Fitting bikes in a car

xloly
xloly Posts: 140
edited April 2013 in Road general
What's the best way to fit a bike in a car when travelling with a family?
Don't want to use a rear mounted rack as I'm worried about theft.
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Comments

  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    Back seats down, bike in the back, family on roof.
  • xloly
    xloly Posts: 140
    Sorry, should have added, the seats don't fold and we've got a small baby who hates it when I leave him on the roof...
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Depends on lots of things really, what car, what type of bike, how much other stuff you have to get in the car???

    However, maybe some sort of bike bag that could go on top of other luggage in the boot or just use old sheets / duvets etc to protect the bike or this
    LakesLuddite wrote:
    Back seats down, bike in the back, family on roof.
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    Both wheels off bike. Heavy bags and cases on the bottom. Bike next, use pipe lagging and an old bed sheet to protect the bike. Lighter stuff and wheels on top.

    The size of your boot will dictate how easy/possible this is.
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    xloly wrote:
    Sorry, should have added, the seats don't fold and we've got a small baby who hates it when I leave him on the roof...

    Damn, should type quicker!!

    In this case tie the babies buggy behind the car and tow it, sorted :lol:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • xloly
    xloly Posts: 140
    The boot is big (its a five series) but we're off on holiday for two weeks so I'm trying to work out if I can get the bike and buggy in the boot and our luggage on the backseat.
    Really don't want to be missing out on cycling for that long!
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Breakaway frame / S+S couplers - whole bike + other cycling bits fits in suitcase, case in car boot under everything else. Drive to Cornwall (tomorrow morning) Case used as storage at other end - dog bed on top of case at holiday cottage so it doesn't get in the way.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    Ride to holiday destination. The only way to be sure.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • pinkteapot
    pinkteapot Posts: 367
    Wow, good luck!

    We've got a Mondeo and are going away in June, just the two of us. I've decided I can't fit my bike inside the car with our luggage, even though we could fold the seats down as there'll be no-one in the back!
  • xloly
    xloly Posts: 140
    marcusjb wrote:
    Ride to holiday destination. The only way to be sure.
    This was my suggestion - sadly my wife was not up for a 600 mile drive on her own.

    I couldn't see the issue!
  • xloly
    xloly Posts: 140
    pinkteapot wrote:
    Wow, good luck!

    We've got a Mondeo and are going away in June, just the two of us. I've decided I can't fit my bike inside the car with our luggage, even though we could fold the seats down as there'll be no-one in the back!


    I reckon you could get yours on the back seat with the wheels off behind the front seats..
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Bikes on carrier on the back ... if leaving the car unattended then lock the bikes to the car ...

    If you've got a car that the seats don't go down in and you want to put everything inside then you have the wrong car.

    SoF last year - 2 bikes & tents for 2 weeks for 2 ppl - all inside an A3.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    A 5 series is big but so are buggies!

    Not sure I'd really want luggage on the back seat with baby, could all get a bit messy if you have a smash :shock:

    Bike on the roof or a boot rack would definately be my choice if it didn't all fit inside the boot.
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • xloly
    xloly Posts: 140
    How do you lock a bike to a car? Through the towing eye?
  • Pumpkin Positive
    Pumpkin Positive Posts: 392
    Bikes on the roof always for me - far too much faff and hassle trying to fit them in the car. I think they are reasonably secure on the roof. The roof rack is locked to the bars, bike carrier locked to the rack, bike locked in to the carrier and then all bikes locked together AND to the roof bars. That said, I wouldn't leave them there overnight.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    I used to use one of these for kayaks...

    rackguardsecuritycablel.jpg

    You loop the cable back through itself and through the frame, wheels etc to create a loop and then the end with the ball is shut inside the door or boot, might be an idea?
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    yup - that - or last time I did it I looped it around the axle of the car (4x4 so plenty of space to get underneath) on the basis that the towing eye could be unbolted. Obviously not a good idea whilst you're going along ...
  • FoldingJoe
    FoldingJoe Posts: 1,327
    Monty Dog wrote:
    Breakaway frame / S+S couplers - whole bike + other cycling bits fits in suitcase, case in car boot under everything else. Drive to Cornwall (tomorrow morning) Case used as storage at other end - dog bed on top of case at holiday cottage so it doesn't get in the way.

    Not stalking, but where in Cornwall you visiting, Monty?

