….vertically, without the tire scraping the roof?
I’m car shopping and would like to hear from anyone who actually owns 2014 or 2015 model and regularly transports 36er.
I do appreciate the helpfulness of most forum members; however, the reply “I own a different model year but it should fit fine” will not help me.
Thanks a lot!
I have a 2015 Forrester and it is a very poor fit for a Coker. The tire will not fit in vertically. I have long legs and a long seat post and it won’t even fit in sideways with the tire leaning. I have much better luck putting Cokers in the back seats of cars. I could carry 3 Cokers without pedals or one with the pedals still on in my Mazda Protege and I’m sure I could do that in the back seat of the Forrester.
I own a 2011 Forrester and my Coker fits perfectly. Should work just fine for you.
Harper, thanks for that info.
Anyone else?
I can’t believe that I misspelled Forester…twice.
I was referring to the fit in the back end with the back seats upright. That’s what you wanted to know, right? It’s impossible. With the backseats down you could probably stack 4 or 5 on top of each other carefully fitting the pedals on the outside of tires or through the spokes of the adjacent unicycles.
Thanks for the clarification; what I was actually thinking – but did not type – was “Would it fit vertically, with the backseats down, without the tire scraping the ceiling?”
I apologize for my muddled question.
I know you said that it’s unhelpful to comment on other cars… but I own a 1986 mk2 polo weighing in at 800kg! I get my 36er in the back of that every weekend no problem and could probably stack another on top.
Tiny!
More useless info: I used to have a 1979 Subaru 4WD wagon. Not too wide, not too tall (the current Forester is MUCH bigger inside). The only way to get my Big Wheel in there was to put the back seats down, and then shove it in on an angle. Of course that’s a 45" wheel. I replaced that car with a VW Bus, and it’s been minivans ever since that.
I have a friend who has a '14 or '15, and off the top of my head I’d guess it will not fit vertically. I even have to tilt them over to get them through the door of my Toyota Sienna, though they will then fit upright a little ways in.
Minivans, man.
Thanks, John Foss. I have a 2001 Sienna which is a very fine local 36er transport, but it’s becoming less and less highway-worthy by the day, hence the Forester questions.
Yes, definitely not a vertical fit in a '13 Forester, which is what my friend has.
I agree with you that the recent-year Siennas are ugly, and look more like buses. Not sure what I’m going to do when my '03 poops out. 132,000 miles now and running fine, but it’s true, minivans aren’t going to get great fuel economy compared to smaller cars, no matter what you do.
Thanks again; however, according to Subaru website the “redesigned 2014 has more rear cargo space” than the 2013. Hopefully another 2014/36er owner will weigh in.
Harper has a '15 and says it won’t fit vertical; you can trust him. How about a nice old VW Bug? While the more common 40" Big Wheels of that era (1983) would fit in the back seat, my 45" was a no-go.
I do trust Harper’s statement, but my muddled question confused the issue. I was asking if 36er fits vertically in 2014/2015 with the backseats down , not up.
That’s quite a picture!
Ah, you want additional info. With the backseats down the maximum height of the cargo area is a bit over 30 inches. A Coker wheel just won’t stand up vertically in there. Plenty of room to lay several of them down flat, though, because the minimum width of the hatch opening is 43 inches and the distance between the wheel wells is 42 inches.
Excellent harper, that is exactly the info I needed; thanks for going the extra mile for me, so to speak!
I’m a little sad. We were just talking about what to replace my beloved 2004 (not '03; bought it in '03) Sienna with when it craps out. Anything smaller, unless it’s a big SUV, will not easily fit my old Big Wheel (which doesn’t get out nearly as much anymore, but is still my go-to for the occasional parade). Also won’t hold nearly as much cargo, or people.
Not to change the topic (much), but what would you do?
I would pay a unicycling-transportation consultant in Seattle an enormous sum of money to advise you in this critical if not potentially health-threatening matter. You’re worth the expense, John. Don’t take any unnecessary chances by cutting corners at a crucial time like this.
I’m from Detroit. Call me stubborn, but I don’t think I need a professional unicycling-transportation consultant. It’s like people asking which unicycle they should buy. I have to weigh my choices and then DECIDE.
But not until this car craps out. It’s just so frikkin’ useful!
Below: my Sienna at MUni Weekend 2009, after shuttling riders from the Downieville Downhill
You’re stubborn.
Hi John,
While you’d have to find a used one, the Honda Element is a pretty awesome vehicle. It’ll hold three mountain bikes standing up in it with the rear seats flipped out of the way (and four with the seats removed all the way). Bet it’d fit your 45" big wheel inside. Not exceptional mpg, but probably a few ticks better than the Sienna. If you want to stay with Toyota, the (also discontinued) FJ Cruiser has a lot of cargo space and is another vehicle favored by the mountain biking community. Or, if you want a better-mileage minivan, the Mazda5 doesn’t really look much like a minivan, is small and nimble and pretty fun to drive, and has decent cargo room (but I’m not sure about that 45" in there).
Can you tell that I’ve been thinking about a new car, too? 
