racks?

GolfChick
GolfChick Posts: 14
edited March 2008 in MTB beginners
hi guys, im just getting back into biking again and joined up last night. Ive found a specialised 2007 bike for sale which Im hoping to buy a week on Friday so I need a rack of some sort now.

I drive a '94 vw golf gti and was thinking of getting a rear mounted rack just for ease of chucking the bike on n off and I keep reading how the roof mounted ones are better? Arent they a pain in the bum to get on to your roof?

At first Ill only be taking the bike to delamere and back so no great distance so perhaps I should just get a rear mounted one for now until Im sure im definite about this whole lark?

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Hi GolfChick - this might be of use: http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... acks-11416
  • yeah i had a read of that but i was wondering if its easy enough to get a bike on to your roof, Its only ickle ol' me n the wog most of the time ya see. I know my mum n dad have some roof bars for my model car in their house in France and I'd of course rather a long term secure solution than a temporary one.
  • impished
    impished Posts: 1,092
    GOLFCHICK wrote:
    Its only ickle ol' me n the wog
    :shock:
    Did you possibly mean DOG? :wink:

    I use a roof mounted and once you get used to it, it's easy to to place it properly. Only dropped/nearly broke thumb twice :roll:
  • nope i meant to write wog, same thing tho :wink:

    im assuming thule are the best roof mounted wise as well
  • Digby
    Digby Posts: 17
    Hi Golf Chick,
    Have you thought about putting your bike inside your car.
    Check out www.xrack3.co.uk I have these and they are awsome. :D
  • quite a clever idea but I dont forsee the bike staying still at all, perhaps if they could come up with some way of incorporating it into seatbelt mounting points or something, theres no chance that would stay up in my car tho. In fact I'd bet a fiver that it would have fallen over by the time ive gotten to delamere. Thanks for the tip tho!
  • Digby
    Digby Posts: 17
    There is a stabilising arm with a velcrow fastening that stops the bike from falling over,
    I've have used this system for over 2 years in my golf and haven't had a problem.
    I bought a piece of cheap rubber backed carpet to put in the car when the back
    seats were folded flat, this keaps the car clean, the outfit provided a small sample
    of carpet, and I got an off-cut for a fiver from a local carpet shop. :D
  • does sound like a clever solution however ive hit another bump, when i take a friend with me with his/her bike there will be nowhere for the dog or the other person as they would both want to ride up front with me.
  • Digby,

    Does the rack system only fit when the back seats fold down flat? I have a focus and the seats only fold down to an angle..............would this stop the rack as described from working?

    Another option would be to use the rack but rotate it around 90 deg.............is that an option?

    Cheers
  • Try the revolution bike rack from Edinburgh cycles :
    http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 182m004290

    Once set up it takes 2 minutes to get the bikes on and doesn't damage the car or bike. You can also get more than one person in the car with you! If security is an issue, you'd have to lock the bike up somewhere else - but you wouldn't leave your pricey steed on display in the car either would you?
  • shin0r
    shin0r Posts: 555
    Hi

    I had a rear-mounted rack from Halfords which was ok on my fiesta but rubbish on my 5 series ( not enough lateral stability). I ended up buying a Thule aero roof bar set and two 591 probike carriers, which ended up being a far better solution for me.

    The Thule roof systems are supposed to be the "best", but I ran into some issues with the angle of the main cycle lock on the bike carriers. After turning the bike carrier round to fit on the left hand side of the car, the angle of the main securing lock changed, and wouldn't fit my bike at all. I ended up having to change the mounting stem, so now the left and right hand bike carriers on my car are not perpendicular, rather they are staggered. Something to bear in mind.

    Overall though, if you are going to be putting the bike(s) on the car regularly, I would recommend a roof system.

    cheers
  • Sev101
    Sev101 Posts: 56
    Hi,

    I use a roof mounted one for two bikes one that clamps around the pedal arm and one that clamps around the main downtube

    I find the downtube one easier to use and feels more secure when locked in as well - I have a marin riftzone and that is why I use a pedal mounted one for my bike as it has an unusal shaped frame and will not take the downtube carrier.

    The only other thing I would say is can you lift the bike easy enough to get onto the roof as when I start off from home I put the car next to a kerb to put them on and is obviously a lot easier - I have a ford focus and with it being a tallish car i have found that I am scratching the hell out of the side of the car when putting them back on the roof when get off the trails as I wear shorts with zips etc (too big to be a lycra lover!!) so would definitely have a look if when you are next to the car this is gonna cause an issue - gonna have to paint the doors now!!!

    The only other thing is remember about obstacles above when you have them on the roof some friends drove into a car park forgetting they had the bikes on the roof and whacked them on the height restriction metal thing! One orange 5 and one cannondale rush bouncing along the road OUCH!!!!!!!!! :oops:
  • pdid
    pdid Posts: 1,065
    Another for thule aero`s plus 591`s here. Pleasure to use, more secure (with locks), and more stable than rear mounted IMO.

    Plus i own an Audi A2 with a glass back window, so rear mount wasn`t an option.

    Phil
  • Sev101 wrote:
    I have a ford focus and with it being a tallish car i have found that I am scratching the hell out of the side of the car when putting them back on the roof when get off the trails as I wear shorts with zips etc (too big to be a lycra lover!!) so would definitely have a look if when you are next to the car this is gonna cause an issue - gonna have to paint the doors now!!!

    i was going to be clever and open the door and stand on the sill myself

    im assuming with the thule and general roof mounting systems you need to have roof bars for your car?
  • pdid
    pdid Posts: 1,065
    Your car doesn`t need to be fitted with manufacturers bars as thule can supply bars for most types of car.

