Hi

We’re about to book this years summer holiday
France is a favourite and we usually take our bikes

This year Ive spotted some lovely places which are further south than Ive fancied before and so we’d have to overnight en route, if it was me and the lads a slab of Red Bull would do the trick, but the GF has put her foot down – fair enough

The thing is what are the options for safely leaving our car plus luggage plus 4 bikes on a tow bar rack safely overnight?
Even if a F1 hotel let us keep the bikes in the room it wouldnt actually be big enough anyway

BIt of a headache here
The Loire is a safe 6h but there are really really nice places a bit further away than just arent driveable in one hit with a family

Cheers

I’ve done this a few times with the bikes on a boat trailer, and have a 3m long 13mm chain that I use to lock the bikes to the trailer. It weighs 10kg, so it’s a pain to carry around and you’ve got to be really careful when threading it through the frames, but I think you’d have to be pretty unlucky to encounter someone with the tools and enthusiasm to defeat it in the few hours that you’ll be there.

small country style hotel – use google earth to see what is nearby and if has carparking hidden from road – i have bikes on rear rack so reverse it into hedge or tight against wall heavy cable lock through chassis and a cheapy alarm wired loop – if cut alarm goes off, will die if hit with hammer but aim is to put off “casual” theft and make pro’s look for easier target – plus steering wheel lock to deter theft of car

climbed a lot in south of france in youth and think some local fetes are actually a celebration of the start of the “lets break into foreigners cars” season – never had a french registered hire car targeted

The other year I had 4 bike son the roof and one in the boot.

We stayed in Rouen overnight near the university and the hotel had a secure locked car park.

Can’t remember the name of the place but it was cheap. The food however was amazing.

I always leave my bikes on the rack. Locked together and to the rack, under a tarp they are unlikely to be nicked and most f1/etap hotels have secure parking.

Camp on the way there – never had a problem. See if you can get a chalet if you are allergic to canvas.

Most of the cheaper F1/Etap hotels I have been to have had less than secure parking – we backed the van to the wall in one of them. Though if your doing a late night arrival most are unmanned so just wheel the bikes in and squeeze in, your just there to sleep and the beds are normally crap anyway. Failing that a nice hotel off the beaten track and make a couple of days of the drive instead.

I’d look for a small family style hotel off-piste and ask about secure storage. Many are courtyard type places.

Once when m/c touring we stayed in a town hotel and parked in their inner courtyard – after the chef helped me push the m/c through the kitchen (only access) 🙂

Hi there,

Last year, we were staying Hotels in Nice with my family and we took our bikes with us. There wasn’t any problem to keep our equipment with us. I recommend you to call the hotels directly and ask if they have a cellar.

Stayed at an Ibis in Chartres as an overnight stop to Southern France last year. Good hotel with very secure, gated car park.
Nice place too 🙂

I once stayed in a hotel in deepest Poland that advertised secure parking.

When I got there found that inside the ‘secure’ parking compound (which had a security guard) was another compound with another guard.

This was the secure, secure compound. Needless to say I paid the extra and parked there.

Always take the bikes inside – most UK hotels let us keep them in a locked ‘conference room’ overnight. F1 I just took them in the room – 3 is max in an F1 so you will need 2 rooms no? I got 3 adult bikes in Dijon F1 fine. It was on an industrial estate and TBH seemed quite safe for stuff left covered up in the car.

We regularly stay in the Novotel Dijon or somewhere in Reims I’ve forgotten the name of.
Amazes me how many people leave bikes on their cars – I always take our adult bikes into the room (never had a problem with this) and stick the kids bikes across the front/back seats inside the car.

I’ve never seen or heard of anyone losing a bike, but the ‘secure’ carparks ain’t exactly Fort Knox so I wouldn’t risk it.

I have never understood the whole “back the van to the wall” idea. If somebody can break into the front, they can release the handbrake and push the van forward ? Even with a steering lock, it will go straight a few feet. I guess it depends if you can get through to the back from the drivers seat, in my van you could unless you were really fat !

I have travelled in France and generally took the bikes in the room, if that wasn’t feasible in the back of the van with a few locks to the fitted railing to slow them down. Park somewhere well lit with CCTV if you can.

Edit, a and I did disable the inner door handle for the van, so you couldn’t get out the back from the back, but if small enough can wriggle through to the front. This did happen more than once when I managed to lock myself in the back.

only if you leave your steering wheel in the straight position hels

turn it full lock before sticking the steering lock on.

2 F1/etap rooms, 1 for you and 1 for the bikes. They are always unmanned if you turn up late. Not that the French guy/girl manning would GAS any way!

Most of the cheaper F1/Etap hotels I have been to have had less than secure parking

Avoid the city centre ones as some have very limited secure parking. Out of town they tend to have a highish fence and controlled access. In season there are nearly always other bikes on top/back of cars.

F1 etc rooms we’ve stayed in would have had enough space for a bike per person at a push. I can never remember which chain is which but at least one of the cheap ones is motel style – ie you have your own door to outside – that would be easier than wheeling through reception and up an internal staircase.

Even then, you would have to be parked solid against another wall on the side for the vehicle to not move enough to open the back.

Still think it’s daft. But like airport security, if it makes people feel better….

Yep it does but it means that rather than lever the back doors of the van, more effort is required. More effort is more chance of getting caught so less likely to do it. Small things really.

more effort is required. More effort is more chance of getting caught so less likely to do it

exactly

as to f1’s i’d rather pay for an extra room for bikes than leave in car park and no one will care except for hassle on the stairs

if flexible like the OP then just try to pick somewhere that isn’t a target