Bent In El Paso

I had been looking at that too. Then I showed it to my stoker.

Mr. Beanz

We carried our tandem on the Neon Gina used to drive using a hitch mount. I removed both wheels then racked it. Not any wider than the car itse when racked.

I did use a rear QR skewer to hang the chain during transport and a bungee cord to secure the front hb's from swinging.

Bent In El Paso

That trend will continue as the Federal Fuel Economy Standards continue to get more strict in the coming years. Vehicle manufactures by necessity will design more aerodynamic vehicles. That will be a good thing because of fuel savings. There will definitely be compromises made in designs away from big and powerful vehicles towards sleek and less power. You can already see it happening with the Fiat and Smart Cars. Tata and GM are also bring new compact vehicles from overseas to the U.S. market. I am sure all of the other manufacturers are doing the same.

ksisler

After reading all post to date; Just thinking that buying any car (circa $20-40k or more) just to enable hauling a tandem may not really make that much sense unless you already need to buy the car for other reasons...

If I were in the OP's situation, I would use my money to get a new tandem with travel couplers and then it would probably fit in the current car easy enough. Its a new car that I don't otherwise need vs a new coupled tandem that I would already like to get..... hum let me see? Well it sounds like about a $15-30k savings and we get a new 2bike -- woo woo!

Thoughts?

waynesulak

We usually ride from home and transport the tandem less than 10 times a year. I however am not one to question purchasing a new van to haul a tandem because we bought a new house so that we could ride from home easily.

jnbrown

Maybe you didn't read my OP. Our Sienna has 210,000 miles and is consuming oil. I am not sure how much longer it will last and we need to have another vehicle besides our Camry for transporting the tandem and on days when both my wife and I need to drive (we both work). My cuurent thinking is to get a slightly used Sienna for around $19,000. I am going to test drive the Outback again to see if it will change my mind but it will cost $6,000 more. We also ride from home a lot but also drive to start a ride as well.

Phantoj

How about the Ford C-Max? You can get it in a hybrid for high mpg. Even a plug-in version to really go green and get the HOV lane. Not sure if it's big enough inside, though.

Ritterview

More on the Ford Torneo-connect, which unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, and will be sold in North America in 2013. Looks like it will be something smaller than a mini-van, but will have room to fit a tandem. Unlike the current and decidedly ungainly Ford Transit, its styling probably isn't too repugnant for stokers.






From Edmunds:

2012 Paris Auto Show

• The 2014 Ford Tourneo Connect, which is set for the 2012 Paris Auto Show, will be sold as the 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon in North America.
• Ford on Wednesday said the Transit Connect Wagon will go on sale here in the second half of 2013.
• Pricing was not announced.

PARIS — The 2014 Ford Tourneo Connect, which is set for the 2012 Paris Auto Show, will be sold as the 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon in North America.

Ford on Wednesday said the Transit Connect Wagon will go on sale here in the second half of 2013.

Pricing was not announced.

The new Tourneo Connect is based on Ford's global C-segment platform shared by the Ford Focus and new Ford Kuga/Escape.

Ford said the Tourneo Connect and its North American variant were tailored to meet "the different needs of customers around the world, including the unique features and powertrains required to meet local market needs." It did not disclose U.S. specifications on the 2014 Transit Connect Wagon.

Europe gets three diesel engine choices in the Tourneo Connect, along with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost gasoline engine and a 1.6-liter EcoBoost gasoline engine.

Europe gets two Tourneo Connect models: a five-seat Tourneo Connect and a seven-seat Grand Tourneo Connect.

The Tourneo Connect will also get Active City Stop, a safety system that can prevent low-speed crashes, and Ford Sync with emergency assistance.

Edmunds says: We get a sneak peek at the upcoming 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon, but will have to sit tight regarding more details for the U.S. market.

waynesulak

Transit looks interesting. Are the dimensions available?

Looigi

Transit mileage isn't that great, especially considering the small 136 hp engine. Certainly the boxy cross section is at least somewhat responsible. Maybe the new one (new engines?) will be better?

jnbrown

I looked at one of those. Thought it was bigger and more comfortable than a Prius.
Didn't test drive it. Pretty sure the tandem would not fit inside and like many vehicles these days the top is roof rack challenged.
Pretty sure at this point I am going with 2010 Sienna.

tandem rider

I usually haul the tandem in my Sienna (great van) but for long trips I have taken it in my Pruis. My wife made "diapers" to cover the chains, cover the floor with a piece of vinyl, take off both wheels, and slide in at an angle. The Prius is 6 ft. long with the rear seats down. Friends haul their tandem the same way in an Outback.

mrfish

I would be surprised if it makes sense to buy a huge car or van specifically to carry a tandem. I have not done the maths, but I drive maybe 1,000-2,000 miles per year with the tandem, so the petrol cost of putting it on the roof is small in comparison to the cost of a bigger car, let alone a second car.

I would recommend putting the decision into dollar terms as it makes the choice much easier:
- $25,000 in cash now plus ~$2000 per year to spend on anything you choose: 401k, new tandem, holiday, home improvements... but no second car
- $10,000 in cash now to spend plus $500 per year (gas saving) and smaller second car
- No money but the convenience of a large second car to carry a $5,000 tandem

I'd also question whether it makes economic sense to buy a new budget car with bad seats or a 5 or 6 year old fully depreciated luxury car with 100k miles. When you include depreciation the costs are close but the driving experience is miles apart. I would recommend trying your tandem in an A6 Avant, E-class or 5 series tourign then see whether those seats hurt your back.

