Bike rack/carrier for a C-Max

[MattL]

I'm looking for options for carrying a bike on a C-Max. We're going for a caravan holiday and I was hoping to take the bike for a ride or two on a change of scenery. With luggage (and an 8-month old boy and equipment) the in-car space is at a premium.

From what I read, the C-Max doesn't allow for a rear rack, which I think I'd prefer in case of low trees or other bike-damaging obstacles. Does anyone know of a suitable boot rack?

If the roof is the only realistic option, do some racks allow you to carry the bike horizontally?

Sorry for the rudimentary nature of the questions, newbie here.

 

[Nebulous]

You've hit on a problem for which I've never found a good answer - only a series of compromises!

Are you towing? I've carried 4 bikes on the roof and 2 in the caravan. I wrapped them up in old sleeping bags and laid them against the seats. Obviously you need to watch load limits and I always checked nose weight after loading.

If not towing and you have a towbar you can get some bar mounted ones.

Roof rails are good- not sure why you would want to put the bikes horizontally, but the c-max is quite high. I used a set of steps to get up to a high car, but you need to have the strength to hold the bike, get it in place and be careful not to fall.

Tail gate mounted racks are probably my least favourite option, but we have also tried these and they work. The C-max doesn't have much of an angle, so you will be putting quite a bit of weight on the top. I don't really like them because the bikes can rub together and cause damage if you are carrying a few.

Edit: - Obviously didn't read your post properly. Trees are rarely a problem on roads. If the road is used by lorries they get trimmed naturally to the height of the lorry and are well above car height. More worrying is remembering in height restricted car parks.

I suspect the angle and weight on the top of the tailgate is the issue with the rear mounted ones. I would go for roof rails and carrier/s if you don't have a towbar.

 

[funnymummy]

I have the Grand C-Max, I already had a Halfords rear mount rack,(i'd previoulsy used it on a Renault Megane Scenic) althoygh the CMax isn't listed in it's fiting guide does fit prefectly well once made a few adjustments/tightened the locking handles a few extra turns.

It's already on the car so just nipped & grabbed a pic for you...Hope this helps