transporting bikes

benjamess

Spend quite a few weekends a year with the mrs up in the lakes and (up until now) have always thrown the bikes in the back of the car for some riding.

But

since the arrival of a little person who combined with all his necessities this is no longer possible, have looked into just hiring road bikes for the odd ride but at £29 per bike a day it just seems stupid to be riding a bike that isn't as well fitted or specced as our own.

so looking at roof racks / cycle carriers (car doesn't have a tow bar!) what do people prefer? pros and cons of roof mounted?

slowbike

Personally, I don't like roof mounted - the bikes are up there "in the wind" and any crap coming through - whereas on the back of the car they're vaguely sheltered.
For that reason I've got a towball mounted carrier - but then I use the towball for towing a trailer too - so I'd have that option.
You could get a rear rack that straps to the car - I used to use one, but only occaisionally - wasn't very satisfactory.
Of course, towball mounted rack - I can get 3 bikes on the back - so prepared for when we need to take Little Slowbikes bikes!
It's far cheaper to do roof mount though - just don't forget the height!

Man Of Lard

I'm with Slowbike - towball mounted all the way. I don't even have a trailer... just a towball

If I had to use a "not tow ball" it'd be a rear rack (if I couldn't fit the bike(s) inside). Roof mount as a last resort.

benjamess

thanks.....yeah that is exactly what i was thinking....I really don't want our bikes on the roof being battered at motorway speeds to be honest!

towball rack is a no go I would say (currently use the mrs car and she won't let me get one fitted )

as for a rear rack......is a road bike not too long (wide on the car) for these? would you need to take a wheel off the bike or get an additional reg plate / light board?

lostboysaint

Is the wrong answer. Get that towball fitted - you and she will quickly understand the first time you try and lift the hatchback open to get something out of the boot (always necessary with youngsters). A towbar and a decent tilting/sliding bike rack. More secure, easy access to the car, don't bash it on height restrictors etc.

fat daddy

I have had both

Roof :-

cons :-
mpg went through the floor ... as did performance ... forget doing 90 on the motorway the second the mrs falls asleep
constant worry entering height restricted carparks
heavy bikes are hard work mounting
noisy in the car at speed
pro :-
Cheap
easier to park in open car parks as you car is the normal size
easier to get in the boot

tow ball

Cons :-
parking, you are now the length of a van
harder to get in the boot, but with a pivot one its not impossible
expensive
Pro :-
nicer drive
quieter
normal mpg
easier to get bikes on and off the car


as for the bike getting covered in crap on the top of the car .... I have found its no different on the back to the roof, I have an estate, it whips crap up off the road and sucks it on to the back of the car ... if the bikes are there it actually helps a bit in breaking up the vacuum, but the bikes still get covered in crap .. the same as on the roof

slowbike

fat daddy wrote:

tow ball

Cons :-
parking, you are now the length of a van

I have a two bike rack on the back of my van ... it's now the length of a .....longer van!

You have to be more careful about where you park - but never had an issue of being unable to park.

Anyway - with a towball mount - if you're parking and riding - then you can remove the rack and put it in the boot - which is what we usually did unless we were at a cycling event where you'd get loads of racks ..

fat daddy wrote:

as for the bike getting covered in crap on the top of the car .... I have found its no different on the back to the roof, I have an estate, it whips crap up off the road and sucks it on to the back of the car ... if the bikes are there it actually helps a bit in breaking up the vacuum, but the bikes still get covered in crap .. the same as on the roof

Another myth busted!

slowbike

benjamess wrote:

thanks.....yeah that is exactly what i was thinking....I really don't want our bikes on the roof being battered at motorway speeds to be honest!

towball rack is a no go I would say (currently use the mrs car and she won't let me get one fitted )

as for a rear rack......is a road bike not too long (wide on the car) for these? would you need to take a wheel off the bike or get an additional reg plate / light board?

Bike is fine on the back of a rack or towball rack - as for light board/plate - depends if the position of the rack and the bike covers what's there - which, from what I've seen, it usually does - so for an occaisional journey it could be worth the risk, for more frequent trips - you might as well do it properly - and as the lighting connection is a large proportion of the cost of a towbar then just get a (removable) towbar fitted and be done with it.
Assumes you're intending on keeping the car for a good few years though ...
We've got removable towbars on ours and you'd not notice them until they're clicked into place.

davesnothere

benjamess wrote:

thanks.....yeah that is exactly what i was thinking....I really don't want our bikes on the roof being battered at motorway speeds to be honest!

towball rack is a no go I would say (currently use the mrs car and she won't let me get one fitted )

as for a rear rack......is a road bike not too long (wide on the car) for these? would you need to take a wheel off the bike or get an additional reg plate / light board?

my bike is just wider than the car but narrower than the wing mirrors.

