I will be taking delivery of a D5 next Monday and am wondering if any members of the Forum have any innovative ways of carrying road or hybrid bicycles inside the car. I will be towing a caravan so mounting a rack on the tow bar is not an option nor do I want to lift them onto roof carriers.
When I had my D4, I was able to carry two road bikes inside using a bike rack onto which the front forks clamped (wheels out of course!). This left plenty of room for the caravan awning, bags etc. Ok, the rear seats were folded down so only two of us could travel but that is not a problem.
Would be great to hear of any solutions/methods any member has used.
dont put them in the 'van, can cause too much damage.
I have had 2 adult bikes in the back of my D5, but had to lay them on their side one on top of the other - not the solution I think you wanted.
The issue with the D5 is the tailgate opening height isnt as high as the D4, The loadbed is longer though. It sort of messes up what you can and cant carry.
On my D4 I had the witter 4 bike towbar mounted bikerack, which meant I could carry the bikes and tow at the same time, but my D5 came with the electric deployable towbar which means I cant use this method. I cant be arsed to chnage the towbar for a fixed one that would then allow me to use the witter rack again.
Al
Now gone - D5 HSE 2Ltr in Corris with black roof, black & dynamic packs & 22" black alloys, a bit of a change after 2 D3's and 2 D4's
dont put them in the 'van, can cause too much damage.
I have had 2 adult bikes in the back of my D5, but had to lay them on their side one on top of the other - not the solution I think you wanted.
The issue with the D5 is the tailgate opening height isnt as high as the D4, The loadbed is longer though. It sort of messes up what you can and cant carry.
On my D4 I had the witter 4 bike towbar mounted bikerack, which meant I could carry the bikes and tow at the same time, but my D5 came with the electric deployable towbar which means I cant use this method. I cant be arsed to chnage the towbar for a fixed one that would then allow me to use the witter rack again.
Al
I don't want to put them in the van as I am concerned about damage to the seats etc.
I used a Minoura bike rack in the D4 which requires the front wheels to be removed from the bikes and attached to the bike rack. This worked well and I am hoping I may be able to do the same with the D5 (which I collected today!!!). Will have to see what I can do.
Finally got round to sorting out a bike rack to take the bikes inside the D5..... Bought a Minoura carrier which simply sits inside the car and the bikes attach with the front forks (wheels removed of course). Ok for us as we don't need the rear seats when towing the caravan!
Our caravan does not have the facility to fit a bike rack on the rear of the 'van. In any case, carrying bikes like that is not recommended due to causing instability of the caravan.
not many caravans can take one, theres a few newer Swift ones that can, plus it can severely disrupt the balance and stability of the caraven.
Wish there was an easy way, we need to carry 4 bikes, so can't take them away when using the caravan.
This is the problem with cars like the Disco - you can get roof bars and bike carriers to go on the roof but you need to be about 6' 10" tall to be able to lift the bikes on!!! I managed it with the previous Disco Sport but there is no way I could get bikes onto the roof of the D5.
How about a carrier above the A frame for 2 and a rack on the back for the other 2. should balance out quite nicely. Where there's a will there's a way,....... usually,
3.0 HSE. climate HUD active diff. elec towbar. FBH and timed climate.Capability plus pack.split TV. surround sound. Intelligent seating. adaptive lights, wade sensing. 360 cameras.pro pack.cooler.advanced tow, auto park,activity key+ more!!!!
I have carried bike on the roof with both the D4 and D5 when towing the caravan, no issues just use caravan step to give the extra height to put them onto the roof. Is a good idea to set the rack up to take the bike before putting it onto the roof bars though.
Have also carried tow road bikes inside the caravan secured to bed with ratchet strap and no issues, both bikes in carry bags.
Have a later type Swift with bike racks on the back now and have carried the bikes on there but it does make a noticeable difference to stability and you have to load very very carefully
9/10 time now I carry them inside the car just laid down with a blanket between them to protect each bike, again secured with ratchet strap
Namib Orange 1st Edition with black roof and wheels.
Privacy, tow bar, drive pack, surround camera, heated front & rear seats, auto dim door mirrors, side steps, remote Pro, RSE, arm rest fridge dash cam front and rear.
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