blue steal

Hello Everyone:
I have to get rid of my truck after 21 years of service and am buying a toyota corolla. Does anyone have any experience with putting a bike into the trunk of a small sedan. The corolla has rear seats that fold down and I'm thinking it would slide right in with just the front wheel off. Not interested at this time to get a roof or trunk rack. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. Thanks.

oldride

I have a Corolla. I tried putting my road bike in the trunk (seats down) with the front wheel removed but it would not fit. So I take off the front wheel and put it in the back seat area. I put down 2 towels so I don;t get gunk all over, works well. I have a roof rack but don't like using it and plan to put on a hitch so I can use my hitch rack.

drew2002

What tends to be the limiting factor is the size of the opening between the trunk and backseat area, after you fold the seats down. (Older cars had larger openings, but to increase structural rigidity and improve safety, this area has often shrunk). You'll probably have to slide down or remove the seat post, which means you might want to go with a quick-release. If you plan to be riding a lot, I'd suggest something with a hatchback if you haven't already committed to the purchase.

MKahrl

I keep a pedal wrench in the trunk and remove the pedals. That's helped me a lot.

LAWMAN

I keep my bike in the trunk of my Camry, just take the wheels off & pop it right in there.

Sirrus Rider

2 Words: B A C K S E A T

I have a Honda Accord witch is roughly the same size as the Corolla. I Stick my road bike in the back seat with the rear of the bike in the right (passenger) side of the car and the front of the bike on the drivers side with the handlebars cut over to the left so the front wheel sits on the sill and is wedged between the side of the seat and the door.

dogbreathpnw

I put my bike in the back of my Mitsubishi Eclipse by removing the front wheel. Keep a couple of dog blankets in the trunk; one to cover the upholstery, and another for when you're paranoid about thieves (they'll have to guess if the bikes is worth $400 on $4000 before they take a chance on breaking into your car).

no motor?

It's easier to do with a friend to guide the forks/handlebar while you're guiding the back wheel in the trunk. You'll have to experiment to see what you might need to take off, but once you get it figured out it's a lot easier than standing there while trying to put the bike in without damaging anything.

geo8rge

Sell it and get a folding bike. Or get a second folding bike just for traveling. Dahon Mu Xl, Xooter.com swift.

Steel frame consider hacking it in two: sandsmachine.com

Otherwise MKS quick release pedals, folding pedals ect. might help. You might also loosen the head set, remove the seat post. You could even remove the front fork, although that exposes the greased headset bearings. converting from derailer to internally geared hub might help too.

z415

I have a 2003 Dodge Neon sedan. I can fit two road bikes in my car. The first bike goes in the trunk with the car seats down, front bike wheel off, the bars turned all the way to the right and the drivetrain up with the fork going in first. The second goes in the right back door, front wheel off, bars turned all the way left and fork going in first. Key is to keep your left hand holding your bar/toptube together so it doesn't flop around.

You should do fine with a Corolla since I think the Neon is smaller. I can manage to fit a mtb in the trunk and a road bike in the backseat and rollers if I use a little finesse.

CCrew

Or just buy a freaking rack rather than go through all that!

nelson249

I agree, all my bikes will fit very well in the back of my car. I also use a blanket to protect the fabric

TromboneAl

I can get my road bike into our Toyota Echo easily (front wheel removed, rear seat backs down).

Buglady

Get a Matrix (= Corolla wagon). I can fold the back seat down and pop my bike in without taking the front wheel off Engine, chassis and options are all the same as the Corolla sedan, and the sight lines are excellent.

Honestly, I don't know why anyone wouldn't buy a hatchback, they are so much more useful than sedans!

noisebeam

I can fit 61cm road bike with front wheel still attached into back of Toyota Prius with the rear seats folded down.

Neil_B

I do this with my Geo Prism. It's got 120K on it, and it has no resale value, so the back seat is the bike's. We know this because it's marked with grease.

tulip

+1. I'm in the middle of moving and just today I packed the following in my hatchback (VW Rabbit): dorm fridge, big microwave, my Bike Friday folding bike, reel lawnmower, 4 duffle bags, one suitcase, shovel, rake, pickaxe, two window fans, and a wok.

joe_5700

Exactly. I have a Subaru WRX (very small interior) and I have a rack on the back that carries 2 hybrids.

TromboneAl

There are two advantages to putting the bike inside the car:

1. Less damage to the bike from 65 MPH pebbles, and
2. You can go into a store/restaurant with less worry that someone will steal your bike.

tulip

3. better gas mileage

ronaikens

My road bike goes in my 07 civic coupe trunk with the seats down. Front wheel off. Fork first. Drive side up.

blue steal

I am going to ride over to the dealer and try it out. Sounds like front wheel off, fork first, drive side up will work with the seat backs down. Probably should pick up a wheel bag or two, to protect the wheel/seats from puntures/grease. Also, the rear seat option sounds okay as well. In from the passenger side, front wheel off, drive side forward, cover with blanket and you are good to go. Mostly I will transport my bike to the clubs group start area or the beach.

fcormier

I have a Mazda Protegé (same size as a Corolla). With the seat down, I can fit my bike in with the front wheel removed (bike inserted rear wheel first). I once got my bike in the trunk of a Honda Accord with both wheels and the seatpost removed (the bike did not have fenders or rack).

blue steal

Update: I rode over the toyota dealer on my bike to see if it would fit inside the trunk. With both wheels off, it will fit inside the trunk without putting the rear seats down. It's a bit tricky to clear the opening of the trunk, but inside the trunk it will fit. I bought two wheels bags to protect the wheels/seats. Although I did not try to place bike inside the trunk with rear seats down, I am sure it would go in either fork first or rear wheel first.