Roof rack or tow bar? is one better than the other?

jairaj

Is there technically a best way to carry your bike on a roof rack or tow bar assuming money wasn't a problem?

Im getting fed up of getting the inside of my car dirty and scratched up by chucking my bike in the back of the car. Its also hard squeezing everything for a weekend of camping into the boot too. So to make life easier I'm thinking of splashing out on a bike carrier. Assuming budget wasn't an issue is a tow bar carrier better than a roof rack or vice versa?

bails87

Tow bar: More secure, easier to load, doesn't affect your fuel consumption as much/if at all (there has been some debate on that!).

dhobiwallah

Also it doesn't matter if you forget you have bikes loaded when going under a height restriction if you have a towbar mount.

But wrt to dirty car - just get a large piece of heavy duty plastic from a DIY store and cut it to size for a one piece car liner. Doesn't matter even if there is a puddle in the bottom - car is spotless

jairaj

yeah tried lining the car boot and it does work well. But as said getting much more than 2 bikes in the back is a hassle. It'll all fit but you have to pack carefully and the thing you need is always packed at the bottom.

I think getting a proper cycle carrier will make life a lot easier.

jairaj

bails87 wrote:

Tow bar: More secure, easier to load, doesn't affect your fuel consumption as much/if at all (there has been some debate on that!).

yeah from reading round I got the impression that the tow bar mounted ones are more secure. Never tried one in real life though to confirm.

Northridge

Presuming you are in the UK - is there a law about width? I mean, can the bike extend beyond the maximum width of the vehicle?
I recall when living in Portugal the Gov introduced and the cops actually enforced that law, requiring everybody to remove the bike wheels.
Laws aside, taking the wheels off makes sense anyway, for the same reason as the "roofrack vs low bridge" moment: imagine reversing into a tight spot in Tescos and ripping off your new Ritchey carbon wheelset. LOL (not).

One advantage of a roofrack is that if you have to leave the car unattended even for a minute, is makes it harder for passing skulebouys or thieves to mess with your shiny bits.

nicklouse

My preference is tow bar mounted followed by roof.
Tomorrow I will be repeating at trip I made 5 months ago but using a tow bar mounted rack rather than the roof ones I used lat time.

Pics to follow.

johnhighfield

Hi I have both!

But only put the roof bars on when going on holiday as I dont like carrying 4 bikes o the back...
I have a Pendle (I think) which is a bracked that fits between the tow bracket & ball fitting.

Just pop 2 arms in & lock them with a large pin & the jobs done. They are totally solid & stable & even have an eye to enable you to lock your bikes to it. The biked dont protrude too much - and certainly not as much as my mirrors. Foam pipe insulation cut into lengths is excellent for spacing them out & strapping them on firmly.

The only drawback is.....If your no plate is obscured it is an offence! And I even got pulled up at 6am on a Sunday morning - but luckily only warned.

So - yes I do had a light board & no plate.

I hope this helps the debate... John

Briggo

johnhighfield wrote:

Hi I have both!

But only put the roof bars on when going on holiday as I dont like carrying 4 bikes o the back...
I have a Pendle (I think) which is a bracked that fits between the tow bracket & ball fitting.

Just pop 2 arms in & lock them with a large pin & the jobs done. They are totally solid & stable & even have an eye to enable you to lock your bikes to it. The biked dont protrude too much - and certainly not as much as my mirrors. Foam pipe insulation cut into lengths is excellent for spacing them out & strapping them on firmly.

The only drawback is.....If your no plate is obscured it is an offence! And I even got pulled up at 6am on a Sunday morning - but luckily only warned.

So - yes I do had a light board & no plate.

I hope this helps the debate... John

So you spent all that money on a nice towbar, towbar carrier and lightboard and didn't get a £10 number plate? Good work.

Anyway back to the debate, swings and roundabouts between the two, in terms of how safe and secure they are they're both as secure as each other and won't scratch the car either way.

However, if it didn't bother me that I'd have a big towbar sticking outa the back of the motor which I don't want to do then I'd get a towbar mount but for me its a thule roof mount and it does the job spiffingly well.

http://s999.photobucket.com/albums/af111/briggostumpy/Stumpjumper/?action=view&current=SAM_0414.jpg

fritzz11

i justgat an Atera Strada dl, fantastic pice of kit, 1 key fits every lock etc

not the cheapest but german quality

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehs ... .php?20384

timpop

I have a Saris rack that sits on the back http://www.wiggle.co.uk/saris-bones-3-bike-rack/

It works well and is easy to attach (I have a Honda Civic Estate) and I lock the bikes (and often rack) to the roof rails.

Daz555

Briggo wrote:

However, if it didn't bother me that I'd have a big towbar sticking outa the back of the motor which I don't want to do then I'd get a towbar mount but for me its a thule roof mount and it does the job spiffingly well.

I have a detachable swan neck towbar - takes about 5 mins to get it on the car.

JBA

I've got a Thule tow bar mounted, 3 bike carrier.
It takes a couple of minutes to attach to the tow ball and holds the bikes nice and steady.
The mounting bolt can be slackened off and the rack pivoted down to allow the boot lid to be opened.



(The angle of the photo makes it look like the bikes are much wider than the car but in reality the wheels only stick out a couple of inches on either side.)

Shackster

These are good, very secure and solidly built:

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehs ... e5u%7D%7Do

They take 3 full size bikes with a bit of careful arrangement and pipe lagging. I've had two adult bikes and two kids bikes on it, that takes about 30 minutes to load though, involving wheel removals and turning bars etc. A bit of a faff but importantly they are lighter than the platform type towball carriers, which is a factor as you need to watch your car's maximum nose weight.

If you've got a small/ full sus frame you might need a top tube extender thing from halfords.