OT: VW wagon bike transport

[Cat3roadracer]

To continue my VW questions - how do you transport your bikes? On the roof, on a hitch, or inside?

For those that transport on top, is it tremendously noisy?

Thanks in advance.

[josephr]

hitch rack....not the hanging style....you'll never go back to a roof rack. I went with a Kuat Sherpa as it was 15lbs lighter than the NV knowing I'd never use the stupid 'workstand' or expand it to 4 bikes.

Lots of fans of others hitchracks too....don't know of any to 'stay away from'...
Joe

[Auk]

Hitch, standing up style. There's really no other option that compares in the ease of on/off department. I like my Saris, but there are other great choices out there as well.

[gavingould]

depends on the weather and amount of gear needed.

through this winter, i've left the seats folded down and can stack 2 ~58cm completes back there, don't need to take the wheels off or anything.

spring/summer/fall have Yakima's WhispBar crossbars on the roof with 2 RockyMounts Euro Pitchfork trays. the system is very low profile and barely noticeable re: wind noise.

[RedRider]

Inside is always better. With the back seat folded down it's easy to get even a large bike in without removing a wheel. I have also had 4 bikes in the back by removing the front wheel, and seatpost and standing them up.
I also have a roof rack, with fairing, that holds 4 bikes. It's not terribly noisy but you will notice a reduction in mpg.
I'm not a fan of hitch racks because of possible rear ending damage and all the road dirt gets kicked up on the bikes.
If you want you can borrow my roof rack for a demo...

[Cat3roadracer]

The Sherpa 2 looks sweet.

[druptight]

Hoping I don't threadjack too hard here, but this is good timing for this question, as I just picked up a TDI sportwagen. I'm curious for those that go hitch rack, what solution do you use to add a hitch to the car? Did you do it yourself, or did you take it to a "hitch" place?

[Cat3roadracer]

That was my next question.

[Ahneida Ride]

Inside ...... Van or Honda Element ...

The Honda will even take a size 66.

[carpediemracing]

I use a roof rack. I see a few JSWs at the races and I think they all have roof racks. I normally bring two bikes and a total of 6-7 wheels to a race (2 bikes with 2 sets of race wheels on them, 1 set training wheels, 1 extra front race wheel). I'm almost always with the Missus and Junior, and in 2012-2013 that meant a couple baby bags, stroller, and pack n play (portable playpen). The baby stuff consumed all the JSW rear storage area so the bikes had to go on top.

Given the choice I'll put the bike inside the car, especially with the super regular thundershowers we get here during the summer. With the Golf I can put one bike and 2-3 spare wheels (so 4-5 total wheels) in the back with the back seat totally usable. With the JSW there's tons more room if packed the same way. I try to go to races with 5 wheels, 3 fronts and 2 rears, for different conditions.

Now that we have a small child who sits center seat in the back we need more room inside the car (and we can't put any seat down - one of us sits back there with him when we drive). I think we'll ditch the stroller and Pack N Play this year so we may be back to "inside the car" for the JSW, even with two bikes + 7 total wheels. Right now the rear JSW area is taken up with a stroller (full size), emergency winter stuff (shovel, blanket, hat, gloves, etc), and misc stuff.

Noise, not too bad, but I'm not super picky. Rectangular bar rack, no fairing. It's quieter than opening the sunroof, that's for sure. We remove the rack for the winter. I can do it by myself in about 5 minutes, most of the time spent loosening the four feet. I can install it myself in about 10 minutes, most of the time spent aligning the thing.

Mileage with 2 bikes on the roof, 38-40 mpg if we go "faster", sustained 75 mph. 40-42 mpg at 65 mph with 2 bikes on top. 35-38 mpg for 65-70 mph with 2 bikes + tandem on roof, 4 adults, another bike inside.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jM7yZ30RdT4/UVCtnZ5hOaI/AAAAAAAAEvo/pBNitKjUOjk/s800/DSC_0129.JPG

[josephr]

I bought the rack and hitch from etrailer.com (referred by Kuat). If you're a do-it-yourselfer...putting on the hitch wasn't that hard on small SUV as I could slide up under it. But you'll want to put your sportwagon on jack-stands. Mine has rubber muffler hanger doo-hickeys to slide off and drop the muffler out of the way. The key to that is using copious amounts of WD-40. If there's any welding/cutting that needed to have been done, I would've paid my local muffler shop to install the hitch. A car mechanic buddy torqued mine down as I don't have a torque wrench.
Joe

PS - Several others are saying "inside the vehicle" and I work in a not-so-good side of town so I put my bike in the car for after-work rides, etc. That being said, my mtb gets pretty dirty so it gets rack-only. If you plan on leaving your rack 24-7, it might get tedious having to tilt/fold a hitch rack. But its only 5 minutes to take on and off too.

