbiketrip.blogspot.com/) ( although next time we'll use the roof rack so as to have better trunk access). It's true they got a bit dirty, but no scratches. You can use a cable to lock them to the car.

Didn't the OP ask for suggestions about transporting a Bike "inside" the vehicle? I was thinking they might be concerned with having an expensive bike outside in case of bad weather. Hail, rain, road salt, mud would be my concern. That and the chances of a missing bike if you stop at a resturant and can't park where you can"t see your CF, Zip wheeled, Dura ace/SRAm Red equipped pride and joy.

If the question is transporting bikes outside of the vehicle on a nice day I use a Saris Cycle-on Pro 4 bike hitch rack.

Didn't the OP ask for suggestions about transporting a Bike "inside" the vehicle?

Yes, you're right. I'm just suggesting he consider an alternative, since putting a bike in a car frequently gets old.

It sounds like he's doing day trips, so rain, sleet and gloom of night are unlikely. As for security, I lock the bikes to the car with a U-lock around the frame, and a cable connected to the towing point, like this:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CR4yNJ2gHAo/SgwGLE7CptI/AAAAAAAAA9c/MjiT4ebdgaM/s1600/LomaToBonny%2B010.jpg

It works great, and we've traveled thousands of miles that way.

Yes, you're right. I'm just suggesting he consider an alternative, since putting a bike in a car frequently gets old.

It sounds like he's doing day trips, so rain, sleet and gloom of night are unlikely. As for security, I lock the bikes to the car with a U-lock around the frame, and a cable connected to the towing point, like this:

It works great, and we've traveled thousands of miles that way.

I understand what you are saying. It wasn't an attack. And like I said I also have a rack. It is just the way these questions always seem to drift. It is just the way things are I guess. Human nature maybe? Someone asks for the best pickup to haul a trailer and someone will suggest a Hond Fit and stay at a motel. Reasonable suggestion but not an answer to the question.

This wasn't directed at you because there were suggestions for convertables, and a Prius as well. It is like when someone narrows down a bike choice to Bike A and Bike B we can expect to get quite a few posts indicating the person go back and reconsider Bike W.

I agree a rack will work, I use mine more than I thought I would, but it will not answer the question if at any point the OP wants to put the bike inside for whatever reason. Just my point of view and not a condemnation of anyone elses.

I own a 2003 Honda Element with 150,000 trouble free miles @ approximately 24 mpg with all-wheel drive. I roll two fully assembled bikes in the back on a routine basis with tons of room for gear and two people. If I am traveling with more people and/or gear, I have a Kuat hitch rack for the rear where I put two bikes and then a Thule roof rack for two kayaks on the roof. All that plus the fully washable interior makes the Element one of the best (and best values) for somebody that does outdoor/biking activities. IMO

Our concern with the Honda Element was the difficulty in raising the rear seats - it took more effort than my wife could exert, and with her (and now my) bad backs, I was worried about more strain. Otherwise, it looked like a great car.

Toyota RAV4 has lots of room. You can put two fork mounts on a 4X4 (the wood type) and set in in near the rear hatch door. With the rear seat down, put two bikes in with the rear facing forward in the car and mount the fork in the rack (bikes are upright). Pile all kinds of gear and the front wheels all around the bikes. The RAV gets great mpg and is a reliable car.

How often do you travel with two bikes such that a drop in gas mileage really hurts? A BMW sedan is a nice driving car for the vast majority of your everyday driving. A Honda Element, small SUV, PT Cruiser, or station wagon will not have as nice a ride and either have worse gas mileage or feel very underpowered compared to the BMW. If you have to haul around lots of other bulky stuff in your day to day life than these larger cars may make sense. But using a roof rack occasionally isn't that bad a choice. In the last 30 years I've used roof racks, hitch racks, trunk racks, SUV's, and trunk stuffing and nothing is as fast and convenient as a roof rack (if you don't have to mount the roof rack for each use.)

