Being an ardent cyclist for longer than I have been driving, "can it bike" has always been a major consideration in car purchases. What vehicles has the hive found to be most two-wheel friendly?
My current go to ride rides are
1999 Chevy Suburban, 2007 SAAB 9-5 estate, and a 1985 Citroen CX TRI.
I put a USA-made Curt hitch on the back of my 2005 Mazda MPV-ES a few years back and bought a Thule 4-bike carrier for it. We could load up four bikes and four riders and a few odds and ends like a cooler and enough food for a small army.
For me, the answer for the past few years has been a Dodge minivan. Currently a 2017 Grand Caravan GT. Keeps my rather expensive bike out of sight (I have had a bike stolen off a rack before). Provides a nice changing room pre/post ride.
No picture, but I miss my 2007 MX-6 5 door hatch. Swallowed a bike easier than some smaller SUV's.
In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :
That's been my experience for everything smaller than a Suburban/Excursion. There's more useable space in a wagon than an SUV...
2012 Mazda 3 hatchback currently. With the rear seats down a bike will fit, with the front wheel off and the bars turned. It's tight though. At some point this year I'm planning to get a hitch and rack for it, as my new bike is longer than my older ones, and the wheels aren't as easy to get off.
In reply to travellering :
More about the Citroen! What a cool car.
I hate putting bikes in vehicles. Even with a truck and cap, I still hate putting it in the truck.
A van or a open truck bed are optimal. Or a hitch.
My 2001 Montana will easily fit my MTB with some of the middle and rear seats folded. If it had progressive geometry and 29" wheels it would be a tight fit. A tandem bike might fit if I also folded a front passenger seat.
My current stable is my 1974 BMW 2002, 1989 Saab 900S, and 2009 BMW 128i. While I have roof racks for the Saab and the 128i, I prefer to carry my bike in the car if I'm riding solo - less wind noise and drag, no worries about theft or damage from an attempt.
The 2002 is not suited to bikes, but it can be done. I slung a rack off the trunk once or twice when I had no other option, and I have put my Bianchi Strada in the trunk with both wheels removed - it fit, but barely.
The 128i is surprisingly good at holding a bike - seats folded, front wheel off, and my road bikes slide right in. I also have the BMW factory roof racks, so in theory I could carry three bikes (but only two people).
The Saab is the winner by a wide margin. Bike carrying was a significant part of the decision to find one of these cars, and it has proven its worth since I bought it. One bike inside is super easy, and the nice tough factory rubber trunk mat keeps water and dirt off the carpet (the ridiculousness of worrying about the carpet on a 30-year old beater is not lost on me). The massive hatch gives so much clearance that reaching in to load and unload is far less of a contortion than in the 128i, and the load floor is wide and totally flat. With the cargo shelf in place the bike can be partially hidden from view, though the portion extending into the folded rear seat area remains visible. The car came with roof racks, and I had Thule carriers from my old E39 that bolt right up, so if I need to carry more than one it's no problem. Finally, it's got way more ground clearance than either of the other cars, so I can drive it into forest roads when I want to take one of the mountain bikes out.
I'll have to get a photo of the Saab with a bike loaded. It's not going to top the tandem in the first post, though.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:Currently a 2017 Grand Caravan GT.
How awful is it as a daily driver? The more and blobbier SUVs I'm surrounded by, the more I see these and think what a tidy box they are. Who'd have believed before the rise of the SUV that I'd ever think minivans looked neat?
For other bike-hauling thoughts, I'm at a nadir. The Mini with factory roof rack is a fiasco of clashing handlebars when I put two modern mountain bikes on it. Moreover, I have to have them pointed backward because the Yakima Frontloader wheel trays foul the hatch if pointed forward, and in one desperate attempt to get the handlebars untangled I flopped one mount, and it turns out that with the other motions involved, the handlebars still lined up! And a third rider means a second vehicle.
So... Excited about that aspect of moving on to our next vehicle. Curious about the Caravans, kinda hoping for a Volvo V70 which should at least be able to be set up with racks that leave room between bikes.
If I didn't hate driving my former B2500 cargo van so much (and feel so silly about getting 12mpg driving to the trailhead), I would have more enjoyed having the changing room. Made more sense when taking a motorcycle somewhere. Though even a normal-room full size cargo van can be awkward to change in. I had at least one really good turtle-on-its-back episode with moto leathers.
