[Closed] What estate car fits a bike upright?

I’m going for - none. You’ll be looking at a larger SUV or some kind of people carrier

Size matters...have you measured the height of the bike in this form and searched estate boot heights?

Had a VW Touran in a previous life, two bikes with droppers down and front wheel off.

So I guess from there and up in MPV you'll probably be good.

Used to happily put 3 26er bikes with 160 forks standing in the back of a Passat, just front wheel off. Not a hope with a 29er

I could get a medium road bike in my renault scenic, with the seats folded.
Had to go in at an angle, but would stand wedged against the roof.
So, I’ll agree, no normal estate car will manage it.
Don’t bother buying a renault, it would be cheaper to just buy a new bike for every trip.
Edit: I missed the bit about front wheel off, that changes things somewhat.

I've owned mondeos and skoda superbs, both equally massive and with both id struggle to fit a bike in upright. My bikes were all xl though.

Maybe if you drop air out the shock and slam seat post it might be possible.

I do wish they did fit though. Would be handy.

As it stands I think you're best bet is taller family wagons like Renault grand scenic et.

I really noticed it recently when getting just about the biggest estate car you can buy. Volume wise might be great, but the useable space is not as good as our smaller SUV

Buy a SUV would be my advice

Buy a SUV would be my advice

Careful with talk like that. Won't be long til the morality police catch up with you for killing woodlice or something and you are shamed into hiding... 😉

I’ve owned my elgrand for 7 years and every mtb I’ve owned goes in upright with wheels on, not quite an estate car though 🤣

I'll go for none too. MPV would be my choice for that but I wouldn't make it. Estate with seats down and book in its side for moi.

Nissan Pathfinder! Good for 22mpg on the motorway too!!!!

Some options here: https://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/what-car-for-mountain-biking/

Can't imagine a true estate will do it. Going to be some sort of MPV/SUV thing I think.

Seatpost dropped, front wheel off, 100mm forked 29er, no bother upright in a Mondeo Estate. 130mm plus, you've got to get a lean on.

Most estates won’t have the height.

my outback will fit my 29r with wheels on, on its side. It’ll go upright with wheels off but not with the rear still in.

You’re talking needing over 1m in height between the boot floor and roof/hinges. Even our i3 which has a bloody huge boot lid won’t take a 29er with 2.6”tyres on it.

None. You need to go MPV to get the height and at that point you may well give up on life altogether.

Yeh... Your past estates if you want that sort of clearance. My 2007 XC90 will take a 29r on the seat and bars with front wheel removed, as will the wifes 2016 Kuga. If your dead set on an estate, then leaning or lying on its side is the only way

S-Max or C4 or Zafira Tourer is your answer

Galaxy or Sharan/Alahahabbmbmmmbmmbra if you need a spaceship (sounds like you don't) will swallow them upright wheels on with dropper dropped like it's nothing

Or C-Max if you want smaller but the rear seats (very) annoyingly don't fold into themselves unless super modern ones do

This site's pretty handy for giving the important boot dimensions rather than the half-useless cubic litre capacity that gets quoted on specs... its primarily to help people choose wheelchair friendly motors but obviously handy for anyone who cares about load lugging:
https://www.ridc.org.uk/features-reviews/out-and-about/car-search

specs for each car for:
Length of boot floor - back row of seats folded down or removed
Length of boot floor - back row of seats upright
Vertical height of boot opening
Boot sill height to floor of car
Boot sill height to ground
Width of boot floor at narrowest point
Width of boot opening - bottom

I've been trying to find a replacement for my aging Mk2 Focus Estate, pretty much nothing else these days has similar width/depth and the SUV craze has made matters worse.....

Grand c max no problem.

I’ve seen it done in a Skoda yeti. Admittedly not an estate but not quite given up on life…
650b orange five for reference.

Galaxy or Sharan/Alahahabbmbmmmbmmbra if you need a spaceship (sounds like you don’t) will swallow them upright wheels on with dropper dropped like it’s nothing

Not with wheels on but front wheel out they'll do 3 big travel 29ers with 3 seats up and all the kit for a weekend away.

Friends could get two road bikes upright in a Yeti with front wheels off.

May not work for a mountain bike.

Skoda fabia estate. Get my 29r and mrs's 27r in up(side down)right in with front wheel off. Back wheel end in first, also gives the bootlip as a handy ledge to rest the bars on while you remove/fit the front.

