Bike racks.... roof or rear mounted??
Comments
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+1 again for the 591's.
Very secure, takes less than 30 seconds to load and secure the bike and I generally forget it's on (bar a little more wind noise + 60mph)
If I had a tow bar though, I'd probably get a tow bar carrier as it drops the bikes out of the slipstream. More cash though.
JCommencal Meta 55 Team custom build
Giant Trance 060 -
Towbar carrier all the way.0
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Just out them in the boot!
I can fit my NS and a Stinky in the boot of my Coupe :shock:0 -
I think it's all about personal choice
If ever I put 7 riders into the Disco with kit, then I know that I can fit 4 bikes atop and 3 on a Thule towbar mounted carrier. I have seen people carriers carrying up to 6 bikes in this manner.
The best thing about the Thule Aerobar/591 combo on the Land Rover is that if I park up at the services, no scroat can get to the bikes easily. Being so high up makes for an excellent deterrent.
I even fit the Cateye Strada and Topeak saddle bag to the bike knowing that a basketball player would have a hard time getting to them.
In all fairness buy the best you can afford at the time, should you ever upgrade, the older kit will always sell.0 -
I currently have Thule 561s but don't like the fork fixing so am considering the 591s as I already have the bars etc fitted, thugh I am also looking at the rear high mount 9105 carrier too.Adam.
Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
Current ride - Yeti ASR 5a X00 -
As is "Towbar carrier all the way"
You hardly going to change modes of bike transportation/carrying some of the way into your journey are you?
At least Hadaka got it...0 -
Saris bones 2 attached to my Golf. Wheels off and in a wheel bag in the boot. Pitch Pro with Halfords false frame attachment carried along nicely. Done!0
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I was thinking of starting a similar post but I'll just tag on to this one.
What is the best rack (roof or rear) for under £100? I have never owned one before so everyone's advice would be gratefully received.0 -
gav77 wrote:I was thinking of starting a similar post but I'll just tag on to this one.
What is the best rack (roof or rear) for under £100? I have never owned one before so everyone's advice would be gratefully received.
When you say for under a £100, for roof carriers is that per carrier or for how many?0 -
Sorry I should have been clearer. The rack would be for up to 3 bikes. I also have a Focus so I assume I would need a low level rear rack?0
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Raymondavalon wrote:Some people whinge about fuel consumption on roof mounted carriers, from experience of hauling bikes on the roof of both the car and Land Rover it's no biggie.
You drive a brick! Fuel consumption obviously doesn't feature in your list of priorities
Just kidding... You're spot on, people assume that roof mounts will be horrible for drag but actually rear mounts can be worse. Drag's from the overall shape, not just the front section, so messing up the rear flow makes a big difference. They're not "out of the wind" like people think.
Personally I reckon in the boot is the answer- get some comedically vast volvo that you could store Wales in.Uncompromising extremist0 -
Personally I reckon in the boot is the answer- get some comedically vast volvo that you could store Wales in.
Whats your name...Jeremy Clarkson 0 -
I find that rather hurtful
Uncompromising extremist0 -
I have both 4 x 591's and towbar mounted the kind that hangs the bikes from the top tube and can carry 4 bikes on either but on the rear I was always weary that the bikes are wider than the car and the jigsaw puzzle to get 4 on meant that taking the wheels out wasn't worth it plus i then had 8 wheels.
The 591's though I have had a problem with we hit a bump in the road and one of the kids bikes cartwheeled off the back of the car (we may have forgotten a wheel strap but thought it unlikely as we had a 400 mile drive home).
As for getting the bikes on the roof I need a caravan step to get the middle 2. The outer ones I manage fine unless I am outside the LBS and try to put the bike on the wrong way round :oops: and some blokes looked at me smirking then offered to help out (talk about embarassing). My hubby can manage to get all 4 on no problem without the step
You also need to consider if you are ever likely to take the bikes and add a trailer of any description because you can't use rear mounted racks.If every action has an equal and opposite reaction does that mean I will be eaten by a fly?0 -
Northwind wrote:Raymondavalon wrote:Some people whinge about fuel consumption on roof mounted carriers, from experience of hauling bikes on the roof of both the car and Land Rover it's no biggie.
