What car would your bike live in?

[amy]

OK, I know this might seem like silly question, but in the crazy traffic in Los Angeles, sometimes I have to drive my bike somewhere and then ride. Call me a chicken, call me safety conscious, whatever. Sometimes, my bike lives in the back of my pickup truck. I have a locked cab and if I feel like driving over to the bike path after work, I'm good.

But with the crazy gas prices, I want to buy a car that gets better gas mileage than my car. And I don't want to leave my pricey bike on a bike rack. It is LA! So, if your bike had to live inside a car for the day, what car would be most comfy for her?

[sundial]

When you get stuck in traffic you can mosey to the back, open the;) cooler for a refreshing beverage and enjoy each others company.

[arielmoon]

I put my bike in the extended cab of my Tundra. That way at least it does not get rained on when I am at work!

[gnat23]

Mine lives in a hatchback. I use a Hyundai Accent, my man has a Scion Tc. Just throw a blanket over it and call it good.

-- gnat!

[amy]

When you get stuck in traffic you can mosey to the back, open the;) cooler for a refreshing beverage and enjoy each others company.

Looks cool and I do like to share a cool beverage with her, but not the best gas mileage!

[ginny]

I have a subaru outback sport (cheaper outback than the usual one), and my bike happily rides in the back. My bf has a toyota carola, and if I take the wheels off my bike, it actually fits in the trunk in its entirety.

[VeloVT]

I have a Subaru Outback. I would love to have a sexier car, but it is great for Vermont winters and, if I fold the back seat down, it will fit two road bikes in without removing the wheels.

Not sure it'd be my first choice if I lived in LA though.

[GLC1968]

My bike fits nicely in my Prius...and you can't beat the gas mileage! We can also fit both bikes with racks and panniers still on them in the back of our Matrix.

I ride a small bike - it fit just fine in my MINI, too.

[mayanorange]

I'm bummed I can't get onto the generation vibe forum to get you the picture, but the back (including the backs of the seats) of Pontiac Vibe has plastic with tie-down channels like a pickup. Somebody figured out that if you flip the back seat down, you can get the pickup bed bike rack with fork clamps to work in the tie-downs- just have to pop the front wheel off. I adore the plastic with the dogs- washable! And between my mom, dad and I (yes there are 3 vibes in our family- one 05, 2 08s) we get 31-38 mpg out of them- they are essentially the toyota matrix with a different shell (and cheaper pricetag). Someday I'll get a pic of my little black Vibe and my little black Jamis together. If that forum comes back up, I'll post the pic of the bike system.

[KSH]

Mazda 3.

Mine lives in the back of my Mazda 3 and loves it! :)

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=MS3

You can get 30 mph if you do mostly freeway driving.

[Irulan]

Mazda 3.

Mine lives in the back of my Mazda 3 and loves it! :)

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=MS3

You can get 30 mph if you do mostly freeway driving.

you are getting 30 with a mazda 3 speed? or just the regular 3.

I've got the 3 5 door and love it.

[sfa]

Mine easily fits in the back of my Scion xB with the back seats folded down. 34 mpg (although the newer ones have bigger engines and worse gas mileage)--can't complain about that! I did the math once and figured out that it actually costs me less in gas to drive to work than it costs me in healthy food to fuel myself to bike to work.

Sarah

[SlowButSteady]

Honda Ridgeline truck. Fits in the back seat without taking the front wheel off.

Before that I had a Honda Element. Fit in the back without taking the front wheel off!

[crazycanuck]

We've just decided to purchase a Toyota Hilux double cab(diesel & manual) 2wd ute :D Fits doggie, bikes & assorted gunk quite well PLUS it will last. :cool:

No idea when the vehicle is coming but soon...

[Skierchickie]

VW Jetta TDI wagon. Mid-40s (but diesel fuel is more expensive now), but great mileage anyhow, & lots of room. I can fit each (but only one at a time) of my 3 bikes in with both wheels on.

