Bike rack suggestions
Discussion
I would (and do!) stick them on the roof out of the way so you can still get in the boot. I have Thule whispbars and Thule proride 591 for our bikes. The whispbars are good, on my car the feet for them don't touch the paintwork so no risk of causing any damage. And the prorides hold the bikes securely up out of the way.
Advantage of the roof option is the bars also come in handy for lugging stuff back from B&Q and for a roof box for when the boot just can't take all of the family parifinalia stuff you seem to need with a little'un in tow.
Advantage of the roof option is the bars also come in handy for lugging stuff back from B&Q and for a roof box for when the boot just can't take all of the family parifinalia stuff you seem to need with a little'un in tow.
You can check on the Saris website to make sure they fit and if it will I would highly recommend the Saris Bones.
There is a reason why almost everyone who doesn't use a towball/roof rack at all the bike meets I go to has one of them. They store away nice and small, are very simple to set up and even easier to attach you bikes to.
The next question is which colour to go for... I went for pink because it was the cheapest and girls like it
There is a reason why almost everyone who doesn't use a towball/roof rack at all the bike meets I go to has one of them. They store away nice and small, are very simple to set up and even easier to attach you bikes to.
The next question is which colour to go for... I went for pink because it was the cheapest and girls like it
I've been looking at racks for my '09 Octavia too. For a hatchback the general advice from owners is don't go for one that sits on the back (except ball hitch ones) as the top clips would have to go on the glass. Dunno about estates though. The preferred option is roof mounting. The official Skoda roof bars are made by Thule so I'd expect the Thule ones to be a good fit, you then mount however many bike holders you want to the bars.
http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/393462-cycle-...
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/ do package deals though you can find the parts a bit cheaper if you hunt around.
http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/393462-cycle-...
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/ do package deals though you can find the parts a bit cheaper if you hunt around.
Mr-captain said:
I would (and do!) stick them on the roof out of the way so you can still get in the boot. I have Thule whispbars and Thule proride 591 for our bikes. The whispbars are good, on my car the feet for them don't touch the paintwork so no risk of causing any damage. And the prorides hold the bikes securely up out of the way.
Advantage of the roof option is the bars also come in handy for lugging stuff back from B&Q and for a roof box for when the boot just can't take all of the family parifinalia stuff you seem to need with a little'un in tow.
Downside is that it can be hard work lifting bikes up that high, and you can't carry the bikes if you have got the roofbox on for a weekend trip or whatever.Advantage of the roof option is the bars also come in handy for lugging stuff back from B&Q and for a roof box for when the boot just can't take all of the family parifinalia stuff you seem to need with a little'un in tow.
I prefer a towbar-mounted rack with a tipping function so I can still access the boot.
I've got a Mottez four-bike unit which is fine, but a bit awkward for tipping. If I had the money I'd by a www.batribike.com/cykell one as they are far better designed and finished.
I have the twin Saris Bones and also a solo ad they're both great. Bikes are really secure and the racks are easy to install/use.
I got my twin from Wiggle about 6 weeks ago and it was reduced to about 70 quid so worth a look on there. With the twin it puts all the weight onto the bumper so the tailgate isnt under too much load. I just had to pull the fuse for the rear wiper when the rack was put on.
I got my twin from Wiggle about 6 weeks ago and it was reduced to about 70 quid so worth a look on there. With the twin it puts all the weight onto the bumper so the tailgate isnt under too much load. I just had to pull the fuse for the rear wiper when the rack was put on.
Just to offer an alternative view on the Saris - we found that due to the 'chunkyness' of the arms (and frame supporting loops), our bikes simply did not fit.
Orange Five and the missus' full susser.
There is a cross bar that you can attach to the seat post to create a triangular 'frame' but I didn't fancy it as we have dropper posts.
Went with Thule Proride 591s, love the system, quick, easy and secure. Some great package deals online and gives you the versatility if you ever want to stick a roofbox up there.
Orange Five and the missus' full susser.
There is a cross bar that you can attach to the seat post to create a triangular 'frame' but I didn't fancy it as we have dropper posts.
Went with Thule Proride 591s, love the system, quick, easy and secure. Some great package deals online and gives you the versatility if you ever want to stick a roofbox up there.
boyse7en said:
Downside is that it can be hard work lifting bikes up that high, and you can't carry the bikes if you have got the roofbox on for a weekend trip or whatever.
I prefer a towbar-mounted rack with a tipping function so I can still access the boot.
I've got a Mottez four-bike unit which is fine, but a bit awkward for tipping. If I had the money I'd by a www.batribike.com/cykell one as they are far better designed and finished.
Can't say as I have ever had trouble lifting our bikes up and putting them in the carriers. Roof box and bikes can be an issue if you have a large roof box though, we have a fairly slim one so are just about ok.I prefer a towbar-mounted rack with a tipping function so I can still access the boot.
I've got a Mottez four-bike unit which is fine, but a bit awkward for tipping. If I had the money I'd by a www.batribike.com/cykell one as they are far better designed and finished.
