I thought about an estate car but it would be too big for my needs
well, it clearly wouldn't
There’s no chance in hell I’m putting a bike in the back of a £40k+ car.
No chance in hell im putting 2x £5K bikes flapping around on the roof of a car.
A Quick estate is +10 cools over a Hatchback anyway
Roofbars > towbar rack for me every time - not just the cost, but mainly as IME bikes on towbar racks get covered in road grime (especially Scotland in winter). Can't be coincidental my worst brake issues on the bikes happened during the 3 years I used a towbar rack.
Mainly use a van for biking now but also have a single Rock Bros suction rack for my car - impressed. Not sure I understand the earlier comment about taking a while to set up from scratch. Only takes me minutes to plonk them on the roof, twaddle the pumps and it's on. I remove it when I've parked up for a ride to avoid it going AWOL, it's really not difficult to remove/refit.
Tow bar rack all the way.
Much less faff: removable ball on, rack on takes less than 1 minute.
End of ride 30secs to chuck bike on.vs roof bars, at least 15 minutes faffing around putting them on in the right position (more if you don’t have built in rails), then slide the bike rack on them and faff with rubber strips 10 minutes. Then you got to lift the bike on, the arm isn’t quite in the right place, faff with that risking dropping the bike etc etc
I run Thule racks on the roof of my Mini and an Atera Strada towbar rack on the back of my T5 when needed so I can conclusively say, without any doubt, that statement is absolute bobbins. The ONLY difference is the fact you need to lift bike 5ft instead of 1ft. If anything, its easier with the roof rack as you just twist the adjuster and its clamped onto the downtube.
So I have had my Thule roof rack on my seat Ibiza Cupar and now on my seat lean fr diesel. I would always recommend going for a set of thule roof bars and rack over see suckers or tow bar for a number of reasons
Fits pretty much all bikes with ease - getting more modern bikes with boots spacing or stupidly long & slack bike on a tow bar is a complete pain. Have to be padding between the bikes and I have to let air out the tyres. 1 minute to fit a bike with plenty of space between.
Security - see suckers don’t actually lock on to anything so you can’t leave the car unattended at all. Roof rack and tow bar you can lock them to the car and bike to the rack. I tend to chuck a cable lock on to add as a deterrent.
Fuel efficiency - yes it does drop a little when not in use and a bit more with bikes on but it’s still quick to take the racks (leave the bars on) if you are that worried (3 bolts per rack). If in doubt charge fuel to passengers helps a lot if running 3 racks.
Height barriers - the only draw back that I can think of that may limit where you can park but all trail centres i’m been it’s never been an issue (getting mcyD or Tesco or costa drive through might be out the question). A tow bar rack might still limit car space because of the length of vehicle and be an issue with scrapping on sharp inclines.
No dirt in the car - nice summers day is one thing but winter riding will make a complete mess of the car even with a rhino mat. The extra space in the car makes life a lot easier and makes making a box of tools just sitting there not a worry on the bigger days/road trips.
Transfer between cars - cost £30 for new base plates
Roofbars > towbar rack for me every time – not just the cost, but mainly as IME bikes on towbar racks get covered in road grime (especially Scotland in winter). Can’t be coincidental my worst brake issues on the bikes happened during the 3 years I used a towbar rack.
Easily fixed with rotor covers, or shower caps if you’re feeling cheap.
I’m always likely to go tow bar > roof as I’m not up for carrying the roof rack all the time when not using, and they’re too much faff to take on/off compared to a tow bar/ball rack
Fits pretty much all bikes with ease – getting more modern bikes with boots spacing or stupidly long & slack bike on a tow bar is a complete pain. Have to be padding between the bikes and I have to let air out the tyres. 1 minute to fit a bike with plenty of space between.
Or buy a rack with suitable spacing. Thules, Atera and Scorpion all do them as a starter
Many years ago I bought 4 of these to line the car:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/products/?q=POLARVIDE
£12 at the time and £14 now, they've served three cars are very soft and look after car and bike both, never had an issue, they also don't tear.
escrs
Free Member
Have a Hatchbag fitted which stops any damage and contains any mud/water etc…
I looked at these briefly a while ago - they look great, if a bit pricey. Quickly got to £170 when a couple of (sensible) options were added, but would likely be money well spent if you had kit in a back a lot
Buy a Nissan Prairie, rip all the interior and roof lining out apart from the dash and front seats - throw multiple muddy bikes in it.
Nothing to damage or get dirty and cheaper than a set of roof rails.
Also - style for miles.....
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When I had my old Xsara VTS the bike would go in the back (cheap tarp, seats down & front wheel off)
Upgraded to a Lolvo C30 (T5) and had to buy roof bars and a carrier.
Now, although not a hatchback, I'm driving a BMW 4 series with a Rhino UK boot liner, seats down, front wheel off and straight in the back.
I’m driving a BMW 4 series
Wooooah wait - a whole bike slides in a 4 series, they aren’t a hatch, right? I’d love a 4 but felt it to be the impractical cousin of my 3 Touring.
Not sure I understand the earlier comment about taking a while to set up from scratch.
It doesnt take long but its much longer than something that is already fitted to your car.
Kryton57
Full Member
Wooooah wait – a whole bike slides in a 4 series, they aren’t a hatch, right? I’d love a 4 but felt it to be the impractical cousin of my 3 Touring.
