Small cars & Tandems

[Joe.B]

For the last couple of years my family has been transporting its cycles around the UK inside a Fiat Scudo van and before that on the roof of large estate cars. However we are now considering selling the van and just running our small car, a Smart Forfour.
I’d be interested in finding out if others amongst us have relied on a small car to transport their tandems and what advice can be offered.
We need to be able to transport two tandems and it seems that there are three options; a roof rack, use a rear carrier & remove wheels to reduce overall width, or fit a towbar and use a modified motorcycle trailer.
Each of these options seems to have its own pros & cons. The trailer and towbar will be expensive and sometimes awkward but would be the most secure option and also useful for carrying other items, a twin motorcycle trailer should be easy to adapt.
The roof bars are cheap and I’m young enough to have no difficulty lifting the bikes, but is it sensible to put two tandems on the roof of such a small car?
Rear carriers are cheap and there are plenty to choose from, but will they take the weight of two tandems and even if I remove the front wheels will the width be an issue?

[The French Tandem]

I'm not a big fan of rear carriers. Your precious bicycles gather road dirt and are exposed to traffic hazards.

If you don't want to spend too much money, I would suggest this roof rack:
http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/t-bar-tandem-rack.php

Before we bought a van, we used this rack for two years and are very satisfied. A word of caution: you need
to be a very tall guy to use this rack. Lifting a tandem above your head, especially at the end of a long ride,
is not an easy task!!

For smaller persons, the Yakima rack is probably a better option, although I have never tried it:
http://yakima.com/shop/bike/roof/sidewinder

[rogerzilla]

None are ideal, but a tandem is getting rather too wide for a rear carrier on anything but a Hummer.

With bikes on roof racks, be aware of the headroom problem, which means multi-storey car parks, or even parking in beauty spots, is probably out.  There is often a 2 metre limit and modern small cars tend to be somewhat tall to begin with (that's how they achieve the shorter length).

[Kathy]

We've used the Pendle roof rack with our small car (first a Corsa, now a Skoda Fabia) very successfully for the last ten years. It helps that Tim is >6 ft, and has strong shoulders.

[Charlottes_Tandems]

We transport ours on a normal cycle carrier slung on the back.  I've had two tandems and two solos on the back (rack must be designed for four bikes).  They don't get too dirty.  So what if they do anyway?  Probably better fuel efficiency than putting them on top.  When you take the wheels off a tandem it is no longer than a solo bike and I have pictures to prove it.

[Chris S]

I have in my head (which is a pretty warped place, TBH) a picture of a covered trailer, rather like those used to transport gliders. Would have to be a custom jobbie, but could get two tandems either side of a central plinth that holds the rack, and towing stuff.

Then - hitch it up to a Smart car .

Sadly, I suspect it would tip up the car.

Having been transporting various tandems a lot in the last couple of years, we've firmly come to the conclusion that inside the vehicle, without any disassembly is the best option, so I'm occasionally browsing Van deals.

Outside the car has drawbacks; Noise, faff level, disassembly required on rear racks, reduced performance, stone chip damage, and in winter - potentially hours and hours of gritty salt-spray.
Inside with disassembly (say, a large estate car) also has issues; faff level, high risk of breakage or disturbing sensitive parts such as rear mech, handlebars poking you in the side of the head, etc.

[Ian H]

Many, many years ago we carried our tandems on top of a Citroen Dyane. Two people to lift it up (especially after a ride), and down to third gear in a headwind.
I was tempted to devise a system with a rearwards mounted roof bar and fork mount, with the rear wheel supported somewhere bumper height.

[Wobbly John]

I used to use a trailer to occasionally transport our tandem. It was a wooden sided camping trailer and I bolted a roof rack and cycle carrying bits onto it to take the tandem - didn't have to lift it as high as the car roof. 

[The French Tandem]

They don't get too dirty.  So what if they do anyway? 

This is a very delicate matter! For many cyclists, including myself, the idea of leaving a treasured bike exposed to dust and grit at motorway speeds is just unthinkable! Perhaps we are a bit insanely obsessed, but that's part of the fun

When you take the wheels off a tandem it is no longer than a solo bike and I have pictures to prove it.

like this one?


The car on the picture seems to be much bigger than a smart. Even with the wheels off, I wouldn't do this to our tandem!

[BikinOn]

No question go with the Yakima Sidewinder rack, I've done thousands of miles with it, easy for one person to load the bike. I'd use a bungy cord around the frame and back wheel plus a Park Tool Handlebar Holder, it's better than the webbing that comes with the rack.

[Joe.B]

Thanks for the advice and opinions folks, but, after all that we've decided to sell the car and keep the van