Bikes in a Mini Clubman

[yodelinpol]

Anyone have a Mini Clubman?

Do you roofrack your bike(s)?

How many bikes (if any) can you fit in the back with the back seats down?

Hitch mount racks?

[christian]

I had a Clubman about ten years ago. I used regular Thule gutter racks. The rear seats don't fold, and I don't think there's any easy way to mount a hitch.

[christian]

Just realized you're probably asking about the new ones. No idea...

[yodelinpol]

Yep newer ones.

[dd74]

If you look online for a test or review of the Clubman, it might give the interior dimensions of the car. Or better yet, take your bike to a Mini dealer, and ask if you can try placing your bike inside a Clubman.

It's a good question, though. The Clubman looks not that much larger than a standard Mini.

[Ken Robb]

my bikes are around 60cm and I CAN fit them in my standard MINI Cooper S with the front wheel removed but it's a lot easier with both wheels removed. In either case only a midget would fit in the front passenger seat because it has to be moved way forward. I never tried a Clubman but they are several inches bigger in back.

[Volant]

Just throw a rack on the bike and put the Clubman on that! :rolleyes:

[norcalbiker]

Here you go!!!

[Louis]

If a car's trunk (with back seats folded) is too small to fit my 60 cm bike with front wheel off, but back wheel still on, then I put it in the "Impractical" category.

The #1 purpose of a car is to get me and my stuff from point A to point B. If it can't pass that most basic test then it isn't worth buying, regardless of how much of a chick-magnet it happens to be.

[dd74]

If a car's trunk (with back seats folded) is too small to fit my 60 cm bike with front wheel off, but back wheel still on, then I put it in the "Impractical" category.

The #1 purpose of a car is to get me and my stuff from point A to point B. If it can't pass that most basic test then it isn't worth buying, regardless of how much of a chick-magnet it happens to be.
Good point. This is why I've been looking at VW for my next vehicle. The Golf 4-door and Jetta wagon have ample room to fit a bicycle with both wheels attached. Plus, they are available with diesel engines. Sure, diesel fuel is more expensive in the U.S., but filling up once a month makes the cost a wash, IMO.

[yodelinpol]

The car is for my wife... i'm just pretending it is for me too.

She will drive us to the mountains to ride etc... sometimes... maybe.

So I have to throw practical out the window a little... we have a bigger car that I can put my bike in the backseat...

Will most likely just put a rack on the Mini. And put the bikes trays on for special trips... maybe.

[taz-t]

a 56 will go in a Clubman with the front wheel off, no problem. Haven't tried more than one bike. Still considering getting a roof rack though. Don't trust a hitch rack around Atlanta (because of the other drivers, not the rack).

[AngryScientist]

euro-hatches practically look naked without racks on top. that's the way to go:)

[yodelinpol]

So we got our Clubman and love it. The thing is that we don't have roof rails installed and don't really like the look of the silver big footed factory racks (made for Mini by Thule...seen earlier in this thread)

It appears that the Yakima racks that 'fit' a Cooper and Clubman get in the way of the sunroof opening etc...

Anyone roofrack their Mini without rails and using something besides the factory racks?

[xjoex]

I can fit a mountain bike with both wheels off in the back of a standard cooper. But I have a roof rack and use that more often(ok all the time).

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h85/boulderjoe/mini/IMG_5308.jpg

They had some hub-bub here at the mini dealer to test drive the country man yesterday. I checked it out, not my thing but a nice car.

-Joe

[Spinsistah]

Hi, I've got a 2010 Clubman S and put a Thule roof rack and rails on it.

DO NOT GET THE MINI RACK. If you read any of the threads on a Mini forum, you'll find out that in order to install it, they have to cut the molding. Then it leaks. They give you plastic inserts to install in the openings when the rack isn't on the car, but water finds a way in. A guy at Starbuck's the other day asked me if my roof leaked; his does, the seat belts get wet. It's because of the rack.

The Yakima won't fit. They don't have an adapter kit for the Clubman's roof line yet.

If you go to Thule and do the "car fitter" it will walk you through your various options. I got the Rapid Aero bars (47 in), Rapid Traverse Foot Pack 480, the Echelon fork mount rails, two wheel carriers, the locks, and a 38" fairing. The online fitter recommends a 40" fairing, but I called Thule and they confirmed that the 38" is the right size.

It clears the sunroof, I can use the sunroof tilted up or back. If you get this, PM me and I'll tell you exactly where I mounted the rails so that it cleared the rack. It isn't very noisy, all things considered, and is easy to use.

I've put my Ridley in the back, it's a 58, but I had to take off the front wheel and flip the passenger seat forward to get it to fit.

[buck-50]

OK, next mini-related question- anybody regularly transporting a Kid in a mini, clubman or countryman?

[yodelinpol]

We just got our 2008 Clubman on Friday... our kids we've had for 11 to 14 years.

I have ridden in the back and so has my wife and the kids... our 14 year old is over 6 feet and 180lbs or so. Our 11 year old is maybe 5'5 or 5'6 and maybe around 110 lbs.. My wife is the standard size wife and I am 6'2.5 and overweight for a regular guy and downright obese for a cyclist.

The seats are higher off the floor than our last car so there is a good bit less hip flexion when sitting back there and you don;t feel sucked in. There is less side to side room though. You can't extend your legs much if there is someone tall in the front seats. There is also not much room in between the passengers in the back seat.

I'd compare it to riding in the back compact cars of the eighties such as the Colt (which my dad had at one point...) Actually I would say it is much roomier and comfortable but that was 25 to 30 years ago..

I was actually suprised at how comfortable it was back there. There is a decent amount of headroom and I didn't really feel cramped. There is also lots of foot room under the front seats for the passengers in the back which helps alot too.

I could ride back there for a road trip but would want to take plenty of breaks to stretch my legs...

A Cooper would be out of the question for the size of the people in my family. We only considered the Clubman and the Countryman.

The trunk area holds maybe 4 or 5 paper grocery bags full or 2 full baseball/bat bags...

Haven't tried putting my 59/58 Waterford in the back yet but will this weekend.

For us this is more a car for my wife that we will ride in as a family sometimes... we have a Camry for a family car. My son wants me to get a pickup truck. But that is required for a high school ballplayer from North Carolina.

The car is baddass though. We love it.

[AngryScientist]

My wife is the standard size wife


too funny.

[yodelinpol]

She seems perfect to me. (http://www.impawards.com/1975/stepford_wives_xlg.html)

[buck-50]

THanks! We've got a 3 year old, so she can get in and out of the booster all by herself but still needs help buckling in... I want something small and fun to drive with decent mileage and I don't want a civic or a CR-V...

The minis really seem to fit the bill.