Roof mounted bike carriers

MikeCheryl

Hi

I have a SEAT Leon Mark 1 and already have some roof bars as seen here:
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I want to carry our two Rockrider 5.2s on the roof so what's the best options please?

Thanks

MikeCheryl

Looking at these as an example?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mont-Blanc-Scot ... sbs_auto_2

ncn

Most of mates use the are using this one

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165477

Only things to be said are to ensure you rock the bike while tightening to ensure it's correctly seated and to pull over fairly soon after setting off to ensure nothing has moved. Also they all use a bungee around the area that the bracket attaches to the bike for added security and to stop the crank rotating during travel.

MikeCheryl

Hi ncn, yes they do look good, but the price each puts me off a little, guess security and safety need to come first!

97th choice

Go back to decathlon!

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/axis-xxl-bik ... 24807.html

I have two, the stickers on them say Mont Blanc.

sparky543

591's are great bits of kit and can be had for much less than the price listed at Halfords. I picked mine up for £60 each on ebay with free delivery a couple of months ago. You just need to shop around.

MikeCheryl

Hi all and thanks, think I like the 591s best and yes have found them for 60ish.
Just need to make sure they will fit both my roof bars and the bikes as our frames are quite big and the specs say up to 80mm or 80 x 100 mm for oval which ours are.
Have asked some questions of the suppliers and will report back.

taffygriffiths

to be fair, 80x100mm is pretty big? more or less 3"x4" i cant see most bikes come anywhere near that.

as said, the 591's can be had for a lot less than halfords. example:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-THULE-591- ... 1c284b33e4

they may cost a lot, but they are secure, well made, and seem to be very widely used. which also means that they should hold a 2nd hand value

i use 2 myself

*AJ*

My 591 fits my Msisle, which has a downtube like a tree trunk!

I really like the 591, wouldn't be without it!

MikeCheryl

Hi guys.

Two 591s arrived today and I've tested one and assembled both.
Have to say they are very nice bits of kit, well made and cleverly thought out.
Now starting to doubt my roof bars held on by four small bolts

Anyway, I'd like to ask you to take a look at the photos of the installed 591 and bike and let me know if you can see anything I am doing wrong?
There is a video as well if you have time.

Here are the photos:

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and the video:

http://s86.photobucket.com/user/mikesnd ... 8.mp4.html



I have a question however, when I install the other 591 on the passenger side of my car, the controls will be off side to me, I assume you don't install it in reverse?
So the bike would be facing the wrong way.
We thought, we would take a small pair of steps with us and install that 591 and bike first, but I am concerned about the grab being on the outside of the car rather than inside.
Any issues, what do you do.

Thanks very much.

cooldad

Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Reflectors and pie dish.

cooldad

I'm sure you can just swap the knobby bits around. Mine's a bit older but that's what I did.

MikeCheryl

You have lost me there?? what's wrong with reflectors and what is a pie dish?

Don't think you can swap the parts around but will look into it.

Thanks

Chunkers1980

There's a lot wrong with reflectors on mountain bikes.

A pie dish aka rookie ring, spoke protector (in a loose sense of the word) is the useless bit of plastic sitting behind the rear cogs which is of no use at all to properly adjusted gears.

MikeCheryl

LOL well each to thier own, I can't see an issue with anything that increases your visibility, as for the pie dish, that's just how these new bikes came.

Beanyman

Fitting looks fine, just make sure you lock it before you set off.

I had a trial run. Went around the block once to make sure that the carrier didn't snap, come loose etc.. more for peice of mind than anything.

You can swap the parts round so that both bike are ponting forwards. Not done it myself, didn't see the point to be honest.

You shouldn't need a pair of steps, as long as you are tall enough/strong enough. You'll soon get used to swinging the bike in position. I have a Zafira and not that tall mysef, but have no problem securing the bike on the roof.

After you have tightened the holding bracket, wobble the bike and tighten the bracket some more. Then lock it in place.

neilrosser

MikeCheryl wrote:

I can't see an issue with anything that increases your visibility

It's a mountain bike, it's for offroad use ,there won't be any car headlights to reflect on your reflectors 8) . Besides they can fall off :x .

MikeCheryl

neilrosser wrote:

MikeCheryl wrote:

I can't see an issue with anything that increases your visibility

It's a mountain bike, it's for offroad use ,there won't be any car headlights to reflect on your reflectors 8) . Besides they can fall off :x .

Ah OK, well the whole point of these bikes was that we will be using them on roads, tracks and cycle paths.
The advice was to go for these and not a hybrid so that's what we have got.
Far too old to actually go around mountains lol, but then the state of the roads here will test them.

MikeCheryl

Beanyman wrote:

Fitting looks fine, just make sure you lock it before you set off.

