P5 and Bikes

[PractiKal]

I'm considering purchasing a P5, and I'm also an avid cyclist (mountain and road). Is the cargo area of the P5 large enough to store a couple of bikes in (upright, front wheels removed)?

Thanks.

[sundevilMP5]

actually i had the same question...i was thinking probably not unless you fold down the seats...i haven't tried yet though cuz i don't want to put my bike in the car just yet...my mountain bike is really dirty...anybody know if yakima or thule makes a rack yet??

[Humvee]

In Canada, we don't get the standard roof rack, however, we do have a Thule roof rack as an option. It's similar to the one's on the RAV4s or Jetta's where it screws/locks in to a hold in the roof.

Ask your dealer about it or go to the mazda canada site. (mazda.ca)

[Equinox]

with the seats not down, you can probably fit one bike no problem(sidewards no front wheel), with the seats down, you can fit two or three no problem (front wheels off of course.)

[PR5hokie]

Here is the deal with a roof mounted bike rack. I work at Eastern Mountain Sports and have been doing a good amount of research on this.

1) Thule. They make what is called the "Bike rack pack." Essentially it is a clamp that hooks to the front bar and to this clamp a 31" load bar is attached. Then either the standard Velo Vise (without front tire) or Big Mouth (with front tire) is attached. The initial kit sells for $140 and includes all the clamps, bars, and one bike rack (specify when ordering). This rack will hold two bikes and two wheel carriers I'm told.

2) Yakima. Not too familiar with them but everything I've heard has been positive. The reason I DID NOT go with Yakima is because their rack system clamps into the door frame similar to your standard car rack. I figured that if I have the bars I might as well work with them and not make the interior any louder at highway speeds then it already is with the roof rack. Don't have a price for you.

As far as the other attachments (skis, boards, kayaks, etc.) the options are numerous. If anyone has questions about these then ask and I'll do my best to answer. I'll be picking up my Thule rack in about two weeks so I'll let you know how it is once I get it. Hope this helped. Sorry I was so long winded.

Matt

[PractiKal]

Thanks for the info. Can anyone tell me what the measurement is from the cargo floor to the interior roof? What about the height of the hatchback opening? The closest thing I can find on the Mazda website is rear headroom, and I'm not sure if that's the same as the cargo area?

Also, what about a hitch rack? Can a small hitch be put on the P5?

Sorry to ask so many questions. I've always driven compact trucks, but I'm ready for something with more people room. The Protege5 looks like an excellent, sporty, inexpensive, but practical vehicle. I just need to make sure I can still carry the occasional big item - and storing the bike inside the car would be great as well (no worries about slamming it into the garage when I forget it's on the roof rack).

Thanks again.

[PR5hokie]

As long as you find an aftermarket hitch company that will install the hitch your choices are endless. Anywhere from 2-4 bikes with or without the option of pivoting so you can still open the tailgate w/out taking the bikes off.

[MrJoel]

This is the only place I go for any roof or hitch racks. Good service and prices. http://www.gearonthego.com

[kinkbmx]

i fit 3 bikes with the seats removed in the back, bad idea for the risk of rubbing the headliner, good idea if you just have to ride your bike.

[PractiKal]

I test drove a P5 yesterday... What a cool and fun vehicle! The drive was superb - quite sporty for 130hp - and the interior was great. I went home with the intention of coming back on Monday to buy one. However....

On the way home I spotted a Toyota DoubleCab Prerunner truck. I'd looked at these, but the price they'd wanted was more than I wanted to pay for a compact pickup truck ($25k + for 2wd, $27k+ for 4X4). This one was barley used, though < 10k miles. I work with the guy that's selling it, and the price was within $1000 of the Protege... I was torn - I -really- liked the P5, but the truck fit my needs just a little better, so I purchased it today.

Thanks for all of your help. I think the P5 is a great car...

