Bikes on top of cars.. Take care!

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PeteXXX

Cake or ice cream? The choice is endless ...
Location
Hamtun
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Speared!!

:B)
 
I must be missing something, Can't see anything other than a still shot of a car park entrance.
 

helston90

Eat, sleep, ride, repeat.
Location
Cornwall
^it's a GIF of a car with a bike on top unsuccessfully driving through the entrance- the car makes it, the bike stays outside. Oh dear!
 

Archie_tect

De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
Location
Northumberland
...collected our tandem using a roof rack... kept stopping to check it was still secure- couldn't relax til we got home.
 

Rooster1

I was right about that saddle
I did this once whilst on holiday. Took all the bikes off except for my wife's, as she said she was unlikely to go on it. We wen't out for a day trip. The whole day I said to myself, remember the bike, remember the bike.

I lasted the whole day, we were nearly back to base and then I suddenly decided to visit an old ruin, we drove into the car park which was fairly busy, I drove a little further where there was a more empty car park, as I cruised into it, SMASH!

The steel bike was fine, the aluminium roof system peeled back like a banana. Only a small dent on the roof - was lucky I did not smash the windscreen.

Total idiot.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
Not convinced about carrying bikes on roofs. I'd rather put mine in the back of the car with the seats down.

If we go away as a family, then I use a rear mounted two-armed rack which carries the bikes outwards from the rear bumper.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Fine if the car is fully loaded but I am always amazed when I see people driving around in an empty car with a valuable bike displayed like a trophy on the roof or the boot rack where it can get soaked in salty spray, stolen, damaged or fall off. We can easily get 3 people + 3 bikes inside our Passat estate and we've had 4+4 when two of them were kids.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Fine if the car is fully loaded but I am always amazed when I see people driving around in an empty car with a valuable bike displayed like a trophy on the roof or the boot rack where it can get soaked in salty spray, stolen, damaged or fall off. We can easily get 3 people + 3 bikes inside our Passat estate and we've had 4+4 when two of them were kids.
How!! Speaking as a passat owner! Mine frequently goes in the back with the back seats down so we can't then have the kids in the back. We've almost done the above and had to reverse back up a one way system that lead to the car park entrance when we remember the extra bits on top!
 

KneesUp

Guru
How!! Speaking as a passat owner! Mine frequently goes in the back with the back seats down so we can't then have the kids in the back. We've almost done the above and had to reverse back up a one way system that lead to the car park entrance when we remember the extra bits on top!
I can do 3 +3 in our Picasso, but not 3+3+holiday luggage.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
S'easy: for 2 adults + 2 kids you have to fold the 1/3 part of the seat on the left flat, then completely dismantle the bikes stacking the frames in the boot area with blankets between them then stack the wheels anywhere they will fit and the two kids on the 2/3 part of the seat.

For 3 adult bikes you use the 2/3 part of the seat and put one adult in the 1/3 part. We do this very often; admittedly it takes time but at least the bikes are safe inside the car.
 

KneesUp

Guru
Incidentally that bike seems to come off very cleanly, and the holes that the brakes stick into are there before hand. I'm suspicious.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
I'm a recent convert to roof carriers after I started MTBing and got fed up of having to clean mud out of the back of the car. Now the car just looks muddy as I can't take it through a car wash with the roof bars on and I'm too lazy to wash it myself :blush:

The carriers also allow me to carry two bikes without any dismantling and have more passenger space which is useful.

Some advice I got from another driver who did the same was to measure the height of the bikes and car, then stick a sticker in the corner of the windscreen with the height on it as a reminder.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
S'easy: for 2 adults + 2 kids you have to fold the 1/3 part of the seat on the left flat, then completely dismantle the bikes stacking the frames in the boot area with blankets between them then stack the wheels anywhere they will fit and the two kids on the 2/3 part of the seat.

For 3 adult bikes you use the 2/3 part of the seat and put one adult in the 1/3 part. We do this very often; admittedly it takes time but at least the bikes are safe inside the car.
Stacking the bike frames on top or side by side?
 
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