I had a trial run. Went around the block once to make sure that the carrier didn't snap, come loose etc.. more for peice of mind than anything.

You can swap the parts round so that both bike are ponting forwards. Not done it myself, didn't see the point to be honest.

You shouldn't need a pair of steps, as long as you are tall enough/strong enough. You'll soon get used to swinging the bike in position. I have a Zafira and not that tall mysef, but have no problem securing the bike on the roof.

After you have tightened the holding bracket, wobble the bike and tighten the bracket some more. Then lock it in place.

Hey thanks, exactly the advice and view I hoped for yes managed to swap the parts around, found the instructions on the back pages, but were stuck together so missed it.
All done now.

Seemed to secure just fine and I'll be taking the advice of adding a bungee to the grab to make double sure the bike can't slip out!
Thanks again

Daerve

I wouldn't add the bungie, the 591 is designed to hold some really heavy lumps so a bungee may even make it worse by applying lateral tension to the jaws.

I've used cheapo roof mounts and they can't hold a candle to the 591's. Superb bit of kit.

Kowalski675

neilrosser wrote:

MikeCheryl wrote:

I can't see an issue with anything that increases your visibility

It's a mountain bike, it's for offroad use ,there won't be any car headlights to reflect on your reflectors 8) . Besides they can fall off :x .

Gisburn's trails are littered with pedal reflectors - you could have a competition to see who could spot the most on a lap, lol.

prawny

Kowalski675 wrote:

neilrosser wrote:

MikeCheryl wrote:

I can't see an issue with anything that increases your visibility

It's a mountain bike, it's for offroad use ,there won't be any car headlights to reflect on your reflectors 8) . Besides they can fall off :x .

Gisburn's trails are littered with pedal reflectors - you could have a competition to see who could spot the most on a lap, lol.

Same at cannock, scares the shoot out of me in the winter nights :shock:

Kowalski675

Chunkers1980 wrote:

A pie dish aka rookie ring, spoke protector (in a loose sense of the word) is the useless bit of plastic sitting behind the rear cogs which is of no use at all to properly adjusted gears.

My new bike has a pie dish on. I assume it can't be removed without removing the cassette (unless I just cut/break it off)?

Chunkers1980

Indeed. Break it (which is actually quite tricky) or cassette off.

Kowalski675

I dont have a chain whip or cassette removal tool. I do have various pliers, wire cutters, tinsnips etc though, so I'm pretty sure I could chop it off easily enough.

prawny

Chunkers1980 wrote:

Indeed. Break it (which is actually quite tricky) or cassette off.

Or just leave it. It doesn't really matter does it? I honestly couldn't tell you if either of my mtb's had one, my road bike definitely doesn't, I took that one off, but it's a different scene int it.

zx6man

I use 2 of the 591's. best 120 quid spent. Bomb proof so far.

zx6man

MikeCheryl wrote:

Beanyman wrote:

Fitting looks fine, just make sure you lock it before you set off.

I had a trial run. Went around the block once to make sure that the carrier didn't snap, come loose etc.. more for peice of mind than anything.

You can swap the parts round so that both bike are ponting forwards. Not done it myself, didn't see the point to be honest.

You shouldn't need a pair of steps, as long as you are tall enough/strong enough. You'll soon get used to swinging the bike in position. I have a Zafira and not that tall mysef, but have no problem securing the bike on the roof.

After you have tightened the holding bracket, wobble the bike and tighten the bracket some more. Then lock it in place.

Hey thanks, exactly the advice and view I hoped for yes managed to swap the parts around, found the instructions on the back pages, but were stuck together so missed it.
All done now.

Seemed to secure just fine and I'll be taking the advice of adding a bungee to the grab to make double sure the bike can't slip out!

I just put the rack on the other way. never had the need for bungees
Thanks again

Kowalski675

prawny wrote:

Chunkers1980 wrote:

Indeed. Break it (which is actually quite tricky) or cassette off.

Or just leave it. It doesn't really matter does it? I honestly couldn't tell you if either of my mtb's had one, my road bike definitely doesn't, I took that one off, but it's a different scene int it.

It does look a bit gash though, lol, and as far as I can see all it's going to be good for is trapping muck between itself and the cassette. And think of the weight loss - it must weigh a whole ten grammes...

Grovsie29

LOL at the lame biking gods. Does it really matter if the dam plastic thing is there?

And it is a major ball ache to remove. Took me bloody ages.

If he rides his bike on the road, it's a good idea to have reflectors.

Idiots.

rockmonkeysc

I just got a 591 bike carrier with a set of wing bars.
Its easy to adjust the wheel holders to suit my short road bike and ultra long downhill bike. Even with the 17kg DH bike it feels solid.
Only takes a couple minutes to remove/re fit as well.