    You could have done the Tour of Cornwall on Sunday!! :)
    Little boy to Obama: "My Dad says that you read all our emails"
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  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    arran77 wrote:
    I used to use one of these for kayaks...

    rackguardsecuritycablel.jpg

    You loop the cable back through itself and through the frame, wheels etc to create a loop and then the end with the ball is shut inside the door or boot, might be an idea?

    Don't want to be a party pooper, but that looks like a decent pair of scissors would go through it.....!
  • topcattim
    topcattim Posts: 766
    xloly wrote:
    Sorry, should have added, the seats don't fold and we've got a small baby who hates it when I leave him on the roof...
    What evidence do you have that this is true? :wink:
  • Cheshire Cat
    Cheshire Cat Posts: 309
    Shoes and helmet in a bag and rent a bike when you get there.
    “Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” Hunter S Thompson
  • Mikey1976
    Mikey1976 Posts: 165
    I'm also in the same predicament. I'm taking a crv to France next month for 2 weeks. I also have to fit in

    1x wife
    2x children
    2x buggies
    1x travel cot
    3x suitcases
    Toys, towels, food etc
    1x kitchen sink

    I'm thinking the only way is putting the bike on the roof or the back of the car, does anybody know the cheapest option and where the best place to purchase the bike carriers?

    I really can't be without my bike for 2 weeks on those amazing roads and scenery in France!
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Had a Saris rack before and thought it was pretty decent, they do a single version which looks good......

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/saris-bones-solo-1-bike-rack/
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    @fj... Was just about to ask the same question! Looks like a better day than last year...
  • Wirral_paul
    Wirral_paul Posts: 2,476
    Holiday in the UK? Box your bike up and have it couriered there and back? :)
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 20,991
    Mikey1976 wrote:
    I'm thinking the only way is putting the bike on the roof or the back of the car, does anybody know the cheapest option and where the best place to purchase the bike carriers?

    I really can't be without my bike for 2 weeks on those amazing roads and scenery in France!
    I know you don't need to take four bikes, and I hesitate to recommend anything bike-related from Halfords, but this is a very nifty bit of kit: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165477

    I've now done two 2,000-mile round-trips to the Alps with about £10,000's-worth of bike being carried (behind a £200 car) - and darned good value at £180, if you've got a tow hitch. Much less drag than a roof-rack, and you don't get charged extra on the ferry. Needless to say, we didn't leave it unattended.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Mikey1976 wrote:
    I'm also in the same predicament. I'm taking a crv to France next month for 2 weeks. I also have to fit in

    1x wife
    2x children
    2x buggies
    1x travel cot
    3x suitcases
    Toys, towels, food etc
    1x kitchen sink

    I'm thinking the only way is putting the bike on the roof or the back of the car, does anybody know the cheapest option and where the best place to purchase the bike carriers?

    I really can't be without my bike for 2 weeks on those amazing roads and scenery in France!

    We've got a CRV too. Here's a tip; get rid of the spare tyre and get a can of repair foam. Then you free up tons of space under the boot floor for all sorts of things.

    Then I lay my bike across the top of everything and slot the wheels in......somewhere!

    (Make sure your chain is super clean or you'll be divorced before you even set off)
  • ThatBikeGuy
    ThatBikeGuy Posts: 394
    Why can't the luggage go on the roof in a roof box? Worked a treat when we went to cornwall camping for two weeks.
    Cannondale SS Evo Team
    Kona Jake CX
    Cervelo P5
  • wod1
    wod1 Posts: 61
    I've just been out this evening looking at ways to fig my bike in the car. Hyundai i30. Thinking of summer activities but have a child and wife and stuff to take . Two wheels off and it's fits in the boot with a parcel shelf taken off. My son is just about walking enough not to need a push chair. Suitcase strapped in the back should keep us going for a weekend......
  • mr_joe0606
    mr_joe0606 Posts: 104
    Pumpkin Positive wrote:
    Bikes on the roof always for me - far too much faff and hassle trying to fit them in the car. I think they are reasonably secure on the roof. The roof rack is locked to the bars, bike carrier locked to the rack, bike locked in to the carrier and then all bikes locked together AND to the roof bars. That said, I wouldn't leave them there overnight.

    for me to this was last week going to north yorkshire and going to the lakes tomos with it

    A2FD2C3E-4FD4-43AB-A736-CB3392B5627F-1249-0000023B51209AA9.jpg
    my bikes - viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12913778

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