roof bars

[robpearson]

I appreciate this is more car than bike related, but I am looking for some roof bars initially to carry a roof box, but more likely to be used in the future for carrying bikes (not carbon fibre as we have already had that discussion on here recently). I have a Passat estate which already has the bars down the side of the car, so am only looking for bars to go across.
What are your thoughts on the various available options - most of which i seem to be able to find here:
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel3.php?emu...

Are the expensive options, and aero bars really worth the extra? does anyone rate one bike carrier as being that cut above, or know of a particular problem with especially fat tyres or mountings where suspension components stop the mounting fixing to the bike?

thanks

[Matt106]

I would highly recommend Thule products. We take 3 expensive MTB's miles on the roof with no problems. We use the Thule rack that clamps around the downtube. We usualy have to deflate the tyres a small amount so the ratchet straps fit around the wheels.

I cant comment on the aero bars but the normal ones do produce a fair amount of drag and wind noise. I pressume the aero bars are a great improvement when not carrying bike or a box.

[Pupp]

Thule here, faultless in 7+ years of regular use...

[anonymous-user]

we use thule stuff and its very good. the proride cycle carriers are nice and stable, lockable (though i wouldnt leave it for long) and sturdy, hte ratchets are good quality and secure. the "feet" for holding the wheels in place fit bigger mtb rubber but on skinny road wheels i use some pipe insulation to hold the wheel in a bit tighter and to protect them a bit more.

some of the more unconventional full suspension designs might be a tough fit as the arm on the cycle carrier is designed for a sloping down tube but we got both my super 4 and an rc405 to fit securely.

[john_p]

I bought the Cruz discount pack with low expectations but it holds everything on well. I am not impressed with its locking ability (car rack probably removable with a screwdriver if you bust the plastic off, the bike rack removable with thumb screws, bike clamp locked with cheap barrel lock)

There's lots of wind noise too which is to be expected with any square bar. That said, it does the job and holds the bike on well.

[neil_bolton]

Thule, always, for me.

[Mars]

We have Thule aero bars on both of our cars, with 3 of their ProRide 591 bike carriers on mine, and a mahoosive roof box interchanged with our Canadian canoe (held on with Thule end-stops) on my wife's.


The aero roof bars don't make much noise if you leave them on all the time.

[Silver993tt]

I can't see why it costs 4 times as much to make a roof bar a different shape from standard? Surely all roof bars should be designed to minimise wind noise?

[Mars]

Square bars are steel tubes. The aero ones are aluminium extrusions. However, I suspect the majority of the price difference is marketing.

[4mo]

Take a look at genuine VW bars, I found them cheaper (for my passat saloon) than the thurle equivalent.

[Silver993tt]

Mars said:

Square bars are steel tubes. The aero ones are aluminium extrusions. However, I suspect the majority of the price difference is marketing.

Well, steel ones in the same shape as the aluminium 'Aero' bars should give the same wind noise levels, so I don't see why they don't supply steel 'Aero' bars and get rid ofthe square ones.

[Mars]

The ali ones are incredibly stiff. Weight for weight they are superior to steel as load carriers. Also, I would imagine making steel aero bars would increase the price dramatically because it's simply different. "Different" tends to cost.

[Jez64]

I use Thule aero bars and 591 bike carriers, not given me any trouble.

Another reason for using aero bars is that the racks mount into the T-track on the
bars, making it harder to steal the racks off your car.

Finished a mtb night ride once at a local pub, came out later and they'd taken one of the lads
bikes complete with carrier of the roof of his car.

[Silver993tt]

Mars said:

The ali ones are incredibly stiff. Weight for weight they are superior to steel as load carriers. Also, I would imagine making steel aero bars would increase the price dramatically because it's simply different. "Different" tends to cost.

if they made all roof bars in 'Ali' and in the same profile as in 'Aero'), they would have been able to sell them at a far lower price due to the volume being made, so that's not an excuse (apart from a rip-off scam).

[Mars]

They wouldn't have the load capacity that the ali ones have.

[carreauchompeur]

I have a Thule aerobar system with Atera Giro bike racks. To be honest, even the aerobars alone generate quite a lot of wind noise, however I'm sure some of it is because the A8 is utterly silent otherwise!

Love the bike racks, very well engineered and once they are fitted are rock solid and very easy to mount the bikes on. However, with an MTB or two on top there is a lot of wind noise, also kills MPG. If I had a towbar, that's where I would be mounting the bike rack!

[Silver993tt]

carreauchompeur said:

I have a Thule aerobar system with Atera Giro bike racks. To be honest, even the aerobars alone generate quite a lot of wind noise, however I'm sure some of it is because the A8 is utterly silent otherwise!

Love the bike racks, very well engineered and once they are fitted are rock solid and very easy to mount the bikes on. However, with an MTB or two on top there is a lot of wind noise, also kills MPG. If I had a towbar, that's where I would be mounting the bike rack!

Would a long narrow roof box also kill mpg? If my car is getting 45mpg on a long run, what would I expect to see with a long narrow roofbox (for snowboard & gear)?

[carreauchompeur]

Roof box should be a lot better- a 20inch full sus MTB is a huge, uneven object on the roof- roof boxes are streamlined so shouldn't kill MPG to the same extent.

[robpearson]

has anyone tried the roof bags instead of the boxes? i imagine they wont be as slick as the boxes, but at least they can be tucked away into very little space when not in use.