Our wheel support rack is available with attachments for kids bikes. Fittings for either type of towbar. The wheel supporting D-Loops are smaller to accomodate 20″ wheels and the chassis allow adjustment for the shorter wheelbase. Basically this rack

http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/Wheel-Support-Ball-Mounting-4-Bike-Rack.php

But you would need to order direct over the phone or through a dealer to sort out the correct number of kids bike attachments. If you have any questions we would be more than happy to help.

I’m always super careful about just trying to answer questions on ‘What Rack?’ type threads without trying to advertise. In fact a few times I have not answered some of these threads in case it looks too much like an ad.

Starting to loose track of all these versions of AutoCAD. I think there are two free ones now, one that works locally but you can store the documents in the cloud and they are testing one on Autodesk Labs that is entirely in the cloud. AutoCAD WS is also available as an app for the iPhone and iPad.

If you want something free that is remarkably close to using AutoCAD I recently had a play with Solidworks Draft Sight and found it very similar to AutoCAD with the bonus of working on a Mac too. While free it contains most of the 2D abilities in AutoCAD.

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/

I had a Viva for my MSc because it was Research based. The best advice I got after my supervisors did a mock viva with me was: Whenever they ask a question, no matter how sure you are about your answer, stop for 2 seconds and then speak. Its amazing how much calmer and well thought out the answers sound. Even if you still say that first thought that popped into your head. You start to feel a lot more relaxed after that.

Can I vote for any as long as we made it! If I had to choose I would say tow ball though.

Was up there on Wednesday, it was wet and didn’t seem too slippy as long as you don’t brake hard or make any sudden moves – then it is lethal.

Many of the fork manufacturers like Rock Shox and Fox, for example specifically state in their warranties that you may use your forks with a fork mount rack and contain a reminder to make sure they are fitted properly. Probably because its a bit more difficult to ‘feel’ if they have seated properly when it is up on the roof compared to when when you put the wheel on.

ETA – Always check the fork warranty for yourself is the best advice.

In a couple of weeks we will be releasing an updated version of this:

http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/hang-up-holder.php

Can’t really say any more at the moment but it could be right up your street.

Our Strap On Rack would fit if it doesn't have the spoiler, would probably need a light unit though to stay legal. However we only allow up to 15kg per bike on that type of rack. Most rear mounted racks will have similar weight limits.

If they are any more than 15kg each we make a heavy duty rack which is perfect for downhillers but you need a towbar

http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/Wheel-Support-Heavy-Duty-Ball-Mounting-2-Bike-Rack.php

We tend to advise people that towbars or roof racks are the best choice if you are intending to use it on a regular basis, and wheel supports are best of all especially if you want to keep the bikes separate. Rear mounted racks like our Strap On Rack are best for more occasional use.

Strapping the rack to the car is safe as long as take care to make sure it is properly fitted every time you use it and always replace any straps that get damaged or worn. Tow bar racks require less effort to attach to the car once you have fitted the mounting block for the very first use.

Most cars are available with detachable towbars nowadays. They are a little more expensive than Swan necks but well worth it if you don't want the ugliness of a fixed towbar.

I know someone with a 5 Door Civic and they can fold up the bases of the rear seats and fit a bike in the rear passenger footwells. Always seemed like a good idea to me.

We don't recommend a strap on rack for the Civic because that curved glass with the built in spoiler type bit doesn't seem safe for attaching a rack to. You'd be a lot safer with a towbar or roof rack.

Towbar racks are the best solution of all. Ours can be stripped down to components if you're really stuck for space.

We also do a garage mount so you can use it to store bikes on in the garage meaning it won't take up much more space than the bikes already do.

I couldn't fit our SOR rack on the boot, spoiler and general shape issues. Roof Rack or a discrete detachable towbar would be your only options.

Mac is the type of computer like Windows PC. Macs run Mac OSX as the OS and all current models contain Mac in the name, ie MacBook, Mac Pro etc.

Apple only ever seem to use Mac in their marketing material but the hard drive is still called 'Macintosh HD'. I suppose it is easier to use Mac all the time in product descriptions though.

Many manufacturers like fox and rock shox are fine with fork mounts, their recent warranties specifically show the fitting with little diagrams and advise making sure you clamp the bike squarely – the main exemptions tend to be all carbon forks. You get a much more solid fit on the bike with a fork mount because you have a nice dimensionally standard area in which to fix the bike rather than the fairly random shape/size of frame tubes.

We can never stress enough with our racks to always be careful, double check the rack is fitted to the car properly and the bike is secure on the rack.

I tried leaving mine on for a month or so, I'd say there was a small difference but a difference all the same. I tend to take them off because my Fiesta looked ugly with them on, they didn't seem to suit such a narrow car.