    You need to buy the roof bars then the carrier. Bought mine from skidrive:

    http://www.skidrive.co.uk/cycle/index.php

    The link for the roof bar wizard is on the bottom of the page.

    They were cheapest as they offer free lock with the roof bars. I think all in i paid approx £215 for the bars plus 2 591 roof mounts.

    Not cheap, but worth it.

    Phil
  • jeepers £215, another £85 n i've got my bike!!

    can anyone recommend the thule boot racks as they're a little cheaper?

    Thule 9104 ClipOn Carrier

    Thule 968 Freeway Carrier
  • Steve_b77
    Steve_b77 Posts: 1,680
    My dad has a roof mount bike carrier on his monedo, but it getting rid 'cos it's a bit of a pain to get the bikes up there he's only 5'6" you see. So he's getting one of those tow-bar mount ones instead.

    I have a Halfords 2 bike carrier that sits on the back of yer car, never used brand new in it's box. Haven't had the need to use it since I moved less than a mile from Delamere Forrest.
  • Bromski
    Bromski Posts: 239
    I've got a "high" 3 bike carrier that sits in my garage doing nothing.

    It's yours if you can pick it up from Middlesbrough!
  • ratty2k
    ratty2k Posts: 3,872
    Saris bones racks are very solid mounting on the boot of a car- I had one. Only sold it as the car I have now was bought to carry the bikes internally and give me a changing area when its cold wet and miserable. (Fiat Doblo)
    If you do get a boot mounted one, buy some copter tape from justridingalong (google it!) and protect the boot of your car from the feet of the rack, and the odd misshp when you catch the boot lid with a pedal etc.
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  • I have the thule bars/keys/etc for the mark 2 golf lying in the garage doing nothing. Cant remember what model the 94 golf was but the mark 2 had a rain gutter running down either side of the roof i think. Im sure it fits a jetta amongst others. Changed car now and they dont fit the new one.

    Hardly used, nearly new condition and solid as a rock when on. Locks also provided so cant be removed without the keys. I prefer roof mounted as rear mounted you tend to get some rubbing on the bike frame/car paint work with it moving as you drive. You may also need to consider a trailer board if the lights are obscured by a rear mounted rack which may entail additional wiring for a lights plug if the car doesnt have one.

    Can let me know if you're interested.

    cheers Matt
  • miket-62
    miket-62 Posts: 227
    Hi
    Just to put a different slant on this topic
    I had both my bikes stolen (from my house-see my other posts)
    Now I was a big fan of CAR RACKS untill I was broken into and the Police said it looks like I was "targetted" by the theives, (Thats all they took, my 2 bikes) simply because I had the bikes on the back of my car "advertising" my bikes and where I lived. They said chances are that they followed me home, then waited for me to go out :cry:
    From now on no matter how muddy/dirty my bikes get I'll be putting them INSIDE my car covered over by tarpoline
    Please think on............
  • capoz77
    capoz77 Posts: 503
    Digby wrote:
    Hi Golf Chick,
    Have you thought about putting your bike inside your car.
    Check out www.xrack3.co.uk I have these and they are awsome. :D

    What are these like in terms of scratching your bike where the contact points are on BB and forks?
  • Cheshley
    Cheshley Posts: 1,448
    I have Thule roof bars and I used to have Thule racks too but the arm that hold the bike steady doesn't lock down to the rack when the bike isn't on it so I now have the Barracuda made by Mont Blanc. Increadibly stable and when the bike isn't on the car the arm locks down to the rack so no-one can play with it. I got mine from:

    http://www.thejourneycentre.co.uk/roof_mount.htm

    They are based in Rotherham but they do internet orders and the prices they quote for online orders are the best I found anywhere. Strange thing is, even though I only live 10 minutes away, it was cheaper to order online and pay postage than it was to buy it in the shop. They know what they are talking about too, which helps.

    Just one point about the Halfords rear mounted rack. I used one of these before I got the roof bars and if you decide to get one of these, when you get to where you're going and take the bike off, pull the rubber blocks that hold the frame to the rack off and put them in the car because people tend to steal them and Halfords no longer sell them as a replaceable item. Also, get hold of some foam pipe insulation and wrap the bars of the rack in it as the slightest movement of the bike once strapped on can rub a flat spot on your frame. They also sell a lock that attaches securely to the rack which I would recommend spending the extra £25 on.
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  • mediamonkey
    mediamonkey Posts: 128
    I have a rear mounted rack which was fine for my old rigid MTB, but a full-sus bike simply won't fit on it as there's nowhere for the bars to fit through the frame. :(
  • wrongway
    wrongway Posts: 14
    hey, I put my bike on the roof, and im only 5'3! its by far the easiest and quickest way because u dont have to arse around attaching the rack as its allways on ur roof! Sometimes il put the bike in the back however its actually quicker to put it on the roof- theres no need to take wheels off and put covers over seats n stuff.

    the advantages are that you can still get into the boot and also i can carry my windsurfing kit aswell, cos if the bike was on the back, the board wouldnt fit on the roof, but with the bike on the top they can go side by side no worries!

    apoligies for the rant! Hannah