S Max won't take an S3 Kenevo SL upright with the front wheel off.

Yeti possibly has the height (but isn't an estate car) but length is lacking. The aforementioned KSL only went in on it's side with the front wheel removed and the passenger seat so far forward that Douglas Bader would complain about the lack of legroom...

5 Series; upright? No chance.

CLS Shooting Brake; don't even bother...

Skoda fabia estate.

This I have to see!

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/my-bike-in-my-car/

My 29er Trek Superfly and my 27 plus Scott Spark would fit in upright in my V70 with front wheel out/saddle down. Haven't tried it in my V90. Not sure as I type what size the frames are but I'm 5ft 10inch tall.

That's impressive in a V70. Particularly the 29er.
As my 2013 V70 is only 726mm/28.6" in height.
🤔

My road bikes fit in my C-max upright with the front wheel off. Not sure how they compare to a 29er.

My previous c3 Picasso (not a big car) would take 3 xl 29ers upright along with riders.
My 3 series Estate struggles with 2

Sigh...buy a Berlingo!

Ford Tourneo Connect LWB. I can get my bike in upright.

If I take wheels out I can get 4 bikes in the boot.

Something van based, or that looks like a van or is actually a van.

Last time I got a bike in an estate car upright it didn't have a dropper post and the wheels were 26".

I could fit a Cotic Solaris in my old S Max, front wheel off, seat down and upright or upside down.if all seat were down.

ransos
Free Member

My road bikes fit in my C-max upright with the front wheel off. Not sure how they compare to a 29er

Tiny in comparison to a 29er

I was surprised how easy my whippet was to get in our Cmax even without a dropper. My 29 anthem is easy peasy with dropper and doable without.

I’ve got a Jag XF estate / Sportbrake - there’s no hope of getting a 29er in stood up with just the front wheel off. You’d need an estate with a really deep boot to have any chance and most modern cars don’t have that. I reckon you need an mpv or van based ‘car’. I sort of fancied getting a Tourneo Connect in the 1.6 petrol turbo with the auto box but couldn’t quite get my head around how it looks for an every day driver.

The Jag is epic to drive and swallows a lot of kit / child / dog etc - but the bike goes on the roof.

Jesus that was painful, and it missed out that I was replying to @doomanic. Anywho, 29r norco fluid fs1 on the left 27r canyon nerve/neuron? on the right. In an 11 plate fabia estate ^^

Galaxy or Sharan/Alahahabbmbmmmbmmbra if you need a spaceship (sounds like you don’t) will swallow them upright wheels on with dropper dropped like it’s nothing

We have an Alhambra and I need to take the front wheel off of my 26" BFe to get it in vertically. It might git if you put the bike in sideways then stand it up but I highly doubt it

My od CMax would do this, just fold the rear seats fwd and then jam the back tyre in between the folded seat ad the door handle. As said above though - you do have to have given up somewhat to buy one. ;o)

Tiny in comparison to a 29er

Bit surprised at that. There's no dropper...

Sigh…buy a Berlingo Caddy Maxi!

Fixed it for you. My Berlingo is absolute dogshit. Typical French electrics.

Agree with the Berlingo/Partner comment - it is superb for carting bikes around. I've not sold my soul yet so not using 29ers - I do think they won't be quite so easy in terms of length, but it just works.

I bought a Galaxy rather than a Mondeo estate (a long time ago), because I could fit our 26" mtb tandem in. Upright, with the middle L and rear L seats removed. (the car salesman was rather bemused when I brought the tandem along to see if it would fit, before I committed to purchase).

I used to be able to fit a road bike upright in our Discovery 3, albeit I had to tilt slightly on entry for saddle to clear the top lip.
I'm not aware of any current estates that can take upright, even with front wheel off.

Oh well, looks like I will have to struggle on with my 3 series then, thanks for the suggestions, don’t have kids, so not ready for an mpv/suv yet!

With my mondeo I could put the passenger seat base up. Then with wheel out ,spin the bars and bike would fit where the rear passengers would ,sideways across car.

Its Blingo/Caddy/Alhanbra/Touran territory or if you have no more will to live, vauxhall Combo...

Estates tend to be long, wide and low IMHO. If it's too much of a squeeze then it will just scratch up the inside.

