Any vehicle you can get your gear and two bikes on the inside. The Honda CRV is a good choice. Two bikes and large gear bags go in the back with room for a cooler. Dependable car too. Maybe the Subaru Forester. If you want something beefier the Nissan X-Terrais worth a look. Ford Escape is an odd little car without much real room in the back. The Honda may be the best option.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

agree on the CRV. that's what we have. 2 bikes fit even without removing the wheels (that is if you have bikes that are 48 and 51...)

I can't imagine how you guys get 2 bikes into those SUVs. They seem too small. I got a Ford Explorer and two bikes fit, but I hate the sound of the 2 frames rubbing against each other. Front wheels off, laying them on top each other. There must be an easier way. Trying to put them upright and I have to remove my seat/post.

If I didn't have kids then I would definitely buy a Honda Element. It uses the exact same engine and drivetrain as the CRV but the flat floor and flip up seats make it real easy for loading the bikes and gear. The brochure for the element shows two mountain bikes with bungee cords to hold them in place. In Canada, we only get the CRV with the 4-wheel drive system and the base model is $4000 more than the Element as a result (that is for the front wheel drive element) so the Element is priced more economically too.

With kids, nothing beats a minivan. I recently saw the new 2004 Toyota Sienna at the Toronto Auto show. It is huge inside with seats that fold into the floor and seating for 8. It is awesome but expensive. I have a 1995 Lumina APV now. It is ugly, handles like poo and is very underpowered but it sure allows me to transport my bike in a nice protected environment. When people ask me if I bought a minivan because I have kids and tell them that no, my kids would easily have fit in my old Mazda Protege, but not my bike too :)

bikes are up. no need to remove seatpost.
I am 5'7'' my wife is 5'6'' her bike is a 48 and mine a slopping 51. everything fits...just...

Get a minivan you fools. Great for the kids. Great for as many bikes as you want. Great for lots of junk. I have a Grand Caravan. Don't think I will ever sell that car.

.... that is why minivans are the best way to transport your bike. When I load my bike to go to a race the only thing that I have to do is pull it out, pump up the tires and fill my jetstream. No fiddling with wheels, seatposts, etc. Plus a van will typically use a lot less fuel than a thirsty SUV which is very important in the current environment we live in.

agree with the minivan (grand caravan). may not have the "image" associated with a sport-ute, but my wife and i went on a 1.5 week long road trip with 2 road bikes, 1 mountain bike and enough camping gear for 10 people - we don't really believe in "roughing it" in a true sense :) and we never once had to stare at the available space and try to plan out ahead of time how we were going to make everything fit. it just did.

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"I'm happy when life's good,
and when it's bad I cry.
I've got values but I don't know how or why."
- The Who

Maybe it's the hick in me, but I think pickup trucks can't be beat. A fullsize truck with an extended cab and short box is the way to go. Something like a GMC Sierra or a Chevy Silverado. Bikes in the back and gear in the cab.

Owned other SUV's (except an H2) ... (IMHO) the Expedition has proven to be the best. Although, I believe a Chevy Tahoe or Surburban would also work.

Joe Moya

I agree that these monster SUVs are great vehicles for carting stuff around but with gas over 80 cents/litre and climbing they cost a fortune to drive anywhere. The same argument goes for pickup trucks. I was looking at a Ford F150 extened cab which is a nice vehicle but they suck fuel which is bad for my wallet and the environment.

I looked at and drove lots of SUVs and the Subaru Forester and Outback, the CRV and Toyota's offerings. I ended up with a 2 year old Ford Taurus Wagon with 10K miles on it for about $10K less than I would have paid for a used Subaru with triple the mileage.

It gets good gas mileage, rides like a car, not a truck. It's relatively quiet and has a good attachments for my Thule roof rack and enough room inside for one or two bikes without removing the front wheels. For me, it was truely a "best buy".

Richard

Sure, if you want to get into value and fuel efficiency, then SUVs and trucks are decidedly not the way to go. Anybody see the 60 minutes story on SUV sales in the US alst week? Interesting story.

Oh, and good times, I actually spend $2.39 for regular unleaded gas today. Cha-Ching! Suddenly I'm not so excited I opted for the 6 cylinder engine in my Jetta.

I wonder how much of people buying huge 4x4 trucks and SUVs is just a testestosterone infused macho guy image thing. Here in Michigan the road is crammed with them. Although they might feed the driver's "Walter Mitty" fantasies of doing the Baja Run, I'm betting most of them never even see a dirt road.

