# Bike in Backseat Pics?



## jcgill (Jul 20, 2010)

Hello, I have been considering picking up a new fuel efficent car for long trips. (I currently have a GMC Yukon that i love, but 11-13mpg gets old on long trips.)

I love that i can fit a bike in the back of my yukon with both wheels on or with a fork mount on the floor....I can probably do the same with a wagon (Forester or Outback)...... 
But I would like to expand my search to include regular 4 door sedans (Accord, Camry, Malibu, Impreza, etc.) 
This would mean putting the bike on the backseat and the front wheel in the trunk (I have seen this done, but never took a close look at how it was done, or how well it works....Could those of you that do this post some pictures or tips????


PS- I know i could install a roof rack or hitch rack, but i really would perfer the security of having the bike inside the vehicle.


Thanks,
Jon


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

I've heard the Honda Element is remarkably good for transporting bikes inside,


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

"This would mean putting the bike on the backseat and the front wheel in the trunk "

??????????????

Many cars have fold down rear seats. You need to fine one of these that has a large enough "hole" that you can slide a bike through. Some cars have very small passageways between trunk and rear seating area. This type will not work. When you shop for a car, bring you bike along to see if it will fit.
Better yet, look for a Hatchback. In my small Hatchback I can fit two bikes with their front wheels off, and five spare wheels. I just put an old blanket between bikes. On trips to races this year, i've hit 40 mpg.


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## defboob (Aug 31, 2011)

My 2010 ford fusion carries my bike inside very well. The backseat is a 60/40 split so I fold down the bigger side and then place the bike in from the trunk. I take the front wheel off and the rear wheel stays on. The bike goes in rear first so the handlebars and the bike are on their side. It fits great and there's still a good bit of room for other things. My child's car seat still has all the room he needs in the back too on the side that doesnt fold down.


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

In my 2007 Accord, I can fit my fairly large (62cm) road bike in the trunk. Both wheels have to come off; then they're laid on top of the bike (using a blanket to separate them to avoid scratches). Pretty much nothing additional will fit in the trunk.


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## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

*Should not be an issue*



jcgill said:


> Hello, I have been considering picking up a new fuel efficent car for long trips. (I currently have a GMC Yukon that i love, but 11-13mpg gets old on long trips.)
> 
> I love that i can fit a bike in the back of my yukon with both wheels on or with a fork mount on the floor....I can probably do the same with a wagon (Forester or Outback)......
> But I would like to expand my search to include regular 4 door sedans (Accord, Camry, Malibu, Impreza, etc.)
> ...


Sorry I don't have a pic but before I bought a Honda Fit I had a subcompact Mazda Protege (now Mazda 3) and I had no problem fitting it in the trunk with one or both rear seats folded down. I just needed to remove the front wheel and slide it in. I ride a 59c-c frame so this is not a small bike. The cars you mention are much larger and as long as the rear seats fold down you should be golden


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## PeatD (Jun 24, 2005)

You can fit a bike in pretty much any car's backseat, assuming the car actually has a backseat. I once test drove an early 90's Honda Prelude, a tiny car with 2 doors and a miniature back seat. I fit my bike in the back, with the wheels resting against the frame. It was too small for the biking trips I planned, of course, so I ended up buying a small four-door Volvo.


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## jcgill (Jul 20, 2010)

Thanks for the trunk passageway idea, i never thought of that. (i have driven past cars and seen a bike sideways in the backseat before and was just curious how they were doing it.)

I would love a hatchback, but i am having a hard time finding one that appeals to me in all other areas (i am a gearhead/automotive enthusiast).

The honda element is a great suggestion, but i am looking for a new car, and they no longer produce them.


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## PRB (Jun 15, 2002)

I used to regularly carry two bikes in the back seat of a BMW 320i, which is not huge. I'd take both wheels off, turn the bikes upside down so they rested on the bars and saddle and use a blanket to separate them. The wheels would fit in the floorboard with no problem and I still had room for a gear bag or two.


