I'm considering a rear carrier so I can hoik my bike about to new places. All the usual: strong, light, reliable, cheap, versatile, easy, secure, etc.
It would go on the back of a Kia Sportage. Probably for one bike, maybe for two.
These are one of those things that I am aware of and have seen, but really know nothing about at all. Please let me know what is essential, what is desirable, what is unnecessary, and where I should buy from.
Thanks in advance STWers
Do you have a tow bar?
Do you have a tow bar?
This is the crucial info. I bought a 2nd hand towbar mounted rear carrier a year or 2 ago - blimey, didn't appreciate the convenience until I owned one.
Not sure I could be arsed with the other sort - I'd just go roof bar mounted if there was no tow bar available.
Just FYI: if you ride a large or XL, slack, modern MTB, then it's probably wider than your car. That may, or may not bother you...
And some bikes with very long wheelbase, may not "fit" as per manufacturers guidelines so check the max wheelbase capacity of the rack
No tow bar = use a roof rack instead (I'm not a fan of strap on/boot mounted racks).
Nearly every strap on rack equipped car seems to have no visible number plate and obscured lights. If you do want this type of rack you may be able to get a lighting connection installed.
If you have a towbar you need to consider the nose weight (it'll be in the car's manual) as that (less a bit) is the maximum weight of bikes and rack.
As others have noted modern bikes are often wider than the car. My large 29r (pre long, low, slack era) is a little less than the mirror tip to mirror tip width of my Skoda Superb, which is noticeably wider than a Sportage. I can see past it easily because peak width/length is lower than the wing mirror height.
Your wing mirrors become super important once you put on a rear rack too. The view through the rear screen is likely to be significantly compromised at best and practically nil at worst.
Beyond that:
- Tilting racks weigh and cost more but are loads more convenient for boot access. If your nose weight limit is low and you have multiple bikes it may not be the best option. If you've just got one or maybe two bikes it's a definite benefit if you can stomach the cost.
- Non tilting racks are lighter and cheaper but you have to be a bit more organised with loading the boot before you load the bikes or fold the rear seats and go in that way while the bikes are loaded.
- You can get racks that fold for easy storage e.g. Folding rack (roofbox.co.uk)
In recent years I have bought a lot of our roof and towbar kit from the Roofbox Company. Roofbox.co.uk
Service, selection and prices generally good as are the buyers guide things on the website. Lots of other good retailers out there I'm sure.
Alternatively there will be plenty of second hand stuff and the better brands like tend to make spares available for key wear and tear parts.
FWIW I use a non-tilting, four bike Buzzrack. We used to carry four bikes sometimes and often three. If we're taking two MTBs I put them in the first and third slots to give a bit more space to make it easier to avoid bar clash (I can get four MTBs on it though).
I dislike putting bikes on the roof BUT towbars are expensive and if I was a serial car swapper I'd put up with roof loading. If you chop and change cars every two years it's a bit of a financial kicking!
The old 'strap on' racks were pretty poor back in the day. Add in modern bigger and heavier bikes, and I'm less sure...
The one exception is we have had and still have ones that are metal straps. They really clamp hard top and bottom. One was on a Touran and was a Halfords badged Thule, one is an old Thule on my T5. They are solid. I think the car ones go by the 'Thule Outway' model nomenclature.
In my limited experience of a sample of 1, the straps for a rear-hanging rack clip over the top of the hatchback door, so you need to be sure that's a) steel rather than glass and b) not got some sort of plastic spoiler that might interfere with the straps.
Furthermore, there will probaby be straps that hold everything down, and they'll go under the rear bumper, affixed to something solid underneath, like brackets that aren't part of the suspension, or exhaust, or get near the exhaust. They may also deform the plastic rear bumper once done up tight.
As you may guess from that, I gave away the only rear rack I've had because of a combo of the above. And went for a roof carrier on the basis that its only 2 or 3 times a year, couldn't be arsed putting a tow ball on.
