I should perhaps have thought of this before buying the car..

But before I cover it in oil and scratch the **** out of it trying, has anyone managed to squeeze two bikes in? The folding rear seats create the illusion that it might just be possible. Maybe.

Ta

*edit*
Just googled it, I may have a solution for you sir.
Buy my official BMW roof bars and bike rack!

Nope, the 3 series coupe 8-/

Ohh but that would be the obvious (and sensible) choice! I can’t help thinking that roof racks look a bit odd on them ..

The genuine bars screw directly in to the roof leaving enough gap not to touch the paintwork.
The only solution!

Meh. I had to go down that route with my E90 :/

Anyone else? bumpety bump

You can get two bikes in, wheels off, but you will scratch the interior, I guarantee it
With that in mind I got a retractable tow bar fitted and got a bike rack, so much less messing around

easygirl, ta – what towbar/rack did you get fitted out of interest? I heard that some require the bumper being cut which I don’t much fancy..

With such a nice car i’d just look at getting a roof rack tbh. Plus roof racks on those kind of cars look cool.

Go and buy a big cheap sleeping bag (or 2), pads the interior, keeps the bikes separate, washable. Sorted. Roof bars look shit, worse fuel consumption, less secure and more likely to damage your bike/car.

should go in, wheels and pedals off and seat post out may have to loosen the the bars and slide them along a touch. Careful arranging the wheels so the cassette is not touching any discs.

as with njee an old blanket to go between the frames and a large plastic ground sheet underneath.

Are they that small? My brother-in-law has a 335i, and gets his 60cm road bike in with the wheels off no bother.

They will fit, but only with both wheels off.

I bought some thule roof bars for mine, they work fine, much less hassle.

Well one bike looks like it’ll go in no probs but two could be a squeeze, especially with pedals on.

I really don’t like the look of them with roof bars tbh, I’m also not riding a lot at the moment either so wouldn’t be used too often..

They take less than minutes to fit (there are two bolts per bar).
Simply take them off when not in use 🙂

Well one bike looks like it’ll go in no probs but two could be a squeeze, especially with pedals on.

Really? I’d be genuinely surprised if you couldn’t.

Really? I’d be genuinely surprised if you couldn’t

Well I was thinking about having to slide them in the boot although I suppose I could push the front seats forward and stuff them in that..?

Got a detachable one, no cuts to bumper
Totally hidden when not in use
Brink I think from pf jones

I Also have a removeable Westfalia one, 3 years happy motoring / biking!

RRR, you’ve seen my car right….?

Can someone explain how these ‘ere removable towbars work then and the sort of cost involved?

I really don’t need a towbar for anything else…

Kryton, yes I’ve seen your car but I don’t want my bike on the roof!

just wondering, why do so many people use E90/E92 names etc ? I always have to google to find out what the everyday name is !

Roof rack with 2 bike carriers – 4 bolts on mine removes the whole kit with bike carriers still attached and takes 10 mins.

The added bonus is that if it rains, your bike gets cleaned on the way home. 😉

What about a saris bones rack?

I imagine someone’s managed to stuff one into two bikes.

Driven by idiots.

Hmm I’m yet to be convinced about roof racks!

Dave – so are you suggesting I’m an idiot already or that I will become one? I’m just wondering that’s all 🙂

Oh and a Saris bones will feet but I’m scared of damaging my paint :-S

Ianc – I just used the E92 term so owners would know what I was on about but I might avoid the usual “3 series driver” slurs!

Ianc – I just used the E92 term so owners would know what I was on about but I might avoid the usual “3 series driver” slurs

😆

I drive a 3 Series Tourer but didn’t know what E92 was till I googled it ! …..maybe I fit the demographic 😛

I bet you drive like a **** 😀

😆

Have you actually tried it? You clearly want your bike in the car, so asking for advice is totally pointless until you go and take 30 seconds with a clean bike.

I’d be stunned if you can’t. If you’re careful and buy boot liner/tarp/sleeping bag there’s no reason to damage your car.

Like I say, I know my BIL doesn’t have any issues getting a large road bike in, so I can’t see it being a massive issue. You can get 2 people/bikes/6 wheels and all their gear for a weekend’s racing into an Audi TT.

Well it’s more that I don’t actually own two MTB’s currently, in order to test it.

I’m sure I can put one in but need to know if I can fit two in before I suggest driving myself and a mate on a weekend’s riding trip thingy…

He has a far more sensible car for the job but (as I’ve only just got it) I’d quite like to take my car on a bit of a trip.

with a clean bike.

Hmm, herein lies a problem… :-/

davidtaylforth – Member

Driven by idiots.

Hardly the most intellectual post of the day, is it David?

+1 for the towbar & rack solution. So easy to fit & remove. We used this setup for a trip down to Verbier & back this July and it was faultless.

We’ve got a Westfalia bar with a detachable hitch & a Thule 908 rack. Found that the straps on the rack are pretty hard & could easily scratch the rims, easily cured with an inner tube & some zip ties 🙂

So excuse my ignorance, how do these retractable towbars work then? I assume something is still permanently bolted to the chassis (do cars still have chassis’s’s’s?) ??

EDIT: £450 seems like a lot of money for a towbar that’ll only get used for a bike carrier, and then there’s the cost of the bike rack itself …

You replace the standard bumper (metal one) with one that takes the detachable towbar part, all included in price, you will want it fitted though, mine was £300 approx, can mail you pics if you want.

Yep, the bar itself is mounted transversely across the car – on the Westfalia at least it actually replaces a brace that’s there already. There’s a hole in the bar that the hitch locks into, and it’s secured with a key.

Nerd-level detail video here:

You can save a bit by opting for the simpler electronics which are lights-only. Means that if you have rear parking sensors they’ll go off whenever you select reverse.

EDIT: £450 seems like a lot of money for a towbar that’ll only get used for a bike carrier, and then there’s the cost of the bike rack itself ..

Roof rack setup is cheaper 😉 And you can’t reverse your bikes into a wall.

Although height restriction barrier based incidents are infinitely more common than people reversing into walls.

Better still. PUT IT IN THE CAR.