We Bought a 2010 Jetta Sportwagon TDI...(Diesel)... We love it.
We traded in a Chevy Silverado SS and a Chevy Impala on it, I still have my 08 Avalanche LTZ and since December we have only driven it 300 miles.
Mean time we have 12,000 miles on the Jetta, today we drove 80 miles to the next town just because..we were running 75ish mph and our overall average was just over 40 mpg...two bike fit inside and if you want you can sleep in the back....Great little car.

I have a Honda CRV with the wider rear seat removed. With the front wheels removed, I can carry three bikes upright (no derailuer bent from lying on its side) and locked inside when I leave the vehicle. Still have three seats available and its a small, nice driving vehicle that gets pretty good milage.

I've always been a fan of smaller vehicles. My current car is 2004 BMW 325i sedan. And if I want to take my road bike to a distant location, I can fold the rear seats down and load it in thru the trunk with no problems (front wheel removed, obviously).

If my wife and I are both going on an outing, I put on the roof rack. But this has some hassles, such as dropping my gas mileage from about 30 to 25mpg; bikes out in the weather; and if we stay overnight, we feel we have to take the bikes into the room.

My wife has a Mazda3 hatchback, which is easier to load than the 325, but still won't hold both bikes (laying them on top of each other is not a good option!).

So if I'd like my next vehicle to be capable of carrying two bikes inside with room left for two people and some gear, what might I be looking at? Would a small SUV or crossover do it? What do you folks carry your bikes in?


I think the roof rack with one of those bike bra's (to protect from weather) is probably your best option. Anything large enough to carry the bikes inside is likely to get worse mileage than 25 mpg. As far as bringing the bikes inside at night--thats probably a good idea even with a vehicle large enough to keep them inside. Thieves can see through the windows and cars are not that difficult to break into. Even if you have an alarm, you give a thief a reason to break the glass. Just my 2 cents...

Our concern with the Honda Element was the difficulty in raising the rear seats - it took more effort than my wife could exert, and with her (and now my) bad backs, I was worried about more strain. Otherwise, it looked like a great car.

It takes a little practice to find the best way to put the seats up. I found that climbing in the drivers side and putting up the passenger side first was the easiest for me. For the most part you are pushing on the seat rather than pulling.

I have a 2010 Element I just bought and it is a great bike hauler and is quite small on the outside. Only 8 inches longer than my Z3 that I traded in. You are not going to get a bike in there without taking a front wheel off unless you put it in diagonally or put the wheels up between the front seats. I have a board with two Q/R fork mounts on it that I used to keep both bikes upright. I refer to mine as the "Tardis" because it is so big on the inside and small on the outside. I had a Subaru wagon before and that worked too but I had to take the seat and post off of my bike to get it and and that gets a little tedious. I am liking my E more every day. Very nice supportive seats and a darn fine sounding stereo too.
http://webpages.charter.net/rwortman2/Element/wheels.JPG

How often do you need to do this? If it is not to often, why not just rent a van for the week or two of your trip. You could probably rig up a way to attach a rack to a 2x4 for the bikes in the van. You save on the insurance and gas for the rest of the time.

Dodge Sprinters are a good sized Van, Merceded Diesel Motor was an option , 30mpg I'm told was do able.

I have a 2010 Element I just bought and it is a great bike hauler and is quite small on the outside. Only 8 inches longer than my Z3 that I traded in. You are not going to get a bike in there without taking a front wheel off unless you put it in diagonally or put the wheels up between the front seats.

I put a road bike and a hybrid in my Element all the time and I never take a wheel off. Lean the bike to get handlebars in and then straighten it up and wheel it in. The front wheel can just barely overlap the back of the front seat in the middle or you can turn the handlebars so the front wheel is 90 degrees to the frame and they both fit fine.

I am now car free, but the last car that I owned was a VW Jetta Wagon, with the TDI engine. I got 49mpg, and with the back seat folded down could fit bikes in the back. The car was trouble free for the 90,000 miles that I owned it.

Honda Pilot. I can put my bike in the back turned sideways with both wheels on. With the 2/3 part of the back seat folded down, you can put three bikes in the back.

It takes a little practice to find the best way to put the seats up. I found that climbing in the drivers side and putting up the passenger side first was the easiest for me. For the most part you are pushing on the seat rather than pulling.


Can't you remove the rear seats completely without too much trouble?