Metal curved clips for cycle carrier

[JillB]

I've got a cycle carrier from Halfords, probably about 15 years old. Two of the straps are held in place by plastic 'dumbbells', which are hard to fit on the car I've got now (Megane). I'd like to replace them with the metal curved clips which are on other straps (pics attached).
Anyone got any idea where I could get them from? Many thanks

[peetee]

If you have a drill and files try getting hold of an old roof rack designed to clamp inside the door frames. The outer plates of those with suitably modified slots for the webbing would probably be just right. Alternatively - and I speak from experience as I have the same rack - if the problem is just that the dumbbells are too big to fit in the space adjacent to the tailgate hinges then feed them further in so they are inside the car behind the tailgate seal.

[gaz]

I'd stick with the dumbbells or find a different carrier. Halfords sell what you're looking for: https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-r ... s-hook-kit

[fastpedaller]

I'd chuck it in the bin and get a towbar and suitable carrier - those carriers mounted on the tailgate of cars are a danger! Have seen them come off a car - and know someone it's happened to - not worth the risk!

[DNC123]

I saw one of those carriers with two bikes on it in the outside lane of M6. No car parked on hard shoulder so how did it get there, and when did the owner realise it was missing?

[horizon]

I'd chuck it in the bin and get a towbar and suitable carrier - those carriers mounted on the tailgate of cars are a danger! Have seen them come off a car - and know someone it's happened to - not worth the risk!

I think the tow bar thing is one of those strange money things where something goes from one budget to another and then appears very expensive. I looked up the cost of a tow bar on an Ford Mondeo (about £400) and compared it to the cost of the new car - £24,000. I'm sure the Mondeo sports features far less useful optional extras than a tow bar for the same money. Yet a tow bar can transform the usefulness of the car - towing a trailer, bike racks, a caravan and so forth. It's peanuts on the cost of the new car but ££££ when putting the bikes on for a Sunday jaunt.

No-one wants to spend £400 on a tow bar for a cheap second-hand car but then the answer here is to look out for a cheap second hand car - with a tow bar. Another way to look at it is that there might be a couple of thousand pounds' worth of bikes on the rack and £200 per bike isn't much. Yet the bike rack is probably in the same budget as the tea and cakes and a couple of lights rather than the bike.

Having said all that I think the answer is to use the old rack but only on local roads and never fast on a major road.

[Cyril Haearn]

The bikes could fall off when tootling along slowly
Better dismantle the machines and keep them inside the vehicle

[peetee]

There is nothing lacking in the capability of these carriers. Where they do fall down is in the competence of those that fit them. It is very easy to get it wrong either by positioning it badly or failing to secure it tightly or evenly. They have one big advantage over towbar units. On many hatchback cars they can be fitted without the need for rear light boards and out of the way should the car be driven into from behind.

[fastpedaller]

There is nothing lacking in the capability of these carriers. Where they do fall down is in the competence of those that fit them. It is very easy to get it wrong either by positioning it badly or failing to secure it tightly or evenly. They have one big advantage over towbar units. On many hatchback cars they can be fitted without the need for rear light boards and out of the way should the car be driven into from behind.

If those fitting them make mistakes then maybe they aren't a well designed product. That aside I'd recommend anyone who uses one of these to put a security strap around the whole lot (including the tailgate) so it is in a large loop and if the worst happens then the bikes won't be spread across the road and kill anyone following.

[Cyril Haearn]

If it is easy to fit wrong, it is not designed properly
One wonders whether towbar carriers should be banned?
I know well enough how fastening belts may loosen at 112 kmh

[peetee]

If it is easy to fit wrong, it is not designed properly
One wonders whether towbar carriers should be banned?
I know well enough how fastening belts may loosen at 112 kmh

It is fairly obvious, by applying a bit of force to the bikes and rack, to establish if you have done a good job. Are bikes falling off these things really that common? You do have to factor in that regardless of the design there will always be nitwits that think they can do a good job without reading the instructions. I have seen enough forks on backwards and quick release levers done up like wingnuts to know that.

[JillB]

Many thanks to all who responded - lots of food for thought! Maybe putting the bike inside the car is the safest option.