Thinking of taking the bikes down to Cornwall later in the summer, but since we also have 2 toddlers, 1 collie dog, and masses of camping stuff there is no space inside the pickup for them.

So – tow bar mounted carrier, or roof carrier?

I know it is usually preferable to go tow bar, but the length of the vehicle is already pretty vast so is this still the best option?

I have a tow bar, and I have a roof carrier – just no bars. So either route is going to require some spending, and either way it will be broadly similar!

Suggestions please!

(I should add I have a full canopy back, otherwise the dog would wind up very windswept by the time we got anywhere! On my old Navara many moons ago I had a roll cover and a pair of roof carriers mounted just above it which was very handy as carrying solutions go)

I tend to use a trailer when it comes to trips like that! The dog is the complicating factor. Without ours I can manage all of that with bikes hanging over tailgate on carpet. When she comes with us it is a case of taking the trailer or tow-bar rack to free up enough space in the truck bed and to close the cage on the Ifor Williams top.

Do you have a mullet?

Absolutely Hora.

I think the trailer would be overkill to be honest, perhaps a tow bar carrier may be the easiest option.

I once saw a double-cab with a Saris Bones on the back of the cab?

dog in between the kids (strap it in with a harness) and surely you can fit the bikes in the back with all the camping gear?

leave the kids and dog and just take the bike!

Should not be an issue with loading up a big old tank like that with a tow bar rack. if you are under the max ball and rack loads all should be dandy!

Um, I did a 1500 mile round trip with three toddlers, wife and kit and a bike on the back of a Fiat Punto.

Get a grip.

Crikey do you not like your family. 😉

That must have been very very snug.

I was just thinking that – this isn’t supposed to be an exercise in endurance of a 1 year old and 2 year old. The space between them is for stuff we need enroute (it is a long way from the Lakes to Cornwall when you are a tiny tot) so the dog is in the back and hopefully not getting crushed by falling bell tents and all the other stuff that we “need”.

Either option for bike transporting is a compromise, just trying to decide which way is the best to go and what other peoples experience is.

Oh aye – this is a short bed L200 so it isn’t quite as vast as the other trucks out there, but it was the only option I had for work that would do what I need, and still fit on my parking space 😉

Just needs planning. I was taken from Manchester to Hungary three times when I was a kid, towing a caravan, but still a proper journey.

I struggle with the idea that bikes are a problem in terms of space; I’ve got 3 here in my front room, and have had 7 in the back of my last car.

If you want it, make it happen.

Capt. – if you want to borrow a 2 bike tow-bar carrier, I have a Thule one you’re welcome to use for the trip. If you still live where you’ve previously mentioned, my house is about 400m away.

We bought it secondhand, used it for precisely one homeward journey, and then got rid of the car which had a tow-bar, so it’s been sitting unused for two years. I’d be happy to see someone making use of it. I looked at the cost of getting a tow-bar fitted to the current car, then made the decision that we’d just stick the bikes in the boot and pack more conservatively in future 🙂

Steve – still in Ulverston.

A loan would be grand, cheers! I think my email is in the profile….

With a pick up the easiest solution is a tow ball mounted bike carrier. As you don’t have to lift up your bike as high. But I understand you are worried about the length of your vehicle. There is an alternative if your flat bed has a cover with rails on top.

I have fitted one before where a Thule 775 is used to tie down on the rails. All you need to know is the measurements center to center of the rails.

Or indeed go for the roof mounted bike carriers.