You drive a brick! Fuel consumption obviously doesn't feature in your list of priorities
I know you were kidding when you said that, but although British born, I was raised in a country where's just no replacement for displacement and a 4.0L V8 is extremely moderate and fuel efficient in comparison to some of the 6.5-7.0L 550BHP+ babes I owned in the old country. Plus some of them had decent load ares too...lovewales wrote:The 591's though I have had a problem with we hit a bump in the road and one of the kids bikes cartwheeled off the back of the car (we may have forgotten a wheel strap but thought it unlikely as we had a 400 mile drive home).
I'm a little shocked to read that! First negative thing I've ever read/heard of the 591 racks other than the pricetag.
I took my bikes through low tree canopies on the roof of the Land Rover Discovery, They hit the trees pretty hard, especially the FS bike which was on the left, but they stayed put. Bikes were full of leaves and small branches afterward but there was no sign of any damage to bikes or 591s. The bikes stayed put too.0 -
lovewales wrote:The 591's though I have had a problem with we hit a bump in the road and one of the kids bikes cartwheeled off the back of the car (we may have forgotten a wheel strap but thought it unlikely as we had a 400 mile drive home).
Yes a bit worrying, but as you said maybe you had not done up one of the straps. Would be interesting to hear from anyone else who has had a problem like this.0 -
Well I bought two sets of 591s to carry the bikes safely to Afan next week
Adam.
Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
Current ride - Yeti ASR 5a X00 -
You'll be fine. I have both roof mounted and tail mounted carriers. I have a Skoda Octavia Estate with a towbar so I can mix and match. My bros the same.
The advantage of roof bar carriers is you can leave them on all the time whereas you are unlikely to leave a rear mounted carrier on permanently. Having said that if you don't want any carriers on your bike when you are not carrying a bike maybe a tail mounted carrier is quicker to take off and put on!
I've had no problems - I have the old cheaper Thules wich are fine and also a new Thule 591 which also seems fine.
Theoretically with my vehicle it would be possible to load it up with:
Two bikes on roof + narrow top box + canoe
Two bikes hanging off tailgate
Two bikes in the estate
Four bikes in the caravan
One passenger
I would say roof mounted are best option unless you really have difficulty lifting your bike. Just watch out for car parks/rubbish dumps etc. with restricted height entrances!Commencal Meta 5.5.1
Scott CR10 -
Father Faff wrote:I would say roof mounted are best option unless you really have difficulty lifting your bike. Just watch out for car parks/rubbish dumps etc. with restricted height entrances!
Talking of.. yes I almost hit one of those when parking up near the canal in Basingstoke to do the Basingstoke canal route on the hardtail. They had a height restriction frame over the car park for some weird reason0 -
I have a towbar mount carrier that I bought off here for £60 (thule 9403). I think it's very good, however I still see a reduction in fuel consumption from 40mpg to 35 mpg.
My advice would be, if your car has a towbar then get a rear carrier, otherwise get roof bars as it'll be cheaper than getting a towbar fitted.
As for tales of bikes being deposited on the motorway etc, I would put that down to operator error. All bike racks will have been thoroughly tested to make sure they don't do this. I remember when reserching my rack I read a post on t'internet saying that the carrier wasn't steady and moved about in use. what really happened was the user was fitting the rack over the plastic towball cover and not removing the cover and de-greasing the ball as instructed in the user instructions :-)0 -
yeahbut people only post on tinternet when things go wrong. The percentage of happy buyers to disgruntled ones is probably huge.
What's the best deal on the Thules at the moment?0 -
upinsmoke wrote:yeahbut people only post on tinternet when things go wrong. The percentage of happy buyers to disgruntled ones is probably huge.
What's the best deal on the Thules at the moment?
Agreed, people only b!tch when things go wrongs and with most quality products it's usually operator error.
