Car/SUV for PAIR of STANDING Tri Bikes

How tall are your bikes?

I'm considering the Toyota Rav4 just for that. I went to a dealership with my Plasma 20 and a measuring tape to double-check. The salesman looked at me oddly before he realized what I was trying to accomplish.

I'm thinking of mounting a Delta Bike Hitch on either a 2x6 or one of Delta's Stableloader Bike Mounts with the bike facing backwards. Assuming I measured everything correctly, my bike should fit with just a tiny bit of room to spare fore and aft, and plenty of room to the side for my race box and suitcase. If I need more room for luggage I'll get a roof-mounted luggage carrier.

If a Rav4 will fit the bike standing up, I would think any other small SUV or crossover should be big enough also.

Afterthought: I'm only 5'8", so my bike isn't very tall. That's going to make a difference.

We just bought a 2014 Subaru Forester and I'm fairly certain we could get both bikes in there standing up without the front wheels.  Neither of us are super tall though, so if you are, it may not work.  The new models get good MPG and are extremely comfortable.  Most importantly for us, it will fit 3 80+ lb dogs in cargo area with the back seat up!

(People bring dogs to car dealers to 'fit' them too...)

Awesome post. Me and my wife just went through this. I had a Ford Escape 2008 model and my tri bike and her road bike fit just fine. Lay down one back seat and it was great.

We needed a new car a couple months ago and decided to trade both our cars in and get 2 SUVs so we can have two cars to get our bikes around. We ended up with a GMC Terrain and a Chevy Equinox. The bikes both fit in both cars now. However it is a more snug fit from up and down angle due to the back seats do not lay flat like they did in the Ford. However they still fit just fine. When we went for a test drive and looking for cars we brought my bike since it was the taller of the two. The sales guy looked at me nuts when I took it out to see if it would fit. He said if it doesn't we can lay it down or go to the next size up of car. I laughed and said NO, if the bike wont fit I move on, and my son says yep bike has to fit man so we can go to Ironman. funny stuff.

My bike is a size 54 Felt. Good luck. Take the bike with you. Hell most people think us triathletes are crazy anyways.

two tri bikes fit in my Nissan Murano (but on my 56 frame i have to drop the seat).

I mount the front forks on two standard mounts I drilled into a 3ft x 2x4 that just lays in the back of the car. no more support needed.

Get a pack of bungie cords and you can loop them around the frame and hook somewhere on the door / inside of the vehicle.

I know it lacks imagination but I also have a Honda Element.  So handy.  When I am done just roll it in there.  I have also added a trailer hitch and a swagman bike carrier so I can carry up to 4 bikes and 3 people or some combination of that and gear and I can sleep in it if need be.  I have tried to get rid of the Element several different times but everytime I go to look at cars they lack the versatility of an Element.  I am pretty sure I will keep the E until the wheels fall off.

Bungee cords, but not done too tight, I wrap my bikes frames with towels then use a bungee cord.  (Top tip if you're doing this, try not to use the Egyption cotton towels that are now apparently "very expensive bike rags") :-)

I drive a Land Rover Discovery, rear seats down I can fit more than two bikes in standing up without taking the wheels off, I ride a 58cm frame with rear mounted bottle cages and still have loads of room.

I find myself admiring the strangest vehicles nowadays - mostly due to the ability to hold bikes, gear, and act as easy changing rooms.

I can really see the utility of a Nissan NV Passenger Van or a Mercedes Sprinter Passenger Van.

Honda Fit.

I have a 2008 Honda Fit Sport and I can get 2 bikes in there standing up, just have to take the front wheels off. The rear seats fold completely flat in about 5 seconds. You basically have a small cargo van in there. There is plenty of room for gear and everything you need for 2 people. I have done this many times with tri bikes and mountain bikes. The biggest benefit is gas mileage. You get incredibly good gas mileage with this vehicle. Great reliability, great gas mileage, and cheap to own. A win all around.

Just curious as to the size of the bikes you put in the Honda Fit. My Fiance has one and I cannot get my Speed Concenpt in their standing Up, its a size L. When I do get it in the car, I have to move the front passenger seat all the way forward to get it in laying down. If you had a pic or two you would be willing to share, I would greatly appreciate it so I can try something knew to get my bike in her car better.

I went through this last year.  You will have more options if you are willing to drop or remove the seat/seatpost. If you don't want to touch your seatpost options will be much more limited.

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer Limited and it fits a smaller bike (5'2" rider) with just removing front wheel.  However, my bikes need to have the seatpost removed (I'm 6'0") in addition to the front wheel.  You will of course have to fold both rows of rear seats flat.  I keep a Ritchey break-away torque wrench in the car just for removing and putting the seatposts back on (and they have a nice mark on them so I know how high to set it up).  There is also enough room to put some luggage, transition bags, a small cooler, spare wheels in there.  I can even be a bit creative and even leave one of the rear seats up to allow for a 3rd passenger.  Also uses regular unleaded and gets around 20 mpg. Nice interior and sound system is decent.

I use a Saris rack but some people just get some wood and screw the fork mounts into it.

The older Tahoe/Suburban worked fine (I had a 1996 at one point) without touching the seatposts but the newer ones don't have as much vertical clearance.

The next vehicle I'm eyeing is probably a Land Rover LR4. Looks tall enough so I don't have to mess with the seat (I hate taking the seatpost off my favorite roadbike as it has some shims). 

When I was looking, the new Nissan Pathfinder also worked well.