Roof cycle carriers.

[Kell]

I don't have a tow bar fitted, so that option's out and without a light board, most rear-mounted versions become illegal. So I'm looking to get 3x roof-mounted bike carriers for this weekend and I'm torn.

The £20 Halfords specials get great reviews and at £60 for three, it's a good price.

But the Thule Freeride 532 is not THAT much more expensive in the grand scheme of things and is likely to be better built, and worth some money if we decide it wasn't worth it for the amount of use they get.

Buy cheap, buy twice? Or why pay more than you need to?

[jamiebae]

I have one of each

The Halfords one was bought for a single trip when I needed to carry two bikes. It does the job fine but doesn't lock and won't work with wing bars.

The Thule version is easier to fit and remove, can be locked to the bars and the arms lock to the bike and is easier to secure the bike to.

It depends on the usage really, if you're going to leave the bikes on the car when it's parked and they're decent bikes then go for the Thule, if it's for occasional use with cheap bikes then the Halfords ones are fine.

[SixPotBelly]

I wouldn't leave bike on the roof when parked even if the carrier does have locks. From the cctv footage that's on youtube, they'll only delay thieves an extra few seconds.

[Mr Will]

I went for cheap bars plus Thule 532s, logic being that the bar will be changed when I change cars but the racks themselves should last much longer.

[Kell]

I'm not intending to take the bikes anywhere where we'd leave them. It's for me, my missus and 10 year old daughter, so it's just means of taking them up to <50 miles at a time and going for a ride, then putting them back on the car and going home.

I have Wing bars and square bars, do the Thule ones fit both if you buy the right connections? Or if you buy a set, will they only ever fit one type? My wing bars are attached to my roofbox and it's a pain to get them off.

[Mr Will]

Kell said:

I have Wing bars and square bars, do the Thule ones fit both if you buy the right connections? Or if you buy a set, will they only ever fit one type? My wing bars are attached to my roofbox and it's a pain to get them off.

They come with both types of connections in the box.

[Kell]

In the end, I've reserved 3 Thule ones.

While it seemed like the Halfords ones would probably suit our needs for now, but we're hoping to get our daughter out a bit more and I think the Thule ones are a bit more 'future proof'.

Ta.

[JustinF]

I have tested the Thule 532's at 100 leptons on a private road with two mtb's and a roadie up top. With the tube grips set to the right width and then key locked those bike are going nowhere.
I'm was also expecting a fair bit of noise with them up there, nothing to report when empty and better than expected when loaded.

[Mr Gearchange]

I've got the Thule - good bit of kit.

Just don't drive under the height restriction at Sainsburys with the bike on the roof as I did.

[AndyWoodall]

Yep I spent awhile deciding if Thule was worth the money and after 4 months or so I'd say certainly. Great kit, easy to fit and rock solid. Perfect.

[snowdude2910]

I have 4 of the exodous ones can get pairs for £20-40 on ebay and can't fault them, although the T-track bolts pull through the thule aerobars so if you're planning on using aerobars with them you'd probably do better value wise with thule once you've purchased the proper bolts. I've got a halfords value one too spot on for taking the road bike to my mates and things but it doesn't work with my aero bars and doesn't lock so it's in the shed as a spare

[S10GTA]

I've a Mont Blanc Barracuda, which is an excellent alternative to the default Thule ones.

[CoolC]

S10GTA said:

I've a Mont Blanc Barracuda, which is an excellent alternative to the default Thule ones.

I have these too.

The best bit being that the front wheel/tyre holder will hold the bike upright on its own, making getting the locking clam thing in place easier as you have two hands free.

[Craikeybaby]

Bumping this as I need to get some cycle carriers sorted for my car. Are the ProRide (598) racks worth twice the price of the FreeRide (532) racks? Or is it even worth buying one of each, as I will take my bike fairly regularly, but add my wife's bike only occasionally?

Also, is it worth getting slightly roof bars? As I'm likely to change cars in the future? Or are the 118cm that I need for my BMW going to be fairly universal?

[ED209]

Craikeybaby said:

Bumping this as I need to get some cycle carriers sorted for my car. Are the ProRide (598) racks worth twice the price of the FreeRide (532) racks? Or is it even worth buying one of each, as I will take my bike fairly regularly, but add my wife's bike only occasionally?

Also, is it worth getting slightly roof bars? As I'm likely to change cars in the future? Or are the 118cm that I need for my BMW going to be fairly universal?

I have made the mistake of buying cheap carriers before, I have pro rides now and they are excellent. I think they are worth every penny.

[C0ffin D0dger]

I've got these: http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php...

Been really pleased with them.

[sjg]

Craikeybaby said:

Bumping this as I need to get some cycle carriers sorted for my car. Are the ProRide (598) racks worth twice the price of the FreeRide (532) racks? Or is it even worth buying one of each, as I will take my bike fairly regularly, but add my wife's bike only occasionally?

Also, is it worth getting slightly roof bars? As I'm likely to change cars in the future? Or are the 118cm that I need for my BMW going to be fairly universal?

They're a lot quicker and easier to use, and let you clamp lower down by the bottom bracket (where the bike is stronger) as the one-sided clamp doesn't foul the chainrings. They hold their value well too if you ever did get rid of them later. Halfords, roofbox and others frequently have offers that discount them heavily if you buy 2 or 3 at once.

Most cars of a similar size take the same length bars so moving between them is often just a new fitting kit, occasionally may need a new footpack.

[Grant20V]

I'm looking at either a set of VW roofbars or Thule roofbars for my VW Golf MK4.

I want to be able to mount my bike on top, preferably with the front wheel removed, it's quite a small car really.

Would the Thule ProRide (598) set up work with that? Help please.

[sjg]

591 and 598 is for the bike with both wheels attached.

With front wheel off, Sprint XT (569) is the current one for regular quick-release wheels, or ThruRide (565) for through-axles - which is most modern mountain bikes and some newer road bikes.

Not sure why you'd want to though unless you're paranoid about clamping your frame. The 591/598 are much more convenient and having the front wheel on doesn't add much to the overall height.

[Craikeybaby]

sjg said:

Craikeybaby said:

Bumping this as I need to get some cycle carriers sorted for my car. Are the ProRide (598) racks worth twice the price of the FreeRide (532) racks? Or is it even worth buying one of each, as I will take my bike fairly regularly, but add my wife's bike only occasionally?

Also, is it worth getting slightly roof bars? As I'm likely to change cars in the future? Or are the 118cm that I need for my BMW going to be fairly universal?

They're a lot quicker and easier to use, and let you clamp lower down by the bottom bracket (where the bike is stronger) as the one-sided clamp doesn't foul the chainrings. They hold their value well too if you ever did get rid of them later. Halfords, roofbox and others frequently have offers that discount them heavily if you buy 2 or 3 at once.

Most cars of a similar size take the same length bars so moving between them is often just a new fitting kit, occasionally may need a new footpack.

Thanks, I may wait to see if anywhere has any bank holiday offers this weekend.

I've also seen a few places selling old stock of the 591 for nearer the price of the 532 on eBay, so will consider that an an option too. Although I guess I won't be able to order them coded to the locks for the foot pack I already have.