And environmentally I think new eco cars are a poor decision - recent policies are driven by the car lobby and clean air policies rather than end-to-end environmental cost. Better in my view to keep running an existing gas guzzler running than using scarce resources to build a new generation of disposable Priuses.

Team Fab

Has anyone looked into the new Nissan Pathfinder. 2013 looks more like a mini van and has fold flat seats.

Bent In El Paso

+1

I saw a 2013 Pathfinder on the road recently and it also caught my eye. I am also interested in any experience with it.

Philly Tandem

Our 2008 Honda Odyssey works great as a tandem and triplet hauler. The triplet fits up the middle (almost to the dash) with just the rear wheel removed. The tandem will fit in with both wheels on, upright, but we usually take off the front wheel for stability in the car.

We had several Subaru Outbacks, from 2000 to 2009 models. Our tandem fit in all, but we had to remove both wheels from the bike and fold down the rear seats in the car, of course. The newer Outback is larger, so I'm sure it would fit easily. We now have a 2012 Subaru Impreza five-door, and unfortunately the tandem will not fit inside at all, and has to go on the roof. But otherwise we love the new Impreza.

uspspro

Still love my Cressida Wagon. I don't mind laying the bike down, as long as I get to keep the back wheel installed.

So consider "full size" wagons as a good choice. They are more geared towards cargo than passengers. Our rear seats fold totally flush with the cargo area, and we can sleep back there if we had to!

I also have a custom modified hitch-mounted bike rack that can carry two fully assembled tandems (with both wheels still on), that we use for ultra racing or travelling with another tandem team.

**Off-topic**
The interior was completely stripped down, to do the wiring (for the Lexus V8 swap) and change the heater core. I've got it about 2/3 back together. I custom modified a 95 LS400 gauge cluster to fit in the Cressida's dash, it is fully functional and communicates with the Lexus engine computer.

bgross

Holy Square-rigger, Batman! With a tailwind and those sails aloft, you could cut the engine and really fly - without a spinnaker...

bobthib

We have a Honda Odessey and I love it. Not only has it been reliable, but I'm able to put the tandem in ready to ride. I just have to scoot the two center seats up a few inches. I have a 10 foot aluminum u channel that I run between the seats. That keeps the front wheel straight as I put the bike in and out.

When we pack up for our annual trip from Fla to nys, I take the wheels off, turn it upside down, and fit it in on the passengers side. I have to move the passenger center seat over to make a center bench seat.

esther-L

I don't know anything about new Subaru's, but my 2000 Legacy wagon is great for hauling tandem on roof rack. We have the 'rotating turret' option where the fork mount swivels.
Before I got the roof rack, we did put the tandem inside w/o wheels, and with captain handlebar and stoker saddle adjusted. That is for our Santana.
Roof rack is the only option for our recumbent tandem.

Ritterview

It is known that a minivan such as a Honda Oddssey will carry a tandem inside, upright with front wheel removed and fork in a fork mount.

The challenge is to find smaller, more car like vehicles to accomplish this feat.

These smaller vehicles will most likely be found in the burgeoning crossover category.

Cars.com Minivans

Cars.com Full Size Crossovers

If a candidate is found, most are limited in interior length. It requires 80-90" of interior length from the rear hatch opening where the fork will be mounted, to the farthest extent of the rear tire. Most crossovers have a front console between the driver and passenger seat that does not allow the 80-90" of length. To make a tandem work in a crossover, it may be required to modify the console, so to allow the rear wheel to reside between the driver and passenger. Depending on the dynamics of the captain and stoker, this interposition of the rear wheel between them while driving may be good or bad.

Interestingly, it is difficult to find the interior measurements to provide any sense as to whether a tandem might work. The most important measurement would be floor distance between the rear of the center front console and the rear hatch opening. It needs to be upwards of 80" for a tandem to work.

I was at a Nissan Dealership helping my son purchase a used Altima this weekend, so I grabbed a salesman and a tape measure and had a look at the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. The distance from the console to the rear hatch opening was 82", so there is a possibility with modification of the console. However, the rear seats fold down,but do not remove, and there is also a built in plastic bin that would need be removed. The rear hatch opening was not overly large, and the inside floor to ceiling height was somewhat limited. I don't think the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is particularly promising as a tandem hauler.



The console that would need be modified. Having controls for the rear passengers makes console modification problematic.

rickbyb

inside floor to ceiling height was somewhat limited

That was my observation when shopping for a hauler. Almost all modern SUVs exhibited such.

Bent In El Paso

Bummer on the '13 Pathfinder. Now that our four children are grown, my wife has sworn off minivans. We also don't want to go down the full-size SUV or Van path because of poor fuel economy.

I am coming to the realization that our best option for hauling the tandem is to take advantage of the S&S couplings by breaking the bike down at the front couplings for hauling in the smaller SUV's. It is just a matter of using the quick disconnects on three cables and breaking down the bike with the front three couplers. I think I can come up with a "custom" rack that will sit in the back of the SUV to hold the two bike halves securely.

Ritterview

I'd not give up so easily. I am optimisitic about the Lincoln MKT (and thus too on the platform-sharing Ford Flex) I think it has the interior height and length to sequester an upright tandem. I saw one on parked in Santa Barbara this weekend and made a comparison shot. I'd have liked to try to slide it in, but the nice guying owning it had other things to do.

fietsbob

Dodge Sprinter Van?