How many would you say would be ok (3 or 4) as i dont want to overload it.

Its an 07 Accord Estate, 3 bikes on tow bar, roof box with tents, sleeping bags, tyres, helmets etc in and a 4th bike would go up top also if we took 4. 1 medium sized bag each, some pots and pans etc and beer/food from a supermarket at low level to save some brass.

Bikes would be 140mm things, not DH rigs.

Is 4 pushing it or not weight wise? thoughts please

We’ve just come back from a week’s road riding in the Alps. There were three of us with three bikes on the back of a Volvo V70 estate, so quite a spacious car. Even so, I don’t think we would have been all that happy with a fourth in the car as we were pretty packed out as it was.

It depends how far you are going to go as well I guess. For us it was a 12 hour drive basically which would have been a lot more stressful with four.

4 wont be a problem with weight.
remember you will use extra fuel, suppose it depends how well you all get on.

I think considering that we’re camping we should stick to three.

Just Back from the Alps

3000 miles

Land Rover Freelander 2011

On the roof….
1xNicolai Helius
1x Ridley Noah
1x Boardman womens road bike
1x thule roof box loaded to the Guts

On the Back,,,

1 x Scott Voltage 24″
1 x Scott Contessa 20″
1 x Unicycle

Inside…

2 x Adults
2 x Kids 10 + 6
3 Suitcases+Tons of Kid Crap

Don’t be so soft. As a youth ice climbing in Scotland I used to drive up from York in a Vauxhall Nova with 3 others with full kit inside the car. With a roof box and bikes on the back you’ll have plenty of room.

More to the point, who are you planning on leaving behind?

Don’t be a wuss. 4 will be fine. Pack light as you can and it will go in. Car will take it or it should. I would have no qualms about that lot going on and in my Mondeo.

Remember though to pump.tyres up to the high load pressure before you leave otherwise the car will drive like ****.

2 door Renault Clio, driven from Exeter to the Alps. 4 people, 4 bikes, 4 loads of stuff, including spare wheels, tool kit, track pump. Was early season so had a fair bit of winter gear too.

Was fairly cramped in the back, but who cares.

The weight could be significant. Bike on the back have quite a large amount of leverage, especially with an estate car that already has more overhang. so that weight counts for more. Beer will add lots of weight too. Try and at least get some of the wheels inside to move the weight forward.

For comparison last time i did a trip with three of us in the Mondeo we had bikes in the boot, luggage in roof box no problem (although no.camping gear) and shopped close to our destination and slung.that in wherever it fitted for last ten miles. With the bikes on.the outside and a roof box it would be easy to.do.4 with camping gear.

Just to be on the safe side, stay at home.

Keep the weight of the bikes + rack under the recomended trailer nose weight for your car (50-75kg typically iirc) and put.heavy stuff near back seats and some on roof.

Estate cars are usually sprung to compensate for the larger load area and overhang so don’t worry unduly about that.

Remember to not overload the roof, I am sure it will have a weight limit. I think we were just under the weight limit of the roof of our zafira (not the weight limit of the roof bars) with the roof bars, cycle carriers and 4 bikes (1×160, and 3 hardtails). Maybe this year we will have to start removing bits from the bikes to stay under….

In winter we also have to make sure not to overload the roof with a large roofbox full of stuff, we tend to fill it with bulky but not too heavy things.

I remember some time ago they had a feature on breakfast tv about this very subject and put a family car packed for holiday on one of those weigh bridge thingys (2 parents, 2 kids, roof box and rear cycle rack with 2 bikes i think) and it came very close to the load capacity of the car (or just over, cant remember).

I think the car would survive (although the last service incuded a new spring for our zafira), but i always worry about the hassle if you have an accident and the car is overloaded like crazy…

I should be glad my kids weigh 32 kg each! (at 9 and 11, bless).

Isn’t the weight the ‘allow for’ per person in a car only something like 75kg?

Anyhow, use common sense! just pack a pair of pants and a toothbrush and you will be fine.

4 in a Vectra Estate (2001ish) for a mountaineering trip. 2 massive tents and Stoke to Chamonix. We were pinned in like sardines.

Out of the 4 of us 1 had the car and his missus came (only 2 on insurance), my mate booked the ferry and got an extra £10 off for getting the 4am one.

He fell asleep, so did my mates missus so we put them in the back propped up by all the stuff a got a ton of coke and haribo. 10hrs later we got there stopping only to piss….

On the way back we had enough room for 1 bag of cheap plonk each. Car was scraping the arches at one point!

Whatever you do make sure you can all drive the damm car!

You dont need to tell me about comfort, for the past few years we have had 10 or 11 in an LDV with upto 14 bikes, camping gear, kit and cloths each, now thats cramped but bloody good fun.

I was just more concerned about the weight tbh

Economy doesnt really matter with 4 in, cheap split 4 ways anyhow

Done trips away in a Passat estate with three blokes and three bikes, everything inside the car (bigger half of the rear seat folded down)

Adding a roof box and racks sounds like absolute luxury.

Pah. Bunch of ametures!

I one got 3 people, 3 bikes, a 4 birth frame tent, cooker, tools, clothes, sleeping kit etc in/on a 1990 Fiat Panda. The only spare space was the drivers (me) footwell.