Will a bicycle fit in my car? They can, but there may be better ways

Sometimes you want to take your bicycle in the car, rather than cycling to your destination.

Maybe you are planning a weekend camping trip, and if you cycled there, you would be unable to carry much gear, and it would take too much time. Finding a bicycle that can fit in your car will help ensure you make the most of your beloved bicycle.

Most bikes will fit in most cars. However, you may have to dismantle your bicycle to some extent make sure it fits. Unless you have a fold-up bike (worth checking out if you want to save on space) or a large pick-up or van, you will need to undo a few screws and bolts so that your bicycle can fit in the car.

While you should have no problem fitting your bike into a pickup truck, and medium or large sized SUVs, the main issue starts when you have a compact SUV or a car of some sort. That is when you likely will need to dismantle parts of the bike.

What do you need to dismantle?

If you are struggling to get your bike in the car, you should first take off the front wheel. Try avoiding taking off the rear as it is more effort to put back on, and you may end up ruining gears if you are not doing it properly.

The front wheel should just slide straight out once you have released the axle (many bikes have a quick release, which makes this very easy).

This should be enough to allow you to get your bike on the back seat and easily compact enough for the boot.

Although taking the front wheel out will help to get most bikes in your car, if your vehicle is too small, there is little else you can try other than dismantling the whole bike and putting it in as a frame and wheels. However, this is time-consuming and should the last resort. 

What are some alternatives to putting the bike inside the car?

If you are determined to take your bike on your next adventure in the car but are struggling to make it fit, you can get bike racks that clip onto your roof (like this one) or rear trunk.

This means you do not have to waste your time with a spanner. You can just strap your bike onto your car. However, it means that your bike is exposed to the elements and potentially left out overnight if you are camping.

Conclusion

Owning a bike, and a small car tends to not lend well when wanting to travel with it! While dismantling a bike to make it fit is an option, it definitely isn’t the best.

Owning a roof rack and putting your bike on that tends to be the better option. Just make sure you don’t leave it on the roof permanently, otherwise that you’ll run into a lot of issues