Finally got my Thule bike rack onto the car with its rails, took me a few hours, few fiddly bits but i had a go and managed to do it, not something ive done before ever so im quite proud of that lol, just wondered now its on, is it worth just leaving it on or shall i take the bike carrier off and just leave the steel rails on the car? whats it like for rain etc if i was to leave it all on, its locked into the rails with a key etc but this is the first time ive had a stand up bike rack, what do u guys do ! suggestions!

i put mine on just before i transport my bike, then remove it as i’m putting the bike away… normally… 10 minute job at most

not good for your mpg to have anything unnecessary up top…

i suppose, i was thinking theft wise too lol, ill take it off then and just leave the cross bars on incase

Does anyone have any recommendations for the cheapest place to get Thule stuff from? I’m looking for 754 Footpack and fitting bits, Aero bars and 2x ProRides – it’s coming out at £335 from Halfords.

The other question is – how bad is it driving in a strong crosswind when you’ve got a couple of bikes upright on the roof?

roofbox.co.uk? Difficult to say as most retailers search by car make.

I keep 4×591 on the roof all the time. The mpg hit is not so bad (~10%, it is a diesel). It is a good idea to change all the locks to the same code, then keep that key on the car keyring.

You won’t find them discounted. Roofbox.co.uk are excellent in my experience.

Towbar rack ftw. Two minute job to put on and take off. I hang mine on my wall and then put the bike in it.

Like so.

Nice, that’s not a bad plan. Got to factor in the cost of getting a towbar fitted though.

Still looking at the Thule stuff above – it’s looking cheapest to get the bars and footpack from eBay (‘Thule Partner Store’), fitting kit from Halfords and carriers from Amazon – should come to about £300.

Another vote for roofbox.co.uk, I went for some aluminium Cruz aero bars and a pair of 532’s and I think it came to £180 delivered.
The bars are great quality and I’m not fussed the keys for the racks and the bars are different as I leave them on all the time as I use the racks most days.

Fionap, where abouts are you? I have a thule roofrack (bars,carrier etc) i no longer use. Which car are you putting it on

Steve

I used to leave bike carriers on the roof. They got nicked. I do leave the Wingbars on as they don’t seem to make any extra wind noise except below 5deg c for some reason.

Hi Monkeysfeet – trying to find a way to PM you but either I’m being stupid or it’s not possible – I’ve got a fairly new account so maybe I’m not allowed to yet. Any ideas?

midlifecrashes – Member
I used to leave bike carriers on the roof. They got nicked. I do leave the Wingbars on as they don’t seem to make any extra wind noise except below 5deg c for some reason.

Posted 16 hours ago

I’m going to drill through my racks and bolt them directly to the aero bars for a bit of added protection. That should keep them from going missing!

Surely just use the some t-bolts in the rail slots and security nuts?

Fionap, my email

steph dot madde at o2 dot co dot uk

I am in North Wales, about 10 min from Llandegla

I leave my bike racks on the rails. But take everything off in one go. Unlock, battery drill with a cut off hex key in the chuck, wizz, lift whole lot off and store in the Shed.

2 minutes, job done.

Taking the racks on & off the rails is a right faff.

I got my bars from P F Jones the EBay shop and and my 591 carriers from sandicliffe.co.uk. Great service and then also cheaper price than most advertised!

I normally leave the bike carrier attached to the rails and then lift (lever) the whole lot off the car….have done this on both the Volvo and VW that I’ve owned. Makes it way faster to attach everything than trying to fit the carrier to the bars and removes the bars for maximum MPG effect.

Oli.