Bike rack advice

dan1502

I'm gradually working through my list of things I need and am now thinking about bike racks.

I'll use my wife's 2002 focus estate which does not have a tow bar fitted. So I can either fit a tow bar and get a carrier - I've found a decent supplier of tow bars, carriers etc that offer very good discounts but they're still expensive. Anyway should I go for a towbar and rack or roof bars and rack? What are the pros and cons? And which makes are best? WItter? Thule? Mont Blanc?

Thanks

Dan

Cheeky

I went for the Halfords bars and cycle racks and they're great; first set of roof mounts I've had and the whole lot cost just £150. Top quality bargin I say!!

They're also dead easy to use and hold the bike very solidly on the rack and there'salso enough adjustment to take both road and mountain bikes.

alfablue

The Thule Ride-On tow bar rack is excellent, comes complete with electrics and is in 2 or 3 bike versions from £91. At that price the cost with tow bar isn't too bad, and is in my view infinitely preferable to other solutions (hard to use roof bars, potential accidents when mounting bikes or forgetting they are up there, fuel consumption). The Ride-On can happily live in the boot and fits in 3 minutes.

dan1502

I'm just trying to weigh up the advantage of the tow bar and thule ride on type rack which looks very good, with the roof bar options on offer from thule and mont blanc. There are loads of different roof mount options with a diverse range of prices. I'm unlikely to tow anything but I guess roof bars could be handy however having an estate I've not had much need for bars so far.

Having blown more than I intended on a bike, I want to keep costs down - why is everything so bl**dy expensive!

nicklouse

my preferences are tow bar mount first and then roof mount.

and in both cases a design that hold the bike by the wheels and the frame.

the type that "hang" the bike from the frame require a lot of protection.

CraigXXL

Towbar is easier to use, quieter, less drag but more expensive. Roofbars being the opposite but with aero roof bars it lessens the wind noise a bit but increases the cost. Shorter people can struggle getting the bike onto the roof I know two of my mates (5'6" & 5'9") couldn't get their bikes on my Mondeo when I had Thule 591's on the top.

I recommend Thule as they have never let me down and are very well designed which justifys the cost to me over cheaper products.

dan1502

I'm 6'3 so can reach ok. I've sent an email to a specialist on ebay with over 50,000 sales and 100% feedback and keen prices to price up the different options. I suppose with a tow bar rack you don't have to avoid low bridges and the like but if someone nudges into the back of you your bike is wrecked. Now I'm thinking too much! Do both types lock?

alfablue

I think Thule sell locking devices for both towbar and roof ones (they certainly do for the towbar, this locks the bolt that fixes the rack to the tow ball). These locks would not defeat a reasonably determined thief with time or rudimentary tools however, just prevents opportunistic theft attempts.

If you're rear-ended someone else pays, if you drive in the multi-storey car park and wipe your bike out, you pay.

alfablue

Coincidentally: http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... 8#15901268

nicklouse

alfablue
yep and you can even have the same key for your Tow bar and roof mounted bike carriers

dan1502

alfablue wrote:

Coincidentally: http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... 8#15901268

I can get a brand new one for about £100 including p&p so not really worth it at that price but I might make an offer. I probably only need a two bike one but I guess it's handy if anyone else wants to tag along and share petrol.

alfablue

dan1502 wrote:

I can get a brand new one for about £100 including p&p.

£91 in this link.

glenview09

+1 for the Thule tow bar version and then you have a bit of an advantage when you then decide to lose a caravan

daniel_b

alfablue wrote:

dan1502 wrote:

I can get a brand new one for about £100 including p&p.

£91 in this link.

Ahahahahha, but I can trump you in a downwards direction with the same item here:
http://www.skidrive.co.uk/cycle/product_detail.php?partno=950200
For £82.99 with free postage

I have a Thule 913 which is a beast, but rock solid, and can take up to 4 bikes.

I have never used the ride on types, but the 2 types of rack I have both have the arms that clamp onto the bike frame, like this one:



On my 2 bike one (£30 ebay bargain), both the arms are lockable, as is the bit that goes on the tow ball clamp, and on my 4 bike one none of the arms are lockable, but I think it is easy enough to swap the lockable knobs ( ! ) over from the other rack as and when i need it.

The towbar clamp is lockable on the bigger one.

With the ride on types, how do you secure the bike to the hoop as it were?
Bungee cords??

Cheers

Dan

alfablue

With the ride on types, how do you secure the bike to the hoop as it were?
Bungee cords??

They come with 6 short webbing luggage straps, one round each wheel and one for each frame. Seems very secure, never had a problem.

The 913 looks a lot nicer, but at a prce.

dan1502

Sorry, I meant around £100 for the three bike one though the price of the 9502 was £85 with P&P and price match so you have trumped me by £3, thanks.

Briggo

CraigXXL wrote:

Towbar is easier to use, quieter, less drag but more expensive. Roofbars being the opposite but with aero roof bars it lessens the wind noise a bit but increases the cost. Shorter people can struggle getting the bike onto the roof I know two of my mates (5'6" & 5'9") couldn't get their bikes on my Mondeo when I had Thule 591's on the top.

I recommend Thule as they have never let me down and are very well designed which justifys the cost to me over cheaper products.

Your mates must be shorter than that then because Im 5' 8" and I dont have any problems putting them on my Mondeo.

dan1502

I'm now thinking of going down the roof bar root as it's probably going to work out cheaper, should keep the further away from crap from the road and will not involve any fitting. Also I could always by one or two racks then add a third if I need it in future (or get any mates tagging along to buy their own!)

With regards the tow bar option I basically got it down to about £80 for a Witter tow bar, £80 for a Thule Ride On 2 bike rack and £60 for a proper wiring loom. I guess I'd need a number plate too.

I think I'll go for either a Thule aero or Mont Blanc 3000 system bars which I can get for about £110 I think.

The question then is which bike rack/s to get for the bars. I've narrowed it down to Mont Blanc Scott, Baracuda or Discovery or Thule Proride 591 or Freeride 530. I'd be interested to hear if it is worth spending a bit more or if the lower cost options of those above are perfectly adequate.

dan1502

I've almost made my decision now - it's between the Montblanc Discovery rack and the THule Proride 591. I've decided to get just one decent one for now, figuring that the second need not be quite so good as I will use it less and will have someone to help me put the bike on so it doesn't need to be quite so easy.

Anyway I have a couple of final questions. One is regarding tyres. The Montblanc discovery is supposed to take tyres up to 2.3" width (though one site says 2,5"). My bike has 2.1" tyres but am I likely to put anything wider than 2.3" on in future? (I'm a newbie so have no idea).

The other is that I have seen a couple of racks where the bike is attached by the forks with the front wheel removed and they say they're suitable for disc brakes. What is this all about - does it mean the other types aren't suitable for bikes with disc brakes?

After I have the answers to the above all I need to do is measure the tube diameter of my bike and make a decision. I also have a discount code for retailer which I'll post once my order is confirmed.

CraigXXL

Go for the 591's excellent bit of kit, have a look on ebay for a pair of second hand ones. Not much to go wrong with them and save money too for more bike bits.

dan1502

I think I will. I'm just trying to hunt down a bargain on ebay and elsewhere.

CraigXXL

I sold my pair of 591's last year for £80 through here so keep an eye out.

dan1502

Just an update. I managed to get two Antera bike racks and Aero roof bars from a guy on here which I picked up this morning. They seem very good and can be had as a package for about £210. On getting them home I've discovered a couple of hex bolts missing but am pretty sure the maufacturer will send me a couple as I've sent a nice email. This doesn't really bother me when I paid a fair £105.

Once I've tried them I'll let you know what I think.

http://www.atera.co.uk/

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehs ... ate=accgen