Transporting a Tandem by Car

[stewartpratt]

Won't fit in a Zafira? Seems a little surprising - I can get ours in a Honda Jazz

[Edwards]

Yes I would have thought it would fit and maybe if I removed the wheels mudguards racks handlebars, just seems a lot of work compared to using a roof rack and step ladder.
All because of the stupid way the second row of seats works.

[stewartpratt]

Mudguards certainly make life difficult, especially on the front

[frank9755]

Bike on its side slide on - These a first glance seem to be the most cost effective and reasonably easy to use. I am concerned about damaging the drive train and would like to know how people stop the forks turning.

I used to do this. I made a wooden frame and would strap the tandem to it by the side of the car. There was a piece of wood which stopped the bars turning.

Getting it on was fairly easy. I only had to lift the thing about 18" to hook onto the roof bars, then it was a case of levering it up and pushing it on.

[xpc316e]

Has anybody got one of these? I like the look of it because I have had a shoulder replacement and lifting a tandem onto the roof rack of my Galaxy is too difficult.

www.heltontandemcarrier.co.uk

[rjb]

I prefer to use the Johnny Helms method

photo of a cartoon in the comic

Seriously though i have used an aluminium ladder with an old hub secured to one of the rungs to hold the front forks. Rear wheel is strapped to the rungs and the ladder is secured to the roof bars by old toe straps. Parking near the kerb is a big advantage to getting it up and down. Recently i have just been using a strap on carrier for 2 bikes which attaches by clips and pull straps to the rear door of our Hyundai i10. It is a narrow car and the wheels do overhang a bit on both sides but
it is a lot easier than trying to lift it up onto the roof.

[Edwards]

Today I spent some time clamping one section of a 2 section ladder on the roof rails. Not real ladders but roof ones. On to the other part i clamped a fork mounting.
To get the bike on the upper section is slid back so that the rear end rests on the floor and the front end on the section of the ladder clamped to the roof rails.
To get the bike on to the roof the back of the upper ladder is lifted up and slid along the lower section that is clamped to the roof.
I have not got as far as sorting out a good way of securing the bike but I think that 2 ratchet straps to hold the bike to the roof rails.

If I get it sorted out so that it works properly I will try and post some photos on here.

[bikes4two]

I have a Santos Double Travel and I use an Atera Hydraulic Tandem Lift and I get the tandem onto my roof-rack without any strain what so ever. I've never used any of the other market brands so I can't give a comparison, but believe me, the Atera is easy peasy to use - see this youtube clip for a single bike on one of these lifts. Lifting the tandem is much the same albeit you gave an 8ft bike rather than a 6ft one on the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btC6iLXiW8Y . If you can't get this link to work, just search Youtube for Atera Bike Lift

[Edwards]

Thanks bikes4two I have seen them on video and looked very good. The only problem is the price I can not afford one.
The ladder idea worked. It could be done with any roof carrier clamped to the top ladder or even two normal frame clamping type that have the bike standing on its wheels. I held the two ladder sections together with 2 toe straps and then used a ratchet strap around both seat posts.

I will try and post some photos when I have sorted and tidied it up a bit.

[Edwards]

Loading the tandem using a fork mounted carrier attached to the upper ladder (the lower ladder is clamped to the roof bars)

This is the bike as just ridden.

Here we are removing the front wheel ready.

I am moving the bike forward to the car.

Lifting the forks into the clamp

Tightening the clamp on to the forks.

As I can only post 5 images I will finish this off in my next post.

[Edwards]

I do not think I need to explain the above photos. I was so easy to lift one end and slide the bike on.
The final part was to strap the bike down with 2 ratchet straps around the bottom of both seat posts.

[anniesboy]

I have a Helton tandem carrier, I have difficulty with it my roof bars are Thule and the Helton was not made to accommodate them.
The other issue is my tandem is a Thorn,with non crossover drive ,hence locating the "drainpipe" to the Helton is not easy.
Using this is in my situation a two person job even then not easy.
If I was starting afresh I would look at http://is.gd/kz2Nz7

It is not easy to explain my problems with the Helton, but once the tandem is in place its secure on the rack

[xpc316e]

@Edwards: what an ingenious solution you have developed there. It would seem to cope with my problems without the expense of one of those, admittedly lovely, hydraulic racks. I shall now investigate various ladders.

[Si]

Certainly is rather clever. Having just bought a new tandem carrier I think that I might be flogging it and getting a ladder instead! Only problem that i might have is that the angle between rear door and roof of our car is rather sharp so I'm not sure if a ladder will clear it

[Edwards]

Si I have not explained myself properly. You clamp the carrier to the ladder. The ladders I am using are short roof ladders, normal ones are longer so they should clear on a car with a boot.
When I get home I will probably try the system on my normal ladders and include some close up photos.
The lower ladder is set so that it just allows the tailgate to open without touching it.