Bikes on car options??

[hobbitonabike]

I have been having a look on past threads for carrying bikes on cars but didn't quite find what I was looking for. We are currently using a hang on the back carrier for mine, hubbys, and oldest childs road bikes but now the smallest mini me is two wheel mobile and we will be adding her bike to the mix and we are having to look at alternative carriers. We have a towbar but this is a no no and we tow a trailer for camping and we will want to take the bikes too. We have been considering using the back carrier for the kids bike and getting roof carriers for the two bigger bikes. We already have roof bars so would just need the actual bits for the bikes. I can't helping thinking though...is this the best idea or should we put them all on the roof??? Also thule and mont blanc seem to get the best recommendations? We have a Vauxhall Zafira. Thanks :-)

 

[Peteaud]

I have had the hang it off the rear carriers and really didnt like them.

I now use Halford Pro roof mounted carrier and have never had an issue. My car is about the same height as a zafira.


The only thing to remember with roof mounts is height barriers.

 

[slowmotion]

A word of warning. When you drive into a service station on the motorway, it's really easy to trash your bike on the height restriction bar.

 

[Kies]

I went through the same questions. Ended up buying Thule 591 pro carriers for the roof. Well solid.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Thule 591 Pro

+1, best carrier money can buy IME

 

[Arjimlad]

I've taken my hybrid & my wife's MTB over to France and to the Lakes with Argos' cheapy roof carriers no problems at all. I even took my then new Defy 2 up to the Lakes last year and had no problems. We hang the 2 kids bikes off the back of the car on a carrier.

 

[Alembicbassman]

Went with Thule gear on my Vectra (Aero bars and an older 510 carrier) Now I can do this

 

[XRHYSX]

It may just be me but I've never liked the upright roof carriers on cars (out of sight out of mind),
I used to have (still have it actually) a hang off the back carrier fitted the Lupo, 206 and the Zafira fine until the kids got their own bikes and I couldn't fit them properly/safely to the carrier,
I now have a tow bar mounted X4 bike carrier, no good for you I know.
Have you thought of fitting bars and roof carriers to the trailer?
I was going to do this to my camping trailer but sold it before I got round to it..

 

[hobbitonabike]

It may just be me but I've never liked the upright roof carriers on cars (out of sight out of mind),
I used to have (still have it actually) a hang off the back carrier fitted the Lupo, 206 and the Zafira fine until the kids got their own bikes and I couldn't fit them properly/safely to the carrier,
I now have a tow bar mounted X4 bike carrier, no good for you I know.
Have you thought of fitting bars and roof carriers to the trailer?
I was going to do this to my camping trailer but sold it before I got round to it..

We have a roof box on trailer lol. We have a boxer dog whose crate takes up most of the boot so we need a trailer and roof box. Am seriously considering trading in for a transit van then we can take kids, dog, camping stuff, bikes and kayaks with us lol lol

 

[Alex H]

Went with Thule gear on my Vectra (Aero bars and an older 510 carrier) Now I can do this

isn't the weight limit for roofbars usually about 75kg?

 

[XRHYSX]

We have a roof box on trailer lol. We have a boxer dog whose crate takes up most of the boot so we need a trailer and roof box. Am seriously considering trading in for a transit van then we can take kids, dog, camping stuff, bikes and kayaks with us lol lol

that's what I would do lol,
I'm getting close to that got three kids myself and there is talk of getting a dog!

 

[hobbitonabike]

that's what I would do lol, I'm getting close to that got three kids myself and there is talk of getting a dog!

If you do...get a small one lol

 

[Alembicbassman]

isn't the weight limit for roofbars usually about 75kg?

Not according to Jeremy Clarkson. (apparently no modifications were made to the roof bars on this Skoda Yeti, just the addition of a helipad)

 

[Sara_H]

We've currently got a tow bar carrier, which is my OH's preference. TBH I've never fitted it, it seems a bit of a faff but is by far the easiest to get the bikes onto when it's fitted.

Prior to that we had a roof mounted carrier, but I found it almost impossible to lift bikes up there and have dropped a bike on more than one occasion trying (once on my head, ouch!)

When I was a single woman with only one child to worry about I had a rear mounted carrier, which seemed like the simplest solution, but I still found it quite difficult to lift the bikes up.

If you use a trailer you could fit a roof bar carrier onto the top of it.

 

[paraffinlamps]

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