Roof Mounted vs Tow Bar Mounted Racks

Hart1969

I need a cycle rack to carry 4 bikes - two adult & two childs.
I'm considering a Thule tow bar mounted system & also 4 Thule Proride roof mounted racks.

My car is quite high (Renualt Grand Scenic) so getttig 4 bikes up there could be a struggle - if 4 bikes will actually fit? Also will fuel economy be an issue with bikes on roof?

I must admit a prefer the idea of having the bike securely mounted on the rear of the car.

Any advice on tow bar carrier vs roof racks.

Thanks

Chunkers1980

In, back, roof, in that order of possibility.

rockmonkeysc

Fuel economy barely changes in my Mondeo with 4 bikes on the roof. I get 55mpg with nothing on the roof and no less than 52mpg with 4 bikes and three extra people. Have to watch out for low car park height restrictions though.
On the back you don't fit in normal parking spaces and can't easily see how much space you have to reverse. Also have to remove and store it when not in use.
Both have pros and cons.

Angus Young

What about locking your bikes onto the rack. Is either better for that? Indeed, is either even any use for that?

Bikehawk

Couldn't see myself going back to a roof mount again, had a Thule pro ride. Bought a Buzzrunner rack as it was cheaper with a better spec than Thule. Mounting it is easy, takes about 1 min including hooking up the electrics. Also, after a ride no need to worry about damaging the car roof with clips/crap from the bike or low trees/height restrictions :shock: . Could see getting bike up onto a Scenic roof as being a PTA especially after a long ride or crash .

rockmonkeysc

The locks are the same on the roof carriers and tow hitch carriers. They aren't particularly secure.

Briggo

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Fuel economy barely changes in my Mondeo with 4 bikes on the roof. I get 55mpg with nothing on the roof and no less than 52mpg with 4 bikes and three extra people. Have to watch out for low car park height restrictions though.
On the back you don't fit in normal parking spaces and can't easily see how much space you have to reverse. Also have to remove and store it when not in use.
Both have pros and cons.

You're making that up.

4 extra bikes on top creates tons of drag (I've had 4 on top of mine a few times), you can certainly feel it when driving and the MPG takes a knock and no it's not because your car is a Mondeo.

Usually knocked around 10mpg off with 4 bikes and 4 passengers with kit inside for me when I've done it in my previous 320d or C5 diesel.

A single bike isn't so bad, more than that and the MPG starts to take a hit.

nicklouse

And last time this was discussed last week.

viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12976983

rockmonkeysc

No significant difference to mpg in my car. Certainly nowhere near 10mpg.

Briggo

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No significant difference to mpg in my car. Certainly nowhere near 10mpg.

Now you see, you're clearly making it up as usual. In the other thread Nicklouse linked you said the same MPG but with only two bikes, two extra bikes makes a big difference in the drag.

I use 591s I like em they're solid as so I agree with recommending them, just don't give false information yeah.

For the MPG difference (usually only carry 1-2 bikes so the MPG doesn't drop much, say circa 2-4mpg) and the amount of times I use the roof mounted (usually in the boot of the car) it'd take a loooong time to recoup the extra outlay of the towbar and more expensive towbar carrier.

rockmonkeysc

The difference between 2 and 4 bikes isn't noticeable. Strangely, leaving race number boards on does make a noticeable difference, except the ones UK Bike Park used which just disappeared.

revmatt

Can recommend the Atera strada

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehs ... C4ure5iWX2

Bought on strength of other reviews and an immense bit of kit I'm pleased I bought.

rev

Hypnoticjam

revmatt wrote:

Can recommend the Atera strada

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehs ... C4ure5iWX2

Bought on strength of other reviews and an immense bit of kit I'm pleased I bought.

rev

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Truly top carrier.

felix.london

hmm..does look very good that one.

I'm in the market for a bike rack and seeing as it's tourist season over here I've been crouching down behind peoples cars and wiggling there bike racks and bikes and looking at fixings and connections....looking decidedly dodgy for sure.

The most popular with the European (mainly French) holiday maker seems to be this one;

Thule Rideon 3-Bike
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B001P82432/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6

45kg weight limit is good for me and £160 seems like a decent price too

Hypnoticjam

Aye. The Atera is pricy but solid and very functional. Load bearing before locking in position and the tilt works with four bikes on. I use it for family outings with the four of us and also for mtb long trips with three fairly large bikes.

exlaser

felix.london wrote:

hmm..does look very good that one.

I'm in the market for a bike rack and seeing as it's tourist season over here I've been crouching down behind peoples cars and wiggling there bike racks and bikes and looking at fixings and connections....looking decidedly dodgy for sure.

The most popular with the European (mainly French) holiday maker seems to be this one;

Thule Rideon 3-Bike
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B001P82432/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6

45kg weight limit is good for me and £160 seems like a decent price too

I own one of these. Nice well made piece of kit. Very good value for the money. One small tip though( depending on the bikes being carried) when carrying three bikes, it sometimes easier to remove the pedals off the bike in the middle. Makes loading a lot quicker!

felix.london

Hypnoticjam wrote:

Aye. The Atera is pricy but solid and very functional. Load bearing before locking in position and the tilt works with four bikes on. I use it for family outings with the four of us and also for mtb long trips with three fairly large bikes.

Yeah def looks like a proper bit of kit that but too expensive for me I reckon.

Anyone know if I'd have issues with a Trek Session frame in the Thule? (Ride-on)