You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I’m considering taking my 29er with me for the first time on holiday to Romania. My biggest concern is turning up at the airport and not being able to fit the bike and our luggage into the car. Am I worrying about nothing or do I need to hire specific cars?
I'd err on the side of 'not a chance', but it depends slightly on what you mean by "most car boots".
/\
This
Just hire a big car?
Short answer: no
We got three people, three smallish suitcases, two rucksacks and a (26" wheeled) MTB in a bike bag in a Skoda fabia when we went to the airport. Cosy, but perfectly comfortable; the bike bag was standing up along the side of the boot and the smaller side of the back seat. The focus sized hire car at the other end was bigger, so wasn't a problem at all. I think you'll be fine.
No. Mine fits in my mondeo, just, but that's a huge boot.
I strip the bike ready to fit in the bag , then it goes in the boot along with a cheap bike bag I got of ebay , the bag isn't a solid type so it folds over and hardly takes any room up unlike , this is with 3 suitcase's as well , the cars a astra estate with the back seats still up .
If I put the bike in the bag it won't fit in simply because the bag and bike combined is to long , when I get to the airport I simply chuck the stripped bike in the bag which only takes a few mins in the car park .
So the answers yes .
judging from last weekend at Llandegla, every bike requires a van to transport it. And you have a clown bike. Do you have an HGV licence?
If there are going to be people in the back seat you will likely need an estate. With no passengers in the back then a hatchback with the seat folded will do you.
Get a roof rack on the hire car and bung a couple of straps in the bag?
Done this a couple of times. Once the roof rack was not available so they paid a taxi to take me+bike to the hotel and delivered the hire car the next day. (was a big E class estate and bike only just fitted.
Last year hired a 7 seater thing (Peugeot I think) so bike could slide in with 1 back seat and 1 of the middle row folded. Cost a little more for the car but new I could take bike with us once 'built up'.
I got an Evoc bike bag in a Nissan Micra with the back seat down no problem. There was plenty of space left for a few suitcases.
Yeah if you can fold seats down there's no problem. I used to stick a bike bag in my Polo no problem. Remember, you're ditching both wheels and in most instances, taking the bars off.
Rent a hatchback assuming you don't need all the 4 seats for passengers, as above a bike will go into a Polo/Micra/Yaris/Corsa with the rear seats down
There’s only going to be me and my wife, no other passengers. I only need to get ourselves and the bike to our final destination.
Judging from the responses it’s a no it won’t fit in the boot unless you fold the seats down? If I fold the seats, it’ll be fine?
Pretty much any car will take two bikes with the rear seats folded down.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Think I’ll pop down the road to hire one of these: http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/index.php?pg=technical and hit some trails in the Carpathian mountains 🙂
I used a hard shell box similar in size to the bikeboxalan ones. Went in the back of a fiat panda with two large soft bags on top.