"I wish I had a smaller and more fiddly car to put my bikes in" said no-one ever.

Berlingo. Had a Galaxy before it and had to take front wheels off and drop posts to fit bikes and my 29er hardtail (size L) was still a squeeze.
The Berlingo allows an even bigger fs bike to just wheel in with both wheels on and the post still extended, just with one of the back seats popped out (& left in the boot).
That’s a previous gen Berlingo on a ‘65 plate, not sure what the current one is like.

Doesn't answer the question but, I find laying them down with front wheel off is much better use of space.

For just two bikes and kit, a old/cheap covered duvet between them stops pedal / frame interactions and for holiday purposes I load the boot first then bikes on top. Another duvet / blanket between more if needed. Stops all rolling around and they don't fall over and cause mayhem like they would if stood up.

Got 3 29" FS bikes, a 26" HT and a weeks clothing etc for 2 in the back of any family car I've had, including a Focus estate.

Had a old 2003 2.0 HDI Peugeout Partner was great for lugging bikes/dog/family around in. Just sold on a few years back after clutch went a rear suspension had colapsed.

I’ve seen it done in a Skoda yeti. Admittedly not an estate

Yah, I've seen it done in a London Omnibus and an HS225... Both 'not estates'...🤪

Ot really an estate I know, but Skoda roomster takes my P4 161 and my mates size large sentinel, or my XL optic with no problems. Front wheels off, droppers down and our gear dropped in between them.
Maybe it helps that I'm not at all precious about the car. I also cobbled together some boards to fill in the rear footwell which makes it a bit easier to load and unload because the forks can't drop down into the hole.

My friend can get his time trial bike upright in an older Honda Jazz, front wheel off
A TT bike may be lower than a 29er, and he's quite short so it is probably a small one even for a TT bike

We went through this recently & the short answer is there is basically nothing estate wise on the market what would take a decent sized 29 FS bike.

Not even close in a 2019 Superb estate, which is what we had. Tried a Kodiaq & still no chance, as per the Enyaq. Didn’t want an MPV, as they are basically vans with windows, I’d rather have a decent combi van, which is what we ended up with. And the bikes fit in the back complete.

Not sure I would want it as our only vehicle, but we have a decent car as well.

My ford galaxy took an xl lls 29er, had a fork mount on one of the rearmost seats so rolled in and attatched nice and secure. Did require the seat in front of the bike to be rolled flat but that was very simple I do.

My size medium Giant Trance 29 fits in my Mondeo estate (2012) upright with front wheel out and seat down.

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Seat Leon ST. Seatpost and front wheel removed. 650b gravel bike with flared bars also fits (just). The board with the fork bracket is clamped to tge Isofix bar on the back of the rear seat. Rigid 29er is too big, though the Geoff loop bars probably don't help!

What about a Dacia jogger?

I can confirm no Toyota estate will fit one, although the Yaris Cross was marketed with a MTB in the back, upright with front wheel removes.

Ot really an estate I know, but Skoda roomster

Don't go blabbing or everyone will want one!

If you go by RIDC measurements they're bigger than a Yeti too. Keeping an eye out for one if it comes up at a decent price/distance.

Berlingo. Does that count as an estate?

Don't need the XL one. The standard length is fine for me. My bike is a size small 29er but there is still loads of room. I don't need to take the wheel off but choose to as its easier to secure with a home made fork mount.

Only issue is you can only get a new one in electric and the range is not very good. Mines the 1.2 petrol and its great. Only struggles if theres 4 or 5 people in it, but fine with 2 and 2 bikes. Got a king-size matress in it a while back while moving some stuff about.

You need something that you can remove a rear seat.

I have a Renault Megane Scenic. I take one of the rear seats out which allows me get my bike in with the seat dropped and the front wheel removed.

You can get two 29ers into a MK3 octavia if you drop the forks over the front of the rear seats. This is a solarismax and a yeti in the back on mine.

slackboy - interesting technique! Is that with the stem loosened to turn the bars, or is it okay just to angle the forks down into the footwell?

Don’t go blabbing or everyone will want one!

im pretty sure they won’t.

