Sea Sucker Bike Carriers

[bad company]

I have a tow bar on my current car so easy to fit a bike carrier onto that. I'm thinking about a change but would like to continue being able to carry 2 bikes.

Has anybody tried these:-

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sea-sucker-talon-qr-1-bike...

[esuuv]

Yes - I have one, its great - i bought it for a few reasons, first off its expensive / hassle buying new roof bars / feet every time you change cars, this is way smaller to store - I actually leave mine in the boot of the car and should I ever have a problem and need rescuing then its a 2 minute job to get my bike on the car without needing to explain what I need bringing.

Have done a good few hundred miles with my TT bike on the roof too / from races - all good.

They do a 2 bike version (and a 3)

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/SeaSucker/Mini-Bo...

My issues with it are it offers zero security - roof bars etc can be locked so i'm OK leaving the bike for a couple of mins - this is literally peel it off and they're gone with your bike. There is a tether you can buy but you have to shut it in a door - i have no hatch and pillarless doors (2 series coupe) so thats a bit useless.

You also have to mount it on hard points in the roof else it can cause the roof skin to deflect / flex which i can't imagine is great for the paint - so basically across the front, middle or back - few mins of experimenting required.

Oh and one more thing - use a strap and secure the cranks of any bikes you carry to the chain stay else they can spin round and hit the roof - it really should come with one.

[ian996]

Been using a set for a few weeks now and, once you get over the irrational fear that they are going to let go, they seem a good option.

I'm currently placing the fork mount at the extreme back of the roof and the wheel mount on the boot top....that way, I can see the bike in the rear-view mirror.

Echo the above comments in terms of roofs flexing - when I mounted the whole thing on the roof, I was getting a lot of thumps and bangs when I drove over poor road surfaces , which was disconcerting.

Downsides are security and also speed limits - they quote 70 MPH max (although, of course, no one on piston-heads exceeds that, ever).

[df76]

Took the fiesta to the Nurburgring and spa a couple of weeks back, over a thousand motorway miles and no problems with the bike stuck to the roof. No loss of suction! Managed to lock the bike to the rear spoiler, but only for short stops.

[bad company]

Thanks for the help guys. I now need to check that the Sea Suckers are OK with the carbon roof on an M3.

[MOBB]

I used one for the first time last weekend, and its brilliant

You do worry initially, but You soon get over it