I've had a variety, and there are pros and cons to each:
Roof mounted
Standard Thule bars and 591 carriers. Fairly easy and convenient, although some bikes are much harder than others to lift onto the roof of an S-Max. It doesn't seem to be a weight thing, just some frame designs (such as my son's Inbred) just seem to want to escape whilst I'm trying to secure them! We don't often need to fit a roof box at the same time, so it's more or less free space. Downside is that they're bloody noisy at speed and put a noticeable dent in fuel economy, even without bikes in them. On the plus side, you can lock the bikes in the carriers, the carriers to the rack and the rack to the car, so more secure than most other options. I wouldn't want to leave them anywhere deserted, but I don't worry about them in a motorway service station, for example.
Towbar mounted
Academic, as you don't have a tow hitch, but good for getting multiple bikes, although to get 4 bikes on, I find it's quicker and easier to take off pedals and flip the bars sideways than it is to try and get them on as they are. You don't get the noise or fuel economy issues, but even with the tilt mechanism, it's harder to get into the boot, obviously it buggers up the reversing sensors (!) and it really cuts down on the number of parking spaces you can actually use.
Body mounted
Mine was only a cheap one, nothing like the cost of a Saris. It was a non-starter on anything with a roof spoiler, I was always worried about how securely it fitted, as the weight of a couple of mountain bikes bouncing up and down at speed seemed able to move it more than I could secure it, plus over time this caused the foam pads to start rubbing on the paintwork. Also, whilst I could secure the bike to the rack, there was absolutely nothing to prevent someone cutting the straps and lifting bike plus rack into the back of a van.
Given you can't go for the towbar option, I'd definitely go for the roof mount, put up with the noise and fuel drain when in use, and remember to take it off when I'm not using it (he says, looking out of the window at the empty carriers sat on my roof!
)
Roof mounted
Standard Thule bars and 591 carriers. Fairly easy and convenient, although some bikes are much harder than others to lift onto the roof of an S-Max. It doesn't seem to be a weight thing, just some frame designs (such as my son's Inbred) just seem to want to escape whilst I'm trying to secure them! We don't often need to fit a roof box at the same time, so it's more or less free space. Downside is that they're bloody noisy at speed and put a noticeable dent in fuel economy, even without bikes in them. On the plus side, you can lock the bikes in the carriers, the carriers to the rack and the rack to the car, so more secure than most other options. I wouldn't want to leave them anywhere deserted, but I don't worry about them in a motorway service station, for example.
Towbar mounted
Academic, as you don't have a tow hitch, but good for getting multiple bikes, although to get 4 bikes on, I find it's quicker and easier to take off pedals and flip the bars sideways than it is to try and get them on as they are. You don't get the noise or fuel economy issues, but even with the tilt mechanism, it's harder to get into the boot, obviously it buggers up the reversing sensors (!) and it really cuts down on the number of parking spaces you can actually use.
Body mounted
Mine was only a cheap one, nothing like the cost of a Saris. It was a non-starter on anything with a roof spoiler, I was always worried about how securely it fitted, as the weight of a couple of mountain bikes bouncing up and down at speed seemed able to move it more than I could secure it, plus over time this caused the foam pads to start rubbing on the paintwork. Also, whilst I could secure the bike to the rack, there was absolutely nothing to prevent someone cutting the straps and lifting bike plus rack into the back of a van.
Given you can't go for the towbar option, I'd definitely go for the roof mount, put up with the noise and fuel drain when in use, and remember to take it off when I'm not using it (he says, looking out of the window at the empty carriers sat on my roof!
)I use Thule Roofbars and Bike Racks I've got a 591 because it will take anything - my Son's 24" Wheeled bike, my Wife's small MTB and my FS Intense. I've also got a 561 because it's hugely secure with 20mm or 15mm MTB forks, fitted correctly you'd need to break off the fork lowers for it to fail. they're rated to 120kph - but I've got a "friend" whose tested them at 120MPH for a decent amount of time and they didn't bat an eyelid, you will need to stow the front wheel in the boot though.
If you want them secure and you don't want to take them off every 5 minutes and replace them, then you can do a lot worse than standard roof bars and heavy duty tyraps. Take the seat off, invert the bike, lob it on the roof bars. 2 ties on each side of the bars, then a couple between the back triangle and the back rail. Carry side cutters to get them off, ride, new tyraps on return. Very secure, very strong, cheap, easy. I have specific bike racks and still favour the tyrap option, because it just works.
battered said:
If you want them secure and you don't want to take them off every 5 minutes and replace them, then you can do a lot worse than standard roof bars and heavy duty tyraps. Take the seat off, invert the bike, lob it on the roof bars. 2 ties on each side of the bars, then a couple between the back triangle and the back rail. Carry side cutters to get them off, ride, new tyraps on return. Very secure, very strong, cheap, easy. I have specific bike racks and still favour the tyrap option, because it just works.
I'm not sure I fancy the sound of that with carbon bars! 
Kermit power said:
battered said:
If you want them secure and you don't want to take them off every 5 minutes and replace them, then you can do a lot worse than standard roof bars and heavy duty tyraps. Take the seat off, invert the bike, lob it on the roof bars. 2 ties on each side of the bars, then a couple between the back triangle and the back rail. Carry side cutters to get them off, ride, new tyraps on return. Very secure, very strong, cheap, easy. I have specific bike racks and still favour the tyrap option, because it just works.
I'm not sure I fancy the sound of that with carbon bars! Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff