how do you load your bike on the car?

[OakLeaf]

Still looking for a high mileage vehicle (45mpg highway) with room on the inside for two bikes....a woman can dream.

You can put two bikes in the back of a Prius, one on top of the other, with a blanket between them. Doesn't leave a lot of room for much else, but a couple of backpacks with overnight gear would definitely fit.

[Becky]

We carry bikes one of two ways, depending on how far we're going, how much stuff we have, and how filthy the bikes are. I have an Outback and DH has a Legacy, and both are wagons.

If it's a long trip and we have lots of stuff, the bikes go on the roof to make room for baggage and Dog. If the bikes are filthy, they go on the roof. If we're not carrying much gear and no Dog, they go inside the Outback on a fork-mount rack that DH made from scrap lumber and some of those $20 fork-mount thingies for pickup trucks. It means removing seatposts, but a line with a marker make re-installing to the perfect height easy. Carrying them inside definitely helps the gas mileage compared to the roof rack.

I'm 5'4, and can put any of my bikes on the roof, including the full-suspension beast.

[papaver]

We just toss them in here.

http://www.renault.be/nl/gamma-renau...nieuwe-kangoo/

[djgafi]

Me! That's how I do it, but in the other direction - take off front wheel, roll back wheel in and the fork mount is at the back of the car, so I just secure it and go. Takes less time than strapping onto a bike rack. Protects from rain, bugs, rear-bumper hits, roof rack meets garage door incidents, etc. Works in my Rav4 and BF's PT Cruiser

what size bikes you have? do you need to lower the seat in order to fit them in inside?

[fidlfreek]

I have a Camry Solara (coupe) and just take off my front wheel and slide the baby back behind the front seats. I have a very small road bike though. With a longer wheelbase it might get tricky. I don't care about grease but if you did:
http://www.wcfanshop.com/servlet/the...ver-for/Detail

[wackyjacky1]

I have a Camry Solara (coupe) and just take off my front wheel and slide the baby back behind the front seats.

That's what I do (Hyundai Elantra). Just be sure to slide the bike in chain-side UP!

[Pedal Wench]

what size bikes you have? do you need to lower the seat in order to fit them in inside?

Mine is a 51, BF's is a 55cm, with lots of seatpost. In the RAV4, the back seats are folded down. In the PT Cruiser, he takes out the back seats - doesn't need them so they stay out permanently. By putting the forks towards the back of the car, there's more room for the seatposts where cars typically have more headroom.

Edit: I've also fit in two bikes with aerobars. I put the bar in at an angle, so the forks are at about a 45 degree angle. The bikes can be turned so they still fit lengthwise and the aerobars clear the rear window.

[msincredible]

With the right bike it's never an issue.

[papaver]

With the right bike it's never an issue.

Well, it doesn't fit in a new Fiat 500

[Tuckervill]

That bike fits in a suitcase, right? Oughta fit in the back of any little car.

Karen

[papaver]

That bike fits in a suitcase, right? Oughta fit in the back of any little car.

Karen

nope, we've tried it. We even had problems to fit it in a mini clubman.

of course it goes on the backseat but not in the boot.

[ASammy1]

BF and I can fit our 2 road bikes in the back of the Jeep Liberty (older style). We just leave the back seats down and slide them in. Neither one of us have very big bikes though. Mine is a 50cm and his is a 54cm.

[msincredible]

That bike fits in a suitcase, right? Oughta fit in the back of any little car.

Yes it does, although it requires slight disassembly first.

[Beane]

Caveat on the bike bras: they (or at least the ones we used) fasten to the bike via velcro tabs. the backs of the tabs are kinda scratchy/sharp-edged and my bike ended up with some paint scuffing from the tabs. This was on a trip from Wisconsin to southwestern CO and back, but nevertheless, it was disappointing to see. Also, they tore/wore out very easily and were cheaply made. I think we got ours from Performance, btw.

[ttaylor508]

hi girls

i've been using a rear Thule bike carrier or a audi for a couple of years, and the draw back is that at the end of a trip on a highway, my 2 bikes are carpeted with insects...


so i'm investigating on different ways of loading them, possibly even inside the car, without damaging the interiors and getting greas all over when loading-unloading.

has anyone tried this method on her car?
http://www.bdc-forum.it/showpost.php...&postcount=129

ideas? suggestions? opinions?

We load our bikes this way in our Expedition and in the back of DH's truck when its just the two of us. DH used a piece of diamond plate angle metal and just bought the skewers and mounted them to the angle plate. It was a very inexpensive way to haul around our bikes. We bought a Yakima hitch rack a few years back and use it if we need to haul more than 2 bikes. I don't have any problem getting the bikes on the hitch rack, even the kids heavy mt. bikes. I am only 5'3ish and can still lift them onto the rack when it is on the Expedition which sits rather high.