Fitting a mountain bike upright in the back of a Model 3

[dblspeed]

Dear all, I'm debating the purchase of a Model 3, I like cars and dislike SUV's, and I ride bikes a lot.

I know it's a long shot , ideally I'd like to carry my mtb, front wheel removed, sideways in the back, upright without laying it flat.

For a number of reasons I'd like not to use a rack of any sort, so please let's keep this topic for another discussion

 

[skygraff]

Probably won’t work.

If you want to put it in through the back doors, you may have a chance if your frame and back tire aren’t too large but the doors don’t open wide enough to simply place a bike on the flat floor without maneuvering over the seat. With the seats down, you lose headroom for the bike and floor space due to the headrests.

I put a folding 27” mountain bike in the back seat but it takes some Tetris mojo and, even with a carrying bag, I still scratched my inner door and passenger seat back a little on the first try. For my non-folding bike, I’ve done the wheel off lie flat through trunk and a trunk rack. Neither was ideal but I don’t drive my bike places enough to justify adding a hitch on my 2018 3.

I’d say give it a try at a showroom but I doubt they’ll let you since bikes have sharp and greasy parts. Maybe an easy going friend.

 

[GtiMart]

I have to remove both wheels from my road bike to put it there... It's not quite upright either, it's slanted towards the back a bit. I can put two even, a second on the seat, but both wheels need to come off. I don't know for a mountain bike though. If it fits I recommend using a soft bike bag to protect the car.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Dear all, I'm debating the purchase of a Model 3, I like cars and dislike SUV's, and I ride bikes a lot.

I know it's a long shot , ideally I'd like to carry my mtb, front wheel removed, sideways in the back, upright without laying it flat.

For a number of reasons I'd like not to use a rack of any sort, so please let's keep this topic for another discussion

Sounds like you want to avoid using the trunk? Pretty sure that will be impossible (with just one wheel removed anyway, and of course removing the rear is much more annoying than removing the front).

Anyway I carry my mountain bike all the time inside my Model 3. Remove front wheel, fold rear seats down, slide it in rear wheel first, drive side up, dropper lowered somewhat. I use a moving blanket to catch dirt and mud, and I’m careful with the rear bumper (bike pedals are sharp!). Throw a towel on top and put the front wheel on top of front fork.

I’ve fit a mountain bike and an e-bike in the car for longer trips, too. Obviously an extra moving blanket needed for that! I think two bikes is the limit, but still plenty of room for luggage piled in various places (bikes are low volume).

 

[GtiMart]

That's what I typically do for my road bike too... except on longer trips where I wanted my trunk available for luggage, in which case I did use the rear "seat" space as indicated. Using the trunk with seat backs folded down is 100x easier.

 

[blackT3$!@]

I'd like to carry my mtb, front wheel removed, sideways in the back, upright without laying it flat.

With a small frame, front wheel removed and handlebars rotated 90 degrees and the pedals removed with the bike seat down, this is possible. I can bet you will end up tearing up the rear seats and the back of the front seats along with ripping the door seals eventually.

 

[evbuyer18]

Sounds like you want to avoid using the trunk? Pretty sure that will be impossible (with just one wheel removed anyway, and of course removing the rear is much more annoying than removing the front).

Anyway I carry my mountain bike all the time inside my Model 3. Remove front wheel, fold rear seats down, slide it in rear wheel first, drive side up, dropper lowered somewhat. I use a moving blanket to catch dirt and mud, and I’m careful with the rear bumper (bike pedals are sharp!). Throw a towel on top and put the front wheel on top of front fork.

I’ve fit a mountain bike and an e-bike in the car for longer trips, too. Obviously an extra moving blanket needed for that! I think two bikes is the limit, but still plenty of room for luggage piled in various places (bikes are low volume).

Wow, you can really fit a mountain bike in that way, with just removing the front wheel? Does the trunk close? I have a 29" Trek Fuel EX, large frame, and I can't imagine it would fit with just removing the front wheel. The handlebars always seem to be a problem. I can do this in my 2011 Prius hatchback, but I never even tried in my 2018 M3. Now you have me curious.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Wow, you can really fit a mountain bike in that way, with just removing the front wheel? Does the trunk close? I have a 29" Trek Fuel EX, large frame, and I can't imagine it would fit with just removing the front wheel. The handlebars always seem to be a problem. I can do this in my 2011 Prius hatchback, but I never even tried in my 2018 M3. Now you have me curious.

Yeah it’s no problem. Trunk closes. The back wheel goes pretty far up the back of the seats but does not touch the front seats. I have a Ripley LS medium frame.

Handlebars not an issue. They go in last and there is not a front wheel, so they just lay flat and the left bar end is closest to the rear of the vehicle.