[KatiePickle]

My bike fits nicely in my Prius...and you can't beat the gas mileage! We can also fit both bikes with racks and panniers still on them in the back of our Matrix.

I ride a small bike - it fit just fine in my MINI, too.

OFF TOPIC! How did you get it in the MINI? I tried to get my XS Giant OCR C3 into the back of mine with only the front wheel off and it was like a game of tetris gone horribly awry. Granted the dog thought he was going for a ride too and complicated things, but I would like to know your secret.

[Beane]

VW Jetta TDI wagon. Mid-40s (but diesel fuel is more expensive now), but great mileage anyhow, & lots of room. I can fit each (but only one at a time) of my 3 bikes in with both wheels on.

+1 best. car. ever. I don't put bikes on the inside, but we did fit 4 bikes and a thule box on the roof with nice wide load bars. But most importantly, my car hasn't depreciated in the 4 years I've owned it-- no joke!

[Blueberry]

Love my Element for bike storage - not great on mileage - but, I'm riding more and driving less. Also have a VW Golf. With the seats down, my road bike will fit (with the wheel off). It's a squeeze. Don't think my touring bike would fit.

CA

[Tuckervill]

All three of my bikes love the Element. They beg to go on long trips to ride in new places, so I had to take the back seat out to make room for them all the time.

Fun,
Karen

[FlyingScot]

Forester! Forester! Forester!

[NbyNW]

Since my Dahon folds up, it will fit in pretty much any car.

[amy]

Oh...I think the Pontiac Vibe is winning. :)

[bmccasland]

My bike lives in a PT Cruiser with the back seat down. Shoes, helmet, gloves live under the shelf in the "trunk" space. Although I admit if I know I'm not riding the next day, the bike comes out and gets parked in the garage.

And I really like my PT Cruiser!

[tulip]

My road bike fits in my VW Rabbit with the front wheel off, with room left over for other stuff. Of course, my folding bike fits in the way back without even putting down the seats.

Mileage is pretty good in the Rabbit, but not as good as in some other cars I considered (like the Honda Fit). It's a 5-speed manual transmission, which gets better mileage than the version with automatic transmission. The mileage I get is in the low-mid 30s as far as I can tell.

I don't like having to drive to ride my bike, but it's necessary at times. One of the reasons I bought my new house (well, the closing is TODAY, so it's not bought yet) is because it is in the city but has easy bike access to wonderful country roads and Civil War parks that provide miles and miles of quiet riding. The local cycling club has rides that start nearby, too, so I'll be able to ride to the ride!

[Geonz]

Basically any hatchback makes it easy. My Xtra even found its way into the Sebring out in the motel 6 parking lot now (with the Trek on top) 'cause the back seats fold down so I could wedge it in. (I think I may get to sort of use the "coverage of everything" insurance I pay for 'cause I don't have car insurance for that little scratch on the bumper... )

Time to drive to Colorado :)

[mayanorange]

Yay, the gen vibe forum is back up! Here's the post about fork mounting bikes in the Vibe:
http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=28162

And one of his pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v307/Neouka/bike%20rack/bikesinside.jpg
Looks like he has a rubber mat down over the plastic.

PS- you want an 08 or earlier. 09 gets worse gas mileage (tho is more fun to drive), is smaller (less head room for my 2 Bernese) and the rear glass won't open (how am I supposed to get a 2x4 in there then??). Oh, and my mileage quotes are for the base manual (cause manual rocks!)

[amy]

I don't like having to drive to ride my bike, but it's necessary at times. One of the reasons I bought my new house (well, the closing is TODAY, so it's not bought yet) is because it is in the city but has easy bike access to wonderful country roads and Civil War parks that provide miles and miles of quiet riding. The local cycling club has rides that start nearby, too, so I'll be able to ride to the ride!

