We can make you a single rail version of our rack. Also no frame touch so no chance to mark the frame. Superfast loading and unloading.

Platform racks which support the wheels are the best for stability.

Most fix to the towball, but this is the weakest part of the system.  The germans do not allow 4 bikes off the ball unless an additional fix to the vehicle is provided.

Your car will have a S load for the towbar.  This is the vertical load allowed.  Cycle rack and bikes should not exceed this. Again the germans limit bike weight to 60Kg maximum.

Not sure what bikes you are loading, but be careful regarding

– tyre size width. 3″ tyres can be a problem

– Space between bikes. Boost axles may not fit. At least 250mm required between bikes and preferrably more

– Wheelbase.  If it is full suspension then 1200mm is becoming common. PS.  Your bike may overhang the car too.

– Carbon frame clamping.  Most carbon bike manufacturers recommend against frame clamping.https://auxtail.com/2018/06/09/clamping-your-carbon-frame/

FIt and watch the fuel burn away.  I reckon they must be good for adding 20% to any journey cost.

Good review LozBrown

Loading arms. Better to grip the front wheel, so no concern finding a way through or a good place to grip without damaging carbon or paintwork

3/ Spacing . DH bikes are wide.  This towball rack version has 280mm between the bikes. Most other brands are 250mm at most.

Cheers Mandog

Yes we do one with a towball clamp now.

Jon Taylor’s question on tyre deflation.  We add some extra grip length in case of tyre deflation. Can fit up to 3″ tyre width and 29″ diameters.

Estrella?

Wish our politicians got it.  Who’s up for Velocity?

https://competitions.malcolmreading.co.uk/cambridgeoxfordconnection/shortlist/tibbalds

DL racks are only quoted to 120cm wheelbase, so I suspect not big enough,

Atera Verio and Evo go to 125.

Thule Velospace 130

Atera Ebike M 143cm

I suggest you ensure the width is at least 250mm as the boost forks are wide too.

How Fat do you mean?

3″ bikes fit snuggly in this rear rack.

All towbars should have a registration plate with some numbers on.  That shows that it has passed some tests and defines maximum loads.  eg. S-100Kg is the nose load.

It should be visible from outside, but some do get hidden.

But pretty sure it looks fine. Your owners manual should show maximum towing capability.

Some engine transmissions have limited power.  If you are keen then check all the bolts are tight as loosening can be a problem.

The regulations in the UK are pretty lax.  Keep lights and number plate clear and within the nose load and you should be OK.  Safe load, so a few straps.

There are a few solutions out there.

“Don’t leave your roof bars on because they create wind resistance and cause your car to use more fuel through the ‘drag’ effect.

Roof bars tend to weigh between 3kg to 5kg but the aerodynamic factor is greater. An empty roof rack affects fuel consumption by about 10%.”

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/how-to/fuel-saving-tips/

See tip 10.

Chowdhury et al. (2012) measured drag forces of passenger car add-ons through a series of wind tunnel tests. At high driving speeds (> 80 km/h), the unloaded and loaded roof rack (carrying a ladder) resulted in 10%~22% and 13%~28% increases in aerodynamic drag depending on cross-wind effects and speeds. The drag forces can be translated into 7.5%~17.6% and 10%~22.4% increases in vehicle motion resistance and similar Fuel Consumption penalties.

Chowdhury, H., Alam, F., Khan, I., Djamovski, V., Watkins, S., 2012. Impact of Vehicle
Add-ons on Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Procedia Engineering,
Vol. 49, pp. 294-302.

There is quite a few studies out there. Please note this was a US study and their high driving speeds are not so high.  Aerodynamic drag increases as a Square (x2 speed =x4 drag)

Burn that gas.  RAC estimates 10% increase with roof bars fitted.

Ian at http://www.woburnbiketrails.co.uk does some design work.  send a message to contacts

Depends on the car.  Be careful as lots of cars have plastic roof spoiler.  You need to keep the straps straight and tight.

Most significant development since seatbelt is the airbag.  Lots of soft bits on cars now for pedestrians, so most people will survive a 30mph contact with the front end, although landing on the road/tree needs a helmet.

AEB is really clever, but the problem is no super computer and sensors can counter someone running out into fast traffic, so Zero fatalities needs either no people next to cars (Dysotopia) or slower vehicles.

Of course the driver in a Volvo will be safe.

Be careful as lots of tailgate fitted racks do not really work on modern cars.  If you have a plastic roof spoiler then it is v.hard to attach well.  You need to ensure that the top straps do not contact the plastic as this will bend and allow the whole load to move, which is not good for spoiler, car, bikes or the traffic behind.

If any of these bikes is carbon then be careful which type of rack you get.  A lot of manufacturers recommend against frame clamping.

https://auxtail.com/about/carbon-clamping/

If you go down the towbar route, then there are quite a few options and I made a small guide for this to.

https://auxtail.com/towbars/

Most new cars have big roof ‘spoilers’ made of plastic to reduce drag. If the strap contacts the spoiler then the plastic will move under load, allowing the bikes to move and that means the peak loads on fittings will increase. The contact pads also cause damage to paint.

If you fix the rack higher to keep clear of the plastic spoiler, then wind load increases, and forces go up again.

Roof rack horror stories next week.

Get a rear towbar rack. Best get one that doesn’t damage your frame by clamping on it.

http://www.auxtail.com

I was alerted to the concern of vacuum type roof carriers by the International Standards Organisation, which I am a committee member of.

Other members of ISO recommended that this type of carrier be banned.  The standard is being drafted at the moment, but I thought I should bring this to forum users<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”> as someone was recommending in previous post.</span>

Sorry if this is bad marketing but beware.

Much easier to load at the rear for a heavy bike.

Remember to remove the battery and cover the terminals.

This one is rated for 25kg each bike.

Can I suggest not Sea Suckers as that just works on vacuums  You are responsible for a safe load, so they won’t join you in court if it goes wrong.

If you are on carbon then most manufacturer’s recommend not clamping the frame.

By coincidence I run a company that provides a tyre grip rear towbar mount cycle carrier company.  Soon to be featured by Singletrack, and fits 2 MTBs.

http://www.auxtail.com

Pretty sure the trains go that way. RER .  I suspect you can get a ticket online, but not sure how.  Car traffic in Paris is a nightmare.  You may be able to pick up a Velobike (electric scooter).

@Stevious The Nissan Leaf is blessed with only one option and that is a roof rack.  Even then it can only take 70Kg I think.

The tailgate spoiler on a leaf is a big plastic affair and the strapon racks need to get to the top edge with a direct line. The load on the spoiler will bend the spoiler, take off the paint, and worst of all allow the rack and bikes to bounce.  Bouncing is not good!

The sucking type cannot be relied upon.  If you use these , then please add a cable through your windows. You are responsible for a safe load.

@junkyard. The issue is if your towbar obscures the license plate. Most don’t but some car manufacturers manage to put the license plate where the towball sits. Towball has to be within a range from the groundline.

The towball can be a failure point for high load/durability. The Germans do not allow more than 3 bikes on only a ball.

If you want a nice British platform rack for a flange towbar. Check out http://www.auxtail.com

They all need to meet the same specification regarding strength and durability.

If you are heading down the detachable route, I had a Brink one that jammed.

Westfalia, if French, is a Siarr manufacture and they were not shotblasting 18 months ago, which means the paint can fall off.  Not such an issue if it is hidden.

No experience of Towtrust.  I think British?

More important decision is the electrics, if it’s a new car you want vehicle specific electrics not universal.  If you mess up with the universal fitting (tapping into harness), you could have a really big bill on a new car.

Also you should match the connectors for trailer and bike rack. 7 pin or 13.

towbars

The US hitch is a better way to carry loads that mounting on a towball.

If you want to carry more than 4 then it is better to fix on a flange towbar.

There are 5 bike racks out there but they are hanger types.  The bikes are likely to knock into each other and top tubes can be rubbed. see Maxxraxx

I guess that 4 on the roof and 4 at the back is probably your best bet.

Roof loads and nose loads can be a problem. You should check for this vehicle and model.

Can I recommend a safety cable through the frames of both just in case.

Thule older products, like 9503, put the bikes quite close together about 19cm, which is fine for roadies but not great for DH bikes with wide forks etc, as you may get some interference. Also older systems use straps to fix the frame to the bike, which takes time,

Frame clamps are usually provided on the newer versions but then some frames are not well suited, because of large sections and thin tubes.

Tilting requirements vary depending on your vehicle.  If you have a van then you need a bigger tilt such as Atera, which slides and tilts.

If you haven’t bought the towbar yet, there are lots of opportunities to save/squander money there too..

https://auxtail.com/towbars/

Seasucker is relying on a vacuum, which is pretty precarious. Same technology as old satnav and we know how long they stay stuck.  There is a plan to outlaw them, but not yet formalised by International Standards Organisation.

Remember you are responsible for the load.  Please add a cable back to a non-vacuum fix if you are going to use.

I don’t think Kuat are in Europe at the moment, so I would worry if something broke.

Frame clamps are a step up from straps in terms of speed of fit and stiffness. If you have three bikes then the removable ones are a must.  Width between the bikes is pretty stingy on some older Thule products 19cm with a DH bike is unlikely to be enough.  You really want 25cm to avoid some knocks.

We have tested Buzz and Thule products.  The Thule is stronger.  Buzz bent a bit on speed bump. Not tested an Atera product but the are used by car manufacturer’s, like Thule.

Most advanced is wheel clamp, but I may be biased

wordpress has lots of plugins. Pretty intuitive.

Make sure it has integrated lights and mudguards for commuting. She may also want a pannier rack. Batteries are really important for electric bikes. It is a big part of the price and pain. Remember to budget for a helmet, lock, gloves, waterproof trousers, and glasses if she is new to commuter cycling.
Lots of advice on Pedelec forum.
Pedelec
Make sure she gives it a test run.

For that kind of money you could get something with electrics. If I was buying a new commuter bike, I would add to hep with the hills, etc. Hope you have some secure parking as a nice bike is a target.

I can recommend Hitech. They sell on Ebay. Also supply the Merc and Nissan, so quality is good.

2.4L 5 cyclinder engine in my XC60 13 plate is strong 68K miles and no issues.

Could always buy a rack doesn’t clamp on the frame and then not worry so much.
Yakima and Inno do some.
If you go towbar fix then have a look at ours.

Auxtail

Hi Matt,

I think there are some good ideas here. I guess you need to check for your local campaign group. Cycling UK or Sustrans or Cyclescape may help, and get talking to the council.

The infrastructure needs to prioritise the bike, which most places don’t. That takes time and money.

Bon Chance

Or invest in a towbar system.
as I suspect you won’t remove all the bits and then pay the same money at the pump for a less accessible system.
bike racks for cars[/url]

Westfalia do one too, but not cheap either £220, and you need a rack too a £300 and then a towbar if you haven’t got one.