…without putting the seats down and without taking wheels off/saddle down? It is a Hardrock in medium if that helps

Changes in commuting mean that MrsP might be dropping kids off then cycling from nursery to work. We have a bike rack but then it limits what you can throw in the boot, and the other alternative is a folding bike, but is there a car that will swallow a bike whole?
We have a focus estate and there is no way with MiniP 1 and 2 in their seats in the back a bike is going in in a hurry when it is raining etc

Thanks for any help

Roof rack?

No

roof bars mounted holder?

those Thule ones are pretty quick to operate if she has the height and strength to get the bike on the rack?

We’ve got a Grand Scenic and it’s seats down and front wheel off to get the bike in there due to its length. Widthways would be an issue even with both wheels off.

Not sure MrsP would get the bike on the roof, and dont think the kids would fancy being up there either.

It would need to be huge and even then you would need to accept taking at leat one wheel off IMHO.

For me a normal car wouldn’t be one with a 2 metre long boot! 😉
Roof rack?

in our mondeo put the seat base up, remove front wheel ,turn bars so they point backward and back bike through back door into where the passengers would sit, chuck the wheel in and off you go.
All done in less than a minute.

Sounds like you’d need to make a whole heap of compromises elsewhere to give you this mythical beast of a car.

Fit a tow bar and get a tow-ball mounted rack? Easy to get bike(s) on and off then and a lot of the racks are very easy to remove and throw in the boot if needed.

Get a towbar fitted and buy one of these?

quick to fit & remove and will drop into the boot when not in use.

through back door into where the passengers would sit

Doesn’t help the OP; where do the kids sit when they’re being taken to nursery?

Are any of you reading the OP? Kids are in the back seat, bike needs to go in the boot without any dismantling.

OP, unless you get a dual cab pickup with/without a trucktop then not a chance, sorry.

ditch the car?

That is what I thought. What about 7 seaters with the rear seats out or are they more like estates with an extra row of seats in the boot? Or a car with flexible seats where you could leave out a seat to help or something?

Think it will be a rack, and she will have to learn how to drive with a bike on the back (currently hates it), but just wondered if anyone had done the same sort of thing?

The old Fiat Multipla would almost cope with this. You could remove the middle seat in the back and slide the bike in backwards. You’d still need to remove the front wheel though.

How about one of the now common 7 seaters with one seat removed in the back and one removed from the far back? Kids in tandem, bike alongside?

Citroen Berlingo type thing with one of the seats folded down/removed?

wwaswas, I have the Kona Ute for my turn, but she wont even ride that with nothing on!

Would it work with a Ford Galaxy or similar if you took the middle seats out and slotted a bike up the middle?

Would mean a rear wheel between the kids, but I assume the school run is only a matter of minutes.

Edit – Dur, must F5 before posting in future 😳

she wont even ride that with nothing on!

get her to try wearing clothes?

I’ve got a 7 seater Kia Carens 08. With the bike front wheel off, I can roll a bike into the rear footwell to sit across the back. I do this often if i’m collecting a new bike or dropping one in for servicing as it saves messing with the bike rack.
Theoretically, I could have the 2 boot seats up but there would be some kid/bike juggling to get the kids in and out as access is via the folding rear seats or alternatively, stick one child in the front passenger seat and load another in through the boot to leave one boot seat down.
With all seats down, the bike lays flat.

Berlingo/Partner/Kangoo/Doblo can do it with one seat down (so still seat 4).
Otherwise it’s something much bigger like a Bongo, T5, etc.

It’s the height you need to do this (bike goes vertical), so all those normal people-carriers can’t manage it.

Instead of changing your car, why not change your bike and get a brompton?

I guess a folding bike would be the easiest and probably cheapest option.

I thought some of the nicer Thule tow ball mounted racks will tilt away from the car if you flip a lever so you can open the boot?

If Mrs P struggles to get a bike on a roof rack then you could always try a spring loaded lift assist rack. Mine came from Volvo, but I know other car manufacturers offer them as accessories.

I use a seven seater with only four seats in place. This leaves a gap between the two back seats as there can be a seat here. The bike goes straight in, no messing. All good.

My sister has a chrysler grand voyager and they have put 2 adult bikes and two kids bikes in the back. full bikes, wheels on and nothing turned. They did remove the furthest back seats though.

Personally though, i’d just get a bike rack on the back if you don’t have to get into the boot, or a titling tow bar one if you do.

Is there a normal car you can get a bike into…

All estate cars with the back seats down
Mine are only put up for family visits

All estate cars with the back seats down

errm…

without putting the seats down

Citroen Berlingo type thing with one of the seats folded down/removed?

This is what I do – medium size Whyte 29C fits in upright with both wheels on, albeit slightly angled rather than straight.

A. Get a Brompton
B. Get something like a Multipla that seats three abreast in the front – is there a Honda of some sort that does this as well?

errm…

without putting the seats down

In that case yes – its called a van

not trying to be funny, but how about a roofrack and a foot-stool to stand on if height is the issue?

Unimog

I guess a folding bike would be the easiest and probably cheapest option.

you seem to have stumbled into the wrong forum with your ‘cheap’ and ‘easy’ nonsense. Theres no cycling dilemma on here that can’t be solved by buying either bigger cars or more cars or buying a van and trying to use it as a car.

The OP needs to buy a unimog.

tomd – Member
I thought some of the nicer Thule tow ball mounted racks will tilt away from the car if you flip a lever so you can open the boot?

yes, I have one. Plus it locks to the car, bikes lock to rack. Also it folds small enough to pop in the boot should you not wish to leave it on show.

the new bike approach does appeal to my innate n+1 approach to solving bicycle related issues.

Thule, Atera and others do racks that let you put whatever you like in the boot. I’m very happy with the Atera version (from roofbox.co.uk)

The good thing about the Atera is that the weight is still carried by the rack during the tilting process.

You need a towball, but as you’re considering a different car, then this is simpler. It’s pretty easy to use – especially with one bike.
With 3/4 modern suspension bikes, it can be a bit of a puzzle but we haven’t failed yet despite all the frame variations in our riding group.

Tow bar rack? We’ve got one, we can still get into the boot easy as long as we use the middle/outer rack rather than the inner one.