[tiretrax]

A friend's wife drove us in a Jetta to a point to point that ended up near our homes. We had the bikes on top and wheels inside. The bikes may have fit standing with front wheel removed and half the rear seat down, but he had the rack when he picked me up to be on the safe side. We drove 40 miles on the highway, and it wasn't noisy at all. However, he would have had them in the back if I wasn't there.

[DreaminJohn]

Hoping I don't threadjack too hard here, but this is good timing for this question, as I just picked up a TDI sportwagen. I'm curious for those that go hitch rack, what solution do you use to add a hitch to the car? Did you do it yourself, or did you take it to a "hitch" place?

U-Haul. Seriously.

[notsew]

I've got a roof rack as well. There is definitely some wind noise, but it isn't so bad as to be distracting. I think most of it comes from the crossbars, it seems the same with or without the bike.

My buddy has a hitch and like is a lot. I got my roof rack for cheap, so I went that route. I haven't been tempted by the hitch. I like not having anything hanging off the back, the roof is simple and takes up very little space off the car.



Mileage with 2 bikes on the roof, 38-40 mpg if we go "faster", sustained 75 mph. 40-42 mpg at 65 mph with 2 bikes on top. 35-38 mpg for 65-70 mph with 2 bikes + tandem on roof, 4 adults, another bike inside.


Sorry to thread jack here, but carpediem, do you have a stick or an auto? I've got the auto and I feel like the mileage sucks. I've never averaged over 39, bikes or not.

[David Kirk]

I ride from the house 9 times out of ten so rarely need to drag a bike somewhere but when I do I slip it inside and call it a day.

dave

[tele]

U-Haul. Seriously.
+1
When I had our Sportwagen, I had a hitch installed from the local UHaul store: the hitch was cheap and it was not expensive to have it installed, especially when you dont have the wiring done.

[cnighbor1]

bike hitch on a Vanagon
On my 88 Vanagon I used one of those old U (mount upside down) off the front bumper
than for the rear used a hood rack
carried 4 bicycles

[carpediemracing]

Sorry to thread jack here, but carpediem, do you have a stick or an auto? I've got the auto and I feel like the mileage sucks. I've never averaged over 39, bikes or not.

Both are manuals. We don't draft per se but we're both conscious of driving with mileage in mind. Our best was along the I-95 corridor between Baltimore and CT, I think we held 52 mpg average, higher before we exited the highway. No rack on top at the time, my bike was inside (mainly for security). I think our avg speed was in the 64 mph range before we pulled off the highway in CT.

We drove to Maine and back, 1056 miles total, 41.8 mpg, 56 mph avg based on local driving etc, bike on roof, not a lot of drafting/traffic, typical cruising speed 75 mph, speed limit up there is 70 and we'd cruise at slightly below 80, above which the car sounds like it's working really hard.

In the cold we're in the 30 mpg range. Short trips (1 mile commute for the Missus, day care is also 1 mile away), very few drives on the highway, no warm up, prolonged idle time if clearing areas of snow, etc.

That's all JSW stats. The Golf has never gone over 50 mpg, even with me doing some hypermiling stuff (neutral coasts, pauses between shifts, short shifting, easing a few mph instead of passing, etc). On the highway we've hit 46-48 mpg in the summer, no roof rack, etc. Typically it's more like 38-40 mpg in the summer.

[Idris Icabod]

Hoping I don't threadjack too hard here, but this is good timing for this question, as I just picked up a TDI sportwagen. I'm curious for those that go hitch rack, what solution do you use to add a hitch to the car? Did you do it yourself, or did you take it to a "hitch" place?

I installed a Curt hitch on a Civic, it was really easy. For sure a job you can do yourself in about an hour but helps if you have a second person to help you hold it whilst you bolt it down because it is pretty heavy. The hardest part was snaking a bolt through about 20 cm of the frame but that took about 30 seconds once I stopped and thought about the best way to snake the wire through the washer first so the washer didn't have to make a 180 deg flip inside the frame (if you do it yourself that will make sense).

I got a 1UP bike rack, highly recommend it.

Sorry just looked and the Uhaul suggestion is a good one, when I started looking for a hitch I did notice just how many cars have a UHaul hitch attached, these guys must do a lot.