On our last car I used a basic boot-lid mounted rack that was given to me. Mainly for short distances as I didn't feel comfortable taking it on the motorway. They're ok if that's your only option but a few drawbacks as listed above.
Another consideration is how precious you are about your car as no matter how careful you are the odd scratch or ding is inevitable.
For my new car I opted for Thule roof bars/carriers mainly because I was put off by the cost of a tow bar. I find I just leave them on all the time which is actually very handy and they get used quite often.
This is all great so far, thanks.
As I said I have absolutely no knowledge about these things - I didn't know about tow-bar and non-tow-bar racks, for example.
I don't have a tow-bar, but it seems like this is the more popular option, and I could always get one. On the other hand the 'strap-on' type might work, as I doubt I'd be using it more than two or three times a year.
I hadn't even considered roof racks - I always worry for the bikes I see up there as they seem so precarious, but from what's being said here that seems to be just my imagination. How on earth do you get your bikes up there though?
Anyway, I'll keep reading. as I've said before it can take me over a month to buy a pair of socks, so I won't be rushing into anything.
Nearly every strap on rack equipped car seems to have no visible number plate and obscured lights. If you do want this type of rack you may be able to get a lighting connection installed.
Came to make this point. Also for some modern cars the electrical loom can be a significant part of the price, so by the time you've paid for that, may as well get the bar bundled in.
The only rear mount carrier that worked was a Thule Clip On High as Matt suggests ^^^^ . It had two metal straps at the top, two at the bottom and a sort of overlock clamp to hold it on. It was really solid. Protect the top and bottom of the door with tape as the clamping action can be really strong.
Forget the nylon strap jobbies, as the car moves on the suspension, I bet the straps will fall off and the rack will come loose.
Thule roof rack also failed in crosswinds leaving teh bike hanging down teh drivers side and god forbid it never went through the windscreen of an oncoming car.
Towbar IMHO is the best confidence inspiring option.... rack used from FB marketplace as they come up regularly.
If the car is yours / you plan to keep it longer term and you will use a rack a lot a tow bar fit makes more sense. For a few times a year much less so. The actual cycle carriers will fit to any roof rack so it's only the actual roof rack bars and feet that tend to be vehicle specific.
I have driven thousands of miles with both roof and towbar mounted racks. I much prefer towbar mounted but I also tow dinghies to events etc so I need the towbar regardless. If we gave up sailing I am 50/50 if I would fit a towbar just for bike racks given the expense and we probably only use a rack once or maybe twice a month
I still use roof mounted when we have the dog and bikes on the same journey (e.g. family holidays if we don't take both cars).
My primary grumbles with roof mounting are
- that they absolutely smash the economy to pieces and
- they're much more annoying to load because everything's above head height. If the car isn't flat(ISH) side to side then some of the bikes are trying to fall on your head and some are trying to vanish over the car roof. It's all manageable but given a choice I'd rather not. With a taller car you'll inevitably want a little hop-up in the boot or trample on your seats / door shuts trying to get enough height to do everything up well.
If you go down the roof mounted route I would suggest spending the extra few £££ on aero/T-track roof bars over square bars and decent carriers (Atera or Thule).
The company I linked above often does a package deal for those and the other thing they used to do was match all the cycle carrier locks before shipping so they have the same key number.
For years we got buy with a strap on rack with a light board tied on with string
At Easter i put a strap on rack into my nieces very large, very posh, leased, VW suv. Where one clip attached at the top a previous outing has peeled back the top of the tail gate. I bet that makes a tow bar look cheap
I used a Saris Bones recently for MiniMonkey V1.0's bike (normally goes on the roof, but we needed a roofbox for camping). It was fine, not sure I'd want my bike on there as well.
Much prefer roof bars tbh.
For years we got buy with a strap on rack with a light board tied on with string
At Easter i put a strap on rack into my nieces very large, very posh, leased, VW suv. Where one clip attached at the top a previous outing has peeled back the top of the tail gate. I bet that makes a tow bar look cheap
I might have dented the roof of a previous car with a stray pedal...
