Thinking of bike carrying solitons for a change of car that won’t be the eye watering price of a towbar and matching rack.

I’m getting a big estate car (Octavia) and rather than just slinging them in the back I’d like to make a board with a couple of these on them.

However I’m not sure on height, is there enough room in a normal estate car to wheel the bike in backwards and clamp the forks down? I don’t mind dropping the seat a bit.

My 27.5 and the OH’s 29er(both hardtails) will just about squeeze into her Kuga and my XC90 with back wheels on and droppers down. I have a plank of wood with a couple of similar attachments on. Unless you have a really low slung bike i cant imagine it would work

I made my own which have worked well for a few years.

9mm ply board the width of the boot.

Then for the fork mount I used a piece of wood approximately 80mm x 80mm x 40mm, with a piece of electrical conduit on top. Used metal brackets for added strength.

The mounts then bolt onto the ply base so they can be rotated to stop the bikes bars touching.

Total cost was about £20 for the base with 3 fork mounts. Happy to send photos if you like.

Couple of straps to the boot floor just in case.

I did in a touran (have the official inside rack if anyone is interested)

I recall doubt you’ll get it upright in an octavia.

Other way around.
Friend gets his in a Honda Jazz upright, forks in the rear passenger’s football, rear wheel by the tailgate. Doesn’t even need to drop the seat.
He is quote short though

What age/year Octavia are you getting?
I’ve got a 2019 on the drive and have been meaning to see if the bike would fit like this… maybe now is the time to go try it.

I’m getting a brand new Octavia.

My bikes are relatively small. No 29ers and I have small frames, my wife has extra small.

I suppose it won’t be a huge issue to sling them in the boot but a nice simple cheap option to keep them upright would be nice.

Just to be clear I’d be removing the front wheels.

If it helps I use to have a Skoda Yeti, which looks tall but with a full size spare wheel the boot floor was quite high. 2 bikes in upright was no problem at all.

RIDC have a useful website that will give you useful dimensions.

I’ve just gone through this same thing. Bikes go in forwards with the bars/forks turned 90° so the bars go over the front seats.

I’m 5’10” and the front end of my bike without the wheel is 850mm. This is too tall for an Octavia which is closer to 750mm with the seats as flat as they go.

The only cars I’ve found where they go upright with the back wheel still on is the Zafira and the Touran.

I believe the Yeti will do it, but I didn’t want the bother of removing/storing the second row seats to get the length.

In fact, I was put off the 2010-2015 Touran as the metal seat bases would run the forks.

The 2015-present Touran, they fit like a dream.

Toyota Verso is also one that they’ll stand up in, just remembered.

*We keep the bikes along the side rather than diagonally as we need space for kit and a 27kg dog. That means that length can also be an issue*

I’ve had a couple of Octavias and a Superb.
No way would any of my bikes go in stood up with one wheel removed.

Plenty of customers have done exactly that, but not sure of any specifically in an Octavia

If they do fit and you want a non-eBay deal on some mounts PM me 😉

I’ve had a couple of Octavias and a Superb.
No way would any of my bikes go in stood up with one wheel removed.

Fair enough. Thanks.

If they do fit and you want a non-eBay deal on some mounts PM me

I have a friend who 3D prints stuff so no need but thanks. I’d probably get some lower profile ones made to give more vertical room anyway.

You can’t go much lower than a standard mount or the adjusters on the bottom of your fork will hit the mounting board.

If you’re designing your own it’s worth making it so it bolts to the base with within single bolt and can rotate so the bars don’t get in the way.

Medium 29er and a 2019 Octavia estate – I use a home made rear axle stand, bike goes in wheels off, back of the bike on the stand at the forward end of the boot and the fork stands in the lowered boot area, MrsPs small 27.5 makes the boot come alive on a similar stand next to it. We don’t bother with it for day trips and just lay the bikes down but for long weekends etc they stand up with a cardboard divider between them and our bags

I worked out a grand c Max is the smallest car you can just wheel it in backwards front wheel off

It has a middle rear seat that folds into the side seat so getting it out of the way.

You could have a a bike down the middle and two mid row seats in operation

Bonus is they apparently handle better than they should 4* Evo rating.

I have yet to try my bike in one though…and it might involve removal of rearmost raised floor bit and maybe even the boot seats

Get the front end lower by Letting the air out your forks, that should give you enough clearance.

We have an 11 plate fabia estate. We fit a norco fluid FS 29r and canyon neuron 275r in up(side down)right.
Back seats folded down. Lower dropper. Flip bike. Back wheel in first, roll in until bars sit on bumper. Remove front wheel. Push the rest of the way in. I think with the 29r the back wheel has to be right up against the front seats or just wedged between the seat and the door.
I’ll try right way up and forks first some time. I quite like the idea of having the fork mount things instead of bungeeing them down.

I used to do this with both wheels off the bike in my old Ibiza.

I had a board with a QR clamp bolted to the front. The back of the board had a couple of upstands for the rear stays to sit on & they also had some slots in to run a small strap through for securing the rear of the bike in place.

I had to remove the seatpost to get it to work.

Back when I bought my Fabia Skoda actually sold a kit to do exactly what you want! Didn’t get one for mine as I was going to fit a towbar anyway, found this listing on Amazon that shows something similar to what I saw.

Interior bike rack

I think it was aimed more at road bikes though as I seem to recall it being QR only, proves it can be done though. The search also brought up lots of pictures of bikes in Octavias upright, search for Skoda Interior Bike Rack and have an explore.

2009 Mazda 5, Bird is 27.5 160/145mm and the sonder 150.
Imho you wont get a bike upright in a conventional estate.
so, 2 bikes simoultaneously with driver nad passanger, or one bike permanenly with driver and two passengers plus rear tray area
In my BMW i made a mount that kept the bike at 45 degrees

@alan1977 interesting.

I note the middle midrow seat base folds into the adjacent seat, but does its seat back get out if the way so you could carry one bike where the sonder is with two mid row seats up?

Cheers.

@Wzzzz
possibly, the middle seat back is also an armrest, attached to the left hand seat, so with the left hand seat up, the middle armreest/seat back would be about 100mm higher perhaps, and also harder to keep protected.. but in theory could work