[Auk]

Just picked up a class III from U-Haul for my Element, $132 for just the hitch and mounting bolts, $164 if I would have had them install it with a wiring harness. Damn cheap and quality is just as good as with other brands.

[1happygirl]

Inside ...... Van or
[snip]
:)

[fiataccompli]

I also prefer to ride from home, but my intention with my JSW (when I finally get it in a couple of weeks) will be both roof & hitch rack. Other than SUVs, I've rarely had cars that supported both (usually older, funky European cars with no viable option for a receiver mount, but with easy roof rain gutters). That said, my thought is that around town in local traffic (ie, home-work-shop ride -home type transports), I like the roof because it affords a factor of safety in a minor traffic accident. For any sizeable road trip, I'd prefer a hitch rack for better aerodynamics & maybe a few fewer bugs to clean off if traveling at night.

For the roof rack, I'm curious whether a whisbar setup will make a difference (well, actually curious how MUCH of a difference) and/or whether it's viable to have a faring with the panoramic sunroof. The faring makes a HUGE difference with wind noise at speed on my other cars and I would presume a similar difference in fuel economy....but with the JSW, the shape of the car may afford a more rearward rack mounting to give the same aerodynamic effect (that was how it worked on the Suburban, Mercedes 300TD & Range Rover I previously had racks on)

So, is the consensus that mounting a receiver hitch is a DIY project? Anyone know of a 2" version?

[ceolwulf]

For the roof rack, I'm curious whether a whisbar setup will make a difference


I haven't used a square bar setup so I can't compare, but the Yakima Whispbar rack I have is nearly silent if there's nothing on it.

[malcolm]

Hoping I don't threadjack too hard here, but this is good timing for this question, as I just picked up a TDI sportwagen. I'm curious for those that go hitch rack, what solution do you use to add a hitch to the car? Did you do it yourself, or did you take it to a "hitch" place?

Hitch place, curt hitch. I think under $200 installed.

[rperks]

Once you go to a hitch rack of any kind I am pretty sure you will never use the roof racks again

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/12955474533_e96c2403e8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rperks1/12955474533/)
Southbound (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rperks1/12955474533/) by rperks1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/rperks1/), on Flickr

For the times that I am rolling solo I do squeeze the one bike into my Golf, but need to find the pic

[rperks]

I was able to find one shot of my in car rig.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5042/5254096133_c29972387a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rperks1/5254096133/)
Loaded (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rperks1/5254096133/) by rperks1 (http://www.flickr.com/people/rperks1/), on Flickr
it works really well, holds things rock solid on long solo trips.

You can probably guess that my 2000 Golf was long ago relegated to tractor status with the back seats half out at all times. Road warrior status is not far off on the horizon at this point

I need to add that you should consider solutions that keep the front wheel on if possible, it makes life a bit easier. I have totaled forks with no laser tabs when paired to wheel off roof racks. There is not enough clamping force to make it work 100% of the time.

My usual solution these days is the same as DK, ride from home

[fiataccompli]

Sorry (sort of) for reviving an old thread, but I now have my '14 JSW and put the receiver on it a couple days after bringing it home. It sits annoyingly low such that on sharp driveway transitions it bottoms out. ..anyone else have the same issue. I have not changed anything with suspension or ride height. Here is the rig in service over the holiday weekend....http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/21/pu2yjuma.jpg

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[KidWok]

Sorry (sort of) for reviving an old thread, but I now have my '14 JSW and put the receiver on it a couple days after bringing it home. It sits annoyingly low such that on sharp driveway transitions it bottoms out. ..anyone else have the same issue. I have not changed anything with suspension or ride height. Here is the rig in service over the holiday weekend....http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/21/pu2yjuma.jpg

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Yup...just go slow/diagonally over bumps and get used to the grind. So long as your receiver/rack isn't getting bent, you should be fine. Cover up the scrapes with a sharpie.:p

Tai

[gavingould]

I've seen mentioned on a TDI forum that a few people have gotten either Tiguan or Toureg rear springs to replace the JSW's. Same size but more load-bearing capacity... Look for threads about towing w/JSW and you'll likely find info

[fiataccompli]

interesting. probably a ride quality sacrifice there, though. It's not a sports car...and clearly not if it can't even deal with having the center of gravity lowered a bit.

