Putting bikes inside a Saloon car..

bus_ter

OK Really stupid question..

I have a saloon style car (old Audi A4), and though the car and boot are quite large I have struggled to get my bike inside. If I fold down the rear seats and take off the front wheel I can just get the bike through the boot opening, but it's difficult getting the handlebars through. It's equally difficult to try and put the bike through a side door.. Is there a trick I'm missing? Or do I just need to buy a bike carrier? and what fits best on a saloon car?

thescouselander

I've got newish a4 and have similar problems. I usually take the front wheel off and put the bike in with the handle bars facing rearwards (rear wheel first). That means the handlebars are still in the boot and you don't have to try and get them under the parcel shelf.

Monty Dog

I've managed to get a bike into the back of a Smart car..any other car is easy by comparison. Take off the wheels and get yourself a drivetrain cover to protect your upholstery from the oily bits.

mouth

I get my bike in the back of a 5-door fiesta (2007 model year) by simply removing the front wheel and sliding it into the back. It is tight but if I could be bothered I'd take off the back wheel as well. Piece of cake if I do that.

biscuit959

Hi,
My Dad's got a Saab 9-3 which I fit my bike pretty easily in to get it to and from uni I think the main trick is as thescouselander says is to put the back wheel in first as the gap made by putting the seats down isn't massive.

What size frame do you ride btw? We might be leading you astray if you're riding some custom 70cm top tube
As others have said as-well, if you're struggling, just pop the back wheel out. I always put a blanket down anyway but especially if you're taking the back out, unless you're not too bothered about the boot.
Certainly wouldn't recommend using the side door either - once watched a mate chalk up a pretty hefty repair job doing this haha.

Hope this helps,
Mike

Peddle Up!

I used to struggle trying to get my bike into the car without damaging either and it's no fun IMHO. In the end I bit the bullet and bought a Saris Bones rack (which fits just about any car). Strong recommendation.

t4tomo

Buy a hatchback or an estate.

Saab 9-3 is a hatchback isn't it, at least they always were?

jgsi

I am keeping my old Rover 200 on the road as it has done 80k and had its head gasket replaced...so all good for another fair few miles..
It takes 1 bike with ease but 2 is always a bit of a tetris puzzle, so
tinkering with the idea of a 'van' conversion... taking the rear seats out

Mr Will

Both wheels and saddle off and I can get my 56cm CAAD9 in the boot of my Mercedes 190E (which is a size smaller than your A6 and doesn't have folding rear seats). Could be worth a shot rather than folding the seats and trying to "post" the bike in?

ptr_

I've got an old style Audi A3 and it's really easy to put the bike in once I've flattened the seats but that's because it's a hatchback.

What I sometimes do is keep the seats up, take both wheels off and have the bike sat up on the rear seats. A 56cm frame just fits and I use the seat belts to keep the bike upright and secure. I pass the bike in through the front passenger door (3 door car) so you shouldn't have much trouble in an A4.

jameses

No problems getting my bike (58cm tt) into a Corsa - as others have said: fold rear seats down, front wheel off, 'post' in rear wheel first. A4s are significantly larger, so this should work for you!

tiredofwhiners

Easy peasy here - BMW Coupe with the seats back down.

Front wheel off, put rear wheel in first and slide all the way so the wheel is against the passenger seat. Turn handlebars so they are horizontal and it fits fine. Around it I can fit a couple of crates, two large clothing bags and a coolbox, with the wheel on top.

I can fit even more into the newer A5 hatchback, but the basic bike position is still the same.

anto164

Saloons are a bugger for getting bikes in! Best get an estate!

ben16v

get some old curtains to protect car/bike and also hide from view if in a hatchback

blackhands

I've got a Honda Jazz which has the "magic" rear seats on which the squabs fold up leaving a space between the frnt seats and the folded up seats - I can fit a bike plus wheels (removed) in this apace and another bike behind the back seats.

mallorcajeff

Both wheels off and on back seta works for me I've even got mine in the back of a Ferrari California which is very tight so a4 would be no problem as said before cover oily bits though

biscuit959

9-3's are saloons nowadays

http://irishcar.com/ICOimages/saab93boot.jpg

Monty Dog

My first car was an MG Midget - used to get the bike frame and wheels behind the seats with the roof-up. Next car was a Citroen 2CV - you could take the back seat out and easily get 6 bikes standing-up across the back!

Warwickshire Whizzer

I have an A4 and to get the bike in the car I take the wheels off and throw it across the rear seats, works for me. When I have to have the kids in the rear of the car, I use my rack, a Saris Solo, which works a treat.

Pross

Remove both wheels rather than just the front?

t4tomo

biscuit959 wrote:

9-3's are saloons nowadays

http://irishcar.com/ICOimages/saab93boot.jpg

no wonder they went bust

Sgt_Pepper

I get strange looks when I drive past people and they realise I have my bike squeezed into a Smart Car. :-)

malcolmfrost

When I bought my last car, I rode to the dealer and said "can you get this in it without taking the wheels off"
It's a Mazda 6 hatchback BTW and there's about a foot spare! Put it in rear first with derailleur up.

t.m.h.n.e.t

My 5dr Fiesta could get two bikes in no problem with wheels on and it ain't a saloon

MattC59

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

My 5dr Fiesta could get two bikes in no problem with wheels on because it ain't a saloon

FTFY

MattC59

Sgt_Pepper wrote:

I get strange looks when I drive past people and they realise I have my bike squeezed into a Smart Car. :-)

Surely you can squeeze the Smart Car onto your bike ?

t.m.h.n.e.t

MattC59 wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

My 5dr Fiesta could get two bikes in no problem with wheels on because it ain't a saloon

FTFY