You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Every time I fight to put all 4 of our family bikes on top of our Focus I dream of how easy it would be to just stick them in the back of something bigger. But is this really true?
I think the biggest we could go would be a short wheel base Tourneo Custom type van. Can anyone tell me how easy it is to stash 4 bikes in the back of something like that with two rows of seating in (driver row and one behind)? Is it possible with all wheels on!? Or front wheels off? How easy does it feel to get them all in? Do you have to climb all over them or do they slot in nicely?
Thanks for any advice.
Would needs wheels off and probably packed sideways if both rows of seats are in.
He’s just talking about having 1 row of rear seats. That’d be a piece of piss with front wheels off
Ah sorry, read that as the Connect, not the Custom, so it is a standard Transit van...no problem then but might need nose to tail order of bikes.
i think youll be surprised how little room there is behind the second row in a SWB. the MWB wouldnt be an issue
An SWB i think it will be front wheels off and them going in sideways.
27.5" trail bike with front wheel out is in the region of a 16-1700mm
a DCIV transit (ie a van with 2 rows of seats) only has 1550mm to play with length ways.
Test drive an MWB back to back with an SWB - it really isnt that much different but the space is much more useful.
I can fit 4 bikes in the LWB Tourneo Custom with both rows of rear seat in. Need to take the front wheels (and rear wheels for long slack bikes) off and put nose to tail across the vehicle though. With the 3rd row folded or removed it would be really easy with wheels on though.
The SWB has bugger all space behind the 3rd row. Probably less length than the focus boot. The seats are easy to remove but bloody heavy especially the double one then you have to find somewhere to store them when they're not in.
Front wheels off for SWB plus seats. I've been to France with five plus people and luggage that way, and without the luggage it may have gone to six!
Another vote for a MWB, to drive them there is nothing in it, its just another foot of load space. Roof height is more of a PITA, I never realised how many supermarkets and carp parks have 2.0m barriers!
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Depends if we're talking XC bikes or Geometrons too. </span>
A SWB transits floor is 8ftx 4ft (I.e. 1 sheet of plywood), its a great bit of design back in the 70s but its not limitless.
Thanks all. It sounds like 4 with front wheels off in the short wheel base, but maybe with all wheels on in the long wheelbase.
Cheers.
My SWB tourneo is narrower at the boot end due to the second air con unit... makes it a lot smaller than a transit custom.
Depending upon size of the bikes i could get 4 bikes fully built in the back of tourneo custom
2 X 29ers 2 x kids bikes ( albeit one is a 20" isla bike and the other a 24" mtb )
Just requires some careful ordering.