rear v roof mounted bike rack

MTBDanno

Would you say a rear mounted rack is better than a roof rack for 2 mountain bikes?

Can anyone recommend an affordable one?

1986sv

Prefer roof mounted personally

If i needed a rear I would go Saris Bones, there's one in the classifieds:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40092&t=13075292

MTBDanno

1986sv wrote:

Prefer roof mounted personally

If i needed a rear I would go Saris Bones, there's one in the classifieds:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40092&t=13075292

Why do you prefer roof mounted out of interest? are they more secure?

MTBDanno

With a rear mount, if the bikes cover my number plate, is this going to cause an issue for a legal point of view?

cooldad

Yep you need a seperate plate, and a lightboard if they cover the lights.

MTBDanno

cooldad wrote:

Yep you need a seperate plate, and a lightboard if they cover the lights.

aghhh.. why are roof mounted racks so expensive?!

1986sv

MTBDanno wrote:

1986sv wrote:

Prefer roof mounted personally

If i needed a rear I would go Saris Bones, there's one in the classifieds:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40092&t=13075292

Why do you prefer roof mounted out of interest? are they more secure?

Unless it's tow bar mounted I prefer the solidity and ease of use of roof mounted, i keep thule wingbars on the car all the time and then it takes a couple of mins to add 591 carriers and lets you use the boot still

cooldad

MTBDanno wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Yep you need a seperate plate, and a lightboard if they cover the lights.

aghhh.. why are roof mounted racks so expensive?!

I bought second hand off Ebay. Thule racks and a couple of carriers cost me less than £100. Pretty basic models but work great.

MTBDanno

cooldad wrote:

MTBDanno wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Yep you need a seperate plate, and a lightboard if they cover the lights.

aghhh.. why are roof mounted racks so expensive?!

I bought second hand off Ebay. Thule racks and a couple of carriers cost me less than £100. Pretty basic models but work great.

excellent i'll have a look

larkim

Seconded for roof bars. Even though I've got a tall and flat sided car (Fiat Multipla), throwing a few bikes up there is simple and without any of the hassle of lack of access to the boot etc etc that clip on boot carriers have. As it happens I also have a towbar mounted rack (we sometimes carry 7 bikes) and wish I'd bought a more expensive one to be able to tip it and get the bikes on more quickly. Roofbars however are relatively cheap and functional, though we are lazy and do tend to leave them in situ most of the time (with the corresponding diesel penalty).

cooldad

Just try and remember they're there when you drive into places with height restrictions.

rockmonkeysc

Depends on the car. I don't want to cut my rear diffuser to fit a tow hitch so it's roof only for me.
I'm thinking of getting a couple of these so it's easier to fit
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

RichardSmart

If you drive a hatchback, just go for a clip-on one - I used to drive a Peugeot 206 and I never had any problems with carrying my, and my girlfriend's, bikes from Edinburgh to (and from) Glentress.

figbat

Roof for me too. They are stable, relatively secure, easy to mount and dismount, don't obscure your vision/lights/number plate, you can use the boot still, and park in the same footprint as usual, plus you will have roof bars which can get your shopping home from IKEA or get a ladder somewhere or some timber home from Travis Perkins. You can't do that with a rear-mounted rack.

batmo

figbat wrote:

...plus you will have roof bars which can get your shopping home from IKEA or get a ladder somewhere or some timber home from Travis Perkins.

Other furniture stores and builders merchants are available!

MTBDanno

Thanks for your input everyone. I ended up getting a decent deal on a Buzzrack bettle 3 rear mounted rack. I couldn't find a roof rack for a decent (cheap) enough price, although I can definitely see the benefits over rear mounted.

Any tips for mounting a ladies bike though... the top tube is too short so I thought about mounting it upside down and strapping it onto the down tube.. thoughts?

poucher

MTBDanno wrote:

Any tips for mounting a ladies bike though...

Yeah,....put it on a roof rack!! :roll:

apreading

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Depends on the car. I don't want to cut my rear diffuser to fit a tow hitch so it's roof only for me.
I'm thinking of getting a couple of these so it's easier to fit
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... lsrc=aw.ds

You may not be able to use the rear ones if you have a spoiler also.

BTW, my bike fitter said someone turned up using those Sea-Suckers a week or two back and one had become detached and was bouncing aound...!

apreading

MTBDanno wrote:

Any tips for mounting a ladies bike though... the top tube is too short so I thought about mounting it upside down and strapping it onto the down tube.. thoughts?

This may help: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/thul ... prod137643

plugp7

MTBDanno wrote:

Thanks for your input everyone. I ended up getting a decent deal on a Buzzrack bettle 3 rear mounted rack. I couldn't find a roof rack for a decent (cheap) enough price, although I can definitely see the benefits over rear mounted.

Any tips for mounting a ladies bike though... the top tube is too short so I thought about mounting it upside down and strapping it onto the down tube.. thoughts?

I've used a Halfords high mount rack for years without any issues. Usually with one bike with wheels on for local use around N Manchester. For motorway use I whip off the wheels although I did Llandela by motorway with wheels on. If you're transporting more than one bike regularly, I would get a trailer board.

Roof bar mounts just too much like hard work for me.

Sorry, no obvious fix for ladies bike.

The Rookie

MTBDanno wrote:

Any tips for mounting a ladies bike though.

Make sure she has already dismounted.......or not depending on how lucky you feel?

FishFish

For the ladies bike just strap a bit of tube to the frame - obviously as securely as poss and that will proxy the xbar.

MTBDanno

The Rookie wrote:

MTBDanno wrote:

Any tips for mounting a ladies bike though.

Make sure she has already dismounted.......or not depending on how lucky you feel?

Not very lucky