Just wondering what type of bike rack is best as just bought a new car and the cost of fitting a tow bar and bike rack is about the same cost as roof bars and bike support
any recommendations would be greatly appreciated….Many thanks

Can’t comment on the towbar as just got setup with a roof rack. It’s OK for lightish bikes, but I do have to remember low bridges and branches. Of course with a towbar rack you have to remember your upgraded reversing skills 😉

Roof rack for me. As much as anything it’s because it lives on the roof permanently and is always ready to go. Storage space at home is an issue.

Getting bikes up on it is fine, I have no problem, my gf struggles occasionally if she doesn’t get it lifted up right first time.

Our van has a permanent rack on the tailgate which is much easier as it’s a fair bit lower.

Detachable tow bar. Bike rack on the back, way easier to load bikes.

Went for towbar here in the same situation. No more worrying about height restrictions and it’s easier to load.

Last car had both & I found that a decent towbar rack (we use a Thule 929) was quicker & easier to use especially with muddy post ride bikes & it had less of an effect on fuel economy.
You’ve also got the towbar for borrowing a trailer to go to the tip, that sort of thing.

Had a roof rack set up for years, new car has a detachable tow bar set up. After a year of use I think I prefer the roof rack setup, reason being it’s always on and bikes of all shapes accommodated. The rear rack is a pain to keep putting on n off. Also some bike combos don’t fit v well on rear rack taking ages to faff with then not being 100% about how secure it’s attached.

Ebikes won’t go on a roof rack. Plan for the future!

Have a tow bar on the car and I chose roof racks for bikes normally.

We want to carry four bikes. With that many the maximum tow bar nose weight and length of rear overhang becomes an issue.

On the roof we can space the bikes better and I have better vision to the back and the bikes are clear of the worst of the crap on the road surface. There’s also no lighting board or similar issues.

Downsides are economy down c. 20% at legal motorway speeds and the car feels sluggish with four up there (barely notice the difference having just 1 mounted).

A small step makes reaching over to load the ones near the middle of the car easier.

I have a lightweight two bike tow bar rack that I use for short journeys when it’s just me. I still think the roof is better but it’s quicker if I don’t have a spare pair of hands.

We store the roof rack setup as a single unit then two person lift onto car, four bolts and job done.

Are you sure costs are similar? Towbar fitting is about 250-300 and a rack is 200-300, roof bars are about 150 and roof racks about 90 each…considerably cheaper.
I was a roof rack fan but now use a towball rack, car is too tall to fit more than 2 on the roof without steps, but I now have the ability to carry 5 bikes and 5 people if required with roof and towball fitted.

I looked into this about 6 months ago. A decent towbar system including fitting (that supports electrics – need that as bikes cover the lights) was around £6-700, plus the towbar rack itself £2-300 meant that the outlay for that option was about £1k.

We had a nice roofbox and roof bars from a prior car which kinda swayed the decision, but I still needed to get roof rails fitted for roof bars – it was around £400 for that plus another £150 for two decent thule bike carriers.

FWIW I’d go towbar if money no object..

Ebikes won’t go on a roof rack. Plan for the future!

They might … the bike carriers I have are rated for bikes up to 20Kg and decent ebikes are getting around that sort of weight now I believe. The rack itself is rated for 60Kg (I think) so you’d be fine with 2.

I still wouldn’t like to put one up there though! I wouldn’t buy an ebike unless I was too crippled / unfit to ride a normal bike … I’d hire one like a flash though!

Having a car with high nose weight loading allowance means a four bike tow bar rack works brilliantly for us.

Very quick to load and unload (the kids can do it too…), no more mud on the roof, higher mpg, no worries about low bridges etc.

If cost is similar, go towball mounted IMO.

Depends which tow bar track you buy. I had a four bike steel unit that weighed 20kgs. Hated it, too heavy to lug about. Also, meshing four bikes together on it was an art form. Drove me nuts. Moved to roof bars, much easier. Helps that I’m quite tall. Also find roof bars are easier to stash out of the way. But, check how easy to roof rack is to install. Some are pigs.

