so looking to get something which will allow us to get 4 bikes on the back of our car

what options are out there?

Don’t want to go roof mounted as we’ll likely want to take a roof box with us as well. Could possibly get away with a 3 bike option as our youngest is only now riding on his own but hopefully want to buy something which will last well into the time when he’s on a bike too big to get in our boot

Car’s a C4 picasso if that makes any difference

Towbar rack, end of.

Towbar + 1, Thule Euro something or other never let me or my bikes down

aistoncycleracks.co.uk
I’ve had pendle, thule and one of these and it’s best by far and cheapest too. The wheel support type rack is super easy to use and reassuringly solid.

Can thoroughly recommend the Aiston but check out towbar fitting on your Picasso. Mate of mine had problems from day 1 with the four bike rack on his Picasso – ended up welding the first towbar in place which helped but the rear most bike was very near the ground. Got another towbar fitted which came loose on the way back from Wales last year nearly spilling the bikes onto the road! No damage to the rack which is fine on the Mazda he replaced the Picasso with.

What type of bikes? I only ask as 4 bikes on a C4 might excede the nose weight of the tow bar. I had 3 bikes on the back of a Focus and roundabouts were entertaining. Pendle would be my recommendation but they are not light….

I’ve got an Atera Strada. It’s very good.

Oh, before that I had a rear rack that mounted on the roofbars and sat on the bumper. It was fine for several years with too adult bikes and two kids’ bikes but I didn’t trust it with four big bikes once the kids got older (and after my brother dumped all the family’s bikes off the back in the middle of France, using a hatch-mounted rack).

Get a towball- mounted one.

yeah, I want to get a towbar anyway so I think that’s the way forward.

Are there any which allow you to tow things while having the bike rack attached (does that make sense)

4 bikes AND tow a trailer on a c4 – youll be needing RWD and fiddle brakes to go anywhere !

Decathlon do a 4 bike tow bar rack. I’ve the the 3 bike version and no complaints, 200 euros.

I am also looking at getting a tow bar rack and after a bit of research have pretty much made up my mind on a Atera STRADA DL 3 bike. I figure I will keep it for many years so its not worth compromising on quality/function to save a few quid.

Only slightly off topic but I’ve got a Thule tow ball mounted 3 bike rack. With two big bikes on theres a wee bit of flex in the rack which is particularly prevelant on bumpy roads. With 3 bikes on the flex becomes even worse and starts to look decidedly dodgy. The fact that it’s a swan neck towbar probably adds a little to the flex but is this degree of movement normal or am I setting myself up for a disaster by overloading it?

4 bikes AND tow a trailer on a c4 – youll be needing RWD and fiddle brakes to go anywhere !

could be a valid point – I pity the poor drivers behind me 🙂

We’ve gone for the Thule Euroclassic 929(?) which carries three bikes and has an extension to add on for the 4th.

I had a look at a friends first as they are not cheap (expect to pay £500ish for one with the 4th bike extension), but they are really well made, solid, lighting board included and fold down really easily to allow boot access even when fully loaded.

@andrewni – I haven’t noticed any real flex on ours? Thule do a few different designs, the euroclassic is rated for 25kg per bike I think, so no worries about overloading… but I did think (not sure where I got it from) that you shouldn’t use them on a swan neck tow ball ?? Not sure if that could be your problem…

We have a Thule one. No flex on ours and has done regular trips to the Alps with four on. Rear suspension self levels on our C4 Grand Picasso

Try this site? Skidrive and click on ‘tow bar mount’ – seems to give details of most that have been recommended on here so far.

Sorry – its my first day back from holidays and am trying to avoid work 😉

what about overloading the car? the c4 is not huge and i presume it has a total weight limit (whatever that is called)? With 4 bikes and the carrier on the back and a full roof box, family and luggage you may well come very close to this limit…

They weighed a car once on breakfast tv, roof box and few bikes on the back, family of 4 packed for holiday. I think it was near or over its limit (not ever 4 bikes and small kids). Insurance companies will try and get out of paying…

Perhaps get a bigger car? No roof box and bikes on the roof (again, watch the weight limit of the roof), sorted!

I used to drive an old vauxhall omega, those were the days! Stick it all in the boot! had to get rid at 19mpg in town.

We’ve been using an Altera Strada for the past couple of weeks to transport 3 bikes from Aberdeenshire, down to Devon and back via Norwich and it never missed a beat. Light and simple enough to mount on your own in a few minutes to pretty much any tow ball. Holds the bikes securely without any risk of them bashing into each other or the rack (although I did rotate the bars on one bike). The sliding system for moving the rack out of the way to access the rear door works well. No complaints really. Two adults, two children, a dog, large roof box and 3 bikes on a Subaru Forrester, no problems.

They do an attachment for adding a fourth bike, which we bought, but haven’t taken out of the box yet.

Cheers

Andy