Hi all
My daughter has recently become interested in cycle racing and competes fairly regularly in races throughout the country. She has a variety of bikes (road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross) which she uses for racing and training.
I have a lexus gs300 which is unsuitable for transporting bikes (tried a rack it takes too long and car/bikes get scratched)and do not want to change it
my wife has a x reg corolla which hardly gets used so I put the bikes in the back but tio be honest it isnt v big and space is tight. I was considering changing the corolla for a larger car but do not want to spend too much money maybe Corolla + cash to equal£5000.
Don't want to use an exterior rack because it takes a long time to load, secure & unload (or maybe Im doin it wrong??)
any suggestions? I thought about an old people carrier, or a large estate
thanks in anticipation
Ian
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When you talk about exterior racks I take it you mean the tailgate/towbar variety?.
If the Corolla will take suitable bars the roof is a much better place. Cheap carriers that hold bike upright using a clamp on the downtube are around £20 from Decathlon or Paddy Hopkirk. More sophisticated and lockable Thule items might be 2/3 times as much.
With a pre thought routine and practice it's relatively easy to lift lightweight bike onto the roof. Given a roof load limit of 50kg you'll get two bikes on, with 75kg four is quite possible. Downside is difficulty with clamping non standard frame profiles and security if the car is unattended.
Seems to my answer to any request for car recomendations but a Citroen Berlingo/Pug Partner will take bikes upright in the luggage space with seats folded. Will only take two pax in that configuration though so you won't be able to transport the team.
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small trailer ? maybe one of those enclosed things - not sure who makes them or how expensive they are.
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Transit minibus (short wheel base) or similar eg LDV Convoy? Loads of them on ebay, some are better than you may first think! Remove the back row of seats and you've got a large luggage (or cycle) area but still seating for 5 adults.
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Ian, a few thoughts on the matter as I have went through something similar working out how best to transport the family's 4 bikes.
I have a Scenic so roof option wasn't possible due to height and practicality. I got a towbar fitted (about £150) and converted an old trailer to carry 4 bikes. This basically consisted of a wooden base with 4 of the roof cycle clamps bolted to it. This base then sat in the trailer and could be lifted in and out when reqd. Pros of this was I could unhitch the trailer, wheel it into the garage and leave all the bikes in it ready just to hitch up again next time it was coming out. Cons was that you were driving about with a trailer attached.
However, as I came into a wee bit of money (redundancy) I splashed out £300 on one of Thule's 4 cycle towbar carrier. It is sturdy and very solid (surprisingly considering the design). I reckon I can do the whole job of putting carrier onto car, and bikes onto carrier in less than 10 mins now. And there is no risk of scratching the car unless you are very careless!
Obviously with both these the bikes are open to the elements but as I get the impression she is a keen cyclist, I am sure the bikes will be used to some rain!
Car wise, as per the other suggestion, a Berlingo / Kangoo type of vehicle may be the answer, depending on how many bikes you are carrying at any one time? Or maybe go for an old pick up and use the flatbed?
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thanks all!
Ive actually got a roof rack carrier for 4 bikes which attaches to the downtube, find it hard to use because it scratches the bikes and car and it is diificult to lift he bikes upto the roof and then secure (im6ft 2!)
like the sounds of trailer, berlingo/pug and even the van!
the towbar mounted rack sounds great aswell, i guess you get what you pay for.
Following number 1 daughter is number 1 son so my solution will also need future and wife proofing.
her mountain bike and cyclocross bike are fine to expose to the elements, road bike prefer it if I could keep it clean, track bike doesnt go outside at all!
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I race with Yorkshire Road club when in the UK and use a carrier that clips on the tow ball ,I bought it of E Bay but are available in Tesco for £30 they carry upto three bikes and are quick and easy to use.In Germany I use a Vito van better still.
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If it helps, I mountain bike race at a national level. I've got a Volvo XC70 for mountain biking. Although the boot of the estate is huge, I still put the bikes outside the car (it saves on trying to keep the inside of the car clean).
I've tried roof mounted bike racks, and the silly strappy ones (they fall off too easily). I now use a tow ball mounted bike rack (Thule) and it is excellent. Takes a few mintues to mount and then fasten the bikes.
My only concern is if someone drives in to the back of my car and a I loose several thousand pounds worth of competition bikes!
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Hi all My daughter has recently become interested in cycle racing and competes fairly regularly in races throughout the country.
I have not seen her entry form for our Hilly "10" on marh 19th event in handbook.It has the fastest last 3 miles of any TT in the country.
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Citroen Berlingo multispace would be perfect. If you want a bit more interior luxury then the fiat stilo multiwagon would also be pretty good. It has a flat boot floor and a large fold down tailgate option so you could just slide the bike in after lifting it about 2 feet off the ground. With the rear seats folded down you have lots of room. The bike may fit with the just one seat folded. The latter is out of your price range at the moment unfortunately.
teabelly
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A four year old Omega Estate cost me just over £4,000 recently. Enough room in the back to fit most family cars inside (Perhaps not). You'd certainly get a couple of bikes in there, but you would constantly be hosing it out, as mentioned earlier.
One thing that immediately springs to mind is that towbar mounted racks will have much less of a parachute effect than roof-mounted, so might save enough in petrol over a year to pay for having a towbar fitted.
Whatever you do choose, try to remember to tie the bikes on. I watched a bike fall off the back of a camper van in the middle lane of the M4 a couple of years ago. Not too hot for the bike, or for the car that ran over it.
V
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IIRC Which did some research on the most fuel efficient way to transport a bike. Other than inside the vehicle, the best way by far was a tow ball carrier on the rear of a squarish (4x4, small estate) type vehicle.
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I ride a tandem, which as you can imagine is a nightmare for lifting onto the roof, is too long to hang on the back and difficult to fit in a car in one piece (roughly 7ft 6in long, weighs 50lbs, worth upwards of £1500). I use a carrier that hangs down the side of the car for loading and allows one person to lift it easily onto the roof (of my Peugeot Partner), the bike lying down. Others use a gas strut system that assists lifting. These could be adapted for solo bikes as many of them are custom build jobs, like good tandems. Try these:
Honley Cycles, 47 Bradshaw Road, Honley, Huddersfield, HD9 6DX UK +44(0)1484 661672 They do a custom rack for tandems and may be willing to adapt it for solos.
Tandem Lift by BTS. This is a gas strut lift.
Try www.sjscycles.com
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My wife's and my bikes both fit inside my mazda 6 with the rear seats down.
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