I’m a fairly burly bloke but I don’t think I’d fancy lifting Mrs BigJohn’s Giant Dirt-e up onto the roof of a new car. Even stiles on rides need a bit of planning.

If you use car automated car washes then tow bar for the win.

never saw a car drive bikes into a height barrier with the bikes on a towbar…..

but the correct answer is bike go IN the car 😉

The weight you can put on a towbar rack is less then the maximum noseweight you can put on the ball, because the C of G is much further from the fixing of the towbar to the car. Check the manual – my Focus estate is limited to a 3 bike rack.

I looked into this about 6 months ago. A decent towbar system including fitting (that supports electrics – need that as bikes cover the lights) was around £6-700

Is it for a Bentley Continental or something? The going rate is about half that.

Anyway:

Tow bar racks are easier if you’ve got more than two bikes; roof bars are easier if you’re carrying bikes frequently; roof bars should work out cheaper unless you’re buying 3+ racks and top end bars; tow bar racks won’t stop you getting into car parks; if you travel on ferries in school holidays then a tow bar is better as the high vehicle areas sell out earlier; tow bars are easier to stick bikes on if you have a dodgy back (though the rack itself can be a trial) or if you’re short; a roof rack will slaughter your fuel economy at speed; a tow bar rack will mean your car won’t fit in a normal supermarket parking space.

Either might suit. In my younger days with just me and one bike I preferred the roof (or a strap-on bootlid rack, or inside the car); nowadays with a family of four the tow bar works much better.

but the correct answer is bike go IN the car

Nearly. Buy a combi van: n+1, innit 😉

but the correct answer is bike go IN the car

Car? T5 posing wagon with appropriate alloys, stereo, stickers/graphics, this years Enduro Gnarpoon of choice and matching riding outfit more like….

Tow bar racks are easier if you’ve got more than two bikes; roof bars are easier if you’re carrying bikes frequently;

I’d put it the other way! Threading more than 2 bikes onto a tow bar rack can be a real puzzle, the spacing between bikes can be very tight and more than 3 can be an issue for towbar weight. On the other hand I can get the rack on and off in about 20s.

Car? T5 posing wagon with appropriate alloys, stereo, stickers/graphics, this years Enduro Gnarpoon of choice and matching riding outfit more like.. berlingo.

I’d put it the other way!

Fair enough 🙂

I find the tow bar rack a real chore, especially with a dodgy back (go to garage, carry it out, plonk it on the driveway, often have to move car forwards a few yards to get space for rack, lift rack onto ball, fall over in a heap with shooting back pain, try again, connect electrics, check I’ve got the right number plate in there as I use on on two cars; repeat when coming home) and I can’t leave it on as I wouldn’t fit in a parking space at work. With a roof rack I’d be able to just leave it on all week round. But I normally ride straight from home so I only have an occasional need to carry bikes on the car. The whole family’s bike seem to fit without any problems, which is probably just lucky, and nose weight hasn’t been a problem thanks to the choice of Citroen self-levelling suspension or a heavy camper van 🙂

Also worth noting that my roof bars tuck away nicely in the ceiling of the garage whereas the tow bar rack is a big old thing that sits on the floor taking up space.

Tow bar still works out better for me though…

Watch your axle weights in the camper van.

Leverage of overhang plus bikes on back plus poor available weight for load (many 3.5 max weight campers are close to limits when empty)

I like both solutions…owning a Puggy Partner (Berlingo), the roof is 6′, I’m 6’1″ and can just get 2 bikes on roof with steps. If it is just me, bike in car (with space to sleep as well), I tend to use towball rack now as it is easier than the roof, but both systems work well.

I’ve got both as both have their pro’s and con’s. For ‘day to day’ use you cannot beat roof mounted racks. They’re the quickest to get the bikes in and out of, don’t hamper your ability to park the car in normal car parking spaces, though you have to keep an eye on height so cheeky McDonalds drive through diversions are a no, no, they have minimal impact on fuel economy but can generate some wind noise, you have unfettered access to the boot, and they’re rock steady so don’t need to worry about them once they’re on the roof.