Buy a Thule, either towbar or roofbar.
Should go without saying but don't assume the locks on the clamps will stop anyone (so add extra locks when you are parked up or better yet don't leave unattended).
Have a practice before the first time you want to use it in anger as they can be a 3D puzzle to get 2/3 bikes on them with competing frame shapes.
I've had Thule roof bars and the older Thule freeride racks (x4) - lasted years, but had the same car years too (like 20). Upgraded last year to a van (with 7 seats), and just pop the bikes in with a fork mount attached to the seat rails for stability (front wheel off).
Roof-mounted over rear-mounted for me. More awkward on a tall car/SUV like a Sportage though, Mrs a11y carried a small folding step to reach the roof with a bike when she had a Freelander 2 (bike on roof was 'back up' for when it broke down...).
Already mentioned but only rear-mounted rack I'd consider are those with metal 'straps' rather than fabric.
Another consideration with rear-mounted is bikes get more covered in road grime / salt especially if used over the winter months. Could be coincidental but most of my brake issues on bikes were when I used a towbar rack on my car for a few years.
Roof bars are good, but if you have to go rear mount & no tow bar
Saris Bones are by far the best, Ive got the 2 & a 3 and regularly have 3 bikes on - a number plate board is a good idea tho
Lots on ebay
Cheers Kimbers I think I'll have a close look at those. I'm really not sure how much it'll get used so I don't want to lay out too much, but you're right, there are some good prices on e-bay.
I might start with one of those and see how it goes.
For one/two bikes, roof mounted. Look for bars/racks on facebook marketplace/ebay etc to save loads. In my experience, towbar racks are a bigger pain in the arse than roof mounted... Thule or Yakima I've never had a problem with - both brilliant. Atera = heavy, rusty crap.
I used to use a clip on rack, until I nearly lost my teeth.
I progressed to roof bars until I had 3 bike/barrier interfaces, 2 with the same barrier. I reasoned that if I could do it 3 times the 4th was just a matter of time. To be fair, I have seen others make the same error and was the passenger in someone else’s car which drove through a barrier and damaged my carbon road bike.
Ask yourself: am I that stupid?
If the answer is no, then ask a friend to verify!
Now use a tow ball, even though that is not completely idiot proof. I was driving up the A3 and wondered why I couldn’t see my bike, the reason being it had flopped parallel to the road
I've used one of the Halfords boot-mounted ones (with straps) on a Skoda Yeti for a family holiday and it was fine for two bikes up to NW Scotland, though I lightened the weight by putting the wheels from one of them in the roof box. For that carrier the rear registration plate was still visible, which was handy. It was a bit of a one-off though as normally putting the bikes inside the car is the easiest option. In addition to the above comments, you need to be aware of the potential for straps to interfere with the rear wiper (if you have one).
No tow bar = use a roof rack instead (I'm not a fan of strap on/boot mounted racks).First time i used a roof rack instead of the rear hatch mounted garbage i'd been using for years (kept swapping cars). It was a revelation. Then to a tow bar rack, EVEN BETTAHHHH.
Nearly every strap on rack equipped car seems to have no visible number plate and obscured lights. If you do want this type of rack you may be able to get a lighting connection installed.Yes, a mate got fined for this a couple of times, he got a towbar socket fitted. Still does the same to any car he gets *if* it doesn't already have a tow bar. (He buys silly cars). The Towbar rack i use has the whole built in light board too.
If you have a towbar you need to consider the nose weight (it'll be in the car's manual) as that (less a bit) is the maximum weight of bikes and rack.Without a trailer on the whole nose load calculation goes out the window (a bike rack doesn't pitch when you brake or accelerate) so heavier than nose load should be ok. Within reason, doubling it is probably way past sensible. And you'll maintain stability under braking.
