I've got a Passat estate, 2000 vintage, with a towbar fitted. I'm looking for a rack for carrying up to 3 bikes but also after something I can take off and store in not too much space (live in the city and have no garage).
Should I look for a towbar mounted one or just accept that the best bet is a folding tubular steel number?
Any pearls of wisdom gratefully received.
Having lived with the alternatives, tow bar racks all the way for me now. Gratuitous pic just because I like it...
Towbar racks are very good indeed, particularly if you're going to be carrying several bikes. they're very stable, good for fuel economy, easy to load and you can keep an eye on the bikes while driving.
Try to get a wheel support rack, where the bike stands on the rack rather than hanging off poles higher up. Better for the bikes, less contact between them. Ours are secured on each wheel and on one crank - very stable and secure yet car and bike paint are untouched.
Some towbar racks fold up for storage - some of the Thules - but quite expensive.
Pendles are very heavy and stable all steel tubing, no aluminium, no plastic) but don't fold up.
Roobox.co.uk have a good looking fold-up wheel support rack for about £180. Can't remember the make, no-one famous, but looks great.
Towbar racks are superior in every way to any other rack I've tried. Very easy to fit to the car, and easy to load and secure in use. So we use ours more. So the car stays cleaner. 
No 'what ifs' about lighting and numberplate issues either....
I have the Thule 9503 it's pretty basic but it's good value and does the job well. It fits in the boot no problem when not in use (I have a 2000 mondeo hatch).
Towbar racks are the best solution of all. Ours can be stripped down to components if you're really stuck for space.
We also do a garage mount so you can use it to store bikes on in the garage meaning it won't take up much more space than the bikes already do.
Sorry, Roofbox.co.uk
+1 9503
Folds up small, holds the bikes securely with a couple of extra bungees. The tilt function is poor - bad I don't use it! Bargain too.
Only 2 bike though.
Whatever you choose, I highly recommend Roofbox as they'll let you try a rack for a few weeks and swap it at no extra charge if you're unhappy. I tried a Tradekar Silverbike for about 3 weeks and didn't rate it, swapped it for a Pendle. Roofbox couldn't have been more helpful.
+1 for roofbox, I got mine there too (and some other stuff).
Does the 9503 fold up easily/quickly? Looks great otherwise.
I'm looking for something to replace our very old Pendle.
Many years sterling service from my maxxraxx. Takes up v little storage space too.
Edit: Better link:
http://www.maxxraxx.co.uk/racks/prem_max4_flange.html
Got a 9503 a couple of weeks ago, the vertical supports can be folded flat in seconds
+1 on towbar racks.
We had a Pendle - didn't really like it as it's a bit agricultural and faffy to unbolt if you want to store it. I also found having to muck about with the wheel slots for different bikes a real pain, especially if you're having to grub about on the ground trying to undo allen bolts without getting filthy. The big bolt-on block which is used to secure it round the towbar is another faff, although less so if you're not using the towbar for anything else and so not having to constantly bolt/unbolt it. In use, I found it secure, although it bounces alarmingly when fully loaded with 4 bikes!
Now have the Thule 9503 which I find much easier to load with bikes, fits to the car with one bolt, and looks less like something I built in my garage when it's attached. It also tilts down to let you access the tailgate when it's loaded, although in reality that's a 2 person job as lifting the rack with bikes back into position requires a fair bit of strength (good workout though if you do reps).
I started this thread a while back
and ended up buying the 9403 from here: http://www.roofracks.co.uk/main/cycleracks_rear2-3.htm
(Scroll down where it's available discounted)
and been impressed with it so far
I bought the 9502, very impressed with it so far.
Is it worth buying the Thule tow bar carrier lock ?
The cheap Thule one is ace. Very slightly less convenient than the expensive one, but a third the price. Top stuff. Fits in seconds, bike on in a few more seconds, away you go. I say seconds, maybe a couple of hundred of them Seriously though, going from no rack at all to ready to roll is a five minute job. I've never used roof bars but they must be more of a faff to fit.
The Pendle does look a bit agricultural but I didn't think anyone chose bike racks because they were pretty!
Ours withstood a fairly big rear-end shunt and the two massive central bars protected both bikes from any damage at all. the car behind was fecked though. Not sure a lightweight aluminium and plastic rack would have done so well.
As for adjusting the wheel slots, we've never had to adjust ours in 7 years. A long wheelbase for my bikes, a shorter one for hers.
However, I now want something that I can keep in the garage. The Pendle has been kept outside on the drive for 7 years.
Looking good for the Thule 9502 or 9503, with locking thingy. Any recommendations of where's good to buy from (Roofbox don't seem to do them, only the more expensive ones..)
LOVEd my towbar mounted rack, so easy to fit and so little effect on the car.
Looking good for the Thule 9502 or 9503, with locking thingy. Any recommendations of where's good to buy from
See my post above
I bought mine from http://www.rutlandcycling.com
Always had towbar mounted racks, when we started biking in 1986 you could'nt buy them so we made one, when the girls started we just added to it. Once they were on bigger bikes we bought a Thule one for four bikes.
It gets used most weekends and to the Alps in the summer. Its quick to put on and easy to load.
Tracey
£110 for the Thule 9503 at Skidrive.co.uk looks a bargain.
I'm using a Thule 903, fantastic rack and folds up small enough to keep in the boot / pop up in the attic. Really quick to put on / take off and the wheel supports make it nice and easy to pop bikes on and off too.
http://www.roofrackshop.co.uk/bike/thule-903-euroclassic-pro-towbar-bike-carrier.htm
The Thule 9503 was discounted at Halfords a couple of weeks ago - £120, might still be
I was asking at Thule dealer what the difference between the ride ons and the EuroClassics expecting there to be something I was missing because one is 3 times the price of the other, but it just seems to be the clamps (which aren't great on our bikes anyway because the top tubes aren't a great shape) and the tilting mechanism.
If you have a flange towbar (with two bolts) try and get a rack that has a bolt on bracket...they are much more secure.
The other type clamps onto the towball itself, they are more wobbly and can gouge the ball, which is no good if you want to tow things. Also it will soon become (or is) an MOT failure soon to have a worn or damaged towball.
Another v happy 9503 owner here, recommend you get a ratched ring spanner to do up the bolt that holds it onto the towball.
9503 here too. Can't fault it. Bought cheap at Halfords.
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