Ebike to fit in hatchback

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
PT1029
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by PT1029 »

Just to add to your woes. The Cube bikes you refer to have hydraulic brakes. Some hydraulic brakes don't like being leant over or turned upside down, any air in the system can migrate to the wrong place, I recall reading some Shimano brake instructions saying the same as well. So I guess it is hydraulic braked bikes carried the right way up (a roof rack that carries the bikes the right way up would work for this), or cable braked bikes that you can carry any way up.
All very complicated.
Of course, if you want to get bikes that fit easily, try Brompton, though it depends on how "green" the surface of the greenways are that you plan to ride (narrower tyres than the Cube). Sticking to tarmac on quiet country lanes would be fine on a Brompton. While the Brompton electric costs a lot more than the Cube, you won't be paying out for a tow bar or roof rack.
I have always reconned that riding bikes is fine. The moment you want to do anything else with them they become a complete pain!
fivebikes
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by fivebikes »

Plus one for the Brompton solution. They do fold down nicely and we have used them on a variety of surfaces.... If it’s too bumpy just get off and push for a bit!
The electric Brompton is expensive though but I tried one and it rode well.
As I’ve said on here before, I went down the road of adding a Swytch kit to one of ours. This does work well, looks neat and doesn’t really affect the fold. The only limitation is the battery life but if used on a low setting and powered off on the flat you’ll get the 50 km that they suggest!
Grandad
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by Grandad »

Some hydraulic brakes don't like being leant over or turned upside down, any air in the system can migrate to the wrong place,

This information goes a long way to mitigating my dissatisfaction with the cable brakes on my Orbea Gain.
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mjr
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by mjr »

lowrider wrote:Putting two bikes into a car even conventional ones usually is not straight forward. An e bike is worse, given the weight it would be easy to damage them or the car getting them in and out of the back.

Amen that it isn't straightforward, especially if you have mudguards, but surely the batteries usually come off, which would make the weight not quite as bad, only leaving the motor as extra.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Psamathe
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by Psamathe »

mjr wrote:
lowrider wrote:Putting two bikes into a car even conventional ones usually is not straight forward. An e bike is worse, given the weight it would be easy to damage them or the car getting them in and out of the back.

Amen that it isn't straightforward, especially if you have mudguards, but surely the batteries usually come off, which would make the weight not quite as bad, only leaving the motor as extra.

Wouldn't that ("weight not quite as bad") also make a roof rack (with the bike rails) a viable option? (I and others have previously raised the possibility but seemed to have been ignored).

Ian
Nigel
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by Nigel »

Psamathe wrote:
mjr wrote:
lowrider wrote:Putting two bikes into a car even conventional ones usually is not straight forward. An e bike is worse, given the weight it would be easy to damage them or the car getting them in and out of the back.

Amen that it isn't straightforward, especially if you have mudguards, but surely the batteries usually come off, which would make the weight not quite as bad, only leaving the motor as extra.

Wouldn't that ("weight not quite as bad") also make a roof rack (with the bike rails) a viable option? (I and others have previously raised the possibility but seemed to have been ignored).


I think the roof carrier is the simplest option, perhaps combined with a folding step-up device to reduce the height the bike has to be lifted above shoulders to aid loading. Just check the roof maximum loading for the car, but I'd expect two e-bikes without batteries would be within the weight limit.
(Folding step-ups are cheap from the likes of Screwfix and numerous other places).

Going inside might fit, but it takes a lot of careful measuring. I suspect something will get in the way to make it not work, unless the bikes are on their sides. Which makes loading two more messy because they tend to tangle up with each other.


- Nigel
sharpedge
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Joined: 2 Jun 2018, 9:29pm

Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by sharpedge »

My wife got a Tern Vektron folding ebike last year - goes into quite a small space. Can fit into the Berlingo as well as my ICE Adventure HD. Berlingos are probably the best cycle friendly cars. My friend can get two upwrongs with the front wheels attached and three with the front wheels removed. The Tern Vektron is not the cheapest ebike but it comes with Bosch electrics and has various versions so you can choose gearing etc.
NickF
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by NickF »

fivebikes wrote: 18 Mar 2021, 11:49am Plus one for the Brompton solution. They do fold down nicely and we have used them on a variety of surfaces.... If it’s too bumpy just get off and push for a bit!
The electric Brompton is expensive though but I tried one and it rode well.
As I’ve said on here before, I went down the road of adding a Swytch kit to one of ours. This does work well, looks neat and doesn’t really affect the fold. The only limitation is the battery life but if used on a low setting and powered off on the flat you’ll get the 50 km that they suggest!
Plus two for folding e-bikes. We pondered the relative merits of racks and tow bars for years and then realised that folding bikes were the answer for us. Maybe not for everyone depending on what your cycling needs and objectives are. I have a converted Brompton. My wife has a GoCycle - bigger and heavier but still fits ok in our family hatch.
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simonineaston
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by simonineaston »

