roof mounting or rack?

blablablacksheep

Looking to buy a new bike rack/roof rack to mount bike on my Ford fiesta but am unsure about how good Roof Racks are and so tempted to get a simple rear boot rack.

Main concerns is how secure roof rack mounts are for fitting mountain bikes on.

So far i looking at this
Thule ProRide 591 Roof Mount Bike Carrier

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65477#dtab

Then for boot rack this one

Thule ClipOn 9104 bike rack

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/thu ... r-ec017950

They both seem to have good reviews and are under £100 just unsure which would be best for myself and the Ford fiesta.

nicklouse

tow bar or roof. In that order for me. Hate clip on racks.

Anonymous

Conversely, I like the simplicity of rear mounted racks. Less faff to get a bike on them than a roof rack, and no need for a towball.

One thing I'm interested in though is... how badly does a roof mount affect your fuel economy?
Curiously, on my old car, a Peugeot 306 1.9 TD, the rear mounted rack made far less of an impact to fuel economy than it does on my new(er) golf 1.9TDI. The golf's efficiency is absolutely ruined with a rack on - but the Pug used only slightly more fuel, curiously.

Daz555

Tow bar for me.

cooldad

yeehaamcgee wrote:

One thing I'm interested in though is... how badly does a roof mount affect your fuel economy?

I'm not quite anal enough to keep track of actual consumption but I'd say between 10% and 20% depending on speed. On the motorway you can almost watch the gauge move.
That's with two bikes on top.
Quite significant with the current price of fuel.

Mmmmmm good idea for a thread.

FUEL, the price of...!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous

Do you know if it's a similar mpg hit between roof mounted and rear rack mounting?

Anonymous

By the way, sorry to partially hijack your thread, blablablacksheep, but I guess this is kind of relevant between the two types of rack.

cooldad

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Do you know if it's a similar mpg hit between roof mounted and rear rack mounting?

No idea, only ever had a roof rack. (After a station wagon, which was much easier but blew up.)

mcj78

I looked at getting a Thule system for my honda prelude but it was gonna work out £300+ for all the various components to make it work, ended up with a Saris Bones 3 which has been pretty much faultless & easy to switch between cars, i've had it on mine & several mates' cars without issue & it was less than a third of the price of the Thule.

*EDIT - Just noticed the link above just lists the thule roof carrier, you'll also need compatible roof bars & foot-pack to attach the bike carrier - that will bump another hundred-odd quid onto the price if you want the thule ones!*

As for the mpg issue of top v rear mounted bike carriers, I remember the Saris website suggesting rear mounted carriers were more fuel efficient & less likely to affect handling than top mounted ones, but then they would say that!

As I see it the Thule systems are more of a fit & forget system - you probably wouldn't be taking them off & on every weekend, and the roof bars alone will also affect fuel economy to an extent - still, the ease of just chucking your bike on the roof after a ride & driving off is a significant plus! The rear mounted ones are more of a faff admittedly, but once you've done it a few times it's less of an issue, they're also cheaper & there's no chance of accidentally driving under a low barrier/garage roof & taking your bikes out.

Horses for courses!
J

Mojo_666

+1 on the Saris Bones 3,

I did a lot of research and to get the roof kit which included rails, bars THEN you can get the bike mount was £300+, and when u trade car it is all useless to you. Tow bar ones looked ok but you need to get the tow bar whis is a fair whack too, besides the ones I eyeballed at trail centre car parks do not look so great tbh, looks like a trip hazard, something to smash while reversing or for someone else to smash into bikes included.

I guess if i had the roof rack/bars/rails then maybe but getting bikes up is a pain, especially if you have an off and are a little sore, stiff or have some cracked ribs etc. :<

cooldad

I bought a cheap Ebay special, about £80 for bars and carriers.
Has worked perfectly for the last 3 years.
Bit of a PITA to put on and off (about 10-15 minutes) but I still take it off when I'm not using it.

TuckerUK

Having owned both (tailgate mount and roof bar mount), I'd go with roof bar mount every time. Mind you, this is for 2, 3 or 4 bikes...never just the one. So much easier to use in every respect. I leave my three cycle carriers mounted to my roof bars, and can mount the roof bar/cycle carriers in under 5 minutes.

I've got Thule roof bars with some cheapo generic bike racks.

Anonymous

My saris bones doesn't take anywhere near 5 minutes to fit though.

Isn't it a struggle to get a bike onto the roof rack in the central position? (I've never used one, but they look like a PITA, frankly)

diy

yeehaamcgee wrote:

One thing I'm interested in though is... how badly does a roof mount affect your fuel economy?
Curiously, on my old car, a Peugeot 306 1.9 TD, the rear mounted rack made far less of an impact to fuel economy than it does on my new(er) golf 1.9TDI. The golf's efficiency is absolutely ruined with a rack on - but the Pug used only slightly more fuel, curiously.

The Volvo XC90 will consume about the same with or without the bikes on the roof, maybe no more than 1 or 2 mpg less.

I like them up on the roof because it means they are out of the way and I can open the tail up if required. My preference would have been a tow ball mounted system, but that was going to cost twice as much.

I have 3 X Thule ProRide 591 mounted to OEM aero bars, there are a few specialist sellers who are much cheaper than halfords - have a look on ebay

The Proride is solid and secure, even when you chuck the car about a bit - not that you can do much of that with a big 4x4.

Anonymous

Wow, that kind of fuel economy is not to be sneezed at - impressive indeed.

blablablacksheep

Just noticed the link above just lists the thule roof carrier, you'll also need compatible roof bars & foot-pack to attach the bike carrier - that will bump another hundred-odd quid onto the price if you want the thule ones!*

Can you confirm though that you need all the above and the above must be thule made?

My Ford Fiesta has "Ford made" roof rack bars which cost about 120 anyhow, so cant i just buy the Thule bike roof mount and that will work?

nicklouse

it will be fine, thule come with two fittings T slot or around a square bar.

nicklouse

I have this to use on the van when there is no room inside.

and this on the car as there is no tow bar

mcj78

nicklouse wrote:

it will be fine, thule come with two fittings T slot or around a square bar.

What he said - didn't realize you already had bars on your roof, if in doubt i'd double check with Thule, i'm sure their website has all sorts of compatibility worker-outer things.

Nick - that looks like lot of bike on the back of that thar ford focus, what are they - not too up to date with DH stuff? Liking the green/orange combo too 8)

nicklouse

mcj78
discontinued RB Dragsters. is a few years old that pic.

snowden_88

I have a Mazda 3 and can easily get 2 bikes in the back with the back seats down

Hope this helps

bellys

roof mount for me. i did not like my rear mount as it was a high line type so the bike did not cover the rear lights and on a windy day it was murder on fuel my roof mount is very good on fuel.

iv got a 2ltr mazda 6 on the motorway with bike on roof i get 39mpg on the rear im lucky if i get 35.

ol\'gregg

I've just ordered roof bars and a thule 591 rack for my car. I hate the rear mounted carriers as i'm usually forgetful and put something in the boot i need.

chiefinspector

Roof racks all the way. I have a VW Passat and can easily fit 4 bikes on the roof. Very easy to put the bike on and take off again. I got the Thule roof mounts and bars but a different type of cycle mount to attach to them. I previously had a rear cycle mount but it turns into a nightmare when you can't get into the boot.

Only problem i find is that when the car gets to speed it can get quite loud. It sounds there is a lot more wind passing over the roof. The MPG is decreased slightly as a result (2 MPG Approx) but i can live with this as the roof rack is so convenient.

Stockies

Roof Rack all the way.

Too many rear racks are illegal unless mounted really high to clear lights or used with a trailer board.

If you are looking for Thule, these guys are very competitive price wise. They will also buy back any feet or mounting kits at half the original cost if you are changing vehicles and need different mountings.

www.roofracks.co.uk/

bluechair84

I have a cheap toeball mounted rack and I wouldn't mount more than two bikes on it. I'm opting for a boot rack to take three bikes to the Alps in three weeks. I did live with someone who mounted his bike on the roof via the 20mm front axle - he arrived home one day to find the bike hanging at 90deg from the roof of the car, though he did regularly drive like a nob. This vision still haunts me to the point of having a fear of roof racks.

Boot racks are best when you have 4doors and can access the boot by laying the backseats down.

Niclouse - What are you using in the pic of the two DB dragsters? It looks like a toeball mounted but I'd never put that kind of weight on mine. I might invest in an upgrade...

chromedome

I have a Fiesta 08 & roofracks.co.uk want £172.90 for a locking rack & genuine Ford want £158 for the same thing......i know where i will be going,prob get a discount from Ford aswell with a bit of haggling

ol\'gregg

ChromeDome wrote:

I have a Fiesta 08 & roofracks.co.uk want £172.90 for a locking rack & genuine Ford want £158 for the same thing......i know where i will be going,prob get a discount from Ford aswell with a bit of haggling

I just got one from here:

http://www.fordonlineparts.co.uk/search ... ord+Fiesta

even cheaper again

chromedome

ol\'gregg wrote:

ChromeDome wrote:

I have a Fiesta 08 & roofracks.co.uk want £172.90 for a locking rack & genuine Ford want £158 for the same thing......i know where i will be going,prob get a discount from Ford aswell with a bit of haggling

I just got one from here:

http://www.fordonlineparts.co.uk/search ... ord+Fiesta

even cheaper again

Ohh nice one

Eyon

I have and use a Pendle Strap on rack http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/strap-on-rack.php

Its OK, at a push, the latest cycling plus gave it a great review (http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... k-09-34334) but you need to cover it in pipe lagging as its scratched my bikes to bits. Also scratched my boot where the feet sit and its a pain in the arse to put on and off, and storing it is difficult as its bulky. I've had 3 bikes on it and its reasonably secure but if I had a choice again, I would not buy it.

Money no object the full Thule roof system seems the best bet, but its just so expensive, especially if I were to take my 3 bikes or my bike + 2 mates. And the rate I change cars, that'll be expensive too!

mossychops

I got a ThuleRideOn from Tesco Direct and a tow bar kit from ebay for about £160 for both. Very impressed, no noticeable difference in fuel consumption, nothing touches the paint of the car, bikes suppoerted by the wheels, 5 minutes to fit and load a bike, goes in the boot neatly when not in use, tilts down to access the boot, can be transfered to any type of car I might get in the future and has a light bar built in so nice and legal (not covering lights or plates).