I've got thule roof mount racks, a thule tow bar rack (hanger type) and also a simple boot mounted type rack

The boot mounted is my least favourite, bikes feel less secure, also i always fear scratching either the bike or the car

I've used roof mounted for years and never noticed any detrimental effect on my bikes, have done 200+ mile trips and the worst i've had is a few flies to clean off

Tow bar mounted is the best by a long chalk but doesnt sound like an option for you?

fat daddy

it may be less on the roof ... and with a normal car

but mine doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference, I still stand there in my MTB gear, just about to go and get muddy and bruised and start holding the filthy bike by my fingers like some prima donna princess trying to get it off the car and saying "euw its all dirty" :?

I use roof for short jorneys that I should be riding
tow ball for long journeys

had a rear rack on an old car .. never again, it scratched the car, felt unsafe and was a ball ache getting on and off and accessing the boot

fenix

If you have a little one it's probably easier hiring bikes for the once in a blue moon that you can get out with them. Or getting a VW van for bikes and kit inside.

benjamess

Thanks for the replies!

So I'm not sold on the boot mounted, think I'll avoid that! I can't go for the tow bar mounted as I'm looking to get a new car in September which will be used for the job!

As for renting - we stay with family up there who beg us to babysit so will end up costing a fortune at 60 quid a ride per trip up there! Even though a tandem at 40 quid is appealing!

As for roof mounted - is it totally safe for carbon frames? I'm sure I've heard people mention about them being bad for stressing the frame? Or again is that another myth?

figbat

I put my carbon MTB on the roof, no problems. And my alloy road bike. I carry my bikes to and fro most weeks so I leave the rack on the roof. For the cost of a few pence in fuel it is so much easier. Plus I can carry bikes AND tow a trailer.

vrsmatt

If you dont want the expense/hassle of a towball mounted rack then decent roof bars and carriers are fine

The bikes get just a s dirty on either, roof mounted is a bit more noisy but still mount very solidly. Whoever said they wont go 90 on the m-way once the missus is asleep is just a pussy, i've cruised around that speed many times ( disclaimer :on das autobahn )

Apart from watching the height restictors and a 40 pence more per journey in fuel they're fine

benjamess

VRSMatt wrote:

If you dont want the expense/hassle of a towball mounted rack then decent roof bars and carriers are fine

The bikes get just a s dirty on either, roof mounted is a bit more noisy but still mount very solidly. Whoever said they wont go 90 on the m-way once the missus is asleep is just a pussy, i've cruised around that speed many times ( disclaimer :on das autobahn )

Apart from watching the height restictors and a 40 pence more per journey in fuel they're fine

thanks matt! not too fussed about fuel, noise and dirt it was more a damage to the bike worry!

with that in mind.....can anyone recommend a decent roof mounted bike carrier?! :roll:

figbat

First you'll need some roofbars. If you have an SUV or estate with roof rails already fitted this is easier; if not you'll need the appropriate footpack and fitting pack. I always buy Thule and currently have some Aero bars fitted semi-permanently to my Yeti. Once you have bars you can then fit a rack. Again I use Thule, the Proride 591 (now replaced by the 598). Once the bars and rack are fitted it is 30 seconds to load the bike - if you have a CF road bike then this will be a breeze (my old alloy MTB was a bit of a heave to lift to head height). I always get coordinated locks fitted to Thule stuff, so one key will unlock all Thule stuff I have (bars, roofbox, bike rack etc). The roof rack is not ultimately secure, even when locked, but if you were bothered you could string a wire bike lock through it all. http://www.roofbox.co.uk is where I get it all.

I have not yet had any height restriction issues, although a friend of mine did once scrape two bike off of the top of his Clio, damaging the bikes and the car. I am paranoid about this when loaded up.