My nano-Brompton fits very neatly into the boot of my soft-top mini - and boots don't come much smaller than that...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
richtea99
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by richtea99 »

Psamathe wrote: 16 Mar 2021, 6:29pm How heavy are the bikes? (I've no idea about e-bikes). Practical to lift them above your head? (thinking about standing them of roof-rack bike rack. (Remove batteries 1st)

Ian
Generally somewhere between 15 - 25kg. Battery off, and you may save 2-4kg depending on the bike.

In my experience ~15kg (Orbea Gain) is OK for a roof rack on a standard estate roof. The problem isn't the weight as such, it's that it's above your head, plus the balance needed to drop the bike into the bike rack gutter, and then get it fastened.

On your own, I'd say 20kg is pushing it, and 25kg is very likely a no go. A high roof like on a SUV/4x4, and you're stuffed, come what may.

With two people you could share the lifting, assuming you're both tall enough, but it doesn't really feel like a good solution generally, unless you have light ebikes.
saudidave
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by saudidave »

Unless you are built like Geoff Capes or some other gigantic weight lifting specimen, don't even think about lifting an ebike on to a roof carrier!
My Raleigh Motus Grand Tour weighs about 26 Kg and I struggle to lift it on to a boot mounted cycle carrier, let alone on to the roof of a car, It isn't just the weight it's the poor distribution of that weight too.
Buy an electric folding bike or bikes, end of!
Nigel
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by Nigel »

richtea99 wrote: 14 Jul 2021, 11:59am
Psamathe wrote: 16 Mar 2021, 6:29pm How heavy are the bikes? (I've no idea about e-bikes). Practical to lift them above your head? (thinking about standing them of roof-rack bike rack. (Remove batteries 1st)

Ian
Generally somewhere between 15 - 25kg. Battery off, and you may save 2-4kg depending on the bike.

In my experience ~15kg (Orbea Gain) is OK for a roof rack on a standard estate roof. The problem isn't the weight as such, it's that it's above your head, plus the balance needed to drop the bike into the bike rack gutter, and then get it fastened.

On your own, I'd say 20kg is pushing it, and 25kg is very likely a no go. A high roof like on a SUV/4x4, and you're stuffed, come what may.

With two people you could share the lifting, assuming you're both tall enough, but it doesn't really feel like a good solution generally, unless you have light ebikes.
Getting bikes onto a car roof can be aided with a small step-up platform - various cheap folding devices exist, those as steps for caravans might be suitable. And the better bike roof carriers are pretty simple to load a bike onto, with the frame clamp angled to help catch the frame as the bike lands on the wheel tracking.

But, as well as lifting the weight, another issue will be the weight-loading of the vehicle roof and the roof-bars/bike carrier. Not all car roofs will be rated to carry heavy bikes, nor the carriers. Example carriers: Atera Giro is rated to 17kg and says "not for E-bikes", Thule roof carriers are 17kg or 20kg depending on model.


- Nigel
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Mick F
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by Mick F »

mylesm wrote: 15 Mar 2021, 3:28pm
I recently purchased a BMW 225XE Hatchback with the intention of carrying 2 Ebikes On a Tow ball Carrier

Now I find that I cannot fit a Towbar to this model my bad for not checking
We have a Toyota Hybrid and we cannot tow, but we can buy a tow hitch for mounting a bike carrier.
The Gross Vehicle Weight is the same as the Gross Vehicle Train Weight ............. meaning that the model isn't homologated to tow.

This seems daft to me. Why can we fit five adults in the car will all their luggage, but not tow a light camping trailer?

My question is, can you not buy a hitch just to mount a bike rack on your BMW?
We can buy one for our hybrid, so why can't you?
Mick F. Cornwall
Jdsk
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Re: Ebike to fit in hatchback

Post by Jdsk »

Mick F wrote: 4 Oct 2021, 9:35amThis seems daft to me. Why can we fit five adults in the car will all their luggage, but not tow a light camping trailer?
1 The load on the car is different. In particular it's being injected in a different place.

2 The manufacturer might not have wanted the effort of testing and homologating.

3 There's a common assertion that the effect on energy consumption is so high that the manufacturers don't want the figures to be publicly available. I've never seen anything authoritative on whether this is true or not.

Jonathan
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