Tow bar mounted bike carriers

I’m about to change car and I’m also looking at changing the way I transport bikes at the same time. Currently I have roof bars with Thule carriers which is fine for me. Mrs On The Rivet however, can’t get the bikes up on to the roof of the car which means when I’m working weekends she is unable to take the kids cycling unless direct from the house.
I was looking at tow bar mounted carriers, specifically the Thule Ride on 9503 which will let me carry 3 bikes and throw the other one in the boot. I was wondering if anyone has any experiences, good or bad, of these carriers. In particular is it possible to lock bikes to the carrier or car for security?
These carriers appeal to me more than the type where the bikes hang like tail gate mounted carriers as when I used the tail gate ones in the past there were lots of issues with rubbing away paint, instability of the bikes, etc.

work realy well but very expensive to buy.

Maxraxx cheaper but only work on none swan neck bars and can be tricky with odd frames.

I like these as tow bar racks though they only work with old style two bolt towbars not newer removable ones.
http://www.aistoncycleracks.co.uk
I’ve had a pendle and a thule before this and these are much more solid. The bikes sit in such a way that it’s pretty much impossible for them to fall off even without the retention clips (apart from the rear one) and you can set them to take bikes of different sizes.

The website is pretty basic but give the guy a call for more information.

Just gone that route with a three bike 9503 and used it only once so far. It was much easier than taking apart and putting in the car and both bikes went on really easy. I put a lock and cable through the rack and under the towing hook and the rack was still there when I got back 🙂
It was scarey seeing the bikes move about in the rear view mirror though.

Pendle wheel mount
http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/Wheel-Support-Ball-Mounting-4-Bike-Rack.php
Not the best to look at but fits 4 bikes of most shapes and sizes even on 4X4 with spare wheel on Back

9503’s pretty good. boot access is trick with it on even with the ’tilt’ if you have a people carrier as it doesn’t tilt enough to allow the hatch out and up.

Only reason I sold mine was I needed a 4 bike carrier.

bikes are strapped on so you’d need a cable plus a padlock – I padlocked a cable to the breakaway cable loop on the towbar.

The work really well in general, easy to get on and off; I find they make bigger impact on fuel consumption and in the winter, you get more crap on the bikes that a roof rack carrier would. Security is about the same as with a roof rack carrier, i.e., none at all. I got one of the Thule ones, and though expensive, I reckon worth it. (I guess whether you can open the boot depends on the car, you can get into mine no bother)

+1 for the Aiston rack

I have the Thule Euroclassic G5 909. Me and a few mates got a bit of a bulk buy purchase about 2 years ago for around £200 each and they are fantastic. Granted they are a LOT more than that now but I wouldn’t expect something capable of carrying 3 big expensive bikes in complete safety to come cheap and I reckon I’ll get at least 10 years use out of it so in my opinion worth every penny.

i have that thule one, bought new from ebay for a lot less than retail. i like it, super easy to use and quick to fit. very recommended.

Not used the 9503, but have had the 909 Euroclassic G5 for two and a bit years and have to say Thule’s build quality is excellent it still looks good as new and with the extra clip on thingy you can take 4 bikes (just have to watch the weight on towbar) the G5 comes with locks for everything but for the budget of the 9503 I can’t think of any reason not to go for it just get some decent cable lock’s with it. The only issue would be using the “toe strap” things to attach the bikes, just don’t loose ’em!

I wouldn’t want to keep this on the car all the time so how easy are they to take on and off?

I’ve had a Thule (Euroclassic I think..) for a couple of years. Expensive, yes, but we were going to get a towbar for a trailer anyway, which has partly repaid the cost by saving us waste removal costs from builders! Anyway, they are far batter thna roof carriers becasue they are soooooo easy to fit, remove and load up. Heavy to carry though, so beware of that. Becasue they are easy to use, we actually use it, which keeps the car cleaner, as opposed to roof bars which cost fuel if you leave them on.
The rack is built like a tank and should last for many years, so the VFM is in that I think 🙂

takes 30 seconds to take off/fit

Yep as Bregante said about a minute (I take tow bar off as well), but they are quite heavy and awkward carrying (my wife struggles with it).

Yeh super easy to take on and off just a big levery thing that you pull down and it’s on, again the 9503 might be a bit different to my 909 but it looks pretty similar.

Thanks for all your help.

Just had another look at Thule website and 909 looks like what I’m after as it appears to allow bikes to be locked to the carrier. One final question though – does it take smaller (kids) bikes at the same time as adult bikes?

The 908/909 have a much better system for securing the bike to the tow bar, and the top clamp is lockable.

They are heavy and bulky though, might be worth making sure your mrs is alright with taking it on and off.

Cheers Andituk, but as long as she can get the bikes on and off the rack it won’t matter too much if she can manhandle the whole rack or not – that I would imagine would be waiting for me to do on return from work!

9503 requires a spanner thing to remove rather than a lever but still only takes a couple of minutes and can be done by one person. The euro ones are better but not that much better that they’re worth 3 times the price imo.

We d-lock our bikes together plus a cable lock through the tow hook.

Ours makes v. little difference to fuel economy but I suspect this varies depending on the car.

I have used the roof box company [/url]in the past and have a tradekar 2/3 bike rack from them bought a few years ago. Designs have moved on since I bought it but the website lists the pros and cons of the different types and makes and usually has a good deal on something relevant. They have also been very efficient when I have needed spares. Well recommended.