I'm getting an astra estate and I am going to get rid of my Thule aerobars and Atera giro bike mounts. I'm a bit sick of the roof mounted stuff, I just don't trust it and it makes odd noises.

If anyone has experience of a Thule rack on an astra estate with integral roof bars then please voice your opinions too.

So if anyone has any experience of Saris Bones racks or Thule clip on racks I would be grateful. I used to use rear strap on racks and loved them.

Unfortunately I can't put a towbar on as it's a company car. 🙁

No one using racks to put bikes on cars here?

Tsk. 😀

The ones that use strap on racks are still outside fiddling with the damned things! 😉

I might get new Thule adapters for the new car but i'm not sure I can be bothered with roof mounted ones anymore.

TBH I like the look of the saris bones racks but I'm not sure if our bikes will fit.

I've got a Saris bones rack. It's okay on my Alfa 156 saloon, but I daren't use it on my Audi A4 Estate, as it just looks like it's going to fall off even when the car is stationary!

Saris do a slightly different rack for estates, or cars with a flat rear. Might be worth checking these out on their website.

I don't use my Saris rack now, having bought a Thule Euro 909 and 4th bike adaptor, which s tow bar mounted.

I've got a Thule 905 clip on high two bike rack and its just brilliant. Easily and securely attached and holds the bikes solid. You can get them for well under the astronomical RRP if you search the web.

Robespierre, is the mpg affected much with that rack?

I've got a saris bones 3, works well on my 206. However I'm so paranoid about losing a bike that I spend a good 30mins attaching it and making sure everything is secure. This means that in fact most of the time I just drop the back seats pop the front wheel off and chuck the bike in the car…..

I used a rocky mount when I had a roof mounted bike carrier. It was fine. get them from Tim at Sideways.

is the mpg affected much with that rack?

I'm not certain that a bike mounted on the roof lengthways would save much over a bike out back mounted widthways, TBH

I've got a Thule 905 clip on high two bike rack and its just brilliant.

I had one of these (until someone reversed into me), great rack, very solid, no fiddling with adjustments once it's fitted the first time, doesn't obscure lights/numberplate, bikes held in place securely. Looking at getting a towbar rack now just to save on the fuel economy but can't fault anything else about it.

I have a Bones RS Rack FS, just have not got around to putting it on ebay < Lazy

Bones RS

I also happen drive an Astra Estate and it fits a dream, very secure! I just don't use it very often,….ever!
I can fit 3 bikes and all of my kit in the back of the car only downside is the cleaning of muddy seats from time to time!

Bikes that I have used on it and know will fit, Trek Fuel EX, GF Roscoe, Commecal Meta 5.5, Remedy 8, all hard tails will deffo fit regardless.

Robdob, I reckon you will lose maybe 5mpg on the motorway if you go tonking it..I keep the speed down with the bike on the back. The handlebars are maybe a foot and a half above the tailgate, maybe just a foot, so I don't reckon they are as catastrophic as roof bars for your fule consumption. You need to check compatibilty with your car on the Thule site…the 905 and the 906 are different but betwen them they fit just about everything. I went for the high rack because it leaves your lights and plate visible…it doesn't give plod even an excuse to pull you over.

saris are good.
having known the stability of a towbar mounted one, I was a bit suspicious of putting two MTBs on a mere clip on rack when I went to cyb with a mate earlier in the year.
But they were surprisingly stable, it was very good – felt pretty solid. NOt only that but his car actually died about 5 miles from home and had to be loaded onto the back of a tow truck so was having to put slightly more faith into it than normal what with them being high up on the back of a truck trundling through the bumpy streets of sheffield, needless to say it held up fine, they were still fastened tightly on at the end.

I saw those saris RS racks but the picture of them worries me. The two points tha touch the car are both very low down and the bike cantilevered out a long way. Doesn't look the best design to me.

I'll have a look at the other suggestions too.

Thanks so far!!

My dad used to have a bike system where the forks clamped into one section on one roofrail and the rear wheel into a strapped clamp on another. Kinda like the Thule roof carrier which you take your front wheel off but without the joining long metal piece. It was ace but I've never seen anything like them since.

Any ideas??

I had a cheap Halfords rack that had a great feature – no clips, but the two top straps threaded into the car interior and were connected to two cylindrical stops. This meant there was absolutely no way for the rack to fall off the car (short of something unlikely like a strap shearing in two). Great idea – made it very safe and a reasonable alternative if you can't get a tow bar sorted.

I can vouch for the Saris Bones RS, it's very expensive but is super high quality with minimal fuss when attaching it to a car. I bought it as I was paranoid about leaving marks on my Z4 convertible but it worked like a dream.

Yeah the bones rs does give that impression! However it is basically two metal straps coated in rubber that use a ratchet system to clamp the thing to your car. There is more chance of over doing it and as a result folding the boot panel in half than there is it ever coming off.

Even if you are put off by a second hand 1 get a new 1! I have used everything going and the Bone RS remains my recommendation every time.

The Bones racks are the best about in my opinion. I used to sell them and Thule at my old shop. The Saris racks take so much less messing about and fit nearly every car we tried them on. You can hang off the things when their set up right. Plus i think their made from recycled bog roll or something so your doing your bit for the planet.