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daz3210
Original Poster
5,000 posts
109 months
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Thinking of getting one of those roof rack type bike racks for transporting my bike around.
Apart from the obvious of needing to be aware of the increase in height, having to make sure the load is secure etc, are there any other more legal obligations that change when doing so?
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14-7
5,704 posts
60 months
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daz3210 said: Thinking of getting one of those roof rack type bike racks for transporting my bike around.
Apart from the obvious of needing to be aware of the increase in height, having to make sure the load is secure etc, are there any other more legal obligations that change when doing so? May need another number plate making if the rack obscures your reg plate.
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h0b0
1,447 posts
65 months
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Beware that they can be very noisy and reduce fuel economy.
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lost in espace
3,357 posts
76 months
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Don't do it. Difficult to get the bike up there for a start. Get a towball carrier, if you have a towbar.
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sw67
124 posts
28 months
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Depends on the car - i have atera bars and cycle carriers on my A6 all the time. Takes less than a min to put bike on and off and as its a low car easy to do
Wouldnt like a roof rack on my wifes car as its much higher
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jaf01uk
1,511 posts
65 months
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14-7 said: daz3210 said: Thinking of getting one of those roof rack type bike racks for transporting my bike around.
Apart from the obvious of needing to be aware of the increase in height, having to make sure the load is secure etc, are there any other more legal obligations that change when doing so? May need another number plate making if the rack obscures your reg plate. Hmmm... don't think there is any legal but I can confirm that the fuel efficiency will suffer even when no bikes on, unless you have a number plate on your roof I would disregard the advice above  Gary
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Breadvan72
10,193 posts
32 months
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I once had a fore and aft roof mounted bike rack shear off due to metal fatigue, throwing one bike onto the road, which caused a scary incident on the M40, although no one was hurt. I prefer boot mounted bike racks since then.
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Mill Wheel
4,986 posts
65 months
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14-7 said: daz3210 said: Thinking of getting one of those roof rack type bike racks for transporting my bike around.
Apart from the obvious of needing to be aware of the increase in height, having to make sure the load is secure etc, are there any other more legal obligations that change when doing so? May need another number plate making if the rack obscures your reg plate. I'd like to see that rack obscure the reg. plate!! It will of course obscure the sun roof if fitted, and you should be careful going through Drive-Thru fast food establishments!
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Breadvan72
10,193 posts
32 months
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You should alway be careful doing that! Best, er, not to.
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hman
4,804 posts
63 months
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tow ball mounted rack is soooo much better.
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daz3210
Original Poster
5,000 posts
109 months
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hman said: tow ball mounted rack is soooo much better. Except I haven't got a tow bar. I have used boot mounted racks before, but don't like them because my car has a glass tailgate panel.
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h0b0
1,447 posts
65 months
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daz3210 said: Except I haven't got a tow bar.
I have used boot mounted racks before, but don't like them because my car has a glass tailgate panel. I have been using the tailgate racks for years and the glass has never been an issue. What was an issu on one was the tyre of the bike hanging too close to the exhaust and bursting. What ever you do please ensure that all pedals and wheels are secure. Every time i see a bike on a rack with the wheels flapping around and spinning it annoys me beyond any reasonable level. I do not even live in the same country as you but I ask just on the off chance I am visiting relatives and i go into spasm.
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hman
4,804 posts
63 months
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daz3210 said: Except I haven't got a tow bar. I have !
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Mill Wheel
4,986 posts
65 months
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Breadvan72 said: You should alway be careful doing that! Best, er, not to. I agree - but thought I better mention it, having no idea how civilised the OP is!  No fast food should be allowed in a vehicle - it makes them smell funny!
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grumpyscot
470 posts
61 months
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You may need a trailer board (i.e. one that has provision for lights and number plate) if any of your lights - and I mean ANY - are obscured by the bike.
Nothing worse than coming up behind a dark object that turns out to be a car carrying a couple of bikes on the back which totally obscures the lights.
£60 fine I believe - and I know someone who was fined £60 for keeping the rack on the back of the car when no bikes were attached - it was because the prongs protruded beyond the rear bumper and hit a pedestrian crossing behind it on the head. he now folds up the "prongs"
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ED209
2,904 posts
113 months
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I went to the expense of getting a towbar fitted to the evoque just for a bike rack, combined cost of both was about £400. A lot i know but its so much more conveinient and secure than roof bars, theres also far less chance of me damaging the car by dropping a bike on its roof.
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14-7
5,704 posts
60 months
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Mill Wheel said: 14-7 said: daz3210 said: Thinking of getting one of those roof rack type bike racks for transporting my bike around.
Apart from the obvious of needing to be aware of the increase in height, having to make sure the load is secure etc, are there any other more legal obligations that change when doing so? May need another number plate making if the rack obscures your reg plate. I'd like to see that rack obscure the reg. plate!! Sorry! Senior moment!
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yellowjack
1,197 posts
35 months
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If you do fit a roof-mounted cycle carrier, be sure to remember that the bikes are up there when you are entering car parks. Many have height restriction barriers to prevent larger vehicles using/misusing them. Could make a real mess of a bicycle, and likely damage the roof of the motor too. Ditto if you have a garage at home. Possibly urban myth/pub legend, but stories abound of drivers reversing into the garage only to watch the carefully loaded bikes slide down onto the bonnet. Having said that, if you were to forget about a rear mounted carrier, you could easily crush the bikes against a wall or another parked car. External carriage of bicycles is fraught with danger - safer all around to stow them inside the car if at all possible.
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yellowjack
1,197 posts
35 months
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h0b0 said: I have been using the tailgate racks for years and the glass has never been an issue. What was an issu on one was the tyre of the bike hanging too close to the exhaust and bursting. What ever you do please ensure that all pedals and wheels are secure. Every time i see a bike on a rack with the wheels flapping around and spinning it annoys me beyond any reasonable level. I do not even live in the same country as you but I ask just on the off chance I am visiting relatives and i go into spasm. HaHa! You have OCD about this too! Two words: VELCRO STRAPS. Anyway, I don't have OCD, I have CDO. It's like OCD, but all the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. 
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HereBeMonsters
11,444 posts
51 months
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I've been using a carrier on my roof for ages, and it's fine. Fuel economy does suffer, but it's just so much quicker putting it on the roof - rather than taking the wheels off and putting the back seats down. Anyone who can't lift their bike onto the roof is either fantastically feeble or has a stupidly heavy bike.
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