Message Forums

I would like to take my bike camping with me but dont have a bike rack, do you think that I would get a bike into the back of my car, fiat punto? does anyone else do this instead of having a rack.

If I do need to get a bike rack whats the law do I also need to get a lighting board/additional number plate? Also I've seen the bike racks for your roof, how do you get the bike up there?

Really hope to get it in the boot as Im new to camping and have just bought a tent, which I am paitently waiting for deliery of, I've still got other things to buy and didnt have in the budget a bike rack.

Thanks

Lou

Years ago, my husband and I used to go camping in our volvo 360 (hatchback) with the bikes and all our gear! We used to lay the bikes down in the back of the car and place all our gear around the bikes! Had loads of room! More recently, due to a change in car, we have a bike rack as we can't fit the bigger tent and all the gadgets that we have accumulated over the years in the back of the 4x4!!!

If you fold the back seat forward & take front wheel off bike it should fit in, sounds a pain but not too much trouble really.

C.

Thanks, only one way to find out I guess. Just wanted to know if it was feasible before becoming a source of entertainment for the curtain twitchers.

If you do buy a bike rack for the back of the car, you only need a lightboard/number plate board if you're obscuring the ones on the car - some hold the bike quite high so its not a problem. Bear in mind that most don't allow you access to the boot once on. I'm not a fan of the rear carriers - i'm sure you eventually end up damaging the car.

I use a roof rack on my VW Polo - Thule one, so a little pricey but excellent quality and installs very easily. Yes, lifting the bikes up onto the roof is a little tricky but you soon get the hang of it (strap the front wheel up so it can't move, park on road and lift from pavement for example). Roof rack has so many other uses too - worth the investment.

Tow bar mount is the last option of course.