Hardrock23

Hollywood Spare Tire Rack SR1 - Buy Spare Tire Bike Rack, 1 or 2 bike rack, bicycle carriers - Hollywood Racks, Great Bike Racks Since 1973

It's cheaper on Amazon and from other places - https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Rac.../dp/B000QJDFMK

It's great. Hardly noticeable. The legs fold in flat and the rubber attachment straps for the bike are removable so you don't have to leave them out in the weather. Has a very long safety strap to go around the bikes also.


Old pics of MTB & road bike. It sets them up really high.

GeneO 

Hey, thanks. what I was looking for to carry my wife's alloy bike.

EDIT: My FJ has the rear backup camera mounted in the center of the spare. This rack should let me use it, at least wen the bike isn't mounted. Spare tire mounts that bolt into the hub won't unfortunately.

Has yours rusted - I see some complaints of that .

Hardrock23

I have had it on there since sept 2015 and use it year round. The only parts that get any rust are the two long silver bolt things that are used to tighten it down onto the tire (in red below). Each year my father has taken it off to put something on those two pieces to keep them nice, and freely moving. Though I'm pretty sure the ones that came with ours are black, not silver...I'll have to check in the morning.

Is the back-up camera something that came with your FJ? If so, what year is your FJ?
Ours is a 2008...we added our own back-up cam but put it on our license plate, so usually the wheel is blocking a bit of the view. Though depending on what bike type/size is on the rack, the view might be fine on a center mounted spare tire cam. The rack itself wouldn't interfere with it, or I at least can't image how it would.

GeneO 

I have a 2011 with integrated camera mount in the spare. Sounds like a little marine grease on the bolts would work. Thanks for the info!

Nachoman

WitzTojeBus by Nacho Neal, on Flickr

beechnutC23

Update, last week I traded in my Golf Hatchback for a 2018 Golf Sportwagen, 4MOTION (all-wheel drive), 6-speed manual:

lsberrios1 

I recently got a sportswagen as well, pretty sweet car for the $ and very practical. Has the german quality feel and drive and looks pretty good too.

SWorksRoubaix

Model 3

From Elon

NoGears_NoTears

It shouldn't matter as long as you can mount roof racks, as I have seen a flashy Porsche 911 Turbo with roof racks

kbarch

Sure, you'll see Jags and Ferraris serving as sort of team cars that way, too. But if you ask me, it's no more trouble to bag both wheels and stick the thing in the trunk of an ordinary car, which is far cozier (and more aero ). Not that it's likely that anything will happen to the bike properly installed on the roof, but why expose it to the elements - and bugs? The best car is one with a clean, empty trunk.

inspclouseau

I agree with this. Personally, I only take off the front wheel, and stick everything in my back seat. I have a large back seat (passat) but there's no reason this wouldnt work in most sedans. Bike outside and interstate driving freaks me out. Of course with a family vacation or something, the real estate becomes prime real estate...

kbarch

I just have a coupe, so while a bike without wheels can be accommodated in the back seat, it's a bit awkward. I know many who only need to take the front wheel off to fit it all in the trunk, but usually that's accommodated by a split/fold down rear seat, which mine doesn't have.

De Sisti

I had a SEAT Arosa for 11 years and fitted a tow bar to the back of it to accomodate a bike rack.
The car was even big enough for my double bass to fit in. I'd still have it now if not for my sister
offering me her BMW 320d SE Touring 6 years ago. Easily large enough for a bike to fit in with the
wheels on.

nycphotography

Saturday, 4 adults and 4 road bikes headed out for a nice ride. Fit all 4 adults, all 4 bikes, plus 4 gear bags in the Chrysler mini van. All bikes safely locked away inside, wheels on, no assembly/disassembly required.

We enjoyed comfy heated seats, modern electronics, and nice plush interior, good stereo, and a car like ride.

I still can't find any vehicle with more overall utility than the mini van.

I also have the SL63, but I don't think the bike would fit in the trunk, even with the wheels off. Of course also having the mini van I am completely freed from giving the first fark about the utility of the SL.

furiousferret

My prerequisite is there has to be room for 2 bike inside. Its just too risky keeping bikes out on a rack.

