Carrying a fat bike?

I just purchased a Surly Pugsley fat tire bike. I was able to disassemble it enough to fit it in the back seat of my Passat for the ride home, but it isn’t something I want to do all the time. Unfortunately folding the seats down and getting the bike in the trunk isn’t a possibility because I have an ARB 37 quart refrigerator back there taking up half the trunk.

It looks like the options are roof rack, trunk rack, or rear hitch. Trunk rack is out for me as I need to get into the trunk multiple times per day to get food on business trips. Roof rack is a possibility, but it might hurt MPG and I don’t know if they make fatbike width tire mounts. I’m leaning towards the hitch mount as it could be used on my wife’s outback or my truck too. Anyone have recommendations on which ones work well?

Haven't had first hand experience but have heard good things of 1Up hitch racks.

Remember you'll need to source a hitch for the Passat as well.

Between hitch and rack you're prob a little more than the cost as roof racks and bike tray (they do have fat bike trays out there, thule would be the brand to compare too).

I recently ordered and installed a Curt hitch from Etrailer.com onto my '15 Passat. It was a pretty discreet looking hitch for the money...around $119 shipped. And by discreet, I mean it is pretty well tucked up and hidden, with minimal trimming of the rear valance. It took me maybe 30 minutes to install. I will say that the hitch itself is WAY over built for my needs...two bikes on a Thule rack!

The Curt hitch looks good, thanks for the input. I found the Eco hitch in my searches:

https://bendtrailers.com/ecohitch-volkswagen-passat-2015-2-x7317/

It costs twice as much and then some, but I like the design from an engineering perspective and I can get a 2” receiver. My brother said all his 1 1/4” receiver bike racks have not been as stable as the 2” receiver one he uses now.

I’m considering buying another Touareg TDI to replace both my pickup and my wife’s Subaru, that would have a 2” receiver for the bike rack.

BroncoAZ said:

My brother said all his 1 1/4” receiver bike racks have not been as stable as the 2” receiver one he uses now.

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I hear you there, my Thule rack uses a bolt vs. a hitch pin. So when tightened there is no rattle or shake between rack and hitch......only thing is it can't be locked as you can with a hitch pin (lockable)....maybe there is a large security bolt available, haven't really looked into it that deeply though.....

I've always just used a Saris rack for my road bike because it comes off and goes on so easily. I drive a ton (so i didnt want a roof rack thats noisy and costs me mpg) and use my trunk a lot so i can put it on in less than a minute in the mornings when i'm heading to a ride and have it off in under a minute when i get home that night. The top rubber mount will make a slight mark on the trunk but it comes off pretty easily.

Lex Tdi said:

I've always just used a Saris rack for my road bike because it comes off and goes on so easily. I drive a ton (so i didnt want a roof rack thats noisy and costs me mpg) and use my trunk a lot so i can put it on in less than a minute in the mornings when i'm heading to a ride and have it off in under a minute when i get home that night. The top rubber mount will make a slight mark on the trunk but it comes off pretty easily.

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I open my trunk at every meal, much of my time is spent away from home, so the bike could be living on the back of the car a few days at a time.

If you are using a rack that contacts the paint you could get a circle of clear bra material put where the rack makes contact.

BroncoAZ said:

I open my trunk at every meal, much of my time is spent away from home, so the bike could be living on the back of the car a few days at a time.
If you are using a rack that contacts the paint you could get a circle of clear bra material put where the rack makes contact.

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You can still open the trunk with care while it's attached...

The mark doesnt bother me, i run cars until they die, trade in value doesnt bug me much. Just know there are a lot of fanatics about car care on here.

With the addition of the 2015 Touareg to our stable this weekend, I’ll definitely be going with a hitch mounted rack so it can be used on both VW’s.