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Had enought of putting bikes in back of car, it's only small (fiat punto) and justs goes on with the wheels off.
I found a tow bar for cheap and now looking for a rack to fit, I know absolutely nothing about them, are they a secure fit to the towball, do they move around at all, ok for long distance?
Need one that will take two bikes, good quality and won't break the bank. Had a Google but loads out there, I want the tyre that the wheels sit on, not one that looks like a conventional boot bike rack
Thanks
Ive an aiston, fits to a bracket sandwiched between the flange and the tow ball.
Pluses - ridiculously strong (the towbar flexes when i stand on the rack, nit the rack) and can get fat bike brackets for it.
Minus - doesn't tilt (but Ive not seen the need, depends if you have disorganised friends with short arms who cant reach over the seats)
got a thule, euroclasic 905 for sale, holds 2 bikes, tilts ,locks to towbar, and spare light board, with one light board built in, wirral chester area
Another happy Aiston user here. It's a very flexible system and whilst it takes four bikes happily, it is modular so can be used as a two bike rack.
Took 2 x road bikes 1 x SC 5010 & 1 Isla Bike to Provence on it last year and it was fine.
As above, it doesn't tilt but as long as you can access the boot from the back seats I don't see the problem.
Atera Strada, clips onto tow ball and has done many trips short and long with the two bikes it was designed for and also with my road bike zipped to the other bikes on the odd occasion.
Recommended before, I have a tow bar mounted rack from UK roof box which is decent and good value, and you can get 5% off via UK campsite http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/offers/
I posted up a few similar requests this time last year when i got my towball. I ended up with a Thule velo compact, the 3 bike option. It was more than i wanted to spend really, but i'm really pleased with it after a year or so of use.
I've had 3 full suss bikes on it with a little bit of fiddling with seat heights, and its utterly rock solid on the boot. The bikes are secure, don't move about at all, and it will cope with 26-29 wheels, even on really slack bikes with long wheelbases. Plus, it folds up fairly small, and is relatively easy to hide away when not in use. It is quite heavy, but fine to put on/take off on your own.
They do a 2 bike option too, but it didn't seem worth it for the saving. Oh, the rack locks onto the towball and the bike clamps all lock too - i think it's pretty standard on everything these days but worth a mention.
Was in halfords today and saw a Thule 9502. Any body have one of these? I am thinking more about the type that bolts to the tow ball, seems more secure, do the others move at all just clamped onto the tow ball?
Got a Thule Rideon 9503 here - its the 3 bike version of the 9502. No problems with it. Easy enough to clamp onto the towball, seems solid enough. So long as you use a decent spanner, the included one is a bit rubbish.
It can tilt, though I rarely bother with that.
It is a bit of a squeeze to fit 3 bikes on, need to carefully arrange the pedals and bars etc to fit together. Its a lot easier with just 2 bikes.
Thanks for your recommendations, I have opted for a Aiston rack, Bryan was extremely helpful and answered all my questions I emailed him. Have order a twin bike rack where the second rack is an add on so I can use it as a single rack most of the time, I only have a small car so didn't want to have the extra rack on when not in use