Congrats on the new house! I moved into my house the end of February. I'm actually really excited that I live in a more bike friendly neighborhood now. In my old neighborhood, cars would pull up right behind me and lay on the horn and yell. Here, the streets are wider and I think people are expecting bikers more. Between that and all the stray dog, not fun. Also, I'm now in biking distance to nice parts of Pasadena where people are very friendly, although it has a lot more hills than I'm used to. But I'm easing into them.

But it can still be crazy here. And given that my favorite biking partner, Aly, lives 45 minutes away now... well, my bike spends some time in my car.

[mimitabby]

Amy you bought a house in the city of Los Angeles?!?!?

you guys all sure love your cars.

My bike either spends time on the top of the Mitsubishi diamonte, a car we were kind of forced to buy from my step father, or inside my honda civic, 1991 model.

My bike would love to live in a FIT or a VIBE - but it's not going to happen anytime soon.

[KSH]

you are getting 30 with a mazda 3 speed? or just the regular 3.

I've got the 3 5 door and love it.

Not the Mazda Speed. Just the plain 'ol 3 with 160 HP.

But seriously... I bought the Mazda... for my bike. I wanted a car that I could put my bike into easily and get out of easily. I wanted it to be peepy, fun to drive, and not look like a complete family mobile. I even took my bike when I went to test drive it. It took me 6 months of searching, but I finally found a sweet ride for my bike!

[KSH]

My bike lives in a PT Cruiser with the back seat down. Shoes, helmet, gloves live under the shelf in the "trunk" space. Although I admit if I know I'm not riding the next day, the bike comes out and gets parked in the garage.

And I really like my PT Cruiser!

I drove a PT Cruiser for 2 months while my car was in the shop (someone hit me to the tune of $7,000 worth of damage).

I have to say, I didn't really like that car. It had no get-up-and-go, compared to the Mazda. And the gas mileage was aweful. I did a road trip in it, and it got MAYBE 25 mph. For as slow as it was, I really expected better gas mileage.

Now, I know, to each their own...and obviously that car works great for you. Hey, my bike fit in it great! But the performance was pretty dismal overall.

Yep, love my Mazda.

[GLC1968]

OFF TOPIC! How did you get it in the MINI? I tried to get my XS Giant OCR C3 into the back of mine with only the front wheel off and it was like a game of tetris gone horribly awry. Granted the dog thought he was going for a ride too and complicated things, but I would like to know your secret.


Move the passenger seat all the way forward, take the front tire off the bike, turn the bars all the way to the right and put it in with the left drop over the 'shoulder' of the passenger seat. It helps if your bike is light, as it's kind of hard to lift it off the seat from the angle of standing at the back (not sure if that makes any sense). Once I got the hang of it, it was quick and easy. Makes it hard to take someone else in the car with you as they'll get a handlebar in the back though.

Once it's in, there is room for other stuff in the back, too. I tried it with my H's bike and it wouldn't work. His was a 56cm. Mine is a 48cm.

[Irulan]

Not the Mazda Speed. Just the plain 'ol 3 with 160 HP.

But seriously... I bought the Mazda... for my bike. I wanted a car that I could put my bike into easily and get out of easily. I wanted it to be peepy, fun to drive, and not look like a complete family mobile. I even took my bike when I went to test drive it. It took me 6 months of searching, but I finally found a sweet ride for my bike!


The reason I asked is that you'd linked to the Speed. :D

Here's mine, nothing like a BC road trip...

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/misc/camp08/camp08-9.jpg

[GLC1968]

Yay, the gen vibe forum is back up! Here's the post about fork mounting bikes in the Vibe:
http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=28162

And one of his pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v307/Neouka/bike%20rack/bikesinside.jpg
Looks like he has a rubber mat down over the plastic.

PS- you want an 08 or earlier. 09 gets worse gas mileage (tho is more fun to drive), is smaller (less head room for my 2 Bernese) and the rear glass won't open (how am I supposed to get a 2x4 in there then??). Oh, and my mileage quotes are for the base manual (cause manual rocks!)


