Bike rack for a MK1 Focus?
Discussion
Hi guys,
Been to Llandegla this weekend and really enjoyed it, I am now looking at a rack that will mount mine and my girlfriend's MTB's.
Is a roof rack the best bet? Or are rear mounted bike racks pretty good? Is the Saris Bones good?
Roof rack looks good but will be about £200+ for a Thule system, is the standard Ford system any good?
Been to Llandegla this weekend and really enjoyed it, I am now looking at a rack that will mount mine and my girlfriend's MTB's.
Is a roof rack the best bet? Or are rear mounted bike racks pretty good? Is the Saris Bones good?
Roof rack looks good but will be about £200+ for a Thule system, is the standard Ford system any good?
Roof racks will increase you fuel usage more than others.
BUT - they are quite secure, dont cause issues with lights/numberplates, and dont damage your car. Yuo need to have a bit of height and gumption to get the bikes up there, no good for 5ft tall 7 stone girly girls.
Ford roofbars if you have them should be fine, then you just buy the individual roof racks for however many bikes you need. The Thule ones are great, the cheapest/lowest spec model is a little fiddly and awkard but the rest of the range are great.
Bear in mind not all the racks work with all bikes, you can get problems with Y-frames, suspension frames, and bikes with really large diameter downtubes (EG Cannondales, carbon frames, etc).
Boot racks however - cheaper, easier to actually get the bikes onto. But usually will mean you cant open the boot without taking the bikes off, also you have to watch out for obscuring the lights (Some racks are quite high rise to avoid this). Also you have to be careful with mounting them to avoid scratching the paintwork.
If you have a towbar, then a towbar mounted rack is the best option by far as you get no contact with the bodywork, they usually have a lightboard, access to the boot, no extra height etc etc.
Brands to look for would be Thule, Pendle, Hollywood, Saris. Theres nothing really to avoid other than the really cheapo nasty halfords/ownbrand stuff.
Its more a case of deciding what format you want and which models you can get hold of and fit your bikes.
Suggest its the kind of thing to get from a local shop rather than online as it will be a pain if you have to try a couple of models before getting a good fit.
Final point would be - if theres just two of you and two bikes - put em in the boot. Soooo much easier, safer, more secure, etc etc.
BUT - they are quite secure, dont cause issues with lights/numberplates, and dont damage your car. Yuo need to have a bit of height and gumption to get the bikes up there, no good for 5ft tall 7 stone girly girls.
Ford roofbars if you have them should be fine, then you just buy the individual roof racks for however many bikes you need. The Thule ones are great, the cheapest/lowest spec model is a little fiddly and awkard but the rest of the range are great.
Bear in mind not all the racks work with all bikes, you can get problems with Y-frames, suspension frames, and bikes with really large diameter downtubes (EG Cannondales, carbon frames, etc).
Boot racks however - cheaper, easier to actually get the bikes onto. But usually will mean you cant open the boot without taking the bikes off, also you have to watch out for obscuring the lights (Some racks are quite high rise to avoid this). Also you have to be careful with mounting them to avoid scratching the paintwork.
If you have a towbar, then a towbar mounted rack is the best option by far as you get no contact with the bodywork, they usually have a lightboard, access to the boot, no extra height etc etc.
Brands to look for would be Thule, Pendle, Hollywood, Saris. Theres nothing really to avoid other than the really cheapo nasty halfords/ownbrand stuff.
Its more a case of deciding what format you want and which models you can get hold of and fit your bikes.
Suggest its the kind of thing to get from a local shop rather than online as it will be a pain if you have to try a couple of models before getting a good fit.
Final point would be - if theres just two of you and two bikes - put em in the boot. Soooo much easier, safer, more secure, etc etc.
Yes, there is actually! Firstly - its generally much easier to take both wheels off - more room to manouvre.
The way to do it is to get a great big old pair of curtains, or a big tarpaulin etc. lay in boot, with half hanging out over the boot lip onto the floor. (this is also useful for getting changed on in a muddy carpark. )
Lay the first bike in - find a way for it to sit nicely. Usually one wheel will fit under the frame without touching anything. Watch out for your rear mech getting caught.
Usually, if you've got the back seats down, put it in bars first, and the handlebar will sit over the edge of the seat back into the passenger footwell, so its nice and low/flat to the boot floor.
Then lay the other half of your massive sheet over, and do the same with the seconds bike, usually facing the other way.
You'll find with trial and error that there'll be a way that they all fit snugly without bouncing around or sticking up too much.
Stick your wheels in, then pack all your clothes/gear into the gaps to fill it out and stop things moving. Put your parcel shelk back in aswell helps keep things private.
Alternatively - if you have a 5 door - then your sheet goes on the back seat and the bikes slide in from the side, one on the seat, one between the seat base and front seats. Tie them down with the seatbelts so they dont t
t you in a crash/emergency stop. Nice and neat and leaves you with a free boot.
If you can figure it out, having the bikes inide is much more preferable as its so much more secure.
Also, MTB destinations tend to be at the end of some rather lovely roads, and its a pain to have to pootle along them for fear of your bikes falling off the roof!
Theres a lovely downhill left-right-left s bend combo just as you head towards the entrance of Llandegla
The way to do it is to get a great big old pair of curtains, or a big tarpaulin etc. lay in boot, with half hanging out over the boot lip onto the floor. (this is also useful for getting changed on in a muddy carpark. )
Lay the first bike in - find a way for it to sit nicely. Usually one wheel will fit under the frame without touching anything. Watch out for your rear mech getting caught.
Usually, if you've got the back seats down, put it in bars first, and the handlebar will sit over the edge of the seat back into the passenger footwell, so its nice and low/flat to the boot floor.
Then lay the other half of your massive sheet over, and do the same with the seconds bike, usually facing the other way.
You'll find with trial and error that there'll be a way that they all fit snugly without bouncing around or sticking up too much.
Stick your wheels in, then pack all your clothes/gear into the gaps to fill it out and stop things moving. Put your parcel shelk back in aswell helps keep things private.
Alternatively - if you have a 5 door - then your sheet goes on the back seat and the bikes slide in from the side, one on the seat, one between the seat base and front seats. Tie them down with the seatbelts so they dont t
t you in a crash/emergency stop. Nice and neat and leaves you with a free boot. If you can figure it out, having the bikes inide is much more preferable as its so much more secure.
Also, MTB destinations tend to be at the end of some rather lovely roads, and its a pain to have to pootle along them for fear of your bikes falling off the roof!
Theres a lovely downhill left-right-left s bend combo just as you head towards the entrance of Llandegla
t84 said:
can you get zip-up covers for the frames? I've seen wheel bags...
Yes, thats an option aswell.When I was at Uni I used to use a soft bike bag for putting it in the car but also putting it in the rented house.
The bike only went in-out of the bag once it was inside, so all the muck and s
te just ended up in the bag not on the carpet/in my car.Just vac the bag out every so often.
Edited by snotrag on Monday 8th February 15:01
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