Tashman

I have the rear rack on my citroen pic. Never go far with it but am totally paranoid. Due to replace this soon and will go with tow/roof mounting depending on what's availab;e on the new chariot

davesnothere

benjamess wrote:

with that in mind.....can anyone recommend a decent roof mounted bike carrier?! :roll:

Always Thule for me, both roof bars and bike carriers. As above they are not secure even when locked. I always use a cable lock through the roof rails D locked to the bike frames

I've got the Thule Pro Ride 591 type, this clamps around the downtube. On my carbon bike i wrapped some correx sheet around the tube about 3 times before clamping to protect the tube and spread the load a little. I don't clamp it super tight anyway as long as it can't get out of the jaws it can't go anywhere.

If you get the wing bars (the new version of the aero bars) they are very quiet at speed and you can leave them on the car all the time. The Pro rides then slide into a slot on the top so are very secure.

vrsmatt

Thule 591 as above and thule wing bars for your car if you can get them

10x better than cheapy stuff and you can lock the bikes on too so some oik cant unclip it at a set of traffic lights/while you nip for a wee etc

davesnothere

VRSMatt wrote:

Thule 591 as above and thule wing bars for your car if you can get them

10x better than cheapy stuff and you can lock the bikes on too so some oik cant unclip it at a set of traffic lights/while you nip for a wee etc

Don't trust the locking on the clamp for security. Anyone who know what they're doing can get the bike out in seconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB4ThUOTT0s

bigmitch41

DavesNotHere wrote:

benjamess wrote:

with that in mind.....can anyone recommend a decent roof mounted bike carrier?! :roll:

Always Thule for me, both roof bars and bike carriers. As above they are not secure even when locked. I always use a cable lock through the roof rails D locked to the bike frames

I've got the Thule Pro Ride 591 type, this clamps around the downtube. On my carbon bike i wrapped some correx sheet around the tube about 3 times before clamping to protect the tube and spread the load a little. I don't clamp it super tight anyway as long as it can't get out of the jaws it can't go anywhere.

If you get the wing bars (the new version of the aero bars) they are very quiet at speed and you can leave them on the car all the time. The Pro rides then slide into a slot on the top so are very secure.

My mate has this one and its very good, simple to mount and sturdy. I have the Thule 2 bike tow bar mount carrier, and again its simple to use and solid as a rock, when not in use I keep it in the boot of my Scenic out of the way.

Thule all the way!

benjamess

thank you everyone for the advise and links to products!

i think i will definitely be going down the thule route and your advise on locks is noted!

Man Of Lard

Keep your eye open on eBlag for "collection only" racks - I got my Thule towball rack for £35 because the chap selling it was upgrading to essentially the same device but the current model (can't be seen in Livingston, Scotland with last year's model don't-you-know). Had a missing grommet (cosmetic) which was replaced for the sum of £1.57 (Inc post)

thistle_

benjamess wrote:

as for a rear rack......is a road bike not too long (wide on the car) for these? would you need to take a wheel off the bike or get an additional reg plate / light board?

I know you've already decided you don't want one but...

Rear racks are fine, a full suss MTB doesn't stick out much more than the wing mirrors on a 59 plate Corsa.
You can lock bikes to the rack, however if someone really wants to nick them they can just cut the straps. However you can reverse right up into a hedge which makes it pretty hard to steal anything off it
You'll need a light board and plate unless you get one that mounts really high up. I've had a FPN because the copper (or more likely his ANPR) couldn't read 1 letter of my number plate, although he said my lights weren't obscured.
I couldn't find a nice, off the shelf cabling kit for connecting one up which didn't also require a tow bar, so ended up making my own.

Also, roof mounted racks aren't that bad either. I've been with someone else who had one and getting our bikes on there was surprisingly easy and there was a post to hold the bike stable. He did say you could feel the drag and the crosswind from them though on the motorway.

vrsmatt

DavesNotHere wrote:

VRSMatt wrote:

Thule 591 as above and thule wing bars for your car if you can get them

10x better than cheapy stuff and you can lock the bikes on too so some oik cant unclip it at a set of traffic lights/while you nip for a wee etc

Don't trust the locking on the clamp for security. Anyone who know what they're doing can get the bike out in seconds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB4ThUOTT0s

A simple ziptie sorts that issue. Its not secure per:se but stops someone hoiking it off at traffic lights etc before you can get out of the car

imafatman

I take mine apart and put it in the boot or if I need a lot of luggage space I'll carry a roofbox. It's easier getting inside car-parks with a roofbox and also seems better at speed, makes less noise.