We tried this with our road bikes in the Matrix. Mine fit fine, H's wouldn't fit without removing the saddle and he didn't want to have to do that all the time (his is a 56cm). We actually used a 2x4 with the fork mounts on it from our old Toyota pick up. We sawed off the ends to fit the car and it did not need to be bolted down. It fit snugly enough to be stable on it's own. I would imagine you could do the same with the Vibe.

[JennyPi]

34 mpg (although the newer ones have bigger engines and worse gas mileage)--can't complain about that!

< ----- jealous of your gas mileage.

I have the new Scion XB and it's .... 23mpg! That Camry engine is costing me a grip and I could actually do without it. My bike fits in there nicely although the BF and I prefer putting both of our bikes into his Toyota PREVIA. Yes, the Previa; that early 90's minivan that you still see everywhere. We call it the "egg mobile" because it's white.

[bluebug32]

I have a subaru outback sport (cheaper outback than the usual one), and my bike happily rides in the back. My bf has a toyota carola, and if I take the wheels off my bike, it actually fits in the trunk in its entirety.

+1 on the Outback Sport. I can fit my road bike inside without taking the wheel off and the mtb will just make it, too. I've been getting 28/31 lately. Not bad for AWD!

[Fujichants]

Hm...I tried putting my bike in my VW Golf and it just required too much energy. My back seats don't fold completely down so there is a weird slant that just complicates things more.

When I put it in my Jeep, it is just a pain in the butt to get it in there, since I have to lift it up and then shove it in. Sure, if I had a 16 lb carbon bike, this would be fairly easy, but my bike is quite heavy!

I saw a woman put her bike in her BMW 3 series convertible in Beverly Hills. Not a bad idea!

[tygab]

Another Element owner... gas mileage is ok, not horrible but not great either. But ours has both rear seats out and can take two bikes rolled in and five days of biking/camping gear with space to spare. that still leaves the roof for kayaks or other stuff too. Anyway we love ours. Bikes and Elements make a good pair... Previously had a Subaru wagon and while the bike fit there was some wrestling involved..

[bmccasland]

I drove a PT Cruiser for 2 months while my car was in the shop (someone hit me to the tune of $7,000 worth of damage).

I have to say, I didn't really like that car. It had no get-up-and-go, compared to the Mazda. And the gas mileage was aweful. I did a road trip in it, and it got MAYBE 25 mph. For as slow as it was, I really expected better gas mileage.

I traded a Dodge 4x4 PU for the Cruiser, 6 years ago. I did not test drive a variety of cars prior to picking out the Cruiser, as I had decided I that was the car for me. As for handling, my comparison was to a truck. I constantly have to remind myself that I'm not driving a 4x4 (especially on ground clearance issues). Still driving my 2002 Cruiser, she's been a good car, and I haven't left the oil pan behind yet! ;)

[tulip]

Amy, you might want to look at the Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris. I understand that the Yaris now comes in a 4-door hatchback in the US (it was available in Canada but not the US). All get very good mileage, are hatchbacks, and are reliable. The Honda Fit has the most cargo space of the three.

[amy]

Amy you bought a house in the city of Los Angeles?!?!?

you guys all sure love your cars.

Yes... technically our house is in Altadena, but that's an unincorporated part of LA. Not all of us LOVE our cars. Some of us would love another option but the public transportation is terrible and there is little respect for bikers (and everything is really spread out).

[Trekhawk]

I love Honda Elements but unfortunately they do not sell them in Australia.
So we got ourselves a Honda CRV on our return to Aust and my bikes fit nicely inside. I must admit though when I have the three kids and the dog inside the car the bikes must go on the roof.:)

[IFjane]

Another Element owner... gas mileage is ok, not horrible but not great either. But ours has both rear seats out and can take two bikes rolled in and five days of biking/camping gear with space to spare. that still leaves the roof for kayaks or other stuff too. Anyway we love ours. Bikes and Elements make a good pair... Previously had a Subaru wagon and while the bike fit there was some wrestling involved..


