Bikes in the back?

[blazing928]

hi
looking to perhaps buy a D3 and my question is about space in the back for MTB [mountain bikes].
I would like to be able to put my large frame MTB and the wifes bike without front wheels preferably in the middle [or down one side] and at least two more young kids bikes 16" & 20" wheels. One child still needs to be in a car seat [at 6yo], I don't like the boosters.
So can it be done?
Also if the middle seat is down can you access the seat belt buckles?
We have an X5 [POS!] and its almost impossible to buckle the rear belts with one seat folded next to the buckle. It means the kids can't do their belts them selves.

I much prefer the D3/4 options the rear cargo area gives, but my sweet heart prefers a RR, or at least a D4SDV6, which IMHO hasn't depreciated enough yet!

thanks Nigel

[Beamin]

Can't say I've tried to fit bikes in the back but there's a huge amount of space with the seats down. I just went out and tested the access to the buckles in the back seat of my D4 and it's essentially unchanged on both sides when the middle seat is down so you should have no problem. Good luck with getting what you want

[brad72]

I've got a specialized enduro 2010 that I fit in the back on my D4 with the centre seat folded down and front wheel off. I have an adjustable seat post so I have that in the lowest position as well. I have a ratchet tie down strap attached to the anchor points and over the rear wheel to keep the bike upright. I have fitted the kids 20" & 16" bikes as well but never another 26" bike.

My other way of transporting my bike is on the roof with a thule proride 591. I have a clip on step that goes over the rear tyre so I can easily get the bike on and off.

With the centre seat folded down there is no problem accessing the seatbelt buckles on either of the other seats. One of my kids is still in a car seat as well.

Tomorrow I'll put 2 lge mtb's in the D4 for you and take a photo so you can see how it fits . Bit cold and dark now

Brad

[blazing928]

Thanks Brad & Beamin, that's perfect info.
I have Thule racks etc for X5 and my car, but would prefer to leave racks off.....
thanks again

[brad72]

Here 3 bikes in the back. 2 x 26" mens bikes and one 20" bike. The Enduro is a big frame so a regular mountain bike would be a bit smaller.

As you can see the kids have plenty of room in the back seats with no problems with access to the seat belts.

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/746/p6190012.jpg
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/8068/p6190013.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2077/p6190014o.jpg

[blazing928]

Thanks Brad
That is way beyond what I hoped to find out. Many thanks for the effort.

regards

[brad72]

No Problem mate. Always happy to help and this sort of thing is always hard to describe and a picture tells 1000 words.

I transport my bike like this all the time as at least I know it is safe when parked as shopping centres etc

The way the seats fold in the D3/D4 is fantastic. If the kid wants to sit in the middle seat I just fold it down and put the bike to one side. That also means someone can sit in one of the 3rd row seats

[geoz]

Personally I would not put the bikes in the back of the car, my bike kept bashing into the side trim pieces and left some unsightly marks there (in the D2).

I like this style: easy to load / unload & easy to remove as well.

Grip Sport - Australia's first and only Specialist Bicycle Engineers (http://www.gripsport.com.au/bike_main.php?part=bike_products&prodID=32)

[DiscoWeb]

blazing928,

I carry bikes regularly in the D3, I think you will find it has close to twice the usable space of an X5 because if it square and does note have the sloping rear window.

As my mtb is a Cannodale with a lefty fork, taking the front wheel off is a pain so I generally put them up on the roof racks.

Only issue with this is my wife can not get bikes onto and off the D3 as it is too tall. There is a clip on step (as Brad 72 noted) but I find it just a s easy to use the rear wheel as a step.

The rear tow ball carries from Thule that swing away so you can get to the tail gate or excellent as well.

Problem with packing bikes in the back like you suggest is that they do protrude into the passenger space and in an accident, even if they are well secured could cause serious issues for the kids if there heads happend to come into contact. Additionally when they are muddy and dirty after a fun ride etc they will mark the interior and be a pain to load and unload.

Nothing like finishing a great ride, having bike a self covered in dust/dirt etc and simply throwing it up top and not worrying about it. just remember it is there as I have driven into the garage with it on once, not a great sound.

Good luck on the decision making and glad you have seen the light and come over to true sports utility vehicle and not a pretend one !

Regards,

George

[brad72]

Man, i made myself one of those towbar bike mounts years ago. Knew I should have marketted it.

Your right about the dirty bike though. Up unitl January we hadn't had rain for years so the bike never got muddy. Now however it's a different story.

[blazing928]

A few extra large garbage bags have always taken care of dirty bikes in the car. If you do it a lot then a soft bike bag would be useful or get a canvas bag made up.
I prefer putting the bike in the car when on my own, except my car is now too small and besides the hatch is full of amps.:)
The X5 is my wife's car. She is short too so would never be able to reach a bike on the roof.
This is mostly for a quick ride to the bike track on weekends with the kids, rather than heading bush.
I like "Crackinfails" a fav bike, I used to race them, Vets, in XC and DH mid 90s. In those days it was the same bike for both events.