Right now I have a Jeep Wrangler Ultimate which is great for that but the best is a Chevy Astro. That thing can haul 6 bikes inside, or 4 bikes and 4 people. The Wrangler can do 2 people, 2 bikes.

zatopek

I’ve opted for a Toyota Tacoma pickup with a full sized cap over the bed and a Yakima 3 bike roof rack mounted on the bed cap. When it is just me hauling one bike for my own purposes, I lay the bike on its side in the bed. When it’s me with friends and their bikes, I can haul 5 bikes. I do lots of group rides. On the few occasions we have had group crashes with disabled bikes, I can be the hero by racing to the start, returning to the crash in my truck and hauling a few bikes back home. Also, the capped bed works great for hauling my 4 big dogs.

TimothyH

I am the OP and started this thread in March 2016, almost two years ago.

At that time it was determined that the Honda Element is, hands down and by a large margin, the absolute best car for bike owners.

Two years have gone by and I think we need a 2018 version of the thread...


-Tim-

jitteringjr

Problem with that is when you take the bikes out, you still have a POS Honda with no power. Maybe if you could figure out how to get two guys on the bikes inside the Element pedaling and some how connect their rear sprockets to the Element's drive shaft to help you get up the hills it would be Okay.

This guy's dun it right:

BMW M5 w/ roof rack and bike carrier- Mtbr.com

nycphotography

Even better:

JonnyV

The best car for a cyclist is at least 4 feet to the left.

beechnutC23

Alas Honda no longer makes the Element and in the rust belt, it's getting harder to find a solid used one: the newest ones are already 7 years old. The Fit is pretty cool though, for two cyclists.

I love my new VW wagon. I can get two bikes in the back without taking off any wheels. I just put an old blanket between them. Only when we have to do a road trip with more than two people and lots of luggage do I put the bikes on a Thule roof rack. Last time I did that, on my wife's TDI wagon (now sold back to VW and replaced with a 2017 gas wagon), it sucked a whole 2 L/100 km more fuel (a 10+ mpg drop). And even with the bikes properly clamped down, driving home in high winds the front fork of my carbon Cervelo managed to work out of the fork mount due to the high gusty crosswind and 70 mph speed. I thought I hear something funny and stopped to check it out. Fortunately the bike stayed on the rack with the rear wheel clamp. Not a fan of racks since then.

For two people, a station wagon is best. Which boils down to either a VW Golf Sportwagen or a Subaru Outback at the affordable end. BMW, Mercedes and Volvo are all out of my price range. For more, a minivan. We now have two Sportwagens in our household, my wife's and mine. They're even the same colour, though mine is AWD and hers is FWD. Bonus points, both have manual transmissions. I've driven mine in blizzards and with AWD it was able to tackle our 300 ft uphill and unplowed driveway (we live in the sticks) after a 35 cm dump of snow that was above the door sills.

seedsbelize 

We bought a Honda Fit, specifically for its bike carrying capabilities. My wife doesn't ride enough to be too concerned about having space for two, and it is shockingly easy to put one road bike in there, fully assembled.

WhyFi

Are the new Sportwagens that much roomier? I have a 2012 and there's not a chance that I could get even one bike in the back, seats folded flat, without removing the wheels.

beechnutC23

You absolutely can in your 2012 *if* you fold down the rear seats, though it's tighter with a mtb with wide handlebars. My wife had a 2013 before she sold it back to VW because of the diesel scandal, which is identical to yours and we routinely carried two road bikes in it, wheels on. We're empty nesters, so no need for the back seat.

You do have to lay them flat, with an old blanket between the bikes, but we do it all the time. Upright, then yes you have to remove the wheels. IMHO that's still better than on the roof.

seypat

Here is something new:

2018 Buick Regal TourX: Luxury Wagon | Buick

I wish the Japanese would bring their wagons back to the USA like this one:

Here's the 2018 Mazda6 Wagon We Won't Get in the U.S. - The Drive

The wife and I currently drive matching 2008 Mazda 5s. Other than being underpowered, the most versatile vehicle I have ever had. Love the sliding side doors. I've had ext. cab pickups before. For a daily driver, a small hatch backy thing is better. I do have a Chevy Express cargo van for my business. I don't use it much for personal/home use though. Something rented as needed could sub for that. My son will be driving at the end of this year. He will get the wife's 5 and she will get some small SUV/Crossover. I will eventually go the wagon route with either an Outback or the VW Sportwagon/Alltrack. I can't get myself to let go of the 5. If only they would have offered it with the turbo Speed 3 engine/drivetrain.......................

I ride 54/56 frames. With the 3rd row folded, I can put one bike in without doing anything to the second row of seats or the bike. The 2nd row console folds into one of the seats. Slap the bike in and go. Front wheel/fork goes between the 2nd row seats. With the second row folded, I've had 3 or 4 in there laying flat with buffers between them.