4 bike carriers on an estate - tow bar or boot frame?
Discussion
Now my lads are getting older (6 and 7) and we have a new car, we are planning on getting out more on the bikes. Be initially 4 MTB's
The car is a 2010 accord tourer - we have a roof rack on our current saloon and dont want to go this way (its a PITA to get MTB's up, honda limits suggest 2 bikes only). I guess the cheaper option is a frame/rack with straps. Concerend it might be difficult for the missus to put on as my lads go to a local cycle club every week. Alternatively, i will need to get a aftermarket tow bar fitted. Ebay seems to have a few that clip on the tow bar and then fold away so we can still get in the boot. Sounds like a plan but cant see us having much change out of £400
Any advise greatly received....
The car is a 2010 accord tourer - we have a roof rack on our current saloon and dont want to go this way (its a PITA to get MTB's up, honda limits suggest 2 bikes only). I guess the cheaper option is a frame/rack with straps. Concerend it might be difficult for the missus to put on as my lads go to a local cycle club every week. Alternatively, i will need to get a aftermarket tow bar fitted. Ebay seems to have a few that clip on the tow bar and then fold away so we can still get in the boot. Sounds like a plan but cant see us having much change out of £400
Any advise greatly received....
Went through the same dilemma a couple of years ago, spent a fortune on a rear rack which turned out to be a bad move. With so much weight on the back of the car (Zafira) the steering was light and m'way handling a bit frightening at speed. Also, it didn't matter how well I attached the thing it always seemed to need tightening after every 45 mins or so.
Finally relented and bought a Thule roof system which happily holds 4 bikes, can be a bit of a pain getting them off but it is a Zafira so quite high - on a standard car I would not imagine there would be that much of an issue.
If you absolutely have to mount the bikes on the rear I would go for a tow-bar option, but in my experience it won't be fun driving a car with 4 x MTB's hanging way out back - 'specially not in the wet!
Finally relented and bought a Thule roof system which happily holds 4 bikes, can be a bit of a pain getting them off but it is a Zafira so quite high - on a standard car I would not imagine there would be that much of an issue.
If you absolutely have to mount the bikes on the rear I would go for a tow-bar option, but in my experience it won't be fun driving a car with 4 x MTB's hanging way out back - 'specially not in the wet!
I have an Octavia estate and the Thule roof system. It's great. MPG does suffer a lot however.
I think the tow bar option is the best, and is what I would have gone for were the cost not so high (tow bar inc fitting, plus more expensive rack). It's easier to put the bikes on, and keeps them tucked out of the wind, but the roof system is much cheaper.
I think the tow bar option is the best, and is what I would have gone for were the cost not so high (tow bar inc fitting, plus more expensive rack). It's easier to put the bikes on, and keeps them tucked out of the wind, but the roof system is much cheaper.
I've had 4 bikes on top of my Legacy - front back front back. It's actually easier to find room for them on a roof rack because you can move the cycle carriers forwards and backwards to keep the handlebars from getting in the way.
However it's a bit hard work putting the bikes up there in the first instance. A towbar mounted Thule is far easier from that perspective but you've less wiggle room to get them all to fit, and if you have children's bikes too, you have to be extra careful they don't rub against each other.
A towbar with electrics will set you back ~£300 if you fit it yourself.
Both solutions are decent though. Strap-on bike carriers should be illegal IMO - I've seen too many with bikes hanging off, lights not visible (I don't much care whether a reg plate is visible), or on a couple of instances the whole assembly hanging off.
However it's a bit hard work putting the bikes up there in the first instance. A towbar mounted Thule is far easier from that perspective but you've less wiggle room to get them all to fit, and if you have children's bikes too, you have to be extra careful they don't rub against each other.
A towbar with electrics will set you back ~£300 if you fit it yourself.
Both solutions are decent though. Strap-on bike carriers should be illegal IMO - I've seen too many with bikes hanging off, lights not visible (I don't much care whether a reg plate is visible), or on a couple of instances the whole assembly hanging off.
I have a Thule Euroclassic 903 towbar rack and it`s great. I got it from the bay, hardly used for £190.
You`ll have to watch the combined weight if you decide to go this route. I think the Accord has a towbar vertical weight limit of 75kg. The rack I have weighs 23kg itself so that`ll only leave 50kg for the bikes.
The rack I have folds up when not being used so I can slip it in the boot whilst we`re riding. It`s steady when loaded and can be tilted whilst fitted (and loaded) to gain entry to the boot.
I looked at roof mounted racks but the mpg losses and the thought of throwing the bikes on top didn`t appeal. I have a CR-V though and I`m only a short-arse so would`ve needed steps to get them on anyway!
You`ll have to watch the combined weight if you decide to go this route. I think the Accord has a towbar vertical weight limit of 75kg. The rack I have weighs 23kg itself so that`ll only leave 50kg for the bikes.
The rack I have folds up when not being used so I can slip it in the boot whilst we`re riding. It`s steady when loaded and can be tilted whilst fitted (and loaded) to gain entry to the boot.
I looked at roof mounted racks but the mpg losses and the thought of throwing the bikes on top didn`t appeal. I have a CR-V though and I`m only a short-arse so would`ve needed steps to get them on anyway!
All very interesting.
Just a thought. Several suggest rear mounting of bikes (indeed any fitting of bikes)causes fuel consumption to increase, unsurprisingly. By a far degree. It has occurred to me that it is just possible that a well fitted cover to the bikes might improve the streamlining to some extent. Particularly where a car such as the rather nice sports job is being used.
The drag created by a number of very apparent additional turbulence creators in the already pretty turbulent area immediately behind the car must reduce the smooth flow of air as the car passes through. A well fitted cover might reduce that effect. Just a thought. Petrol being the price it is this night be worth a try??
