Bike roof racks
Discussion
Need to find a decent solution to carry 2-3 MTB's & occasionally road bikes on the roof of my 2002 Mk2 Clio hatch - any suggestions before I plunge into Google headlong & lose days of my life?
No tow bar & not an option, never really been a fan of rear mounted racks but could I be wrong?
No tow bar & not an option, never really been a fan of rear mounted racks but could I be wrong?
AC43 said:
I use Thule ProRide 598's. Have taken a mixture of 4 x MTB's & hybrids on loads of trips, some very long and sometimes at leptons without any problems.
They are mounted on Thule Aerobars which in turn clamp to the roof rails of my estate.
Not sure what you do about that last bit.
Went through a lot of research and just this week purchased a pair of 598's and Aerobars. They should arrive this week and I'll be able to comment on suitability / ease of use etc, but I've seen some videos online where 2,3 or 4 598's can be used on a set of the Aerobars.They are mounted on Thule Aerobars which in turn clamp to the roof rails of my estate.
Not sure what you do about that last bit.
bakerstreet said:
I wouldn't bother with a towbar on a Clio either, but the towbar solutions are by far the best.
I disagree with this, especially for the OPs requirement for 3 MTBs. Most setups I see exceed the noseweight limit for the towball, they're often close in absolute terms, but go well over once leverage effects are added in.The 2002 Clio has a 56kg limit, 3 MTBs will be around 45kg, a randomly selected Thule rack is another 12kg, so you're already overloaded, but the noseweight is the vertical force acting through the tow bar ball, so to keep the load at the 57kg everything needs to be stacked directly above the ball and it's always miles away from that.
The issues that causes will be compounded by the boot load of kit and the three people in the car too, so it's usually a bad idea. I wouldn't go more than two road bikes on the tow bar on most cars.
The best option is always to put the seats down, take wheels and seats off and put the bikes in the car, you'll just about get two bikes in that way, well three but not with room for the third passenger, so I'd go for two in the car and one on a bootlid mounted carrier.
paulrockliffe said:
bakerstreet said:
I wouldn't bother with a towbar on a Clio either, but the towbar solutions are by far the best.
The best option is always to put the seats down, take wheels and seats off and put the bikes in the car, you'll just about get two bikes in that way, well three but not with room for the third passenger, so I'd go for two in the car and one on a bootlid mounted carrier.That could be one of the daftest things I've read on this board for quite a while.
Ok, so tow ball solution not great for the Clio but if you are carrying bikes on a regular basis get a bigger car that can utilize a tow ball mounted bike rack. I've used all the bike carrying methods and towball is the best IMO.
Find the Thule pack needed for the Clio, they're all easily identified three digit numbers.
Then go on gumtree/eBay/marketplace and start collecting. Thule stuff is quite well made, and I saved about 50% buying the wings, feet and bike carriers that way. Bought feet new and the aero T bar adapters. All works a treat on my car (not a Clio).
Then go on gumtree/eBay/marketplace and start collecting. Thule stuff is quite well made, and I saved about 50% buying the wings, feet and bike carriers that way. Bought feet new and the aero T bar adapters. All works a treat on my car (not a Clio).
Another vote for the Thule roof system. Have been using it for about 15 years across many different cars, and taken several bikes at once on trips of >500km inc motorways with no dramas. Might not be the most secure but treat it as a transport option not a security option, and remember they’re there, and should be easy.
Keeps crap out of the car too.
Keeps crap out of the car too.
bakerstreet said:
paulrockliffe said:
bakerstreet said:
I wouldn't bother with a towbar on a Clio either, but the towbar solutions are by far the best.
The best option is always to put the seats down, take wheels and seats off and put the bikes in the car, you'll just about get two bikes in that way, well three but not with room for the third passenger, so I'd go for two in the car and one on a bootlid mounted carrier.That could be one of the daftest things I've read on this board for quite a while.
Ok, so tow ball solution not great for the Clio but if you are carrying bikes on a regular basis get a bigger car that can utilize a tow ball mounted bike rack. I've used all the bike carrying methods and towball is the best IMO.
You put 2/3rds of the seat down, which leaves three seats, for the three riders of the three bikes. Everything else fits fine apart from the third bike, you use old blankets or a plastic sheet to protect the car from mud etc, though it is a 2002 Clio so is that a big deal? If it was me I'd sell the Clio and spend the money on a Primera Estate or something along those lines, basically the same value of car but bigger.
Best is obviously subjective, but not only is the above the only way to safely load a 2002 Clio with 3 people and 3 bikes, other than the roof racks, it has one pretty significant benefit; it's pretty much inevitable that in an accident that the driver's insurance doesn't cover the bikes beyond a token amount and third party bike cover won't cover bikes on someone else's car. You're talking about £6k+ written off if they're on the car in a moderate accident, or if they're in the car they're at much much lower risk.
The other thing is bikes on cars get cars followed by scrotes and bikes nicked from sheds. I have good data on this from riding with a mountain bike club with over 200 members in a big city, lots of bikes stolen over 5 years or so, all from people that put the bikes on display, none from those that don't.
So yeah, I think you've not been paying attention if you think my option is the daftest thing you've read on here.
LordHaveMurci said:
Having squeezed 2 MTB’s in the boot of the Clio a few times I have no wish to do so again! Plus where would the 3rd person sit...
Renault bars are a good suggestion, I’ll look into those, thanks.
Spending £450 on bike transport seems nuts!
The Thule stuff is expensive but well designed and well made.Renault bars are a good suggestion, I’ll look into those, thanks.
Spending £450 on bike transport seems nuts!
I've taken all the family's bikes to France several times and will do so again in a couple of weeks (if I can go). Had them all in North Norfolk for week in July. I've left them on over lockdown and have done several day trips with them.
If the alternative would have been to hire bikes, they've paid for themselves.
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