Bike rack for the car
Discussion
Always preferred roof mounted myself although I've never had an SUV type car so the higher roof might be an issue.
Bought all my bike racks from here: http://www.roofbox.co.uk/
Bought all my bike racks from here: http://www.roofbox.co.uk/
Roof mounted is the way to go as long as your not going anywhere with height restrictions.
Get some bars off ebay and then some cheap cycle rail mounts. The Thules are are great, but they are very expensive.
I have some Thule bars on my Saab and they work really well, but I have a super cheap cycle mount. Its pretty poor, but it does the job and I only use it three times a year if that.
Get some bars off ebay and then some cheap cycle rail mounts. The Thules are are great, but they are very expensive.
I have some Thule bars on my Saab and they work really well, but I have a super cheap cycle mount. Its pretty poor, but it does the job and I only use it three times a year if that.
I had a Thule ClipOn 9103 that I bought to go on the back of a Honda Jazz, to carry two MTB's. Always thought I was going to mark the car paint work when fitting it and was never convinced about it being secure, even though I checked repeatedly before driving off. As such it was used no more than 5 times before I sold it. However, this is probably more down to me and my paranoia about it falling off, as you see them fitted to cars whizzing along on the motorway without issue.
We recently bought a Qashqai and I had a tow bar fitted so that I could fit a tow bar mounted bike carrier. I now have an Atera Strada DL 3 carrier which I much prefer. Expensive option when you consider the tow bar and carrier together, but I'm much happier driving with this combo. Easy to fit and load bikes too.
I did consider the roof mounted carriers, but didn't fancy having to lift the bikes up/down from a Qashqai.
I bought the carrier from www.roofbox.co.uk who carry a wide range of carriers with different mounts. If you do decide to buy from them, spend a few minutes on google looking for discount codes for them.
We recently bought a Qashqai and I had a tow bar fitted so that I could fit a tow bar mounted bike carrier. I now have an Atera Strada DL 3 carrier which I much prefer. Expensive option when you consider the tow bar and carrier together, but I'm much happier driving with this combo. Easy to fit and load bikes too.
I did consider the roof mounted carriers, but didn't fancy having to lift the bikes up/down from a Qashqai.
I bought the carrier from www.roofbox.co.uk who carry a wide range of carriers with different mounts. If you do decide to buy from them, spend a few minutes on google looking for discount codes for them.
Tow ball mount: In theory the easiest, but £££ if you don't already have the tow hitch and still ££ if you do. Need to decide up front how many bikes you'll ever need to carry.
Roof bars and racks: Can range from £ (Aldi/Halfords cheapies) to £££ (OEM or high-spec Thule etc.). Can add/remove/upgrade number of carriers as required. Although a QQ is a bit taller you can stand on the sills with the doors open and it should be comparable to a normal car like that. I used racks on a Touran for three years, just a little bit more awkward than a normal estate etc. Be wary if the bikes are heavy though.
Strap on efforts: Never used them, seem like a faff to get on and off and I'm convinced they'll mark the paintwork. Still ££.
FWIW I've used Atera carriers on Thule aerobars for about 10 years now. Barring one tiny problem the first time I used them (pilot error nearly leading to loss of bike on a motorway!) they've been solid. Probably done 3,000 miles with at least one bike mounted and considering they were a permanent fixture to my last C-Class for about two years, another 25,000 miles with just the bars/carriers.
I have the luxury of space to store things so I just keep the carriers (three) mounted to the bars and then just fit/remove the whole thing as it's plenty rigid for two people to lift on/off. Four locks and 2 minutes to fit or remove.
Roof bars and racks: Can range from £ (Aldi/Halfords cheapies) to £££ (OEM or high-spec Thule etc.). Can add/remove/upgrade number of carriers as required. Although a QQ is a bit taller you can stand on the sills with the doors open and it should be comparable to a normal car like that. I used racks on a Touran for three years, just a little bit more awkward than a normal estate etc. Be wary if the bikes are heavy though.
Strap on efforts: Never used them, seem like a faff to get on and off and I'm convinced they'll mark the paintwork. Still ££.
FWIW I've used Atera carriers on Thule aerobars for about 10 years now. Barring one tiny problem the first time I used them (pilot error nearly leading to loss of bike on a motorway!) they've been solid. Probably done 3,000 miles with at least one bike mounted and considering they were a permanent fixture to my last C-Class for about two years, another 25,000 miles with just the bars/carriers.
I have the luxury of space to store things so I just keep the carriers (three) mounted to the bars and then just fit/remove the whole thing as it's plenty rigid for two people to lift on/off. Four locks and 2 minutes to fit or remove.
I've just bought a seasucker Talon which takes one bike but you can get other models which take up to 3. Not cheap but you can still use them when you change your car. Very easy to fit and quick to remove as you only use them when you've got a bike/s on the car. Good option too if you've got a sports car where you wouldn't normally be able to fit a conventional bike rack.
Herman Toothrot said:
Roof mount best, followed by tow ball mount. Strap on stuff is all just crap at the end of the day.
I beg to differ. I use a Saris Gran Fondo on my Qashqai and it is simple to put on/get off, carries two bikes in a very stable way without any frame clamping, in a way that is also mpg friendly and does not block the number plate or lights.Irrelevant to the OP as he needs three bikes.
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