Bike friendly small hatchback

kelsen

What is the smallest hatchback with the rear seats folded that can fit 2 roadbikes without having to remove the wheels?

SimonAH

Something bigger than my Golf. It will take two bikes happily, but wheels off.

suzyb

My corsa fits my road bike without wheels off but I think that's only because the wheels are 650c.

I think you'd probably need an estate or a van to fit 2 normal sized bikes (or any bikes) without a wheel off.

nicklouse

never tried two road bikes but my swfit eats up an MTB with seat down and wheels on. so two road bikes should be ok as long as you have something suitable between them.

Aidy

Wheels on is probably challenging for anything that could be considered a small hatchback.

My old Astra Mk 4 would probably take two with front wheels off (but it was loads better to take both wheels off, because then you could get them in upright upside down).

Is taking the wheels off really that much of an issue?
I find having to take saddles off bugs me, but as soon as you've got two bikes in, you've got to be careful of packing so they don't damage each other, and at that stage the additional faff of wheels isn't too annoying.

tiny_pens

Will you accept cars where you fold the front seat flat as well as the rear?

E.g. Mitsubishi colt (although you may need to drop the saddle as well depending on roof height)

Redmog

Any fitted with a towball?

meanredspider

Mercedes A Class. Shorter than most hatches but will swallow massive loads (once had 5 of us in it and a full-sized tumble drier in the boot - try doing that in any hatchback). Even the front passenger seat comes out of some models

t4tomo

Volvo Estate, you'll neevr be short of room.

SimonAH

The problem with the comparision between road bikes and mountain bikes going into a car is that road bikes are bigger. Bigger frames, bigger wheels.

I could probably get a coupla 26" mtbs in the Golf with the wheels on - but definitely not road bikes.

keyser__soze

SimonAH wrote:

Something bigger than my Golf. It will take two bikes happily, but wheels off.

Can get two in with removing only the front wheels in my Golf, lot easier than removing the rears.

meanredspider

Keyser__Soze wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Something bigger than my Golf. It will take two bikes happily, but wheels off.

Can get two in with removing only the front wheels in my Golf, lot easier than removing the rears.

Don't you have trouble steering the Golf with no front wheels?

rebs

Can manage 3 bikes in the back of my Clio. Albeit wheels off and layers of cardboard and string to stop the wheelps bouncing around.

bompington

Once managed to get 3 bikes (my road bike + 2 kids' bikes), all wheels on, together with me and the 2 kids in a honda jazz (older version) courtesy car I had for a while. I was seriously impressed, but the dismal handling and especially the steering (imagine a steering column in two halves with a sponge connecting them) would put me off a lot.

jedster

have you tried a Honda Jazz
My Mum has one. as well as folding flat, the rear seat bench can fold up leaving a big space across where the rear seats would be. I know you can get a bike across but two??? Worth a look

Johnpsanderson

The old shape Ford Ka easily took a couple of bike in the back with the seats down and the front wheels off....

meanredspider

t4tomo wrote:

Volvo Estate, you'll neevr be short of room.

You can get bigger (certainly taller) objects into an A Class and probably park 2 in the same length space.

Seriously, you will struggle to find a smaller car that will carry bigger loads. I think there's even an interior bike rack for it (though you probably need to remove the front wheels and drop the saddle)

londonlivvy

A friend has a Honda jazz - fits two road bikes with front wheels off, standing up (you slot the forks into a heavy bar that keeps them upright). He chose that method as bike protection and bikes secure when you get to another location. and luggage can be stored around them.

meanredspider

OK - I'm like a dog with a bone on this - apologies :oops:

A Class Merc is 20cm shorter than the Jazz and has up to DOUBLE the luggage volume (1995 litres) with the seats out and something like 350 litres more with the seats in. Volvo V70 Estate comes up 350 litres short of the A Class's max volume. The A Class is the same length as a Peugeot 106

kelsen

I know most small hatchbacks will accommodate at least a couple of bikes with the front wheels off. It's not a big deal but would be handy to know if we end up buying a second car for the missus to use. It looks like meanredspider's A Class would be a good choice.

meanredspider

I know I've made a meal of this but I'm still impressed by how much our A Class used to be able to carry given how short it was. Not only that, but it had fabulous built-in booster seats for our young kids that were both simple but very clever. Not the most inspiring car to drive (I'm quite demanding) but one of the most practical packages I've ever come across. My in-laws still have it (we bought it as an X-reg ex-demonstrator)

SimonAH

I once got three blokes (one of them me) a full size cement mixer, a wheelbarrow and various shovels etc into a Peugeot 306. Lovely car for swallowing stuff that was.

Kieran_Burns

meanredspider wrote:

OK - I'm like a dog with a bone on this - apologies :oops:

A Class Merc is 20cm shorter than the Jazz and has up to DOUBLE the luggage volume (1995 litres) with the seats out and something like 350 litres more with the seats in. Volvo V70 Estate comes up 350 litres short of the A Class's max volume. The A Class is the same length as a Peugeot 106

Yes, but they look ghey. Now shut up.

EKE_38BPM

Its small for a Yank car, honest!

veronese68

Kieran_Burns wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

OK - I'm like a dog with a bone on this - apologies :oops:

A Class Merc is 20cm shorter than the Jazz and has up to DOUBLE the luggage volume (1995 litres) with the seats out and something like 350 litres more with the seats in. Volvo V70 Estate comes up 350 litres short of the A Class's max volume. The A Class is the same length as a Peugeot 106

Yes, but they look ghey. Now shut up.

And they fall over if you try to avoid an elk.

coopster_the_1st

I can get my road bike into my new style Honda Civic when the back seats are down with both wheels still on. Although I have not done it, I'm sure I could fit another road bike in the back. Having the correct protection to stop keep them apart would be my biggest worry

suzyb

What about the Fiat Panda. Just seen an advert for it and the front seat folds down. They even showed a bike in it with lboth wheels still on (admitadly it was a shopper not a roadie).

cyclingprop

Out of curiosity, what size frames are you thinking? And what is the likely saddle extension.

If large and long, then you're going to need a bigger space to put them than the back of a hatchback.

Blue Meanie

Audi A2: 80mpg £30 road tax - rear seats are quick release
I own a steel mtb, steel road bike, steel fixed, steel track bike and 2x steel shoppers - aluminium car

t4tomo

meanredspider wrote:

OK - I'm like a dog with a bone on this - apologies :oops:

A Class Merc is 20cm shorter than the Jazz and has up to DOUBLE the luggage volume (1995 litres) with the seats out and something like 350 litres more with the seats in. Volvo V70 Estate comes up 350 litres short of the A Class's max volume. The A Class is the same length as a Peugeot 106

I have a Volvo V90, I once had an A class in the back of it, seats folded down admittedly.

Kieran_Burns

t4tomo wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

OK - I'm like a dog with a bone on this - apologies :oops:

A Class Merc is 20cm shorter than the Jazz and has up to DOUBLE the luggage volume (1995 litres) with the seats out and something like 350 litres more with the seats in. Volvo V70 Estate comes up 350 litres short of the A Class's max volume. The A Class is the same length as a Peugeot 106

I have a Volvo V90, I once had an A class in the back of it, seats folded down admittedly.

I hope you took it for a drink afterwards....