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## bonknkrash (Jun 17, 2011)

I drive a 2008 4dr honda accord. I can fit my bike in the backseat, with both tires still on the bike. It has to be tilted a little bit, so that the back tire is down to the floor board, and the front tire is actually up on the back seat, but it fits. Obviously, if I take the front wheel off it goes in with no problem at all.

My back seat release latch busted so I cant put the back seat down. and the bike will not fit in the trunk (with the seat up) without removing both the front and rear tires. too much of a PIA, I just toss it in the back set.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

I've done this multiple ways in various rental cars. Usually, I take the front wheel off the bike, and from the driver's side, roll the rear wheel in first on the floor behind the front seats. This puts the drivetrain (chain, rings, RD etc) facing away from the front edge of the rear seat. Usually the left side pedal of the bike is up so that it doesn't hit the rear seat. Then you need to try various ways to of rotating bars/fork to get it to fit when the door is closed.

You might put a piece of carpet, old towel, or similar over the front edge of the rear seat.

Sometimes it's helpful to first move the front seats all the way forward to ease getting the bike in the rear seat, then move them back as room allows. 

In a number of situations put two bikes in a sedan by first putting one behind the the front seats, folding the back of the rear seats down and putting the second bike in the trunk protruding into the passenger cabin. 

Personally though, I'd get a more wagon-like vehicle or small SUV rather than a sedan.


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## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> "This would mean putting the bike on the backseat and the front wheel in the trunk "
> 
> ??????????????
> 
> ...


What do you drive? I'm shopping for a Hatchback to replace my commuter for this very reason.


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## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

looigi said:


> I take the front wheel off the bike, and from the driver's side, roll the rear wheel in first on the floor behind the front seats. This puts the drivetrain (chain, rings, RD etc) facing away from the front edge of the rear seat. Usually the left side pedal of the bike is up so that it doesn't hit the rear seat. Then you need to try various ways to of rotating bars/fork to get it to fit when the door is closed.


This is what I do in my current commuter (Corolla).


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## EuroSVT (Sep 15, 2011)

I'm in a Mazdaspeed3, no problem fitting the bike with front wheel on into the hatch. I have a 54 frame, but the area around the bike isn't even close to being a snug fit.

Maybe the Turbo 2.3L would appeal to your inner gearhead


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## smoothie7 (Apr 11, 2011)

My cousin has a new Nissan Altima and we can take the front wheel off and it will fit in the back seat with no problems. My new Nissan Sentra does not fit a bike. I have to use a trunk mount


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## stockwiz (May 29, 2012)

can fit entire bike in trunk with grand am so nobody knows it's there, both wheels come off though. One wheel must come off if I put the seat down, this sedan is not engineered well for storage space either. A hatchback type vehicle like a 2012 focus hatchback would be a piece of cake to just put the bike in.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

I've gotten a partially disassembled Husqvarna TE250 in the back seat of my S320. Fit with LOTS of room to spare!

My 88 Golf was great for this: THREE bikes upright in the hatch. :thumb I haven't found anything that'll compete with that till I get to Expeditions. If I'm not gonna be able to get the bike in upright, I'm going to keep driving the Bank Vault. No sense selling off something that gets decent mileage, is paid for, and fits a bike upright and inside with just the front wheel off if I can't get what I want.

M


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## vivid (Jun 1, 2012)

Not my car but I found it amusing


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

We just got a Mazda 2. With the back seat down, a road bike plus other stuff (but not a lot) fits easily (dismount front wheel). Pleanty of room up front for driver and passenger.

Car gets an honest 35mpg in town and better on highways. Handles great. Blast to drive. > $20k

I'm still gonna get a bike rack, though. Drs orders to the wife involves her getting on a bike again, so I'll be having to transport 2 bikes intead of one, and two won't fit in the back :-(


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