horizon wrote:(I don't think it's been mentioned).
+1 to pwa's suggestion for a trailer. I narrowly missed buying one of these for a knock down price and then the children grew up and left home but I would definitely consider one again:
Some years ago my son and his friends/cousins liked theier mountain biking. My car was already fitted with a towbAR.
So bought a trailer - not one of those lightweight efforts with useless tyres that bounce all over the road, but one that I found in the local paper (very local - walking distance!)
The body on this was 5 foot long (ideal, enough room for a bike lengthwise without removing wheels, mudguards etc.) and 3 foot wide and 18" high. Built on a hydrolastic metro rear chassis with 13" wheels, and a body made of thick ply - about an inch thick if I remember. This rode very well even with the fairly light load of 4 bikes. The seller had built it some years before to carry a classic motorbike!
I put 2x1 inch wodden strips on the inside edge of each side and made up a framework - this made a centra rail - that fitted lengthwise but was easily removable The trailer had a tailgate, which I screwed a bit of wood to, that clamped the framework in place when the tailgate was secured, then double-secured with a roofing bolt going through the outer woodwork! Muddy mountain bikes made a mess, but by dropping the tailgate I could sweep the trailer out with a broom.
4 bikes went in here side-by side, two facing forward, two rearward, one on each side of the central rail and one strapped to each side of the trailer. No bikes touching each other, old inner tubes wrapped around the wooden bits for padding, lots of strap holding the bikes in. Plenty of room on the floor for bags of muddy kit.
Job done! Maybe something like this would be cheaper than buying a bigger car, and easier to use. And cheaper again when the car needs replacing.
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair ""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
+1! Trailers are the future, they can take luggage too besides bikes I just need a smart with enough power to tow one No need for so many big heavy cars with lots of empty space
BTW the leading trailer maker is Ifor Williams of Corwen Cymru am byth!
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120 Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
I've had trailers for years(4 in all) for my work,the last one was sold a couple of years ago. There main problem is storage compared to the amount of use they get,OK if you have the room,but if they have plywood floor and sides best keep them covered with a good tarp when not in use.another hassle is tyres you need to keep them upto date as they perish just being stood,tyres out of date(read the dot code on them)are illegal and dangerous. Bikes are light and only need a light trailer which will bounce around on rough roads. I'd also advise a towhitch lock to lock trailer to car when left unattended. Trailers also like anything else need servicing.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Nearly 20 years ago I found myself in a similar position to the OP, with the additional need to transport motorcycle trials bikes. I bought a trailer. Within months the bikes were stolen from our locked garage. More than likely followed home and hey presto. Quite common apparently. So, I bought a van. Admittedly the LWB Sprinter was not that nifty on mod cons but it did have a cooker, bed, sofa and could carry everything, the boys loved it. Eight years ago I downsized to my current Vivaro crew cab LWB van. Brilliant piece of kit. Six seats, as comfy as most cars, top visibility and room for plenty of bikes without any dismantling and all out of sight from any prying eyes. My next car will definitely be another van!!!
Well trailers look good if we had anywhere to store it then I'd consider. However leaving it parked up roadside when parking is limited anyway probably won't go down well with neighbours which neighbour's parking spot should I take up?
It's vehicle I'm looking for, however I different circumstances a trailer would possibly be one option. One I can fit bikes plus kit in, such as a smallish van. Or a decent sized car that can fit bikes on top and perhaps a recumbent inside. I can't use a towbar rack (recumbent too long) and can't store a trailer. However I do need to find a recumbent compatible roof rack too.
For getting several bikes into a confined space I find it better to remove pedals, and with the kids bikes I have made use of MKS Ezy pedals that come off without tools. There are different sorts, but these are an example:
With an Octavia (2005 estate) I used to be able to put 3 bikes on a Pendle rack on the boot and another (partly dismantled) in the boot along with baggage. It was a squeeze and both packing and unpacking took time, so it made sense for a long drive down to the Dordogne but not for a day trip to Hay on Wye.
Are you definitely sure you have nowhere for a light trailer, the sort a couple of people could lift? It would solve a lot of problems.
Forgot to mention security - I have a garage in the back garden with a concrete floor. I bolted a security anchor to the concrete floor and used a chain wrapped around the trailer chassis, with a high-security padlock. The bikes were secured with a very thick cable and a high security lock - the cable went through the sides of the trailer (cut holes for this!) and wrapped around part of the steel framework. This was in addition to the garage security which I won't go into here!
On the road this was enough - either being towed or parked within sight with he trailer locked onto the car (like with the caravan, this lock was removed when on the move for safety reasons, and replaced when parking up).
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair ""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
Tangled Metal wrote: ... Is there anything else, perhaps more creative solution?
I don't think anybody has suggested bike hire at the destination.
£15 per day per bike = £45 or £30 with the kids bike in the boot. No followme-tandem so that's needed to be brought too. Let's say every other week or 25 day rides per year = £750 per year. At keep cars typically 5 years or more so that's £3750 over the life of a car excluding the two weeks touring that we need to drive to start (sorry a young kid plus touring kit on UK public transport, not a good start / end to a holiday). So assume a significant reduction for two week hire (14 days hire @ £10/day =£140). Total cost over life if a car = £4450.
Assume we usually spend £5500 on a car with a £1000 knocked off for selling existing car that gives £8950 to spend on a vehicle that would suit carrying bikes before bike hire breaks even.
I think I'd rather buy the right car for my existing needs. Especially since we often need to pick someone up with a bike during the week as well. Unfortunately bikes in and on cars is a part of regular life for its. Cue digression towards a drive to cycle discussion no doubt.
We like bikes. We like driving to cycle. We don't like spending half an hour faffing around loading bikes. That's four periods of messing around loading bikes onto Roofs, into boots or onto rear bike racks. We've not got a towbar hitch and won't put one on this car since it's well into its use cycle (60% of its expected life with us is well passed). It is expensive and requires cutting of the bumper to fit most hitches. Wrong car for that I reckon.
We have a back yard with assorted shed, plants, recumbent, seating, kids toys, roof box, etc. There's just enough room to have the parents over for a bbq once a year. Putting a trailer in there is theoretically possible but I think my other half is more likely to let me keep my recumbent in the bedroom on the relatively new carpet than let me take the space in the yard up with a small trailer that is manageable to move by hand. I'll give you a clue, the recumbent is under a tarp in the yard despite all my other suggestions for putting it. Trust me I even mooted the idea of setting it up on the turbo trailer so we could get fit over the winter. Apparently turbos in bedrooms aren't a good idea neither!
Tbh how useful are those small light trailers anyway? I assume you mean the ones like Halfords sell?
gaz's suggestion of a double-decker bus converted to carry bikes was a bit tongue-in-cheek but that's the direction in which you are heading if you are unhappy about carrying bikes outside the vehicle. One seat and one bike per family member = a lot of space. That or some sort of Star Trek system.
To be honest, I think when you have mulled over the options you will end up choosing between two. One is a big vehicle that you can fit all the people, baggage and bikes in. But that will be more expensive to buy and run. The second option, which I would favour, is some sort of estate car with a four bike tow bar mounted rack and another bike in the boot with the wheels off. Or a supplementary roof rack system. That would leave you with a normal car when that is all you need.
The car you need, with a tow bar. Then a box trailer for the bikes/luggage
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way.No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse. There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