BUT strictly speaking you may be breaking the law.
If you want to try roof bars, I have a set of Thule Aerobars in the shed that I need to get rid of. They came off a Honda FRV (quite wide, raised roof bars).
I fitted my towbar myself for less than £250 all in from eBay. The cheapest supply and fit was nearly three times the price. The dedicated electrics cost more than the bar but it was truly plug and play. The hardest part was removing the rear bumper as the generally good instructions were unclear when it came to removing a couple of alignment wedges.
I don't have a tow-bar, but it seems like this is the more popular option, and I could always get one. On the other hand the 'strap-on' type might work, as I doubt I'd be using it more than two or three times a year.
I hadn't even considered roof racks - I always worry for the bikes I see up there as they seem so precarious, but from what's being said here that seems to be just my imagination. How on earth do you get your bikes up there though?
for a few times a year, how long are you keeping the car? could work out ot be a few hundred quid per ride 😮
especially if you have a car that doesn't typically get used for towing then it wont add any second hand value.
roof racks the only thing you have to change between cars is the feet. and you'll be able ot sell the old ones on ebay to recoup some cost too.
Neither I (over 6ft so not much of a brag) or my girlfirend, (5'8 with a shoulder injury so potentially more of a problem) has issues with roof loading non-electric bikes onto a normal sized car.
what you gain in risk of driving into low barriers, you lose in the risk of being rear ended. I trust myself more than the average car driving public.
Full disclosure though, Due to poor timing, I've got a seasucker rack* for my car, but a proper roof set up on the girlfirends car. Probably a 50:50 split between them.
*could also be good for occasional use. Slightly longer to load/unload.
Posted by: garage-dweller
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If you have a towbar you need to consider the nose weight (it'll be in the car's manual) as that (less a bit) is the maximum weight of bikes and rack.
Without a trailer on the whole nose load calculation goes out the window (a bike rack doesn't pitch when you brake or accelerate) so heavier than nose load should be ok. Within reason, doubling it is probably way past sensible. And you'll maintain stability under braking.
BUT strictly speaking you may be breaking the law.
The manuals for my last ten years of cars don't agree and I'm with the OEMs on this.
I don't think you can directly compare the loadings of a bike rack that relies on tightly gripping the tow ball to support an overhanging undamped load with a centre of mass set further back from the car VS a trailer that pivots laterally and vertically around the ball with what is essentially a point load going into the structure at the ball (and a sheer load for motion).
When the rack flexes under load it's passing those loads back through the structure via the tow ball.
My last three cars VW, Ford and Skoda the manuals have all been very clear that extra restrictions apply to towbar mounted accessories as regards weight on the tow ball vs the nose weight of a trailer.
My current Skoda Superb has an absolute restriction of 75kg for accessories on the tow ball even if the towing nose weight is higher (iirc it's 90kg for my 2l TDI) and it's never more than the nose weight. Per the manual if the centre of mass is greater than 30cm behind the ball then that amount should be reduced. When the centre of mass is 60cm behind the ball it's 50% of the all up weight.
Without a trailer on the whole nose load calculation goes out the window (a bike rack doesn't pitch when you brake or accelerate) so heavier than nose load should be ok.
Not so according to the manufacturers of towbars and vertical bike racks. The load isn't supported by anything other than the towbar, plus you need to add the leverage from the overhang. I have a Vertical Bike Racks & MTB Shuttle Trailers - Shingleback Off Road and they specify you shouldn't exceed 60% of maximum download. I spoke to the owners and they worked with Hayman Reese to calculate that (the main Australian towbar company). Personally I wouldn't risk voiding an insurance claim.
Seems you can't really get vertical racks in the UK - but they are by far the most convenient system i've used.
I've also got one of these for another car without a towbar. Thule OutWay Hanging | Thule | Australia
It's pretty solid and I don't need extra lights of plates because the bikes are high up. But a faff compared to the vertical rack so I try to avoid using it.
