[Closed] Tandem Owners - How do you transport your tandem on your car?

We now have one of these

http://www.ventanausa.com/frame_elconquistadorss.html

so I fold down the back seats chuck the frame sans wheels in, undo the front end, fold it back at shut the boot. All in a Nissan Almera hatchback.

However, before that I canabalised two bike racks to make a long roof rack version. (The type where the bike remains in one piece and you clamp the down tube) Seemed to work ok. Might be able to find the photos of it for you.

I hire a van as I don't own a car

I have a Pendle type tow ball carrier. I had some extra long 'arms' - wheel supports made and the tandem is carried securely across the back of the car. No lifting and the rack can be locked to the car and tandem to the rack.

OK if you've a decent sized car, it doesn't stick out each side too much. Not recomended if you have a Smart 🙂

Since we bought it I've only ever ridden from the front door, but transporting the tandem home was a case of removing the wheel and putting the frame / forks in the back of the car - with the seats down it just about fitted. I've since swapped for much bigger forks so I might have trouble if we want to do that again though...

OK if you've a decent sized car, it doesn't stick out each side too much

how can that be?

My 29er sticks out both sides of the back of my T4. Shirley a tandem is a fair bit longer than a 29er?

On the back? I have a Subaru Outback and my I can just see the wheels of my roadbike in the door mirrors when it's on the towball rack. As Stoner says shirly the tandem would stick waaaaay out.

shit some of the bridges up here i used to worry about going through with my 29er sideways on the back of my old car ! - **** having a tandem hanging off

also i can say a tandem doess not fit in a peugeot partner van - even with the wheels off itll still want to be in the cab with you.... result - ride it to the destination

Ours fits inside my 406 estate wheels off - can actually get it in with only 1/3 of the rear seat folded if I take out the rear seatpost (convinced with a bit of effort I could fit 2 in like that, along with 4 riders). If you have a smaller car there's always the option of fitting it through the back into the front seat (like I do with a windsurfer) and your passenger sitting in the back seat (in tandem!)

Alternatively, before I bought this car I used to carry it on the roof using an axle fitted through the end of my kayak V bars (basically a long bit of square section alu with V shaped cradles on the ends) in just the same way as a standard front wheel out carrier. Rear wheel tied down to the V bar. If you want a roof carrier, getting a bit of square section alu like this and making your own has to be cheapest.

To help those having trouble visualising a V bar, here's a pic of a kayak on one:
[img] [/img]

so does a kayaks shape give you lift or downforce 😉 = how was the steering haha

Was thinking of buying one of [url= http://www.rutlandcycling.com/12390/Avenir-Roma-Tandem-Carrier.html ]these[/url] for the Ute. May need arms like Popeye to get it onto a people carrier though.

Took it through France (via tunnel) on back tow ball carrier, took both sets of wheels off.

also i can say a tandem doess not fit in a peugeot partner van - even with the wheels off itll still want to be in the cab with you.... result - ride it to the destination

WTF? We manage to get our tandem in Mrs ADH's tinsy little Peugeot 106.

Wheels off, slap it in diagonally.

On my motah, it sticks out ~half a wheel diameter (14") either side. End to end, it's still less than the width of a big caravan or an HGV so where they go, I follow 🙂

Needs a bit of care in narrow lane roadworks tho...

it had to go in straight in the van due to other loading contstraints ADH it also had silly long suspension forks on it

TBF I'm only winding you up - our tandem is rigid and has a dinky 13" back end for Mrs ADH 🙂

Keep thinking of asking Mrs ADH's Dad to weld us up a roof rack.

I drive a Focus. Tandem is a Trek with a small/medium rear stoker seat. Both wheels off and it fits across the rear rack and is no wider then the wing mirrors. Wheels go inside.

pendle T bar on our past cars. now it fits inside. next one might fit in two suitcases 🙂

Cheers all.

If and when I get a tandem it's more than likely going to have to go on the outside of our car as there will be 3 people inside with associated toddler clobber (which may include a chariot.)

Roof or back of the car it is. The Pendle rack may be the answer as the tandem can go on it complete.

I'm about (as in, sometime in the next few weeks, probably not this afternoon) to adapt a Thule towbar rack -- extra beam with an axle/QR at each end that the tandem dropouts will sit in. Wheels out the tandem's no wider than the back of the van. Roofrack's out, it's a high-top camper 😉