Hello everyone,
I wanted to say hello and tell you that this board was very helpful in my decision to get an HCH-II. I used my first tank of gas today and computed exactly 55mpg. I guess that's about right for the first round.

Now all I need is to find a bike rack to fit on my trunk. My local Thule dealers couldn't find anything to fit the 07 Civic. Has anyone found a solution besides the roof or a hitch?

 

First tank - 55 MPG? Wow. I've never had one that good, in over a year of driving.

Anywho, welcome to the club.

 

Must be this heat wave- very hot weather does up your FE considerably. Still, 55 mpg is impressive. Great job! Congrats on the new car and welcome to GreenHybrid. We at GH love to hear that kind of thing, that this site helps people decide to buy hybrids. It's so nice of you to come tell us that kind of news! Anyway, if your first tank is any indication, you're going to have some *great* mileage this summer- just don't get discouraged or feel too disappointed when it drops during the New Hampshire winter, and it will. Keep in mind that everyone else on the road is being affected by the same proportion, and your car is still one of the absolute best out there. Anyway, best wishes!

 

Hello, congrats, and wow!!

I'm thinking the '07 is too new for Thule. Ask them to look up an '06 Civic. Good luck.

 

I have a riding buddy who uses a Saris trunk rack on his wife's 06 (EX) Civic and I never heard him complain about it. I'm not a big fan of trunk mounts though. They are the most likely to damage your car, and they are the least secure at holding your bike of the three choices (roof/trunk/hitch). A roof rack might cost you a few mpg, but it's a small price to pay for keeping your bike safe!

BTW, welcome to the site!

 

A friend of mine has an '07 civic and if she takes the front wheel off she can slide the bike in front of the back seats. If you don't have passengers in the back this can work. I personally invested in a folding bike and it only takes up 2/3 of the bottom of my trunk. There is still a good deal of room on top and to the side of it. Folding bikes get a lot of flack but I did complete a 50 mile bike ride on my folding bike a couple of weeks ago.

 

First tank 55?

Congratulations, my first was 54.9.

You'll be kicking my butt in no time!!

 

That works, but you need to have a blanket to cover the rear seat and the back of the front seats and console. The bike pedals and gears WILL damage the interior if you don't pad it well (I know, unfortunately, from personal experience!).

Any road bike CAN fit in the trunk if you take both wheels off. My (large) bike also needs the saddle removed. As long as it's marked, it's easy to put it back and be cycling within a few minutes. Still, I'd only do this for long trips... just not convenient for a short haul to the local bike trail.

Actually, I was able to fit TWO road bikes in my trunk for a big trip last year. Required a lot of planning, but it did work (photos are posted in some other thread).

I'm still considering a hitch mount or trunk mount for the short trips. We use the SUV with a Thule hitch mount for hauling our three bikes on longer trips.

Good luck!