Roof rack. Yes I know it creates a load of drag but you can see out of the back properly, you may have more leeway with weight / nose loading and you can often space bikes a bit wider saving tedious bar twisting.

Just don’t buy cheap ones if they’re in regular use.

Why on Earth would you drive around in a Golf with two valuable bikes displayed like trophies on the boot anyway? A Golf will happily accept two bikes stripped down and they will be secure and protected from damage and road salt.

I’m currently borrowing “Foxy the racing Fiesta” (My OH’s orange Fiesta), and having to put my bike in the back of it whilst “Colin” (my usualy ever dependable but incredibly dull C-Max) is off the road. So have the following observations.

1) Depends on your car to bike value ratio, Ruining a new-ish car with mud and oil (especially if it’s on finance and may have to be handed back in a few years) would be a shitter. On the way out they’re nicely lubed up with fresh oil, on the way back they’re covered in dog shit and god knows what else.

2) Stripping down bikes is even more of a ball ache than installing a rack, See also point 1 about oil/dog shit.

3) I’ve never actually found any damage to my bikes as a result of their being exposed to crap from the road, not that couldn’t be attributed to the usual crap or from riding them on the road anyway.

I know if I left a bike rack at the side of a road then complained when it vanished I’d feel pretty thuleish.

Why on Earth would you drive around in a Golf with two valuable bikes displayed like trophies on the boot anyway? A Golf will happily accept two bikes stripped down and they will be secure and protected from damage and road salt.

There really is loads of reasons.  Use your imagination.  Why do you think you see so many bikes on racks?  It’s not just because people don’t know better.

The issue I’ve found is more to do with having to pile the bikes onto the thing.  Never managed to prevent them rubbing each other without a great deal of faff.  The towbar one I have (cheapest Thule) separates the bikes just enough.

Mine had separated clamps for top tube/downtube as needed, and I just had a pile of pipe lagging in various sizes.

https://www.seasucker.com/collections/bike/products/mini-bomber-

Frankly terrifying

Yes, but works nicely to keep two bikes on the roof of my Golf without damaging either mode of transport.