Best Bike Carrier
Discussion
Do I need to look ay anything other than Thule?
I have a 435d Coupe and either have to chose a rear mount or roof bars. I don't have a towbar and no real desire to fit one purely for a bike rack.
The vast majority of the time it'll be for single bike use, occasionally used for two.
Concerns over rear mount - Scratching the car or bike, or a need for trailer lights.
Concerns over roof bars - Fuel and Wind? Lifting, grease contact shouldnt be too much of an issue as the bikes are fairly light.
Any other products I should be considering?
Thanks.
I have a 435d Coupe and either have to chose a rear mount or roof bars. I don't have a towbar and no real desire to fit one purely for a bike rack.
The vast majority of the time it'll be for single bike use, occasionally used for two.
Concerns over rear mount - Scratching the car or bike, or a need for trailer lights.
Concerns over roof bars - Fuel and Wind? Lifting, grease contact shouldnt be too much of an issue as the bikes are fairly light.
Any other products I should be considering?
Thanks.
Having tried many - and as a regular visitor to Europe for rides, the best I’ve found is the fork mount roof rack (Thule 561). The bikes are rock solid even at high speed for long days and the racks have locks which can be supplemented by more.
The only downside is storage of the front wheels but you can buy a roof mount wheel holder if you want to. Mine live in the boot as it’s huge.
The only downside is storage of the front wheels but you can buy a roof mount wheel holder if you want to. Mine live in the boot as it’s huge.
I went from low rack to a high rack to save on damage to the boot but still received damage so then decided on roof mounts. I had a pair of cheap mounts that did the job but one of them failed with a bike attached and luckily it feel inwards onto the other bike and didn't swing out over the car. I then went for the Thules 951s and never looked back. Solid with a bike on, I didn't have a bike that didn't fit and after 8 years of being permanently attached to the roof they still looked great when I sold them. I sold them to a mate 3 years ago and he is still using them.
shipley said:
the best I’ve found is the fork mount roof rack (Thule 561).
I fitted this model to my car this weekend and 1st impressions are great. Like you said the bike is solid and the build quality inspires confidence.There is however one small issue when fitting them to a smaller car. The way they fit to roof bars the 651 are a bit further back than centralized like other Thule models.
This results (on my car) in me not being able to fully open the bootlid as the spoiler fouls the rack.
2017-10-30_03-59-14 by Ian Stoker, on FlickrNo real drama though as I just put the front wheel on on the back seat
Edited by ianstoker on Monday 30th October 16:13
ianstoker said:
I fitted this model to my car this weekend and 1st impressions are great. Like you said the bike is solid and the build quality inspires confidence.
There is however one small issue when fitting them to a smaller car. The way they fit to roof bars the 651 are a bit further back than centralized like other Thule models.
This results (on my car) in me not being able to fully open the bootlid as the spoiler fouls the rack.
2017-10-30_03-59-14 by Ian Stoker, on Flickr
No real drama though as I just put the front wheel on on the back seat
Can you not turn it around? With the regular Thule carriers a lot of people turn the middle one, or alternate them to stagger the handlebars.There is however one small issue when fitting them to a smaller car. The way they fit to roof bars the 651 are a bit further back than centralized like other Thule models.
This results (on my car) in me not being able to fully open the bootlid as the spoiler fouls the rack.
2017-10-30_03-59-14 by Ian Stoker, on FlickrNo real drama though as I just put the front wheel on on the back seat
Edited by ianstoker on Monday 30th October 16:13
vikingaero said:
Can you not turn it around? With the regular Thule carriers a lot of people turn the middle one, or alternate them to stagger the handlebars.
You know what.. I guess there is no reason why I wouldn't be able to turn it around. The front and rear fixings are identical after all.
Why didn't I think of that.
Thank you sir
Rear mount won't scratch if you go down the towbar route although it is not cheap.
Lots of different towbar types with costs from £200+
The cycle racks on the towbar are basically the hanger type or the platform type.
Hanger types are cheaper but don't include the lights.
Platform racks are the premium choice. Nice and low down with integrated lights, but you pay.
As you say if the bikes aren't too heavy then the roof is an option. I would always buy the car manufacturer's rails as these are likely to have been fully tested and shouldn't mark your car.
Then you can buy your bike rack(s). and a small box to aid fitment.
Please remove all the paraphernalia after though or this system will be like a phone contract. Always paying 5-10% extra at the pump. Mind that carbon footprint.
For a guide, see
https://auxtail.com/about-cycle-carriers/
Lots of different towbar types with costs from £200+
The cycle racks on the towbar are basically the hanger type or the platform type.
Hanger types are cheaper but don't include the lights.
Platform racks are the premium choice. Nice and low down with integrated lights, but you pay.
As you say if the bikes aren't too heavy then the roof is an option. I would always buy the car manufacturer's rails as these are likely to have been fully tested and shouldn't mark your car.
Then you can buy your bike rack(s). and a small box to aid fitment.
Please remove all the paraphernalia after though or this system will be like a phone contract. Always paying 5-10% extra at the pump. Mind that carbon footprint.
For a guide, see
https://auxtail.com/about-cycle-carriers/
Golf estate owner here, so more options. I have roof racks and a towbar mounted rack (we sometimes carry five bikes and riders). In order of preference:
- Inside the car. I put the back seats down, remove front wheel & seatpost, then clamp fork into a mount fixed to a sheet of ply. Secure, aero and cheap. Can get three bikes in with 60% of the bench folded.
- Towbar mounted rack. Mounts in a minute and dead easy to load bikes. Bit of a pain to get in the boot as you have to tilt it. Reasonably aero, not secure as it can be removed with a spanner. Integrated lightboard so no worries there.
- Roof racks. A pain in the arse to fit, a pain in the arse to put bikes on, not aero, noisy, although a bit more secure than towbar.
I'd see if you can get two bikes in without front wheels or seatpost across the rear bench, mounted to some ply using these: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
- Inside the car. I put the back seats down, remove front wheel & seatpost, then clamp fork into a mount fixed to a sheet of ply. Secure, aero and cheap. Can get three bikes in with 60% of the bench folded.
- Towbar mounted rack. Mounts in a minute and dead easy to load bikes. Bit of a pain to get in the boot as you have to tilt it. Reasonably aero, not secure as it can be removed with a spanner. Integrated lightboard so no worries there.
- Roof racks. A pain in the arse to fit, a pain in the arse to put bikes on, not aero, noisy, although a bit more secure than towbar.
I'd see if you can get two bikes in without front wheels or seatpost across the rear bench, mounted to some ply using these: http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/b...
Are you riding often enough (or don't care enough about looks) to leave roofbars in place? I'm lazy and leave Thule Wingbars fitted all the time, they're effectively silent with no bike racks on and the rubber strip fitted. Effect on mpg is marginal, maybe 1mpg on a long motorway run.
Then I use Thule 591 racks - super easy to slide on to the T-tracks of the bars and flip the levers down to lock in place. Can get one out of the garage, on the bars and bike fitted ready to go in a couple of minutes. It works well for me.
Assuming it's like my previous BMW the bars use proper threaded fixpoints in the roof, which is the best way (very secure and no metal brackets in gutters or under door seals) but a bit of work to fit and remove. Fine for a few times a year, but if you're riding regularly a bit much to bother with. That said, the rear carriers I've used have needed quite a bit of care to fit properly in order to avoid problems, even more so if you need a light/plate board to stay legal.
Then I use Thule 591 racks - super easy to slide on to the T-tracks of the bars and flip the levers down to lock in place. Can get one out of the garage, on the bars and bike fitted ready to go in a couple of minutes. It works well for me.
Assuming it's like my previous BMW the bars use proper threaded fixpoints in the roof, which is the best way (very secure and no metal brackets in gutters or under door seals) but a bit of work to fit and remove. Fine for a few times a year, but if you're riding regularly a bit much to bother with. That said, the rear carriers I've used have needed quite a bit of care to fit properly in order to avoid problems, even more so if you need a light/plate board to stay legal.
I also have a Thule 561 on wingbars.
After doing 600 miles with them on this week (250 with the bike attached) I've seen a drop in MPG of about 4% but I'm still getting over 50 so happy enough.
I found an ebay seller who is a Thule specialist and has a unit full of Thule kit which he sells much cheaper than anywhere else I've found. Having got through 2.5 sets of feet (I sold on one set when I sold my old car and broke another driving through an archway but he sold me the spares for only £15 to get it sorted), 2 pairs of bars (upgraded to wing bars) and 2 bike racks (the first was destroyed in the archway incident), I would definitely recommend you give him a call.
Search for Skippys Roof Racks in Ipswich.
After doing 600 miles with them on this week (250 with the bike attached) I've seen a drop in MPG of about 4% but I'm still getting over 50 so happy enough.
I found an ebay seller who is a Thule specialist and has a unit full of Thule kit which he sells much cheaper than anywhere else I've found. Having got through 2.5 sets of feet (I sold on one set when I sold my old car and broke another driving through an archway but he sold me the spares for only £15 to get it sorted), 2 pairs of bars (upgraded to wing bars) and 2 bike racks (the first was destroyed in the archway incident), I would definitely recommend you give him a call.
Search for Skippys Roof Racks in Ipswich.
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