Tow bar racks are a PITA in reality, so I only use mine if I need the additional capacity, or if we’re going somewhere as a family or on a long journey so I want to remove the roof bars for quieter driving on long motorway journeys. I couldn’t envisage using a tow bar rack week in week out, roof mounted racks are so much more convenient.

Had roof rack, recently moved to towbar. Things I’ve noticed:

You won’t drive under a bridge and kill your bike with a tow bar rack

You don’t get loads of dirt on your car from carrying muddy bikes on top with a tow bar rack

You won’t smash your bike up when parking if it’s on the roof

Your parking sensor doesn’t go mental with a bike on the roof

Your roof rack is always on the car, so you waste less fuel with a tow bar rack

Your roof rack is always on the car, so you can’t forget to bring it like a tow bar rack

Decent tow bar racks for carrying more than one bike are bulky, awkward things. Cheap, light towbar racks are really only for one bike. Two bike racks on the roof is out of the way and easy

With a roof rack, you can get off the muddy bike, stash it on top of the car, then get changed

With a tow bar rack, you put the bike to one side, get all your gear out of the boot and get changed, pack everythign away, then go back to handling the muddy bike again, getting your change of clothes dirty.

With a tow bar rack, you can drive hom, and then hose off the bike while it’s still on the rack. With a roof rack, all the crap would end up on the car if you were able to hose it at that height.

good list of observations form the right honourable george up there.

It’s a bit like what tyres innit, everyone has their own preferences and very rarely changes their minds.

However, you need to acknowledge that with a roof-mounted rack you will at some point in time forget it’s there and smash your price and joy on some low hanging barrier somewhere…

Roof rack on a fairly tall car (Touran) has given me some serious headaches with headroom – think it’s something daft like 2.8 metres when loaded with upright bikes, which has seen me having to back out of carpark entrances, motorway tolls etc.

For me was considerably cheaper than a tow bar + carrier though – secondhand thule bars plus 3 cheap halfords bike carriers.

i had a customer who lowered the roof on his a4 estate by an inch using a low railway bridge and a seven sola …..

the repair bill was into the thousands – and that was just for the bike ! bent headset cup anyone !

Insurance wrote off the car .

Thule rack was unmarked….

If you get a tow bar rack get one of the ones that slide out so you can get into the boot with it still attached (that’s what I did). I started out with roof racks though.

– A couple of bikes is fine on the roof, any more and a tow-bar rack is easier.
– Your fuel economy will be loads better with a tow-bar rack
– having a tow-bar means you can borrow your mates trailer (licence permitting)
– a tow-bar rack is quicker to fit, if like me you don’t want to waste all your fuel leaving them mounted to only use infrequently.
– if you have a tow-bar rack and reversing sensors, find out where the mute button is (plus side is you won’t forget it’s there!!).

Pretty comprehensive set of responses.

When you have decided on the location you have quite a few more decisions to make.

For example, if towbar, which type of towbar and lights etc.

Please see a guide of some of the options.
Bike carrier options

Roofmount is a big no for me, too much chance of driving into low things.

Had a towbar mounted rack (thule 928), it works for the majority of bikes, but for my enduro, it simply doesn’t fit. The x-wing frame is a pain to clamp too, coupled with the wheelbase, its just a no go.

Change jobs recently, new job is no company car, so bought a car which you can fit bikes in (Volvo V50) with taking the front wheel off. Will probably end up with a van in a couple of years time, as its convenient to chuck bikes straight in and somewhere to get changed. Don’t do many miles, so for me its a no brainer.

Happy with my towbar mounted rack but if I did go back to a roof mounted rack I’d fit a suction cup mirror to the windscreen to keep an eye on them and to remind me that they are up there.

Have had both. Prefer the towbar rack. Less faff to get the rack on and off than with roof bars and carriers. And easier to get the bikes on and off too. And less muck on the car. Often have a top box on the car for bigger trips anyway so space on the roof is often limited.

I have just got rid of the problem by buying a Ford Galaxy. It just happily swallowed 2 bikes, a weeks worth of kit & clothes for me & the Mrs, all the Christmas food, presents, drinks etc and the dog with room to spare.
It was the only thing I really missed about having gone from a T5 back to a car; having to stick my bike/s on the outside.