Fitting two eMTBs inside a Tesla Model 3

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Nice design work, ZP!

There are times when you want to keep your bikes protected for security or weather, and having them inside is a plus despite the extra work required. We often take our Trek Fuel EXe bikes, a Large and a Small, on multi-week camping trips and worked a way to transport the inside of our small (7’x10’) A-Liner Scout Lite pop-up trailer. Had to custom build some stands for them though nothing as complex as your rig.

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I think the racks mounted on the tow hook are the most common option for this car but mine doesn't have a tow hook so this is what I had to do. The advantages are better aerodynamics, protection and very low cost. The disadvantages are reduced luggage space and longer setup times. I made this video to show that it's possible to fit two emtbs inside a model 3, since most people don't believe it's possible. It's not the easiest thing in the world, but it's doable!
 
Seatstay and downtube will rub on bumps. I would put a thick blanket between them.

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I fit 2 EMTBs in my Model Y, with a foam mattress between them. Just have to remove the front wheel.
 
Astro66 said:
Seatstay and downtube will rub on bumps. I would put a thick blanket between them.

View attachment 161829

I fit 2 EMTBs in my Model Y, with a foam mattress between them. Just have to remove the front wheel.
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Thanks for noticing that! Yes, that's the only spot where the two bikes touch. I usually put a piece of foam there, but I forgot to do so for the video. I've only used this mount once before. I also usually tie down the rear of the red bike which pivots the bike around the two central mounting points (crank and seat tube), creating a gap at the spot you pointed out.

View attachment 20250602_171750.jpeg

I also usually raise the front of the grey bike slightly with a piece of foam (the white foam in the picture below), which I plan on gluing to the wooden board. This lowers the rear, further increasing the gap. I didn't use that in the video either.

View attachment 20250602_171208.jpeg
 
irie said:
By the time it takes to do all that mucking around I'd have the trusty Buzzrack on the back of my AWD Ford Kuga loaded with 2 x eMTBs and be long gone.
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And 30secs after stopping somewhere they've been nicked 🤣
 
Zayd Proctor said:
Terrible tip, sorry
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No, not a terrible tip.

I had dual cab pickup trucks for 20 years, great for carrying two offroad/supermotos/MTBs or one road race bike on the back.

And while on the subject of EVs, they lose about 50% of their value in the first two years and there's the environmental damage of disposing of their batteries weighing hundreds of kilos when at their life's end which EV manufacturers now conveniently ignore. Not in the long term environmentally friendly, quite the opposite.
 
Sad that a post intended to be helpful has gone off the rails like this.

Lets try to keep it positive guys. Remember your Mother’s advice
“If you don’t have something nice to say don’t say it.“
 
levity said:
Sad that a post intended to be helpful has gone off the rails like this.

Lets try to keep it positive guys. Remember your Mother’s advice
“If you don’t have something nice to say don’t say it.“
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The point about battery disposal also applies to eMTBs. What happens to all the nasty chemicals and metals in batteries when they come to the end of their service lives? Not nice.
 
irie said:
No, not a terrible tip.

I had dual cab pickup trucks for 20 years, great for carrying two offroad/supermotos/MTBs or one road race bike on the back.

And while on the subject of EVs, they lose about 50% of their value in the first two years and there's the environmental damage of disposing of their batteries weighing hundreds of kilos when at their life's end which EV manufacturers now conveniently ignore. Not in the long term environmentally friendly, quite the opposite.
Click to expand...

Mate, you need to chill. Nobody brought up the EV vs ICE debate. Everything you said is nonsense but I won't go into that because it's pointless. You can go on Facebook if you want to have that kind of toxic conversation. Although, judging by what you wrote, I'd say you've already spent too much time on there.

Just take a minute to think about what you've just said. According to you, the great "tip of the day" is to sell my car and buy an expensive pickup so I can save 15 minutes when loading my bikes a couple of times a month. And you also want to lecture me about the environment? I'm sure selling a perfectly good car to buy a pick-up is environmentally friendly. I would then have to daily drive that thing. You can see I live in the EU and nobody here buys pickups for a lot of good reasons. They're too big, too heavy, too expensive, too inefficient, the ride is crap. But they're great for driving over children. I'm sure they have their place in the US, but not here. Also, I'm pretty sure Blessed said that as a joke but it's crazy that you thought it was actually a good idea.

This thread was supposed to be helpful for other Model 3 owners, as well as anyone else who had anything useful to contribute. I don't know why you felt compelled to come here and immediately shit on my gig and brag about how cool and fast you are at loading your bikes on your 500$ rack. You know mate, I would rather spend 3 hours loading my bike inside my Model 3 than having to drive a dumb Kuga!
 
irie said:
there's the environmental damage of disposing of their batteries
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So you do understand you are riding an EMTB with the identical chemistry battery, right ?

Anyway. I think the point of the thread is how to fit 2 EMTBs into a sedan, rather than hatches, SUVs, Van or a Ute\Truck. What energy system the car is, is irrelevant. If your car has a boot, (or trunk for Americans), and has fold down seats, you can apply the learnings of the OP.
 
Blessed said:
Im pretty sure that I am highly affended , even without knowing what this word means ; )
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Ford Kuga. It's a small SUV.

I had one as a company car. It went through 2 automatic transmissions, at $10K each to change them. The company swiftly got rid of it after repairing it the second time.

So I wouldn't be offended that someone thinks they are dumb. Waiting 8 weeks to get my company provided one back the first time it broke. I called it far worse things ....... :ROFLMAO:
 
Blessed said:
Im pretty sure that I am highly affended , even without knowing what this word means ; )
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I was referring to this comment, lol:


irie said:
By the time it takes to do all that mucking around I'd have the trusty Buzzrack on the back of my AWD Ford Kuga loaded with 2 x eMTBs and be long gone.
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I won't hide it. I can't stand modern pick-up trucks and SUVs. Not Just Bikes pretty much nailed it.
"SUVs are oversized, ridiculous, unnecessary death machines that are literally killing people."


I recommend watching the video if you haven't already. There are some pretty disturbing statistics in there.

So the "buy a pickup tip of the day" was annoying but I figured @Blessed was joking. But then @irie decided to double down on the stupid comments, which pissed me off.

And, of course, the unwarranted "EVs are bad" bullshit is the icing on the cake. Well done @irie!
 
@Zayd Proctor Very clever! It demonstrates a good level of spatial awareness. There must be still room for the bags and all your kit when two riders are travelling in the car. (And the wooden stand for when you reach your destination.

As well as the security advantages of internal storage, you will receive the benefits of reduced drag vs a tow bar mounted rack. I have had bikes on my tow bar mounted track on three different cars now and I lose about 10mpg (about 28 litres per 100km) off my normal fuel consumption. I have no idea what that increased drag would do to your range in an EV.
 
steve_sordy said:
@Zayd Proctor Very clever! It demonstrates a good level of spatial awareness. There must be still room for the bags and all your kit when two riders are travelling in the car. (And the wooden stand for when you reach your destination.
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Thanks! The Model 3 has a pretty decent sub trunk.

MODEL_Y_TRUNK_ORGANIZER_angle1_1024x1024.jpg


And a also a frunk. Overall, the available space is good enough for two people.

steve_sordy said:
I have no idea what that increased drag would do to your range in an EV.
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Of course it depends on the average speed but it should be between 20% and 30%.
 
What the OP does demonstrate is how limited a lot of saloon cars are. OK for bombing up and down a motorway with a couple of passengers but if you enjoy sports like mtb or windsurfing or kayaking etc they are at best a pain, at worst completely useless. I have a BMW 5 series saloon and a VW T5. If we are going camping, kayaking, windsurfing, mtb, the van is the obvious choice...........yet it serves just as well as most cars for journeys with no load, and most modern vans are just as good to drive as a car. It is permanently loaded with stove/water and coffee makings, bike spares etc, takes 3 bikes easilly and still has seats for 4 passengers and 2 dogs. My van is also used for dumping rubbish, picking up timber/DIY for the house or stables. I can get one bike in the BMW if needed....rear seats folded down, front wheel off and pedal guards fitted but it is a faff!! I also have a removeable tow bar on the BMW and a Thule 2 bike rack..................for emergency situations...e.g. the van is off the road for whatever reason ( except that has never happened yet!)
If I had to reduce to one vehicle, no question it would be the van.............loads more bang for the bucks/Euros/££
 
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