Nice. I have one of those as a SS at the moment. Changing it back to gears soon. Very rare to see another one.

Check the noseweight of the vehicle. It should be in the user manual. Then combine the weight of your bikes and the rack, don't use if it exceeds the noseweight. In most cases you should be ok with a Punto, I would expect it to be at least 50 kg.

I used to use one of our Strap On Carriers on my Ka with no problems.

I wouldn't recommend a strap on boot rack with fibreglass. I doubt that you'll be able to get a tow bar for it either. Perhaps there is a boot mounted luggage rack like you sometimes see on MX-5s that would fit it. That might allow for attaching a roof rack to the rails of the luggage rack. Even then though it would be risky with the weight.

We made a one off rack for MBUK to hold bikes upright in the back of a van using the adapter pictured above once. Reading this thread perhaps there is a market for a more general solution that fits plenty of cars.

To those above talking about web ordering – we tend to limit spare parts to phone sales so we can make sure that you are ordering the correct parts. Although we don't mind people ordering parts to make up their own solutions.

I designed our roof rack model specifically because I bought the Fiesta Zetec S and can't fit a Strap On Rack to it because of the spoiler, or a towbar because of the faux diffuser in the bumper. You need to remove at least one wheel when putting a bike inside.

That looks fantastic at that price. Looks like an upgrade for the Singlespeed next year.

I've used Smartwool and Icebreaker for Biking and Running with no complaints, discomfort or blisters.

That looks fantastic, especially with the niner forks.

We built a rack for MBUK and Citroen the other year as a promotional exercise for the Dispatch. It held four bikes by the forks and bolted into the mountings for the rear seats. Citroen were going to start selling it as an accessory but they lost interest, probably because there wasn't much of a market for such a specific product. We had plans to make it more generic to most vans but never got on with them.

Does anyone think there would be much call for a rack that fits inside vans? Or are you happy to just strap them down and save some cash?

I've got the watch version used in mostly rain for 5 runs so far and it works perfectly. I assume it will be just as effective on an iPod.

Only thing to remember is to calibrate after the first run. Its fairly easy to do, measure the route on Bikehike or Mapmyrun and then edit the distance in the nike software. Mine has given very accurate results since then.

That sounds nasty.

Remember people – always double if not triple check everything when carrying bikes on a car. We thoroughly test our racks but the last link in the chain is making sure that you fit it properly.

They're a new brand, article here:

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/uan/5950

Also a link to their site at the bottom of the article.

Our 6 bike trailer doesn't fold but it is significantly cheaper (£621.49). If space is an issue they are fairly compact if you turn it up on its end and lean against the garage wall.

Had my first ride up there last week. As someone who has ridden the old trails for years I have to say – WOW! That was really good. They managed to add lots more singletrack and plenty of challenges and kept it fun. Loved the rollercoaster and volunteer sections.

Seems like there is a lot more climbing than before. I have been known to ride the 15 miles up to the forest in the past and then do 2 laps of the red route. Going to be driving up more often now.

That is the biggest drawback to towbars and roof bars – they are an extra purchase on top of the rack. A lot of people do get put off by the cost.

Got to say that we aren't aware of any legislation to ban Strap On carriers. There was an attempt to create an ISO standard for testing all rear mounted carriers. This was mainly aimed at strap on carriers, because they have the highest risk of problems compared to the towbar mounted ones. I studied the proposed standard for my MSc thesis.

The standard never made it past the draft stage, there were too many conflicting opinions on what the test requirements should be. I would assume that somewhere in Europe someone is working on further legislation or standardised testing, which we would welcome.

In my research I concluded that the main problem is getting people to fit the racks properly and have a high enough level of concern about safety. You would be surprised at many peoples attitudes to such a potentially dangerous situation.

Whilst we are happy with the safety of our rack we are constantly looking at ways of making them safer to fit. I would definitely recommend a tow bar or roof rack if you are in a position to choose one because of the solid mounting point to the car.

Its very difficult to get Strap on Racks to fit most sports cars. They tend to have very shallow boot lids compared to saloons so there is a lot less room to get the side straps and the bottom straps on in a position where the rack is stable. Ours has been made to fit on MX-5s and Z3s in the past so it may be doable. The best thing is to try one. If you're in or near Lancashire you could come and try ours. I think it would be fairly unlikely to fit a Midget but it would be worth trying.

Thanks, I might give it a go on the SS if I get chance then.

Can anyone who's ridden the new trails comment on how doable they are on a Singlespeed running very lightly treaded tyres at the moment? Should I wait until I've re built my full susser?

Used to ride the old red route on it all the time but I assume things are a little more hardcore.

DickBarton – Thanks for the good comments, its good to hear that you are using it with the QR15. We are always on the look out for a good locking solution but all the ones we have tested haven't been worth it relative to a good cable lock.