Golf R Bike Carrier - Saris Bones 3?

[jamie-2grmo]

Hi,

So I just got my Golf R last week and looking for a way to carry bikes.

I went out at the weekend and put them in the boot, more than enough room but not so good when I need that room for other things like people!

I've looked at the two options, roof mounted and rear mounted.

The roof mounted option seems expensive, £200 for bars, £150+ for the bike carriers so looking at £350-£400. Then in 2 years when I haven't got my Golf R anymore it won't be compatible. Plus, I'd have to leave the bars on all the time which could be annoying.

So I've been looking at the rear mounted and the Saris Bones 3 looks like the go to for a decent rear bike carrier. It says on the website that it isn't compatible with the Golf R because of the rear spoiler, however, I've seen many Saris Bones carriers on cars with spoilers.

Has anyone any experience in using one on a R?

Cheers

[FlyingMarsupial]

jamie-2grmo said:

It says on the website that it isn't compatible with the Golf R because of the rear spoiler, however, I've seen many Saris Bones carriers on cars with spoilers.

Has anyone any experience in using one on a R?

Cheers

The website is correct, it is not compatible. I have a Bones 3 which I bought to use on my old MINI Cooper S. The spoiler on the MINI is only attached at either end with a gap along most of the top of the bootlid. The two upper straps of the Bones fit through the gap between the spoiler and the roof, underneath the spoiler.

The spoiler on my Golf GTI is attached all the way along the top of the hatch, meaning there's no gap, so the straps would need to go over the top of the spoiler, which would get pulled downwards and damaged when you put any weight on it.

Hope that helps...

[sjg]

All strap-on racks are terrible. Faffy to put on, annoying to get anything in and out of the boot, tend to obscure rear lights and numberplates (so you'll need a light/number board and wiring), and even if you're fastidious about keeping the car clean and fitting it properly every time, you're still likely to end up with damaged paint.

Certainly with Thule roof bars it's a modular system so it's only a few lengths of bar, a few foot types and then a car-specific fitting kit. If you move between similar sized cars you may get away with just a fitting kit (£20 or so). I bought my setup for my 1-series, when I got my R wagon it was a new foot pack needed (going from fixpoints to roof rails) at £70, and I got £45 secondhand for the bits I didn't need any more.

[malks222]

I have this bike carrier and use it on a golf mk 6 gti:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/rear-mo...

now the pictures on the Halfords website show one bar on the lower metal part of the boot lid and the higher bar right up resting on the window. I cant do this with my golf as it has an automatic rear wiper blade (when its wet and you reverse it wipes the window) and would damage the wiper.

so what I've done is have both bars lower on the metal part of the boot lid, and keep the bars/ poles the bike sits on pointing slightly higher. this keeps the bikes above the number plate and lights are not obscured.

just a note, I also have thule roof bars, but canoe twice a week and couldn't be bothered with the faff of taking the roof mounted racks on/off when needed or worrying about height restrictions for car parks etc...