Best Car for Biking
11-19-12, 08:47 PM
#77
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Had a Mazdaspeed3 and it easily handled my 54cm bike without removing the front wheel, but with bars turned. Just traded it in for a Mazda CX-5 and so far like it a great deal. Plenty of room for the bike in the back with the seats down and 32+ mpg with mostly in town driving. The CX-5 is a nice hybrid/small SUV, but I sure miss the turbo power of the MS3.
Many options out there....
Mark
Many options out there....
Mark
11-20-12, 06:30 AM
#78
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I've only owned hatchbacks b/c I've always been a cyclist. Currently, I love my Mazda-3
With the front wheel off, I easily carry any one of my 3 tall bikes (road, MTB, or hybrid) and all my gear - I'm 6'2". Plus, it's a very sporty looking and sporty driving car (goes well with my youthful, athletic image that I like to think that I have
), and not too bad on gas (I avg 27 mpg).
With the front wheel off, I easily carry any one of my 3 tall bikes (road, MTB, or hybrid) and all my gear - I'm 6'2". Plus, it's a very sporty looking and sporty driving car (goes well with my youthful, athletic image that I like to think that I have), and not too bad on gas (I avg 27 mpg).
11-20-12, 07:11 AM
#79
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From all this, there are a lot of choices. Depends on your other things like budget, lifestyle. Some lifestyles do not lend to the types of vehicles. Its not about the bike, Armstrong used to say.
11-20-12, 02:38 PM
#81
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Thanks Bruce! For us the problem was the trike. We tried several different vehicles and had real problems getting the trike in without having to collapse the boom. We also had problems with the width between the wheel wells on many of the models we looked at. The Transit was perfect. Plenty of room for the trike, bike, luggage and more. It may not be the best looking vehicle on the road, but it gets us from point A to B in relative comfort. Gas mileage isn't that bad either: averaging 25 mpg in city and 29 highway.
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HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
11-20-12, 02:57 PM
#82
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That's an excellent point. The one thing that we all have in common is that we're all different.
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Momento mori, amor fati.
Momento mori, amor fati.
11-20-12, 05:04 PM
#83
Senior Member
+1. Probably the best choice for transporting bikes with minimal, or no messing with wheels etc. With the rear seat down a couple bikes fit standing upright, and you still get good mileage and room for more luggage. Don't understand why they stopped making them.
11-20-12, 05:10 PM
#84
Senior Member
I gotta agree with Eric, I am planning on getting an impreza as soon as I graduate. I was originally wanting a small 2 seated coupe until my outdoors man addiction started growing. Now I want to be able to bike, rock climb, kayak, and camp. And you can't use a miata to do all that. I'm planning on getting the 5 door STI, and putting a hitch on it for a bike rack and top rails for camping gear and a small kayak.
Just my opinion. Get whatever you like and fits you both physically and financially.
Just my opinion. Get whatever you like and fits you both physically and financially.
11-20-12, 05:24 PM
#85
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When I was cross-country ski racing, most of the vehicles in the parking lot near the start would be Subaru wagons, so that's what I used to own. Now that I'm not skiing much, mostly riding thru the year and driving long distances to do so, my vehicle of choice is a VW Jetta TDI. I put a tandem rack on top (with the swivel fork mount), but the single bike rides in the trunk, both wheels off, to improve aerodynamics. The TDI's turbocharged diesel engine gets 45+ mpg so far (I've owned it since February, still less than 20,000 km on it) on long freeway drives (compared to about 26 mpg for the AWD Subaru), so it was really not expensive for driving down from Vancouver to Davis and Borrego Springs, CA for a couple of Cali Triple Crown rides. And the other nice thing about a turbo-diesel is that it doesn't bog down on climbs; the turbo kicks in at around 1800 rpm's, so you can pass cars on the open highway without having to shift down. It's also got a 6-spd manual transmission. I've always equated performance cycing with performance driving, and performance driving requires you to be able to shift gears manually.
Anyway, the TDI is without doubt the best car I've ever owned!
Luis
Anyway, the TDI is without doubt the best car I've ever owned!
Luis
11-20-12, 05:29 PM
#86
Senior Member
Prius' are best for biking - either put your bike in the trunk with the front wheel off or get a hitch or use a hitch rack as I do, and of course enjoy the great gas mileage (I'm always amazed at all the SUV's parked at bike events, not good drivers and not especially comfortable, either). Actually the best ever bike car ever was a 1984 Civic wagon, or shuttle as known in other locales. It took me and my bike (and others') for over 150k miles before it was retired, with very little maintenance.
I believe a larger cargo version of the Prius is about to come to market in the US.
I believe a larger cargo version of the Prius is about to come to market in the US.
11-20-12, 05:46 PM
#87
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I just bought the new small hybrid "MPV" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_MPV ) from Ford, the 2013 C-Max (see https://www.ford.com/cars/cmax/ ). One of the reasons I chose this vehicle is that, with the back seat folded flat, I can fit my bicycle inside of it. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will achieve close to the EPA estimated 47 mpg for this vehicle. It is a very nice vehicle, with many advanced safety, comfort, and convenience features. It is definitely a vehicle for the 21st Century.
11-20-12, 06:45 PM
#88
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I carry a Trek hybrid in my Honda Fit. Seats flat of course. Front wheel off, laying flat. I got it in once with the front wheel on but it's easier to just remove it. I'm sure another would fit laying on top of the first one. Plenty of room for luggage in/around the bike. Plus the Fit costs many $$ less than most others mentioned.
11-21-12, 04:00 AM
#89
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Just went over 100K miles on my 2003 Honda Element. Perfect for hauling a bike around. I removed the rear seats altogether. Hopefully I'll get another 5 or 6 years out of it. Have no urge to buy anything else at all.
Happiness is a paid-off car
Happiness is a paid-off car
11-21-12, 12:42 PM
#90
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I often watch folks roll by in new Odessey's and Sienna's wondering why they paid more money to get less van? Stow n Go is tough to beat.
11-21-12, 08:59 PM
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Bicycles inside a vehicle are not safe.
Thieves knocked a window out and took a favorite bike in broad daylight with people watching from a nearby restaurant. Have had much better luck with a rack locked to the vehicle and the bike locked to the rack.
Have had thieves break into cars without leaving a mark. Once they left the lock mechanism hanging out the hole another time they got into a car with an electronic key.
Thieves knocked a window out and took a favorite bike in broad daylight with people watching from a nearby restaurant. Have had much better luck with a rack locked to the vehicle and the bike locked to the rack.
Have had thieves break into cars without leaving a mark. Once they left the lock mechanism hanging out the hole another time they got into a car with an electronic key.
11-21-12, 09:28 PM
#93
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I used to drive to a mall and then bicycle 18 miles to work. One day my wife's very inexpensive (Spec HR) bike was left in the van. When I returned from my commute that evening the rear window of the van was broken in. They must have been interrupted because they did not get the bike - but it was $700 for the window.
11-21-12, 10:56 PM
#94
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We manage to easily get two Bike Fridays in the back of our Yaris Hatchback.
Lou (Former Ventura, CA resident)
Last edited by Foldable Two; 11-21-12 at 10:58 PM. Reason: Wording
11-22-12, 01:59 AM
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Looks like Mugu Rock (aka: Pt Mugu) in the background. After many yrs of commuting on the Coast Hwy, have to say that it was more fun in my '74 Alfa Spider than it would be on a bike.
We manage to easily get two Bike Fridays in the back of our Yaris Hatchback.
Lou (Former Ventura, CA resident)
We manage to easily get two Bike Fridays in the back of our Yaris Hatchback.
Lou (Former Ventura, CA resident)
When traffic is not bad, riding on PCH from Mugu Rock to Pepperdine and back is a fun ride--dolphins, sea lions, pelicans, surfer girls and lunch at Neptune's Net!
11-23-12, 06:34 AM
#97
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I have a Ford Expedition EL and my bike will fix in the back with the front wheel on and the 3rd row seats folded. Last road trip I got 21.4 MPG which isn't bad for a vehicle that size. My bike will fit in the back of my Chevrolet Cruze with the rear seats folded and the front wheel of the bike removed. The Cruze gets about 37 MPG. Depends on what else I need to carry or how many people are going as to which vehicle I choose.
11-23-12, 07:09 AM
#98
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11-23-12, 07:16 AM
#99
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It's got to be the Subaru Baja, hands down. Seats 4, shorty bed with bikes out of the wind, reliable as all get-out.
Subaru pic:
Will get one when my Vue wears out, which it never will
Subaru pic:
Will get one when my Vue wears out, which it never will
11-23-12, 08:36 AM
#100
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Here is another Transit set up to carry bikes. This one is the first one we saw set up that way and the one we got our ideas from. This photo was taken quite some time ago, as he now has all sorts of additions to the van, including a solar powered, rooftop battery charger, a netted shelf across the rear to hold his helmets and some other interior modifications. This is the XLT Van w/o the rear seat and side windows. Ours is the XLT Wagon.
This van is the red one in the below photo of three Transits in the parking lot of the wilderness park that I do my daily rides in.
This van is the red one in the below photo of three Transits in the parking lot of the wilderness park that I do my daily rides in.
__________________
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
Last edited by John_V; 11-23-12 at 09:17 AM.