[PR5hokie]

Well all as good fortune would have it I picked up my Yellow P5 Saturday afternoon and drove it back to school today. I have to say that I love the ride so far. Yellow sure does show the smashed bugs pretty easily. Anyway back to the topic...I installed my Thule Bike Rack Pack last night and it was pretty easy. The bolts could be a bit longer but with a bit of squeesing it worked. Also purchased the wheel carrier. The drive back went well. Bike was still there when I got to school. A little noisy but better than getting the inside dirty and taking up valuable space. Just wanted to give my 2-cents on the Thule rack.

Matt

[sundevilMP5]

how much did you pick up the thule for?? and where??

[PR5hokie]

I picked up my rack from Eastern Mountain Sports. I work for them. Pretty sure we don't have a store in AZ. Of course since I work there I got a pretty good deal but the normal retail is $135. This includes everything for the setup, a velo vise (or big mouth depending on your taste), and two lock tumblers. Any retailer that carries Thule will be able to order one for you if they don't have one in stock. ONLY DOWNSIDE to the rack, that I forgot to mention in my earlier post, is that when the rack is on the car you can't open the tailgate all the way. I have a feeling that you will find this problem with any roof rack. The way to fix it is deal with it or turn the rack around so your bike is facing backwards.

Matt

[Syzygy]

So, if the bike is turned around, the hatch opens all the way, or just closer?

[PR5hokie]

When the rack is turned around the fork mount section will obviously be on the rear load bar of the factory rack. Since this is adjustable you'll be able to move it so the rear will completely open. I haven't actually done this yet but it appears that it should work fine with the rear bar all the way to the rear of the car (i.e. most likely how it was when you purchased your car). Hope this made sense.

Matt

[PR5hokie]

Hey Syzygy do you think you can post a larger pic of your car or email me a larger pic. I to have a yellow P5 and am contimplating putting on a bra since the yellow likes to show how many smashed bugs are on the front of our cars. Thanks.

Matt

[Syzygy]

The pics are at my site (just click the "WWW" button below my post). I like the bra because it stops bugs well (as well as AZ rocks), of course, but also because it tames down the yellow a bit.

[Allen]

This is for the MP3, but I'm sure you could find the same for the P5 if they aren't already exactly the same model.

A few months ago I bought the XPort roof rack for my bike. The cost was almost exactly $200. Holds two bikes and has a lock to them. It's not as FLASHY as the Yakima or Thule ... back then Yakima was still the most expensive. My roommate said he purchased his Yakima roof rack for $500 two years ago!! Besides the high cost, the Yakima roof rack is one of the best I've seen and very easy to use (of course after you adjust the settings to fit your bikes). Very easy to latch bikes on (easier than my Xport) and very nice locking system.... not to mention the style is a little better looking than what I use for my car. :)

Of the three products mentioned above ... Yakima ranks highest, Thule second and then follows the Xport. Thule was recommended by the bike shop I bought it from... but I was determined and found out through a lot of searching that the Xport was very stable and the price was 1/3 of the Thule.

Maybe not as "aerodynamic" (you bikers with a roof rack know what I mean) as the newer Thule and Yakima... but I think Xport that I use is pretty nice looking. Also, I use the FAIRING for my Xport roof rack to minimize the wind noise a bit. Thule parts are suppose to be able to fit well on my Xport should I one day need to purchase exclusively from Thule products. hee hee

After receiving my Xport roof rack, I probably spent an hour or two fiddling with the adjustments. When that was done it was fairly easy to put the roof rack on and take it off when necessary.

I got my stuff at PERFORMANCE (http://www.performancebike.com) bike store online. They had a toll-free number and were very helpful in giving me a reasonable explanation on each product they offered. Service was delightful and delivery was prompt.

[vtmazda]

I would totally recommend Rocky Mounts Noose SL (http://www.orsracksdirect.com/rocky-mounts-bike-racks-noose-sl.html), it mounts directly to the factory bars without any adapters, is lockable, not real expensive, and comes in different colors they might match your P5. I would check out these guys, www.orsracksdirect.com (http://www.orsracksdirect.com/) for you rack needs, they're knowledgeable, friendly and the cheapest around.

[clicknext]

Holy crap you revived a 5 year old thread...

[noob2protege5]

vtmazda's avitar says it all. haha