I'm all in a tizzy! Here are the options:

1) The top notch roof rack and 2 carriers from Thule – over £300 🙁
2) The cheaper stuff from Thule – more reasonable
3) A rear mounted one – much cheaper but I don't like how the bikes rest on each other and it's a pain to get one to fit on our car.

Is the pro-ride Thule carrier better than the cheaper free-ride one? And I like the look of the aero bars but they are expensive and I just don't know if it's worth it.

Tow-bar mounted are out, since you can't get towbars for the Prius.

Get the Thule 591's (so long as they will suit your bike at the clamping point) if they don't fit then get some old Thule 510's second hand.

They are significantly better than the cheap Thule offerings and far far better than mounting on the back (perhaps with the exception of tow bar systems) in terms of ease of use IMO.

They will however cost you more in petrol as you are effectivley adding an air brake to your car, but when you are ready to go home or get on the road at the end of a ride you will be smiling as you put it on the car in 30 seconds (or at least that was my experience on a Scottish road trip)

Aero bars may be worthwhile if you intend to leave them on the car all of the time but otherwise the Thule square ones are fine.

Get it all cheaper off a internet based supplier, I think I have used skidrive.co.uk

If you have time consider hunting on Ebay for the car foot kit which is the expensive bit.

keppoch.

Yikes just read your costing, £300!! What wheels do you roll in :wink:?

I'm sure it could be done cheaper than that.

keppoch.

They will however cost you more in petrol as you are effectivley adding an air brake to your car

Yeah I know, I would put it in the car every time but with the kid there's not room any more 🙂

I'm not gonna leave them on, so square might be an option. Would the 591 fit a chunky monocoque downtube like a Patriot?

£319 from Halfords, £271 online for two pro-ride carriers, aero bars and fittings. Problem is I could do with it this weekend!

Fits chunky things but downtube has to be clear of obstructions.

I have an old style Yeti 575 and just at the point it wants to clamp (which you can't really choose as it is the point where it is perpendicular to the down tube)there is a cable mount and the clamping area is relativley small.

Ride your bike to Halfords or try a friends/someones you see in the street!

keppoch.

Hmm.. I do have adjustable forks so I could mess with it. The wife's 17" womens' spesh might cause trouble tho. Hmm. Can always return it eh if it doesn't work.

skidrive.co.uk is a good site btw, thanks.

Small bike will be fine (my mother has a 17" Orange Gringo). Infact mine is the only bike I've seen that doesn't sit happily.

Delivery from skidrive has been very fast, maybe phone and see if they can do next day, but it will be tight..

Otherwise save a few £ at Halfords by going square bar. I wouldn't necessarily assume Halfords will have all the bits though unless you are driving something very common like a mondeo.

keppoch.

+1 for skidrive, I use the cheaper thule ones (530?) and not had any problems

I bought my roof carriers from the roofbox company and they were pretty good (the company). I got Atera Giro AFs.
The racks aren't that great though. I have two & one of them has had to be replaced because the locking bit couldn't be relied on to always clamp (always in a wet, muddy car park too with the rain coming down).
The other one is also a bit 'intermittent'. I now use bungee cords to make doubly sure the jaws stay shut.

I was lucky with the roof bars. The bloke who sold me his Ibiza had bought the Seat bars for a roof box & couldn't fit them on his new car so gave me them!

Apparently aero bars are much quieter, so that sounds ok. £230 all up for two carriers and locks from Skidrive but they can't do next day. No bother, I'll try and cram the bike in the boot for this weekend's trip 🙂

Apparently the clamp on the 591 can be moved fore and aft to get it to fit weird frames, and it'll fit a Patriot according to some guy on a forum who called Orange about it.

I recently got two Halfords bike carriers (that mount on the roof bars) for £75 the pair (Leeds store). Gutters and wheel straps F&R plus DT clamp with lock, carrier itself locks to roof bar. The equivalent Thule carrier, on its own, and discounted wsa £70 for just one.

Thule stuff in this respect just seems a blinkin rip off. Bikes stayed on the car to and from Scotland using them so can't see why the extra money is worth spending on Thule TBH

YHM re bars

Alex

CheekyM I got the Halford carriers too – they feel really secure. Are they still on 2 for 1 do you know? I coulf do with another!!

Got my bars and footpacks etc from these guys. About 1/3rd off RRP and really good service. SAt on the Volvo V70 and they are fantastic 🙂
ebay shop

Have a look on ebay for Thule 'Tour' carriers. They are similar to the 591s but now a lot cheaper, the only problem I've found is that the channels are a little narrow which means the straps don't fit around all tyres, but bungees work just as well!!

I managed to get a complete set of Thule bars, feet and two carriers for less than £100 by being patient with ebay. The trick is to work out what common car is compatible with yours.

Oh I've seen those.. a mate had some. Really doesn't look like it would fit my Patriot tho…

I could eBay but I'm kind of in a hurry which isn't an ideal situation to be in.

I bought mine last weekend and there was at least one more pack-of-two on the shelves of the Kirkstall branch, can't say more than that. I think you can check stock levels online with Halfords. IF not there's always the phone 😉

591 fits perfectly on a 5 so should be good with a Patriot too

The Halfords Advanced roof bars (tewin pack thing) appear to be the same as the Thule Freeride racks – same design, same locking and the instructions are identical apart from Halfrods instead of Thule.

Patriot will fit but it won't sit on the rack 'properly' – front wheel will just be on the rack and no more – but it will get a secure clamp and sit there no probs.

The ProRide is a better clamping system than the Freeride but it doesn't fit all designs – Marins/Whytes are stuffed due to the shock unit location (and they are also stuffed for the Freeride design unless you are happy with just the very ends clamping the frame – this is due to the height of the downtube being bigger than the actual clamps).

They see to fit all sizes of bike – providing the clamp can clamp the downtube, if not, you are stuffed.

Good bits of kit that work.

Roofrackshop.co.uk, has the ProRides on offer, buy 2 and they cost about £67 each.

If you go for the square bars, Halfords do them for about £25 for the pair, then you just need the footpacks (which seem to cost about £55 in general) (which can be pricey but cheap if bought from Ebay) – that would then mean you could have the lot for just shy of £200. Or you buy the complete package from the Roofrackshop and get the matching locks set at the same time.

I think skidrive was cheaper than roofrackshop as of yesterday. Bars, feet, fitting kit and locks all in for £99.