*Awaits a host of sarcastic comments from bored middle aged men 😉

Thinking of getting tow bard fitted on the Punto, sick of taking wheels off my bike and wrestling it into the back.

But really though, what are the downsides? What do I not know about them? Are they easily nicked? etc etc

I prefer tow bar mounted racks. Most my friends run Thule roof racks which are quicker and easier to use but affect fuel economy. They also leave them on their car all the time which to me highlights that they have bikes in their garages.

I have a Mottez rack, it’s a 4 bike rack but only ever fits 3 at a push. Some axles and wide bars can rub on forks and saddles etc causing a bit of damage. Tow bars on some modern cars can be really expensive. It has two holes that you can fit a padlock through to secure the rack to the car, but nothing to secure bikes to the rack. It uses toe straps to hold the bikes and the wheel channels wont work with plus tyres and have cracked using mtb tyres. My old one used to fold up when not in use.

My van won’t take a tow bar due to a wheelchair ramp so i’m going to look at making some brackets to fit a thule roof rack to the back

Downsides? I dunno. They carry your bike on the back, that’s what they do. I put mine in the boot when I go on rides, but that’s about 50% security and 50% not wanting to get in people’s way.

If you get a one bike version, it’d pop in the boot no worries. And you can get ones that flick on and off the towbar with a lever, that’d take you 30 seconds to stow away. Mine is a cheap one so takes about 60 seconds cos you have to unscrew it.

Most my friends run Thule roof racks which are quicker and easier to use but affect fuel economy.

They affect it a lot, for me – and the (aero) bars add wind noise, and the Thule bike carriers whistle at 50-60mph.

Space to store it?

It’ll stick out a bit, can be fiddly to fit more than one bike on now that bikes have got bigger, not as secure, access to boot restricted.

Cost you anywhere from £200 to £500+

I use roof mounted Thules, don’t whistle on my current car but were awful on my old car.

I take it all off as one unit if I’m not using it for a while (about 5 minutes) as I’m a tart and like the look of my car without bars.

About to fit a towbar to our van as the current tailgate mounted one doesn’t work with big bikes, haven’t decided which rack we’re going to get yet although I do like the look of the Scorpion Racks one.

“They affect it a lot, for me – and the (aero) bars add wind noise, and the Thule bike carriers whistle at 50-60mph.”

10% is the number they use.

One friend removes the roof mounted racks often but its a 2 man lift really and he dropped it on his boot when he tried to do it on his own. Now he fully dis-assembles them.

Thanks for the feedback. Got my eye on a folding two bike Thule carrier. The real thing that’s putting me off is the £500 tow bar installation fee. I’m looking at a removable flange style one.

I got a towbar fitted to my car for the exact same reason, found the towbar and electrics module second hand online and then bought a second hand Thule 9503. Must have cost me no more than £200 all in, although I was able to fit the towbar myself which saved on costs.

Boot on car is big enough for rack to live in it when not in use. Dont think Id change for a roof one TBH.

Although I have a Thule if doing it again I would look at a Scorpion BuzzRack, friends have both the 2 and 4 bikes ones and they really well made and address one or two niggles I have with the Thule.

why not a boot mounted one?

why not a boot mounted one?

I had a saris bones 3, it didn’t fit full suspension bikes very well as it picks up on the top tubes. Still only held 2 bikes. Obstructed brake lights and number plate so still needed a light board to be legal. It seemed to work lose and marked the edges of the boot lid when over tightened to try and compensate it working lose.

I had a removable towbar but for me it was just a novelty. It was handy carrying kayaks on the roof as I would flip it to use it as a tie – down but my current (fixed) one was £250 cheaper.

Atera 3 bike rack, no downsides (although if its just me bike goes in boot as much more discrete.

I have Saris Bones 3 as well, which I like for its easy of attaching/detaching to the car and for holding the bikes. Agree with coppice, though, that full suss bikes dont fit but we get 3 hardtails on it no problems on the back of our Touran.
I also use a Thule 591 cycle roof bar for my full suss which is ok, except that the brake and rear derailleur outers runs down the top of the downtube right where roof bar “gripper” grips, which is not ideal. I tend to wrap it in rags and then strap it to make sure it doesn’t pop out when driving. I may try a roof bar where it grips the front fork dropouts and remove the front wheel next time I buy a new roof bar, like the Thule 535, or maybe the 599xtr which grips the sides of the downtube not the top and bottom.
1 have 3 full-size bike kids so need to carry 5 bikes at a time and this solution works ok for that, though

I’ve got a stupid sports punto with spoiler which stops me using a strap on (oooh matron) bike carrier.

out of interest, have folks here had any luck with just plonking their bike on their roof upside down and lashing it down? I saw someone like this the other day, and it struck me as a nice efficient way of doing things if you don’t care about the car (which I don’t)..

Maybe look at the seasucker (or rockbros) racks, seasucker do a boot mount which works well, not sure there is a clone.

I’ve a two bike roof one, lives in the boot of a panda, works well, easy to mount and remove.

Space to store it?

This was a thing for me. I realised that the carrier would spend much more time in the garage than on the back of the campervan so bought one that folds up really neatly. I bought the Bosal Tourer but check out others too.

I’ve got a Buzzrack Scorpion waiting to be used, but had a nightmare finding a tow bar for my Forester. Got sent the wrong one and only found out when the fitter went to install.

Got a refund and now I’m waiting for the only one I could find (Towequipe eBay). Need to get a mobile fitter to sort it when it arrives on Monday so I can finally use my new rack I’ve had for nearly 4 weeks!

I should have just got a bloody Volvo with one fitted! 🙂

beicmodur

Check that the carrier’s wheel slots are wide enough for big mtb tyres as some can be quite narrow.I’ve got a 2 bike folding towbar mounted rack with light socket no use to me anymore as I’ve changed cars.You’re welcome to it.It used to fit in the boot of my Ford Fusion so not too big to store. Based in Todmorden.PM me if interested.I think it’s a Thule or a Witter brand but not sure as its in the back of the shed.

My rack hangs on the wall in the garage, takes up very little space – but I have a garage.

I wouldn’t use a rack that sticks prongs through the frames with modern bikes. They are a PITA in my experience, especially with multiple bikes and FS frames etc.

I have both roof racks and a towbar one. The towbar one gets used always unless I am towing something else.

just in the process if getting myself a setup. I’ve gone for a removable tow bar on our sportage and picking up a Thule 927. it folds flat the next version up looks awesome as it fully folds on itself and potential takes up lots less space but it’s quite s bit more.

Halfords were the cheapest for the rack and I’m hoping my 20% off cycle accessories will work….

Had a tow bar fitted to my old Fiat 500 and it was great with a Thule 3 bike carrier. Very secure on long trips. The tow bar also helped prevent tailgaiters!

Only downside was having to lock everything up if you stop anywhere.

Only downside was having to lock everything up if you stop anywhere.

This is the main argument against racks of any type.

When I drive somewhere for work I put my bike in a bike bag across the back seat.