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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Twin Cities, Minnesota
    Posts
    486

    Vehicle for transporting bike???

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    I haven't been around for a while. My SO hadn't been feeling well since last July and finally towards the end of December was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. He passed away January 21. I am doing well and getting my life back in order. I really am looking forward to riding my bicycle again . . . 54 degrees in Minneapolis, MN today!

    I can get my bicycle in my 2013 Passat with the seats down but it is a pain even though I don't have to take the front wheel off. I don't want to use a bike rack anymore because I really don't have anyone to help me anymore to get it off and on the car hitch.

    I plan to sell my 2013 Passat (only has 25,500 miles on it) and his 2009 EOS. I decided that cross-overs are a little too small and want to purchase a compact SUV. I want to be able to travel a bit and haul my bicycle around in the vehicle. So what are you all driving? I have just started looking so any advice would be great! Thanks!!

    I would love to get rid of the car all together but my life style doesn't permit it. I like to spend time with my grandson and I need a vehicle to do that. My family is also scattered all over the Twin Cities as well. I don't do a lot of driving though. My Passat will be 4 years old in April and I will probably have 26k miles on it by then.

    Thanks in advance for suggestions!
    Last edited by kajero; 02-18-2017 at 09:02 PM.
    kajero
    2013 Trek FX 7.6 WSD
    2012 Specialized Ruby WSD
    2004 Schwinn (I think that is the year)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    Welcome back, kajero. I'm sorry about your SO.

    I can't really help with your question -- I'm driving a 2007 Prius with 126k miles on it and hope to keep driving it for many more miles. And if I had to replace it tomorrow I'd get another Prius. I will say that I can get my bike into the car with both wheels on but prefer to remove the front wheel because it's easier that way. I put it in front wheel first; a friend who drives a VW station wagon finds it easier to put his bike in the car rear wheel first.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,853
    So sorry for your loss, Kajero. Glad to see you back though.

    I could easily fit bikes in the back of my Subaru Forester, it was a nice size for a smaller SUV, the smaller Crosstrek is very nice too. And Subarus handle the snow like nobody's business.

    Electra Townie 7D

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Glad you are back and sorry for your loss.
    Why don't you like putting the seats down and putting your bike in the back? I had a small BMW sedan for 10 years and I loved the fact that I could just open the hatch and shove my bike in. In fact, my rear seats were permanently down, as they are now in my Audi station wagon. My car is bigger than I wanted, but since I hardly drive at all (my office is 2.3 miles away), I am keeping it. My main concern is room for a bike and AWD. DH just got a Rav 4 Hybrid, AWD, but he has a bike rack he only puts on if it's more than one bike.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Almost embarrassed to say it, but we drive a 2008 Toyota Highlander SUV. Definitely not me. I prefer smaller vehicles or even no vehicles at all, but my husband loves it and 4WD is very practical, up here. Also, can squeeze in any bike without needing to take off the wheels and still have room for groceries and so on.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Eh, people in my cycling group made fun of my little BMW. But when I pulled out my bike, wheels on, or drove through snow or ice, they shut up.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Traveling Nomad
    Posts
    6,763
    My favorite bike hauler that we sold was a Honda Element. I am so bummed that they are no longer made. I still see a lot of them around, though. They are really perfect for hauling bikes, though because of their boxy design were not good on gas. Since then we've had a Honda CR-V, which was okay, but we did have to remove the front wheels and put the back seat down if we didn't want to lie the bikes down on their sides (not a fan of that). We also really liked a Kia Soul we rented not too long ago. Those tiny cars have a lot more room inside than you'd expect, and the gas mileage was great. You can easily carry a bike (front wheel off), but once again will have to put the back seat down.

    I hope you find what you're looking for!
    Emily

    2011 Jamis Dakar XC "Toto" - Selle Italia Ldy Gel Flow
    2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD "Gloria" - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow
    2004 Bike Friday Petite Pocket Crusoe - Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Twin Cities, Minnesota
    Posts
    486
    Quote Originally Posted by Crankin View Post
    Why don't you like putting the seats down and putting your bike in the back? .
    It's just hard to get the bike in. The car is a Sedan. I only put the bicycle in the car twice this summer. It seemed a lot easier the second time.
    Also, I have never picked the car out, he always did. I didn't care because I don't drive much and he liked to.

    I would also like to travel some. If I get tired I want to be able to pull off the road somewhere and take a snooze. I figured it would be easier to sleep in a small SUV.

    Kathy
    kajero
    2013 Trek FX 7.6 WSD
    2012 Specialized Ruby WSD
    2004 Schwinn (I think that is the year)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Twin Cities, Minnesota
    Posts
    486
    Maybe I will go look at Prius. My spouse's son has a Prius and loves it. I don't need to do anything right away. It's just that I want to sell his car and don't really want to do it myself.
    kajero
    2013 Trek FX 7.6 WSD
    2012 Specialized Ruby WSD
    2004 Schwinn (I think that is the year)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Tucson, AZ
    Posts
    1,973
    I'm very sorry for your loss.

    We have a Honda Fit and you can put a bike in the back with the seats down- no problem. It's our second one, and very reliable, great gas mileage and quite a bit less expensive than a Prius if price is a factor.
    2016 Specialized Ruby Comp disc - Ruby Expert ti 155
    2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker - Jett 143

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Kajero, my BMW was a sedan, too. But, it had a hatchback, so once you put the seats down and opened the trunk, the bike slid right in. It was no more difficult than the station wagon I have now.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,853
    Quote Originally Posted by azfiddle View Post
    I'm very sorry for your loss.

    We have a Honda Fit and you can put a bike in the back with the seats down- no problem. It's our second one, and very reliable, great gas mileage and quite a bit less expensive than a Prius if price is a factor.
    I like the Fit, they are ubiquitous around here so I look at them often and think if we ever give up the truck, it might be a good way to go.

    Electra Townie 7D

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Montreal, QC
    Posts
    764
    We too have a CR-V and we can put our 2 bikes inside with the front wheels removed though. That is mostly used when we are on the road with our motorhome in tow. We do need to have the back seats down. So no room for any one else. Not even our dogs.

    If we are just using the CR-V we got an easier option and it was to purchase a Yakita hitch rack. Perfect for our carbon road bikes or our cyclocross. Not cheap, but it is very good, well built, comes with a lock. And putting them on or off the rack is so easy. So this maybe another option for those who are space limited.
    https://www.yakima.com/ca/holdup .

    This is our 2nd CRV. The first one we loved but someone in a BMW car rear-ended us while we were stopped in rush hour traffic. he was looking at his phone (texting) and never saw the car stopped in front of him. So our vehicule was a total loss and we needed another with towing capability for our motorhome. We tried various models and it was one of the only ones to have our bikes standing up without issues (front wheel removed of course).
    Helene
    Riding a 2014 Specialized Amira LS4 Expert - aka The Zebra!
    2015 Specialized Crux e5 - aka Bora Bora bike

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    late to this thread.....kajero, i've had a honda crv for a couple of years now and have luv'ed the size for the ease of putting a bike into and out of the back without lowering the bikes seat or taking a tire off. My city/commuter spends the most time in the back and it's the heaviest of my bikes. We do sometimes use a roof rack for two bikes, or a third too, when we need the room inside. The crv has a comfortable ride, 30+ mpg on the highway, enough room inside to sleep in the back if you want (the front seatback goes down far enough for a rest stop nap). It's got a good navigation program with a good screen that's also used for a nice wide-view back up camera too. Mine's a 4wd for going off paved roads for work in the desert or just to go exploring.....would be good for winter's in cold climates too. No problems or service needs other than oil and air filters in 3 years. Alex brought a porsche boxster into the marriage so we have fun and practical now.

    At least the crv is another one to look at in the smaller suv category...I had an audi a3 sportback before the crv and liked that too especially for the handling, ride and interior but it turned out to be too small for two/three people trips with bikes and gear.
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Twin Cities, Minnesota
    Posts
    486
    oops, duplicate post
    Last edited by kajero; 04-11-2017 at 04:34 PM.
    kajero
    2013 Trek FX 7.6 WSD
    2012 Specialized Ruby WSD
    2004 Schwinn (I think that is the year)

 

 

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