My VW Sportswagen works well. I usually put it on the roof rack but it will swallow a bike inside of it. The Xterra actually works well for storage inside the vehicle. With the rear seats folded down, you can fit 2 bikes standing up and the plastic floor makes for an easy cleanup. I just made a little wood piece that clamps into the rails in the back for holding the bike in place. Works like a charm.
pheller said:I hate putting bikes in vehicles. Even with a truck and cap, I still hate putting it in the truck.
A van or a open truck bed are optimal. Or a hitch.
Pop the wheels and saddle off and a bike can fit most anywhere.
A friend KEEPS his Felt road bike in the trunk of his Focus. "Always be ready to ride"
My E28 did well back when I was racing, bikes on the roof, spares in the trunk (CX in this case). I was up to 4 bike mounts on this rack at one point so 4 of us could drive to a race together.
The daily is a Legacy wagon now, bikes still go on the roof (2 racks up there) and wheels etc. still go in the trunk. If it's crappy out and I want to keep the bike clean (or in the winter) I can easily fit a bike or two in the back with the seats folded which is nice. I also have an old Saris Bones 3 that pretty much goes on the back of anything if I need more capacity, that's how I transport our Tandem as it won't go into anything I own.
The replacement E28 still does bike hauling duties every once and a while too.
Before I sold them, I used my 9-5 wagon or 3-door 900 to haul the bike(s):
Lately I've just tossed mine in the bed of the C10 or used the hitch rack on the Land Cruiser:
In reply to Ransom (Forum Supporter) :
I love it as a DD, to be honest. It's basically the ultimate "appliance". I bought the GT to replace the more bare-bones 2008 model I had for 5 years before it. Leather seats. All the modern bells and whistle conveniences (except the for things like lane assist or active CC). Plenty of power to get out of its own way when necessary. For MPG it gets in the low to mid 20's, depending on how I drive.
Yeah, being able to stand up inside would be nice. Can't do that. But I'll sometimes put a small cooler inside to be a seat, which makes things easier.
In reply to pheller :
What makes inside transport nice is the bike can stay in the van for awhile if needed. One of my bikes has been in the back for weeks. It's a van - so if the bike is muddy, I don't really care that much, unlike trying to stuff the bike into the back of a car. The bike doesn't get blasted with 70 MPH rain if you get caught in a storm during a drive home. I've had racks and can appreciate some of the positives they have, but to me the negatives are far worse.
If there is one downside to a minivan, it's that basically one bike can easily go inside with the front wheel on. And you don't really have a lot of room for other passengers. However, that isn't really something I care about. If I need to haul more than one bike, then they fit better with the front wheel off. I've been working on building a sliding tray so I can more easily transport more than one bike using some fancy fork mounts I bought awhile ago. Eventually, that tray will get transferred to a Transit when I build an RV/bike hauler.
For those looking for hitch racks, I just switched from the more conventional type to a Kuat Transfer (Xmas/bday present). Wow is it worlds better for stability, security and separation.
It's a bit overkill but it hauls bikes really well. My zephyr can hold 1 single 26 inch if the back seat is folded down.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:For me, the answer for the past few years has been a Dodge minivan. Currently a 2017 Grand Caravan GT. Keeps my rather expensive bike out of sight (I have had a bike stolen off a rack before). Provides a nice changing room pre/post ride.
I might have dismissed this idea in the past, but I can attest to Ian's ability to pile stuff into that van.
A Miata will work. However, more often, we put the hitch on the MSP and take that instead.
However, if we're looking at hauling multiple people and bikes, we default to the E350 van. If we remove a passenger seat, we can fit the tandem inside the van.
Throwing them in an 8' truck bed is always my preferred way. Always amazed at the amount of space 2 mountain bikes take up in a truck though. I made a bed rail rack to carry a bike on the side and free up some bed space. Is a good compromise between usefulness and sketchyness. Will have to find a pic.
Favorite bike hauler is the beater Karmann Ghia. Take front wheel off, drop bike on the backseat. Could also slide out the passenger seat to carry fully assembled bike
Crown Vic will carry a bike in the back seat if you pop the seat cushion off. Actually worked well, low load height and the bike just barely fits, so no need to secure it other than closing the door.
volvo 240 wagons always proved to swallow many bikes into the back
I've been biking for 20 years. I pretty much have every car we own set up to support carrying a bike in some minimum fashion, and some of the secondary vehicles have been pretty highly modified to support cycling endeavors.
So let's see....when I bought a cheap mountain bike for campus commuting in college I had a trunk rack ona 1988 Accord Coupe. Functional, but a PITA.
A couple years after college when I actually took that same bike to a trail for the first time and started riding regularly I was driving a 1970 Impala sedan. You could drop the front wheels of 2 bikes and put them in the trunk with the loose wheels and close the lid. Not slick, but well protected.