Just a thought. Several suggest rear mounting of bikes (indeed any fitting of bikes)causes fuel consumption to increase, unsurprisingly. By a far degree. It has occurred to me that it is just possible that a well fitted cover to the bikes might improve the streamlining to some extent. Particularly where a car such as the rather nice sports job is being used.
The drag created by a number of very apparent additional turbulence creators in the already pretty turbulent area immediately behind the car must reduce the smooth flow of air as the car passes through. A well fitted cover might reduce that effect. Just a thought. Petrol being the price it is this night be worth a try??
I've tried fabric covers, some good ones, one self-made, and all well secured to the bikes.
They're universally a nightmare. They create more drag and flap about so much you fear it'll rip the carrier off the towbar.
If you could make a rigid carrier that extended the car's own aerodynamics rather than operating as a separate item, then that would be very much worthwhile IMO.
They're universally a nightmare. They create more drag and flap about so much you fear it'll rip the carrier off the towbar.
If you could make a rigid carrier that extended the car's own aerodynamics rather than operating as a separate item, then that would be very much worthwhile IMO.
Mars said:
I've tried fabric covers, some good ones, one self-made, and all well secured to the bikes.
They're universally a nightmare. They create more drag and flap about so much you fear it'll rip the carrier off the towbar.
If you could make a rigid carrier that extended the car's own aerodynamics rather than operating as a separate item, then that would be very much worthwhile IMO.
Fair enough, just a thought. A giant Thule box could be the answer if one exists. They're universally a nightmare. They create more drag and flap about so much you fear it'll rip the carrier off the towbar.
If you could make a rigid carrier that extended the car's own aerodynamics rather than operating as a separate item, then that would be very much worthwhile IMO.
About 50% of the time I take the bikes anywhere by car, they're actually on top of my trailer - roof rack affair.
I thought it might be good to make a plastic board affair with a V-shaped front but then I realised what happens to high sided vehicles in crosswinds. The trailer's only one of those little wheelbarrow-type things too - a Daxara 127.
There *must* be a solution though because I would rather not drag my bikes though s
tty weather and suffer the drag losses and subsequent fuel use increase. You can actually get an upward panel extension for the Daxara trailers but they're expensive and ultimately I would be creating a high-sided vehicle.
I'm moving onto a Merc ML next and I wonder if the fact that it's much bigger will provide a sort of shield for the trailer. Might be interesting to make a partial shroud that is affixed to the ML and partway extends towards the trailer. Not sure how I'd fix it to the ML although there are the roofbars I could use. Some thought required... although I'd just be making a massive overkill solution for a minor problem.
I thought it might be good to make a plastic board affair with a V-shaped front but then I realised what happens to high sided vehicles in crosswinds. The trailer's only one of those little wheelbarrow-type things too - a Daxara 127.
There *must* be a solution though because I would rather not drag my bikes though s
tty weather and suffer the drag losses and subsequent fuel use increase. You can actually get an upward panel extension for the Daxara trailers but they're expensive and ultimately I would be creating a high-sided vehicle.I'm moving onto a Merc ML next and I wonder if the fact that it's much bigger will provide a sort of shield for the trailer. Might be interesting to make a partial shroud that is affixed to the ML and partway extends towards the trailer. Not sure how I'd fix it to the ML although there are the roofbars I could use. Some thought required... although I'd just be making a massive overkill solution for a minor problem.
Just remember that the lower panels on the accord tourer boot are plastic and have no strength for holding a bike carrier and the usual straps will flop off and the bike rack will come off. Towbar all the way. Tourer we had was useless at carrying bikes upright in the boot, wheels out, unless you took the bike into a million bits , as the roofline was too low.
Deerfoot said:
You`ll have to watch the combined weight if you decide to go this route. I think the Accord has a towbar vertical weight limit of 75kg. The rack I have weighs 23kg itself so that`ll only leave 50kg for the bikes.
This is very interesting and I'd like to explore it further. Are you implying that the max vertical limit is to stop the towbar from deforming or breaking, or the mountings on the car? I understand towbars sometimes come with a recommended nose weight, either a max - beyond which the car won't be level, or min - lighter than which risks the trailer/caravan decoupling.Just to be clear (as this is PH) I'm not suggesting you're wrong - it's just that I've never heard this before and having a towbar on my Legacy and the wife's ML that are strong enough to tow our house, I'm somewhat surprised.
Mars said:
Deerfoot said:
You`ll have to watch the combined weight if you decide to go this route. I think the Accord has a towbar vertical weight limit of 75kg. The rack I have weighs 23kg itself so that`ll only leave 50kg for the bikes.
This is very interesting and I'd like to explore it further. Are you implying that the max vertical limit is to stop the towbar from deforming or breaking, or the mountings on the car? I understand towbars sometimes come with a recommended nose weight, either a max - beyond which the car won't be level, or min - lighter than which risks the trailer/caravan decoupling.Just to be clear (as this is PH) I'm not suggesting you're wrong - it's just that I've never heard this before and having a towbar on my Legacy and the wife's ML that are strong enough to tow our house, I'm somewhat surprised.
Steffan said:
Depends on the car. Various cars today cannot be used at all for towing according to the manufacturers. There is a lot of leverage with weight set so far back from the suspension. Refer to the manufacturers guide.
Really? They're not rated for towing yet there's a towbar available? Sorry if I sound/read incredulous - it's not that I don't believe you but it sounds really really bizarre.Mars said:
Steffan said:
Depends on the car. Various cars today cannot be used at all for towing according to the manufacturers. There is a lot of leverage with weight set so far back from the suspension. Refer to the manufacturers guide.
Really? They're not rated for towing yet there's a towbar available? Sorry if I sound/read incredulous - it's not that I don't believe you but it sounds really really bizarre.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff