Roof bars ?

Brommo

Hi all

been lurking for a few months now so thought I`d take the plunge and join this superb forum

Thanks to this forum I bought myself a Voodoo Bantu through the cycle to work scheme

I absolutely love it ! Always been a road orientated biker in my younger days and never really appreciated the versatility of a MTB.

I was in 2 minds whether to get a road bike again but so glad I didn`t

anyway enough waffle

I have a Peugeot 206 SW (estate) and want to put 2 bikes on the roof. Mine and my daughters (16 inch wheels) or occasionally a mate`s

after researching I`ve decided to go for Thule 591 cycle carriers which can be had for a lot cheaper than Halfords on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thule-591-Carrier-Upright-ProRide/dp/B003SZ7GMY/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1354467985&sr=1-2

However I`m a tad undecided which roof bars to put onto my roof rails that my car already has

Are the Thule aero bars or similar really worth the extra money of other roof bars ? They`re almost twice as much ?

any recommendations or suggestions ?

cheers

dusk

You want bars that have the slot in them as it's far easier to fit the bike rack with those ones

batmo

I had some Thule roof bars and bike carriers but I ended up selling them. They were the square sort as I reasoned that the aero bars would make no difference to the wind resistance with the bikes on the roof and I'd rather remove the bars than do a significant distance journey with them on the car without a load.

The best Thule feature was that you could change the lock barrels so all the feet and carrier locks used one key.

I got rid of them in the end because I got rid of the car with rails, circumstances meant I couldn't choose another with rails and I decided I'd rather have the bikes inside the car. My ultimate plan is to get the sort of car with rails for a roof box and a tall enough load area for two bikes to be upright inside (albeit front wheels and seatposts removed).

Myster101

I used the Thule square bars on my M3 and had no problems. Had the full Thule kit so were very easy to fit/remove. Have a 4x4 now and have just ordered the Thule square bars again as I refuse to pay that much extra for the aero ones. The square ones don't look as good but they do the job.

Brommo

don`t think I`ve made myself too clear !

like has been said the areo design isn`t going to be that much different so square bars are fine

can you use other (cheaper) manufacturers square roof bars with Thule cycle carriers ? The thule bars with fittings are almost exactly twice the price of other manufacturers ?

pro`s ? cons ?

thelonegroover

Atera GIRO AF from roofbox, I use four of these. One thing to remember, none are actually theaft proof, so use extra bike locks.

Rucks

I have a pair of those for carrying the bikes on the car, they are a lot better than other cheaper ones I've used.
Problem I had was the megane can only use Renault bars which are a really odd shape, I had to cut grooves into them to allow the locking bolts for the carriers to slide into, do like how they lock to the roof and the bikes, but as already said use extra security if they are going to be left up there

dusk

The Thule cycle carrier has two mount options included, one which fits into the grooves on certain roof bars and the other version is a big C shape which just clamps under any type of roof bar. The groove fixing is neater and easier but requires more expensive compatible bars.

MGDriver

You should be able to use any roof bars, I use a Thule 591 carrier with cheapy Halfords bars, no problems.

ry1978

I use the Thule aero bars. Personally I think they look better and, as mentioned previously, they have a channel to make attaching the cycle carriers much easier. They also seem to generate less noise than the square bars.

Have a look on eBay for the bars, I picked up a set with the fitments for my car for £63 in "as new" condition.

One more thing...when I was shopping around the sales man in halfords was advising against their own brand products due to low quality and poor fitment, it seems they had a few taken back!

fossyant

Got the Thule aero bars myself, mainly as they were Te only ones that fitted the car, and were dealer ordered. Got the Halfords Advanced bike racks x 4, when they were on offer. These are essentially the cheaper Thule 532 racks

tc3nitro

I have just purchased 2 591 carriers and some Thule wing bars and feet. They were'nt the cheapest but they are certainly the best i have ever fitted/used. zero whistle whilst moving, look great and seem to have only a minor effect on fuel consumption. Mine are fitted to my 207 SW but i'm sure yours will be the same kit.

They took about 1 hour to fit and I also purchased a one-key set of eight locks so that all the lock (cycle racks and feet) are on the same key. The finishing kit and total lack of noise is what really makes the kit stand out from others available.

You will need Thule Rapid fit system 757 and Wingbar 960.

Mark

white91

I use aero bars and 591s.

Got the bars and 2 591s for £125 all in, check ebay for bargains.