[Ralph]

I use my wife's nice car (Limited Edge) to haul my bikes inside. She won't tolerate any dirt, scratches, or any sign bikes have been inside her car. (just looking at those nice vehicles with bikes inside on factory carpet)

So I went to local Harbor Freight, and bought 3 6X9 packing blankets. Plus collected some old worn towels. Put one blanket down first. Then if hauling one bike, just slide it in. If hauling more, and taking wheels off, wrap everything up in thick blanket. Put an old towel down on rear bumper to protect that when bikes go nin and out. Wrap wheels with towels. Use an old greasy towel, always same side, to cover cassettes and chain stay.

You cannot tell bikes have ever been in her car. And I have hauled three with all wheels off, everything wrapped up. Two bikes all wrapped up with wheels off and back seat up. I've got this down pat, and I think it's just as fast and convenient as racks and hitches. Easy on bikes also. No scratches, rain, and road debris.

[druptight]

After asking questions above, I made the leap today:

http://i1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb465/druptight/image2-1.jpeg (http://s1207.photobucket.com/user/druptight/media/image2-1.jpeg.html)

Did the U-Haul hitch, and picked up a Thule T2 off Craigslist for a fairly good price. Seems pretty solid aside from some wobble/rocking due to the 1 1/4 to 2 inch adapter.

Any suggestions out there for a good lock/stabilizer to pin the 1 1/4" to 2" adapter (adapter is not hollow)?

[fiataccompli]

I have a collar on mine and I still get wobble. Less than with no collar. I also have a solid 1.25-2" adapter/riser.

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[Ozrider]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/19/uqu6y4eq.jpg

I know it's not a Jetta but it's a wagon
I travel a bit with bikes, and use a Whisperbar roof rack.
I find it to be quiet, although there is about a 10% increase in fuel consumption

I previously used a hitch rack but disliked it due to:
Vulnerability of bikes
Possibility of tyre damage from hot exhaust gas
Inability to open tailgate and access luggage
Bikes seem to get really dirty in wet weather



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[YoKev]

I couldn't deal with the mpg loss from a Thule roof rack. It was just too much for my daily 150 mile RT commute.

I ordered a Curt from eBay for $130 and it took about an hour to install. I did not need any ramps, ect, to lift the JSW. I also got a Kuat Beta2 rack. A nice feature of all Kuat racks is they have a wedge that snugs it into the hitch much like a quill stem. I couldn't be happier.

[Ozrider]

The Whisperbar racks take about 3 min to fit and 1 minute to remove, so I only use them when needed


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[blantonator]

1UP USA is the clear choice. I haven't used my roof rack in years and it's only use now is carrying lumber.

[fiataccompli]

1up on the JSW with the 1.25 receiver is a little sketchy I think (based on using a friend's 1up with 4 bikes once)

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[k-mac]

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/kmc1/DSC00020.jpg

"Technically" a VW wagon. Yakima bars and RockyMount PitchForks. Wind noise is noticeable, but not objectionable.

[fiataccompli]

I noticed a 1up rack mounted on Yakima load bars on someone's roof a few weeks ago...I liked that set up. I am still bouncing back & forth between roof and hitch and right now have both on the car (yeah, kind of ridiculous). Clearly inside is ideal but 90% of the time I need the cabin for people and gear (including a playpen, stroller, etc. for family), so I live with reduced mpg (which is still probably twice what I had with previous cars) and carry a single bike (which I do pretty much every day) outside the car out of habit.

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[DHallerman]

spring/summer/fall have Yakima's WhispBar crossbars on the roof with 2 RockyMounts Euro Pitchfork trays. the system is very low profile and barely noticeable re: wind noise.

Have the exact same setup on our red JSW, and same response as Gavin: barely noticeable.

Plus, very easy to get bikes on and off.

We left it on all winter -- probably shouldn't have -- and the pivot points needed lube and/or WD-40 come spring, but all working well now.

[palincss]

Once you go to a hitch rack of any kind I am pretty sure you will never use the roof racks again


Except for they way those racks beat up the paint jobs on bikes, and the way the bike can get accidentally crushed when you back up and forget that your car now sticks out two feet more in back than before you put the rack on. And let's not even talk about what happens in the rain.

You're much better off with the bike inside the car, in my opinion.

[ptourkin]

Hey guys, I just became a member of the Paceline JSW TDI club (2102) and want to add a 1Up double hitch rack. All of the hitches I've found so far for my JSW are 1 1/4" but the 1Up is 2". Do you just use an adapter or is there something else out there?
Thanks.

