rear bench sear removal?

Hey guys,
     I'm an avid road cyclist in addition to an A3 owner. I want to be able to load my race bike in the back (removing only the front wheel and the seat/seatpost) and have it stand upright in the back to leave room for other gear I need with me at races. I have a 2x4 with a fork clamp that I secure the bike fork to in order to keep it from tipping over. This has worked very well for me with the SUV's and larger wagons my team mates drive. However, there isn't enough clearance for the bike to fit like this. One of the problems is that the rear seats don't fold down flat because the bench portion gets in the way.
     Does anyone know how to remove the bench portion? Is it a hassle to do (I race a lot and do training rides with team mates from other areas and need to transport my bike often...1-2x a week)? How much extra clearance do you think I would gain removing the bench and then folding the seats down?

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm getting really sick of taking my bike completly apart and loading pieces so that I can fit all my gear in.

Also I would like to stick with in the car options. I don't like transporting my $5k bike on the roof where it will get hit by flying stones, bugs, and suffer water seepage into the bearings when it rains at highway speeds.

Thanks!

quote:

ORIGINAL: batman1425

 
    Does anyone know how to remove the bench portion? Is it a hassle to do (I race a lot and do training rides with team mates from other areas and need to transport my bike often...1-2x a week)? How much extra clearance do you think I would gain removing the bench and then folding the seats down?

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm getting really sick of taking my bike completly apart and loading pieces so that I can fit all my gear in.


Thanks!

 
It's easy.  Pull straight up on the front (2 or 3 posts across the front) and then you will be able to see the "hook" on each side.  You will simply need to push the bench portion rearward to release the "hook".
 
Make sure you remove the plastic aound the base of each seat belt.  You will be suprised at how much room is back there when the seats are folded flat.  I don't know about being able to fit a bike back there though.

Please let us know how it works and post some pics of your setup.
Thanks!
 

x2
 
I'd like to be able to use the 2x4 method to transport my $4k (not as expensive as yours, but still my baby) bike too.
 
Please post the results.

i'd be interested too! even cheaper bike 1.5k!

1.5k bike + Mods = 4k bike

Funny thing how no matter how much I mod my bike the "horsepower" remains virtually unaffected. Not so with the A3!

Hey,
     Thanks for the advice, worked like a charm! Had to get over the fear that I was going to break something though. The clips that hold the front egde of the bench down are pretty tight. Wiggle your hands under the front lip on either side of the clip and pull straight upwards. I'm not gonna kid you, I had to put more force into it than I felt comefortable with, but once you've done it you'll get the feel. There is one in about the middle of each side passenger seat, and there are 2 clips (one on each side) that hold the back down. Once you pop it up  it just slides forward. Remember to bring it inside though, don't want to get dirt and grease on the leather!

There are also little plastic retainer clips that surround the child seat anchors. Take those off (the just slide off) and remove the right and left headrests before dropping the seats down. I couldn't get the center headrest to come off (help me out if you have a trick), but it's profile is low enough that it doesn't get in the way too much.

With the bench out, I got about 6inches of extra clearance where the folded back used to be highest and overall added a huge amount of cargo space. I would guess about 8-10 cubic feet extra. I have a larger bike frame (58cm) and now with the front wheel off there is plenty of clearance for the handlebars and the seat collar (I still have to remove the seatpost to get it to fit though). With this setup I could easly fit 2 bikes and all the gear that 2 people would need at a race without fear of scratches or other damage to my bike. If just bikes I forsee fitting 3 if the one in the middle were a bit smaller. I don't really transport people in my backseat much anyway, so i'm considering just leaving it like that and putting the seat in just when i need it.

I'll post pictures when I get home.

that's a brilliant solution. thanks for sharing.

Hey all... sorry for the delay with the pictures. I didn't transport my bike anywhere for a while. But I'm headed to Boston tomorrow so here are the interior shots you all requested...

There is about 2 inches of clearance between the top of the seat collar and the headliner. I have to tilt the bike on its side to load it, but it can be stood up once it is fully inside. The shot of the 60/40 split is to show how much extra room you get with the bench portion removed.