Another one here, too. I love it. Last weekend I took three bikes (with front wheels intact!) and assorted gear over the mountain to our LBS. One rear seat is out, but the other is in, and I folded it up against the side. Love the element - if I needed another vehicle I would buy one all over again!

[twin]

I packed two bikes all kinds of bags and food for my trip to CO. last week in my Fit. My bikes like the Fit. My nephew is sitting where the food basket went.

[Tuckervill]

I have a picture like that of a big custom van that I packed for camping, but in place of the nephew, tucked in a corner under a box, was my Jack Russell, Percy, ready to go! She was not going to be left behind!

Karen

[twin]

cute! I imagine your puppy was glad to go with you.

[casisenyora]

Mine enjoys occasional rides in my civic coupe, with the seat folded down of course. Besides being super-sexy, the civic is relatively inexpensive, gets great mileage and cradles my favorite set of wheels with inches to spare.

[Sgritn]

My bike gets attached to the back of my Subie Forester on a Subaru bike rack; safe rack but....I hate that rack because it's heck to remove from the hitch. I have to always remember to park few inches away from other cars because it's always there...the dealership has to remove it with a rubber mallet! I used to stuff the bike into the back of the car but that became silly after a few days of that so bought the carrier.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Another Element owner... gas mileage is ok, not horrible but not great either. But ours has both rear seats out and can take two bikes rolled in and five days of biking/camping gear with space to spare. that still leaves the roof for kayaks or other stuff too. Anyway we love ours. Bikes and Elements make a good pair... Previously had a Subaru wagon and while the bike fit there was some wrestling involved..

I second all of this. We love our Element for everyday, for hauling our bikes inside, and for camping too. :D

[aly]

I just came across this post, I don't know how I missed it earlier. You're my favorite riding partner, too! 45 minutes sucks, but we can do it.

I actually posted recently for car suggestions as well. Maybe we should go out and do some testing together. I've been leaning towards a CRV, but the vibe or Matrix may be an option as well. Problem is that I'm trying to keep it really cheap. Shoot, I can't believe we're both considering moving on from the pickups. I feel like I'm cheating even looking at other cars, but it makes sense right now. I'm so far in the hole now that I bought the house, why not add a car, too!!

[Irulan]

I just came across this post, I don't know how I missed it earlier. You're my favorite riding partner, too! 45 minutes sucks, but we can do it.

I actually posted recently for car suggestions as well. Maybe we should go out and do some testing together. I've been leaning towards a CRV, but the vibe or Matrix may be an option as well. Problem is that I'm trying to keep it really cheap. Shoot, I can't believe we're both considering moving on from the pickups. I feel like I'm cheating even looking at other cars, but it makes sense right now. I'm so far in the hole now that I bought the house, why not add a car, too!!

unless you can find used, be prepared to pay top dollar for Matrix or Honda right now. My friend just priced a FIT, $3K over invoice with no budging. When we were shopping, Toyota was unwilling to negotiate and that was months ago.

[amy]

I just came across this post, I don't know how I missed it earlier. You're my favorite riding partner, too! 45 minutes sucks, but we can do it.

I actually posted recently for car suggestions as well. Maybe we should go out and do some testing together. I've been leaning towards a CRV, but the vibe or Matrix may be an option as well. Problem is that I'm trying to keep it really cheap. Shoot, I can't believe we're both considering moving on from the pickups. I feel like I'm cheating even looking at other cars, but it makes sense right now. I'm so far in the hole now that I bought the house, why not add a car, too!!

Haha... yeah, we both buy houses at LA prices and then decide to buy cars... but I can one up you... as Josh got laid off and your man is still working. Thankfully, I can still laugh at that, but I will probably wait to actually buy until he has regular work. But I think that will happen very soon, so I can test drive. I'm bringing my bike so I can stick it in all the cars!

[kie_fujo]

a honda fit or toyota yaris for me!!! both good on gas and hatchbacks with room for them. especially the fit!