When I bought the Mustang in 2005 I was trail riding 2x per week after work all year. Initially this mean laying down the back seat and inserting the bike in the trunk. With the front wheel off it fit but just barely. There are still some scratches in the interior trunk trim plastic from it. As soon as Hidden Hitch started making a receiver hitch for the S197 I installed one. I did a brake job for the local bike store mechanic on his crap wagon in exchange for a steel, 2-bike Hollywood receiver hitch rack. This is the kind that has the loops at teh bottom for the wheels and a hook that slides down to lock the bike. Simple, secure. I got a lot of grief for running a bike rack on a then-brand-new Mustang, but that rack has kept the bikes secure through all kind of wild driving, drifting and triple digit speeds. I also found that the weight of 2 bikes makes it hook on a hard launch like nobody's business. The mustang was my daily for years and as such my default bike hauler since I rode directly after work. The only down side to this is that over the years the driver's seat bolster at the front has been steadily eaten by the bug repellent on my leg when I slid in. Or at least that's my suspicion. It just might be that Ford's red leather isn't the best.
At the same time my wife was driving a much-loved 97 Explorer. I made a flat wood plate that fit just inside the rear hatch with 3 fork traps on it. I had to pull the front wheels (and the seatpost/saddle on my bikes) and put 3 bikes inside with gear. This was a great way to do longer trips because the bikes were secure and out of the weather. It was kind of a PITA to pull them apart, but I liked it in general. It allowed us to tow a pop-up camper while still taking my bike and the dog/s. Eventually I built a roof rack that could put 2 bikes up on fork traps and allow us a lot more cargo room, but bikes in the back with the rear seats down is still probably my favorite set up of any I've had. The truck was a V8, 2wd so it was fun to drive and comfortable, but it was old enough you could throw muddy bikes and sweaty gear in it without worrying. We eventually sold it to buy more towing capacity. I still miss that truck, but it was pushing 275k miles when we let it go.
This is a dark inside shot, loading up for Ididaride in Florida one year:
In '14 we bought the misses her first new car, a Mazda 6, that I immediately put a Hidden Hitch on for bike transport. This is the car that convinced me heated seats were a perfect addition for post ride comfort. this shot is from the 6 Gap century parking lot in Dahlonega GA, may be '15 or '16?
After the Explorer I bought a 96 F250 power stroke with an 8' bed. I welded up a fork rack for the front of the bed. With just an extended cab it really wasn't the best bike vehicle. But it looked cool.
After I sold the F250 I bought a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee, partially trying to recreate the Explorer magic but with real off road ability. It never lived up to the hype. It came with an ancient Thule fork-trap and tray roof rack, so I ran with it. I also tried to set up the interior fork trap that I'd used on the Explorer, but the cargo area was just enough smaller that it just never worked well. It was just too short, both in height and length.
Also, I had to work on it so much I never got to ride....So I sold it....
and finally bought a new-ish pickup that's my daily driver instead of a backup vehicle. Now the Mustang is the backup, sunny day fun car. And it doesn't have to haul bikes anymore (but sometimes it still likes to.)
The F150 is 2013 4dr, short bed. Right now I've got fork traps mounted just behind the rear window on top of the box where the hard tonneau rolls up. This means the bikes sit up taller than the cab, but it's the only way to fit them inside the bed with the tailgate up.
If the bed was the 6'5" instead of 5'5", I could put a fork trap inside the tailgate and it would fit inside, but the truck is already the same wheelbase as the F250, I don't really want it longer. I sometimes still use the old hitch rack on the truck if I'm traveling with lots of cargo, and it works great but you can't lower the tailgate. I think the perfect option would be one of the roll up hard tonneaus that has tracks to mount crossbar towers, that way I could rack mount the bikes above the tonneau while still hauling safe cargo. If I didn't hate camper shells so much I'd remove the tonneau cover (and it's box) so the bike would fit inside the bed, then go to a high-top camper shell with opening side panels. But that would cost about $3000 and i HATE camper shells most of the time. They're always in the way and they look stupid.
On the other hand, the truck is so comfortable and spacious that it makes a pretty good support vehicle. The back seat area is so big that I can fold up 2/3 of the seat and use it as a changing room in bad weather. Plus, if I'm really worried about the bike being outside, I can fold the seat all the way up and fit the bike in the cab.
I made some brackets to mount a pair of Thule load bars across the bed of my truck. It was a little more flexible than I would have liked it to be, but I really like it.
I wish Thule made brackets that could accomplish the same thing, only stiffer.
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