A really large frame maybe would have problems, but would still probably just fit.

Moving blanket essential, though, to prevent too much filth (though it can still get the side bolsters dirty for the rear seat).

As I said, I’ve done two bikes - with flat pedals removed on one of them.

 

[dblspeed]

Hi all, thanks for the replies, too bad for the Model 3. I'd rather not carry my mtb flat in the trunk, been there done that with blankets and all, too much wear and tear anyways, both for the bike and the car.

 

[N54TT]

I’m a MTB’r and carry my bikes on the roof . As others mentioned, it will fit in the trunk with the seats down and front wheel off. If you have an old 26” bike…it might fit in he back seat…..but chances are any modern MTB probably won’t. Even if it can…..you will definitely see more wear and tear (than using the trunk) getting it in and out of the back seat since the opening just isn’t wide enough.

 

[pnwadventures]

Sorry OP I don’t have much helpful info to add, but I’m stoked to see so many other M3 MTBers comment.

I have never/would never try to fit my MTB (27” Transition Patrol) inside the car, due to hassle and wear/tear. But I do have two rooftop mounts + hitch mount for 3 bikes & riders & gear. Works great for that.

 

[N54TT]

The hatch in the model S, does make it easier to load bikes in and out of the trunk. I had a loaner last year and was able to fit one of my bikes without taking the front wheel off. My Ibis Mojo4 is longer though and wouldn’t fit without taking the front wheel off.

@pnwadventures I love a good 27.5 too!

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

too much wear and tear anyways, both for the bike and the car.

For what it’s worth, been doing this for years and with the moving blanket (or two if you want!) I have done no damage to the car or the bike.

The highest risk is pedals or other sharp edges hitting the rear bumper cover. I use a towel to protect against my carelessness (could just use a second moving blanket or similar strategy).

Maybe a large frame super slack bike would be harder though. Though mine is somewhat slack and not a problem.

Inside the car is essential for longer trips (which is why I did two inside when going to Sedona), since the efficiency hit is huge for anything outside - on top or for a rear hitch.

 

[ay221]

if you park in a garage and have the bike on top, have some kind of system so that you don't try to drive back in without removing the bike first. Maybe a red cone in front of the garage door.

 

[PianoAl]

I've put my road bike in the trunk with no wear-and-tear issues. I bought a rack because sometimes I needed two bikes in the car, so I always use that now.

 

[PianoAl]

if you park in a garage and have the bike on top, have some kind of system so that you don't try to drive back in without removing the bike first. Maybe a red cone in front of the garage door.

That's a major worry. I set up a stepladder right inside the garage door and put the garage door clicker in the glove compartment. Another reason not to use an automatic door.

 

[d900929]

No, this is not gonna work. Maybe in a model Y, but definitely not in a Kodel 3.

I have a 29er and a 27” eMTB in the family and neither would fit into my model 3’s trunk without folding seats. I can however veeeeery carefully fit them both in the back after putting the seats down. Requires removal of the front wheel for both of course, and 4-6 THICK blankets to prevent scratching anything and extreme care during loading / unloading to prevent scratching the car / bumper cover. But even then there’s a significant chance eventually you’ll ruin something.

I tried roof-mounted racks, found them to be really shaky and I don’t trust them on long trips / at speed. Ultimately I had a towing ball installed + bought a Yakima two-up rack. It significantly cripples range, a trip I could do with 75% ish of my battery now takes almost 100% - but them’s the breaks for peace of mind. This is very useful as I can now tow stuff as well. The towing capacity is quite small but it’s definitely worth having.

 

[dakhlkt22]

You could test it out by asking Tesla for a test drive. Then test drive a M3 to the part of the parking lot (not too close to Tesla lol) where your bike is parked so you can see how it'd fit. I'd bring tons of blankets and a friend/spouse to help, and be really careful not to damage it, but you're legit thinking about buying a M3 and this will help you decide.

Be aware you will probably be on sentrycam so if there is damage, they may pull up the recordings and see what you did.

 

[Curtis N]

Great to see some fellow MTBers here. I bought an MY specifically because it accommodates my riding addiction. I use a hitch mounted Thule that I've had for many years and many thousands of miles. I'll occasionally load bikes in the back, but prefer the rack because it can get muddy where I ride.

One benefit of the interior of the M3 and MY is that it's super easy to clean. Much easier than most of the vehicles I've had with cloth interiors.

Curious question: Why load it upright?

 

[LoL-Gas]

I can fit this 54cm road bike in the trunk on its side with the back seats folded down, front wheel removed, and the handle bars turned funny. It's a tight fit and kind of a pain in the butt so I tend to use the roof rack. I've also had good luck with using a hitch for the model 3, just a challenge using superchargers with the bike on.