Best Vehicle for Transporting Bikes

A train, because you can drink beer on the way home and look out of the window or have a kip after your beer.

The most appropriate answer is a car that is the smallest size and msot environmentally friendly you can get away with for the bulk of your driving (which for most people is a Golf size thing) and then put the bike on the roof/towbar for the 10% of the time you need it to transport a bike. Driving a van instead of a smaller, more economical car 15,000 miles a year because for 1,500 of those miles you want to put a bike in the back of it is socially irresponsible.

^ yes, a train as it’s environmentally sound too, not just because of Train Beers. Of course.

Good to see Buzz Killington arrive on the scene

My van is more economical than the car I traded it in for. I was a bit nervous on the day; having only ever driven hire vans before; but I’m sold. I’ve done more biking in the few months I’ve had it than in the year before.

I wouldn’t go back.

Our Peugoet Partner works well. A van would be better. I take both wheels off but leave the seats in folded. I think my bike would go in wheels on with seats out. It’s been a really versatile and useful vehicle. It has better fuel economy that the car it replaced

Best Vehicle for Transporting Bikes?

A train.

Mine is a Volvo XC70 – will go anywhere, easy to get the bikes on top and if I’m on my oen or only 2 of us, seats down and straight in the back – it’s a beast of a motor and still a bit of luxury for family and work related travel…..

If it wasn’t for the work and family bit though, I’d choose a van!

A Nissan Prairie of course!
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@RustyNissanPrairie, that’s the ultimate in £bike > £car. Well played.

Van with a Mobi.

Is “train” the “full STW points” answer du jour?

Is that a tea urn in the Prairie?

S76c++

Rusty Nissan Prairie 👏👏👏😂

We have in the past had the option of all of these and our preferences were: a Double cab pick up if you want to do uplifts, a car is ok if two bikes and not too heavy, (we have a car with permanent bike racks on top) but a van with stands out if you just want to load up with whole bikes get to location and ride. Vans with tailgate doors excellent to get out of the rain, get changed under. Vans protect (hide) the bikes best, carry all the other kit. Vans best if racing by a long way.

a11y
Subscriber

@RustyNissanPrairie, that’s the ultimate in £bike > £car. Well played.

Posted 2 hours ago

In that pic were my mates #1 of 13 Brooklyn Machine Works FQ and my Brooklyn Racelink plus my brothers DH bike crammed in the ‘Pussy Wagon’ so yeah the bike to car value ratio was well towards £bike!

stgeorge
Member
Is that a tea urn in the Prairie?

Posted 45 minutes ago
REPLY | REPORT

Obviously it was a chrome pedal bin for keeping what was left of the interior clean and tidy, doesn’t every car have one?

I’ve had all sorts of supposedly large, load carrying vehicles (estates, land rovers, jeeps, etc.) and by FAR the most useful for carrying bikes was an old isuzu pickup, we could just launch the bikes into the rear tub, they were secure enough. Never had to worry about messing up the interior of a van with sticky Welsh clag . Also never had to worry about the bikes getting nicked overnight, etc though, so probably not the best choice these days.

Purely for transporting, a van or equivalent. And obviously also great for climbing in the back to get changed, or squeezing in 5 bikes and 3 people and a week’s kit and going to France, or similar.

For transporting and also being nice to drive and all that jazz, I loved my mk3 mondeo. Enormous in the back and the space was really well thought out- could throw a dh bike or big long travel 29er right in without even a wheel off- but also really a nice place to be, comfy and covered distance like nobody’s business. Ironically, for 1 bike it was better than a van because you don’t have to think about securing it inside.

If you’re looking at an estate car and thinking “bikes will go on the roof” I think probably you’re on the wrong track tbh

We’ve:

Mondeo with roof rack and bike mounts.
Tow bar with bike rack.

We’ve also a Berlingo.

The Berlingo wins.

Can wheel two bikes in without fuss. I’ve had three men and three bikes in with front wheels removed.

Berlingo/partner is what I’d go for.

Currently got a little Vauxhall diesel combi van, had if five years or so. Only wanted it for moving bikes so went cheap. Noisy, no air con and only one window opens now, 85k on it but bits of rust on the doors. Excellent for transporting two bikes, been down to morzine in it which was a tad challenging. I’ve always liked vans, had one when when young then used to drive them a lot at work. If I’d been more exuberant we would’ve got a Toyota hiace
Before that was Toyota verso which I never really got on with but was ok and before that the mighty Honda shuttle. A 2.3 auto, seats seven but rear seats folded flat and middle seats came out. Possibly one of my favourite cars, frequent trips across to Ireland with bikes in, lots of tt’s and Duo Normand a couple of times. We don’t spend much on cars, never more than 3k as we don’t commute in them so they’re not a high priority. Before the van the primary factor in car choice was ability to transport bikes. Vans are also useful if you’re transporting bikes in bike bags, airport runs etc, roof rack isn’t much use then.

Transit. 🙂

Ive had over 400 on this mainly bound of warehouses,its a bitch to park in Ambleside like

Berlingo here. Fantastic vehicle. Seats out and rubber mat in back. Can only fit one bike with both wheels in however. Front wheel off the other one. Loads of room for additional kit. Going on hols with in-laws in a couple of weeks and will take 2 of the rear seats to transport them around in when need be. Very versatile. Looks and handles shocking, but quite a relaxed drive once used to it. Tried the panel van thing but much less versatile IMHO.

If I could chose: Something like a peugeot partner but fully electric

A train sounds brilliant.

What stop for pitfichie/scolty/ballater/glen livet.

Hard to see past a Berlingo for family car. Small enough it fits on a small drive. Big enough it seats 5 or takes various combos of people and bikes.

As above. I’d have bought an electric one if it existed. Hope my next car is

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Hard to see past a Berlingo for family car. Small enough it fits on a small drive. Big enough it seats 5 or takes various combos of people and bikes.

As above. I’d have bought an electric one if it existed. Hope my next car is

Can’t see why there wouldn’t be one out soon, there’s already a van version.

As above for trains, all well and good if you can get it booked on (provided nothing happens and you need to cycle the length of a bus replacement service because they don’t allow bikes) but I’m not sure everyone would appreciate my sweaty muddy arse sitting next to them all the way home. It would be nice if it was actually practical but since it isn’t you may as well suggest a pedicopter.

Having something you can secure your bikes inside just seems sensible. No, there’s no real hardship in taking wheels off so you can settle for something smaller but I’m pushing the limits of width just getting a 26″ full sus in the back of my bus with wheels off, I’m also not keen on having stuff in the passenger area given what could happen in a crash.

Panda 4×4, the vehicle that keeps teh alps moving! Good choice

http://ibb.co/qy6fj5w

My IT skills are dreadful.

As a van owner, i would say something substantially smaller than whatever your riding buddies have, that way you will rarely end up as the default vehicle for trips.

As a van owner, i would say something substantially smaller than whatever your riding buddies have, that way you will rarely end up as the default vehicle for trips.

That and picking up bulky eBay purchases or helping people move etc etc

Smart car…natch.

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Can’t see why there wouldn’t be one out soon, there’s already a van version.

Indeed but we have 7 years of the current model till it has expired.

I’ve a Yeti – 2 bikes in the back with seats down (or out) and 2 adults is comfortable. It’s also helpful when on camping hols with the kids to be able to leave all the bikes locked inside when we’re off doing other stuff.

sMax works well for me. I can get 3 bikes in the boot wheels off without effort, it’s super comfy on long haul trips, it has a 90kg tow bar nose weight limit so can take a full load and a tow bar rack with four mountain bikes. It tows well and it does about the same mpg as our petrol Focus on a run.