If you get one with the folding rear seats it does (with the front wheel off)
If you get one with the folding rear seats it does (with the front wheel off)
I, I'm guessing much like Kryton, am more surprised that the boot opening is big enough to get a modern bike in with only one wheel off
I, I’m guessing much like Kryton, am more surprised that the boot opening is big enough to get a modern bike in with only one wheel off
I had a 4 Coupe (booted) and my large Cotic FS 29er fitted in fine with the front wheel and pedals off. I've a 3 series saloon now, same. Need to push the dropper down. Pedals off otherwise you scratch the 'opening'.
With my gravel bike I need to either take off both wheels or just the front wheel and then lower the seat post.
escrs
Free Member
Have a Hatchbag fitted which stops any damage and contains any mud/water etc…I looked at these briefly a while ago – they look great, if a bit pricey. Quickly got to £170 when a couple of (sensible) options were added, but would likely be money well spent if you had kit in a back a lot
Mine came in at nearly £200 iirc but it has the split seat option, bumper cover, extended section to cover the back of the front seats and the roll top sections for the back seats when they are up
I basically selected every option they had, £200 was a small price to pay considering id just spent 13.5k buying the car and want to keep it looking nice inside and out
Had an 2006 Audi A4 Avant 2.0T Special Edition 220bhp before that and the mtb was just chucked in the back, which only took seconds but it moved around alot, in the Focus the bike stays in the same position no matter how hard im driving
Never been a fan of towbars or roof racks, they let everyone see what you have got, more chance of being followed and cant pop into a shop to grab something without worrying about the bike on the car
At least with the bike in the car and having privacy glass you cant see my bike unless you came right up to the car and stared inside
Saw a 17 Plate Audi RS6 Avant pull up in the Surrey Hills with a Specialized Levo S Works strapped to the roof, that would make be double paranoid!!!!!
Wooooah wait – a whole bike slides in a 4 series, they aren’t a hatch, right? I’d love a 4 but felt it to be the impractical cousin of my 3 Touring.
yep - no problem - I get my YT capra or my orbea wild fs in the back of my M4 - needs both wheels off though.
Just fold the seats down, and have a sheet to catch the mud.
4 series is surprisingly practical
4 series is surprisingly practical
Well, according to the above it’s great to know you can get a bike in, but I thinks it’s on the border of too much faff for me. Plus, once a year at least in needs to take 2 bikes and camping gear for me an Jnr.
Think I’ll stick with the Touring and get some go faster stripes from Halfords 🙂
Think I’ll stick with the Touring and get some go faster stripes from Halfords
the new m3 is coming in a touring bodyshape. Perfect for all your needs 🙂
I have had bikes in the back of both mustangs and cameros in the US before. Both a bit of a faff tbh.
Plus, once a year at least in needs to take 2 bikes and camping gear for me an Jnr.
A normal 4 series can take a roof rack too.
The m variants with the carbon fibre roof can't take a roof rack, but the normal ones can.
I run Thule racks on the roof of my Mini and an Atera Strada towbar rack on the back of my T5 when needed so I can conclusively say, without any doubt, that statement is absolute bobbins. The ONLY difference is the fact you need to lift bike 5ft instead of 1ft. If anything, its easier with the roof rack as you just twist the adjuster and its clamped onto the downtube.
That is absolute bobbins.
Towbar is so much easier, especially for ebikes 😉 That and your cars roof doesn't look like a mud pit, oh and MPG is less impacted.
I’m good with my roof bars - the more I think about it - the more I’m sure I’ve got the best suites setup for me short of having a van.
Thule roof bars and bike carrier stay on all the time - and they bolt to flush rails on the car so aren’t touching the paintwork. This time round I’ve got ‘edge’ aero bars so they sit closer to the car and don’t have the bar sticking out over the feet themselves. This seems to be quieter than my last ones and you don’t bang your head in the end of them when loading your child into their car seat.
I’ve then got a large boot for bike kit and to sit in to change. On the mud on the roof of the car front I have a 12v socket in the boot and a plug in jet wash thing that feeds off a water container I’ll keep in the boot. So just a wet bike on the roof - but no mud.
For night rides in the slop I also picked up one of those huge builders buckets which is great for standing in to strip off all the slop covered clothing without standing on the wet floor 👍
I have a 2017 petrol Focus ST estate and we put our bikes in the back. I have a Focus reversible car mat that folds out with rubber on one side and carpet on the other side.
I also have a Duffbag Monster Bag that takes a dirty bike and is very easy to fit in the back. I was looking for another one but they don't make them anymore. Can't see why not?
Looking forward to our holiday in Wales next week, and enjoying the car on lovely roads.
Fast hatch and bike transport surely has to be an S3 sportback with roof rails?
I'm generally a roof bar guy:
Okay I've estates at the moment but the BMW E91...stays on 24/7 as it's forever getting bikes/kayaks/boards tied on....
I got a removable Towbar fitted...less used mainly as my rack isn't the best.
My Cupra isn’t towbar compatible but I've some Atera wingbars that work really well, but they rarely go on there.
Only really occasionally will I put the bike in the boot.
Fast Hatchback-wise the i30N is roof and towbar rated.....