Richard

My last car was a CR-V, I currently drive an Xterra, but my choice at the moment would have to be the Element. Cheap, Honda quality, and can haul the most stuff for a small and relatively fuel efficient vehicle. I love my Xterra, and it's certainly far better for any serious offroading you may desire, but it actually holds less than an Element, gets worse mileage, and I'm rather attached to Honda quality. I'm close to getting rid of the X to get an Element. It's going to be a tough decision, but I think it's gonna happen. As for the CR-V, I can't imagine why anyone would get one over an Element. Unless you just can't stand the looks.

Mini-van. Carries two bikes, scuba gear and lab retriever all at the same time with lots of room left over.

I agree with the minivan. You can carry the bikes inside without having to disassemble them. We have an Odyssey and carry four people with bikes inside the van. That way we can stop at a restaurant for lunch and not worry about the bikes getting stolen off the rack. For longer trips with luggage we throw the bikes on an outside rack. The van is big enough to protect the bikes from rock chips, etc.



When coming back from holidays in Penticton last year I had my Tri bike hit by a SUV that couldn’t stop in time. Luckily the only damage was a broken wheel.

A frend of mine that sells BMW's borrowed the van and was surprised by how well it handles. Honda intentionally kept the weight very low for handling and with 240 HP it has lots of power. The third seat folding into the floor is really convinient too.

If you can get over the family image of the minivan you get more room, more power and better handling than an SUV.

testestosterone? hmmm... I'm not sure... but, where I live... there are more Women that drive Suburbans than Men... and what seems to be just as many women drive the Tahoe and Expedition (4x4 included). I doesn't seem to be a gender thing... but, rather an issue of practicality (and for some safety).

Joe Moya

http://www.wstc.org.au/...p?from=ph&id=744 Can't beat this thing.....just add BIG ASS BUMBER on the front an no-one'll come near ya

Last sping I went on a 1000 mile road trip into to copper canyon, deep within mexico. With me were two others with bikes and gear. We drove a blistering pace through 5 hours of mountain switchbacks, then proceded down the 7000 ft deep canyon on a 4WD road. The car: a silver 1994 Saturn SL2 with 178,000 miles. The moral of the story is that it is amazing what front wheel drive and a yakima can accomplish.

We get caught up on what can go in the car and we forget about the driving experience. SUVs are SLOW and taking corners is no fun when you have a realistic risk of rolling over. On the other hand fast cars are fun to drive, throw a yakima on the top and violla instant utility.

Test drive a sampling of the quick sport wagons like a Subaru WRX or Volvo XC. Compare them to a pig like an Element or the X-Terra and you will never go back.

Well im using the KIA CARNIVAL (i believ that carnival exists in USA) to go to races here in Portugal, 4 guys and 4 bikes on the inside, still lots of space for bags and all other tri stuff, a very confortable "ride". Its a shame that this Carnival isn´t mine :-(

Sérgio From Portugal

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S�rgio Marques
When it hurts is when it feels good ;-)
Sergio-Marques.com

Here's a picture of a triathlete vehicle...

http://www.angelfire.com/...355_rider/recent.htm

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I was, now I will tri again!
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Any time is a good time.
God Bless you my friend.

   Honda Element, hands down. Its a CRV for a couple thousand less (Mine was $20k, EX, the works, fwd only. A comparable CRV is $22k). Easy cleanup. Bikes fit with no takedown whatsoever. Seats are completely removeable. Completely jammin sound system. Honda motor. Honda reliability. Privacy tint lets you change in the back of the vehicle. Best gas mileage of any vehicle remotely calling itself UTILITY (I've got two trips now where I averaged 29-30mpg highway. Commuting is about 23-24 in stop/go 25 mile trips). Lower scenter of gravity makes it drive more like a car, making it somewhat fun to drive also. Quirky looks say "I'm not your average guppy in the crowded fishbowl of life."

I may sound biased because I own one, but I've also owned a CRV, Passport, old-school full sized blazer, old-school suburban, and various sedans/coupes with full rack systems. IMHO, its better than those options if you are two people, no kids doing the tri thing. The only thing that could possible compete is a minivan, but they are more expensive.

The only negative I've found in a month of ownership is that I have to be super vigilant when driving because people are constantly swerving toward me on the road as they get "target fixation" staring at it.