I've never understood why it's so popular to leave the back wheel in. The bike is so unbalanced when trying to lift it into the car. In anything short of a Berlingo it's much faster to just take both wheels out in my experience. Since someone mentioned honda jazz already, I'll add that my large genesis day one fits in easy with both wheels on, and that's an absolute gate (for a road bike). I doubt a 3 series owner is in the market for one though!

interesting technique! Is that with the stem loosened to turn the bars, or is it okay just to angle the forks down into the footwell?

No, just the front wheel off. I slide them in on their side and then flip them upright and the forks drop into the rear footwell. Drops in fine and actually give the bikes a bit of stability as they are slightly "wedged".

My Octavia has a raised boot floor which robs a bit of height, so it would be easier in a standard Octy.

Thanks Slackboy, that looks interesting.

It’s a shame Honda stopped making the element, perfect mtb vehicle in my opinion https://www.insidehook.com/article/vehicles/honda-element-discounted-too-soon

A new one with a 300hp awd hybrid would be perfect!

In fact maybe the new VW multivan comes close, will have to wait until it’s in the showrooms.

Don't get all the comments about giving up on life about MPVs, surely a vehicle that helps you enjoy life's pleasures is the opposite of this. But even as a boy I was never a boy racer.
And I do have a 1973 Alfa Spider for non-functional day trips.

Tried my medium 29er on the c class today. It will go upright with the forks in the rear passenger footwell and the headrests out of the folder rear seats.

Don’t get all the comments about giving up on life about MPVs, surely a vehicle that helps you enjoy life’s pleasures is the opposite of this.

This!

Acres of gear carrying space, comfy driving position, loads of rear legroom for passengers and much more room to get changed in the back of than an estate while not being quite as rattly and top heavy as a crew cab van.

Although in fairness to the OP if I didn't have the children and dog I'd probably be happier with a smaller estate / mid sized hatchback for the economy and running costs and slightly nicer driving characteristics.

I'm the same...absolutely love the Puggy Partner, but then I only see a car as a tool to get me and whatever I need from A to B, so the image/badge/statement thing is lost on me...get a vehicle that does most of what you want to do brilliantly and then work around the bits that need improved.

If you need to carry the bike inside then you need space and most estates don't have the height required to do it properly...MPVs do tend to have the height though, so if bike carry is a top priority then consider those, if looking good at the school run or parking up to watch your kids football game is important to you, then MPV probably isn't what you'd be looking for as in your head you'll be judging yourself thinking it is what everyone else is doing.

Saying all that, I'd still love a big Volvo estate - running costs put me off but I think for one of those, I'd be willing to accept the bikes won't be fully built and upright in the car.

Don’t get all the comments about giving up on life about MPVs, surely a vehicle that helps you enjoy life’s pleasures is the opposite of this

+1 more. But then I was lusting over the idea of a Mk1 Renault espace, Matra rancho, or converted escort van as a kid (“think where you could go with that!”).

Needless to say, have a Caddy Maxi Life now and for nearly 15 years. Before that golf mk4 estate (which had a decent load space and before that an inherited old Passat estate) though bikes on the roof of those.

Prior to buying a van I had a Honda civic estate

Not sure about standing the bike up though, it really benefited from having a very flat loading area with the seats down.

having squeezed bikes into the back of many cars over the years, i just dont entertain it anymore. Tow bar bike rack or failing that, roof bars with a rack.

Is there a reason why most folks on here put bikes in cars, rather than on it? (Genuine question, not being a peeeeenarse)

Is there a reason why most folks on here put bikes in cars, rather than on it?

Because it’s easier. No storing and then fitting tow bar racks (or having tow bar kit fitted to my car). No messing around shoving bikes on to the roof, buying bars and fittings. Open door shove bike in back.

I’ve had a car or a van which was bought solely to lug bikes for about the last 15 years, it’s great. Currently on a 1.6 roomster - great bike car, all the rear seats come out bikes go in with front wheel off.

Also anything I can easily lug bikes in is good for hauling all sorts of other crap!

You can get two 29ers into a MK3 octavia if you drop the forks over the front of the rear seats. This is a solarismax and a yeti in the back on mine.

This thread is classic Singletrack...
Two pages of rocksolid, near unanimous input saying that it's impossible. OP takes the feedback and gets on with his life ...

Then someone whos actually applied a bit of thought to it pops up and shows us that we've all been talking complete bollocks. 😄

Well done slackboy for managing what nobody else could

( with apologies to uniqueusername, who also appears to have worked some black magic 🙂 )