Bike Boxes and Cars
Tomonabike
Posts: 69
Semi bike related!
I'm doing the Maratona and have bought a bike box to protect my Roubaix from Ryanair. To get to the Dolomites I'm going to have to hire a car to fit myself, girlfriend and parents (4 people), luggage and bike box. Is a Ford Focus C-max big enough? or does it have to be bigger?
cheers
Tom
I'm doing the Maratona and have bought a bike box to protect my Roubaix from Ryanair. To get to the Dolomites I'm going to have to hire a car to fit myself, girlfriend and parents (4 people), luggage and bike box. Is a Ford Focus C-max big enough? or does it have to be bigger?
cheers
Tom
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Comments
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Which box? Some are bigger than others0
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Whichever box you have I'd have thought you'd need an estate car as a bare minimum if you're going to have four people plus luggage in there. In fact a people carrier may be your best bet.
I can get my bike box in the back of pretty much any car but only with the rear seats down.0 -
Hmm - I'd say bigger.
book a car through a broker like holidayautos and to be honest, if you are up at a c-max level it wont be a huge leap up to a full size 7-seater like an espace or something. I rented a Peugeot 807 in april from Geneva and it cost œ50 more than a mondeo estate over the week. Much better that than try and shove stuff (and people) into a too-small car at the airport!
thinking about it actually - with a c-max you have no chance. you'd need one of the edge rear seats folded and the bike box stood upright along the folded seat - even assuming it fits you now only have 66% of the boot left to fit everyones luggage! if it was just you and the missus you might have been ok, but 4 adults no way!
what car are you using to get to the airport here in the uk?
i say bite the bullet and get a full-size 7 seater.0 -
Easycar used to do Ford Focuses. You can get two hard shell boxes in the back of that.
Oh just read it again. 4 people and a bike box plus baggage ? No chance.
Bike box I hired from Sigma was massive.
Can you leave it in left luggage ?0 -
No chance with a C-Max (nor with a 7 seater). I'd go for a conventional estate car with roof rails. (You may need to put luggage on roof - or parents).
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Be nice to grumpy old men (or else)0 -
Something like a S-Max, Galaxy or Espace would be OK, proved you can fold / get rid of the rear seats - bike box should sit width-ways across the back. Other alternatives would be a large estate like a Mondeo or even a Fiat Doblo or Multipla. As said, depends on your bike box - measure it and compare with measurements on car websites. 'Fraid C-max is probably not big enough. Some bike boxes do fit on roof bars - but that's an additional hire charge.0
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Thanks for all the replys!
Looks like I'm after a people carrier then, the box does look pretty large (just a thought I've not tried to get it in my Fiat yet....only two adults though!)
Just checked Holiday autos, they do Freelander size 4x4s, I think that should be big enough. Other wise the none essential luggage gets left behind!0 -
Freelanders aren't that big. people carrier should have more room than a small-by-four.
Rich
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<font size="1"><font color="red">Map Surrey Hills Project</font id="red"></font id="size1">Rich0 -
freelander won't be big enough - they are terrible at carrying people (hence the irony when people buy them as family cars) - you need a full size 7-seater i'm afraid.0
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You could take the bike out of the box when you get to the Airport and leave the box in 'Left luggage'. Downside being getting to the airport early to pack it on the return leg.
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Just have done with it and get a sprinter.
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According to the Ford website, an S-max should be big enough and as thats the largest I can find at Treviso airport, going to go with that.0
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you still haven't explained which bike box it is.
if it is the edinburgh bike one (ex dhb, ex monoc) be aware that you will have to do a significant amount of disassembly to make the bike fit).0 -
Its an Edinburgh Bike one, I figure there'd be disassembly involved, but its better than the having the poor bike with no hard protection against knocks in the airport.0
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On holiday last year, I fitted a bike bag, 4 adults + luggage in a hired Vauxhall Zafira, which was far cheaper than an Espace. The bike bag was a DHB from Wiggle, I can't imagine the Edinburgh Cycle one would be bigger.0
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Boxes and Bags can be very different. Typically the boxes are much bigger.0
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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by cougie</i>
Boxes and Bags can be very different. Typically the boxes are much bigger.
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Wouldn't appear so in this case:
Edinburgh bike box:
80cm high x 115cm wide x 29cm deep.
DHB bike bag:
90cm high x 135cm wind x 23cm deep0 -
To finish this story off...
... Ordered a Focus S-max, arrived in Treviso to find Hertz had not got any to hire, they tried to give us a Chevy Nubira, the box wouldn't fit in the boot or standing up. Only car they had was a Ford Mondeo Estate with the rear bumper hanging off so, much gaffer tape later, bike box, 4 people, 3 peoples luggage (Ryanair kindly lost a bag for us) all managed to drive to Corvara in confort.
Bit of a squeeze on the way back tho!0 -
NO WAY will u get that load in a Focus of any description - you'll be pushed to get four people and luggage AND bike box into anything less than a galaxy or bigger. S-max wont cut it IMOTomonabike wrote:Semi bike related!
I'm doing the Maratona and have bought a bike box to protect my Roubaix from Ryanair. To get to the Dolomites I'm going to have to hire a car to fit myself, girlfriend and parents (4 people), luggage and bike box. Is a Ford Focus C-max big enough? or does it have to be bigger?
cheers
Tom0