[shovelhd]

There are three vendors for JSW hitches that I am aware of: Curt, Drawtite, and Westfalia. All are Class 1, 1 1/4".

[ptourkin]

Got it. Thanks. Better option is to order the single 1 1/4" 1Up with an addon.

[fiataccompli]

I used a friends 1up rack once carrying 4 bikes on my Curt rack. The 1up has some sort of anti-wobble mechanism built in to it, but what I recall was being much more stressed from an hour or so of watching 20k$ in bikes bouncing in my rear view mirror than I was by the rather difficult race recon ride we were driving to. Wobble is the issue. I may buy a 2" step up adaptor for my hitch..I have a custom welded one, but it has a solid receiver on the 1.25" end and I want a hollow 1.25" so I can use a good, threaded anti-wobble insert . I have an anti-wobble collar and it helps a lot, but still there is a lot more movement in any rack I've used than I would care for.


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[fiataccompli]

Oh...the TDI club page has some info on a guy's setup where he welded a 2" receiver above the 1.25" and apparently still has viable use for both.


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[rodcad]

I have and like the 1up. It tightens up nicely and there is NO wobble in my experience with the 2" version. Fast to put on and take off, ditto the bikes.

[fiataccompli]

2" is the way to go. no doubt

[peanutgallery]

I went with a 1 and 1/4 draw tight, still a little too low for my liking

If you want to go the 2" route, the TDI forums hack is the way to go. Could never talk my better half into that one though (Hole in the bumber is the one I saw). Otherwise you are going to be a fire hazard with the amount of sparks coming off the back of your car

As far as the rack, i got one of those sport vee things off of amazon for like $75. Works pretty well, not too much wobble. I don't think I would get all wild and stick 4 bikes on a 1 and 1/4 receiver. Just my opinion and personal experience

[neubilder]

I drive a Golf TDi and can comfortably fit two 56cm road bikes in the back seat (front wheels removed) with enough room left over for 2 full sets of panniers and camping gear. I don't want to compromise the high fuel efficiency (1000km+/53l tank) nor draw attention to my bikes by putting them on the roof. A trunk mounted rack would be slightly more aerodynamic but is a pain for hatch access and still draws attention to the bikes.

[fiataccompli]

Via my limited experience, there's no way to carry bikes on one of these cars without taking a 10% fuel economy hit. For me, I'm coming from driving alternatively a Suburban and a BMW 535, neither of which ever saw the upper side of 20mpg...so even bad TDi economy feels pretty luxurious to me.


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[peanutgallery]

I've noticed a bigger difference due to the winter version of fuel than a bike on the back

39mpg from North of the Wall to the ATL. I was bummed:)


Via my limited experience, there's no way to carry bikes on one of these cars without taking a 10% fuel economy hit. For me, I'm coming from driving alternatively a Suburban and a BMW 535, neither of which ever saw the upper side of 20mpg...so even bad TDi economy feels pretty luxurious to me.


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[fiataccompli]

Yeah, that's a factor also. With nothing on the car I've seen into the low 50s on trips. Thing is, it is rarely convenient for the rest of my life (kids, carrying stuff, etc) for me to keep the bike in the car so the roof rack is usually installed and the hitch is sporadic.


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[carpediemracing]

Recently our mileage is in the 28-32 mpg range for a tank plus (tank plus 5 gal that we add from a can) in the Golf. I don't know the JSW as I haven't driven it in a while, but on the highway it was still getting low-mid 40s, similar to summer drives with a rack and a bike or two on the roof going 65-70 mph.

With temps in the singles, teens, and 20s ("Wow, it's 28? I should take Junior out for a walk!"), I've been doing extended idles with the Golf to warm up the inside of the car (7 minutes yesterday, I checked). It's dangerous to strap Junior into his seat with his winter jacket on (too loose) so he is in there with non-jacket stuff, wrapped in blankets and such, but it's still a 0-20 (not garaged) or 30 degree (garaged) seat when he first sits in it.

I also alter my driving characteristics to warm up the car quicker. I let the engine rev a bit more (normally I don't see much more than 2.5k but yesterday, for example, I saw over 4k), I go into boost earlier and more often, all to build heat energy.

I know that putting the temp to max heat will engage an electric heater, but it's not enough to soak the child seat with heat. It's reasonable for the front seats, not so much for the rear. If we drive together one of us sits in the back, usually me, so I've been back there in 0 degree temps. Not great.

[thirdgenbird]

I'm getting close to ordering whispbars and euro pitchforks for my JSW.