Best place to get anything Thule is Ebay, Recently I paid about £25 over the Ebay price sourcing my Aerobar set for the car from Halfords and a caravan shop (Halfords had the brackets but not the Aerobar for a Golf 5/6 of all things!) I was impatient, but I have them now.. although
Last year I bought the Land Rover's complete Aerobar / 591x4 + universal lock set package from Halfords and it was, erm.. * * * * o f f e x p e n s i v e
Ebay for sure..0 -
Why is it that there are always bits for sale on Ebay when I don't want them, but as soon as I am after something there are none about.... or they are going for double the price they are normally :roll:0
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with my rear rack, i have found that the pedals some times whack the back of the car as the bikes sway. and it wasn't exactly a cheap rack. but when i had the roof rack, it was piss easy.
but remember, roof racks, - use more petrol - FACT more drag and all that.
but they look cooler 8)0 -
Figured I'd chime in on this one as I have some experience with both.
Personally, I am currently using a roof mount system (Thule) on my Subaru Outback (same rack I used on my Golf GTI previously - save for some small mounting hardware) and it has served me well over the years. Lifting the bikes has never been an issue (even now on the taller Subi). The system is good at keeping your gear out of your way, it's good at keeping your gear in plain sight should you stop for a bite to eat somewhere and need to leave the vehicle for a moment ( 'cause let's face it, the locks they are equipped with only keep the "honest" thieves away), they're [the bikes] very stable and secure and I have easily fit 4 bikes on the roof of even my VW without any issues at all. I have never lost any down the road and any issues I've heard about/read about over the years have been from those who have made mounting errors. Usually they'll admit what they'd done, albeit reluctantly, at a later time :-)
The downside to the roof mounting systems right off the bat is.......NOISE!!!!! No one can deny that they are faulking loud as hell - especially if your ride is perched up there. If you've got a sunroof - you'll need to "turn up the tunes!!!!" They also keep your bike up in "the action", as I like to call it, where wind, sand, grit, bugs and stones love to pelt the crap out of it. Did I mention bugs? I don't know how far you need to travel to get to some of your trails but man do they get covered sometimes. Especially here during the big mayfly hatch or when the giant June bugs start coming out. Sheesh...... I actually got a giant dent in one of my stanchions once from a stone thrown up by a truck. It ruined that fork. That was a long time ago though. Also, if you ever forget they're up there and you hit a low overhang - it's over..... A friend of mine pulled into his garage after he'd been gone for some epic ride and long drive. He destroyed his bike and roof rack; the car and house were also seriously damaged. The garage door needed to be completely changed out as it had been discontinued so the panel he had struck was not replaceable. It was bad - funny to us - but pretty bad..... And lastly, though I haven't read all the responses you have gotten so far I think I read something about someone saying it doesn't affect fuel mileage much? If so, that's not true. At least not in my experience. It DOES affect it, and in a fairly substantial way. I've attached a couple of pics of some unfortunate incidents with the roof racks that some folks have had. No one I know in these pics though.
Despite the fact that I currently use a roof mounting system (and don't hate it), if I were to purchase a new rack now, I know that I would go back and pick up a hitch mount system with wheel trays as opposed to the "hanging style" hitch rack. Frame geometries are so diverse these days that the hanging style racks do not always accommodate some frame designs. Having the wheels sitting in trays make them far more stable as well. Hitch mount rack have come a long way since my last purchase in that there are several designs to choose from that will swing or tilt completely out of your way should you need to access anything in the rear of your vehicle. Bikes still get covered in gunk kicked up from the road but it is more "deposited" in turbulent winds as opposed to "slammed" on by direct exposure - if that makes sense to you. Nowadays you can get rear racks (with wheel trays) that hold 4 bikes too so it's all good.
In a nutshell - get a hitch mount if you have a good hitch and get a roof rack if you don't. Also, here's a tip for you. To avoid what happened to the folks in the pics I provided, personally, I move a bunch of stuff into my space when I leave in the morning so that when I get home I can't pull into my space. If I forget, it simply reminds me what is on top of the car when I see it. I don't forget often but it has saved me on at least two separate occasions over the last 10 years..... My wife knows what I'm up to when she sees it as well so she never picks it up. She leaves the stuff there.
Cheers,
Sorry for being so freaking verbose!!
Ska!
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