Bike transporters

[Turbo5]

I managed to convince the Mrs to change her car so I could keep my Integra Type R. So now we are the proud owners of a Mitsubishi Outlander Warrior on a 58 plate. I now need to know what are the best ways of transporting around two mountain bikes.
The Thule tow bar carriers look good but I don't have a tow bar fitted which looks an expensive option. the other idea I am toying with is the roof bars. The car already has roof rails so I think I just need the Thule 757 and the 869 aero bars plus the Bike rails Thule 591 pro ride.
I have never used roof bars etc How do you put the bikes on the roof without damaging the car and do you need steps or something as lifting the bike so high on the roof would be very difficult without.

Any help or tips would be appreciated, normaly I remove the front wheel, fold down the seats and put the bike in the back of the integra, but with winter comes mud and its hard not to muck up or damage the interior,

[R60EST]

Tow bars need not be that expensive and the tow bar mounted carriers are really easy to use. I recently bought a heavy duty tow bar , fitting and lighting kit for my van for £82. It bolted straight on to mounting points already present in the existing chassis . Might be worth looking into before ruling out the option.

[blueST]

My Focus is quite tall for a normal car, but not as high as your Outlander obviously. Getting bikes on the roof is easy if you get them lined up along side first, one hand on the front fork, one on the seat tube and lift. Once up there, support the bike with one hand, secure it with the other. I've never caught the car or dropped the bike or anything. It helps too if you open the frame clamp and move the wheel straps out of the way before you lift too.

[RRS_Staffs]

I have been using the 591 for years until recently "upgrading" to a Thule tow bar rack
Unlike a pal who bought an XC90 as his dream car (honest) then had to buy a tow bar and rack as he is 5'3" and couldnt reach the roof I actually would have been able to hoik my bikes onto my imitation Land Rover

So why the change?

Easy one - the roof bars make a hell of a racket when out of town due to wind noise
The 591's are easy to fit, the roof bars less so but not exactly a hardship
Thus I used to leave the bars on and fit a carrier whenever I needed one - which was 2-3 times a week

Even so just having the bars on knocked 5mpg off my old 330d on the motorway as well as the previously stated noise
Strangely adding the 591's and up to 4 bikes didnt hit it that much more, just the bars make the biggest change

So now I have a tow bar mount which is vastly more convenient if you have a tow bar fitted - which I did

Its also nice not being penalised on ferries plus you dont need to concentrate in car parks etc LOL

Cheers

[Mr Will]

You've just bought a massive 4x4. Won't they just go in the back? (with loadbay liner if necessary)

[Turbo5]

Thank you for the comments, I think the tow bar option with the Thule multibike carrier seems the best option. in the mean time I will put them in the back with the seats down and some sort of load liner.

[a11y_m]

My only concern with towbar racks is possible contamination of the brake pads at this time of year - salt and ste from the road. I'm not convinced it's a major issue, but a mate is convinced his dasc brakes have suffered greatly from the spray kicked up (and possibly also from his exhaust - it's a diesel).

I've owned/used both a towbar mount and roofbar mounts. Towbar mount is far easier to remove/refit if you don't intend leaving them on between uses. Roofbars are better if you're using them everyday as they're inobtrusive enough just to leave on. The Thule aero bars are noticely quieter than the square bars IMO, but they still impact on mpg.