Hope this helps.

Sorry haven't posted pictures on this forum before...


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Great idea and great pics!
 
It's hard to tell from your pics, but you may want to slip a sheet or blanket between the top half of the rear seat and the exposed area of the car, so that your nice light gray seats don't get punctured or scratched while its down.
 
 

sumognat-thats not a bad idea. I didn't notice any exposed sharp edges or areas that would scuff the seats, but the extra security wouldn't be a bad idea, thanks for the tip!

Otherwise this is a great solution not just for transporting a bike, but for a useful increase in storage space. I can fit a significantly greater amount of stuff in my car with this setup. I have a pretty large bike too, so I image this would be even easier for someone with a smaller frame. Its great to be able to fit my bike, trainer, clothing bag, tools and other assorted items that I need at races and far away club training rides.

My trip to boston is actually to get fit for a new frame which has compact geometry which should fit in the car even better!

Thanks for the pics! That IS a lot more space!

great pics!
Will the bike fit the other way so you can just roll it in on the back tire or do you really need that extra space where your handle bars are going past the headrest?
 
 

I haven't tried to flip the bike around and see if it will fit the other way, but I'm inclined to think it won't. The rear wheel follows the curve of the roofline and tailgate pretty closley and I don't think there will be the clearance for the handlebars if the bike were flipped around. It slides about 6 inches further into the trunk by being able to slip around the headrest, but I'll give it a try and let you know.

Plus the way that the headline/roofline dips toward the trunk (its taller in the passenger compartment area then drops down as you get into the trunk)means that I have to tip the bike on its side slightly for it to clear that lip. So even If I put it in rear wheel first, I would still have to slide it in at an angle. I agree with you atatx, that would be the easier way to do it, provided it fits.

It isn't as easy to load as some of the subaru wagons or mid/large SUV's my teammates have , but its A LOT BETTER than what I used to have to do. Take both wheels and seatpost off, lay down in trunk wrapped in blankets, carefully load other gear around it hoping nothing shifts during the drive and falls on it... Plus the A3 is way nice than any Subie or SUV any day... I rather take 5 extra minutes loading and ride in style than drive a Subie like everyone else on the planet!

My new bike (hopefully picking up today) is a Giant TCR Advanced which has a 4cm shorter seat tube due to the compact geometry, so I don't think I'll have to tilt that one to get it in.

That's awesome, thanks for the pictures, now time for a DIY weekend >:)

Great pictures!  Now I know how to fit my road bike in too.  Next question, anyone ever fit a vintage Vespa scooter in the back?  I am an avid Vespa collector, and curious if anyone on here is too?
 
;)

Thanks for the pics!! 

How hard is it to get the seat back in?

Also if you are worried the sheet isn't substantial enough, I have this to protect the car from the dogs...
http://www.hatchbag.com/suvcargoliner_hatchbag.php

I think it's easier to put back in than it is to take out. Pulling the clips out is an awkward angle and it's tough to get in a position to put in the necessary force to do so. To reverse the process, put the plastic retainers back over the child seat anchors, slide the bench underneath them and push rearward to get in seated in the hooks that hold the back of the bench down. Once thats done, just line up the clips on the front and push down. Sounds more complicated than it is. Probably takes me 2-5min by the time I walk to bench over to the car.

Thanks for the link robert.... I will probably invest in something like that in the near future. I would hate to shove a chainring through the back of my seats....

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=4413

If you guys need a cheap place to get some fork mounts

Center headrest removal - Approach from behind; the left post has the traditional button, the right one has a small slot. You need to stick a small straight blade in the slot and pull up on the headrest to remove, usually working the right post, then the left upward. The first time you do it, the headrest is in there pretty tight, and might have you cursing a bit.

I race road and mtn bikes and have never had a rock or pebble or any debris hit my bikes. Seems like a lot of hassle to take the entire back seat out, and take off your saddle and seat post. I have had a Thule rack on my A3 for almost 2 and half years with not one problem.  I generally carry both my kids as well as an occasional fellow cyclist. I carry my bike to work at least 3 days a week for most of the year with zero problems.  Good luck!

Cheers