Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Vorpal
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by Vorpal »

I have one that mounts on the back of the car. Mine is no longer manufactured. The closest thing to it is Saris Bones. I'm not aware of any rear boot mounted carriers that take 4 bikes. Most only take 2 or 3.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by thirdcrank »

Re roof rails. It dies look as though the Hyundai iX35 as in the OP will take what I think of as the standard mount. It's surprising - or perhaps not surprising - that some standard-looking roof rails need a model specific mount.

Re racks that strap onto a hatchback, check the car's handbook. AIUI, some models have manufacturer's cautions about this type of carrier.
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Mick F
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by Mick F »

Do not forget, that having a bike or two or three or more, sitting on the back of your car, is/are rather vulnerable to being squidged if you get rear-ended even ever-so-slightly.

Happened to us with Mercian on the rear tow-bar mounted rack some years ago.
Driving sub 20mph just south of Bridgwater on the A38 in heavy traffic. Zebra crossing and someone stepped off across, and the car in front of us pulled up, so we did too. The car behind us wasn't so quick at stopping and hit us. Car was fine, his car had a dent or three in his plastic grille, and our rear rack numberplate and rear lights were damaged a bit. Mercian was fine ......... thank goodness!

That was the last time we used that rear rack.
Sorry, but the whole idea of putting your pride and joy out in a rear-ending environment is a big no-no.

Do not do it! :shock:
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ClappedOut
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by ClappedOut »

We have some generic roof bars- I‘m not sure they even fit as still in the box- seem to remember they were Aldi or possibly Lidl?

On a practical point of view apart from borrowing works van if available, are there any suitable ways to stay a tandem to them?

Thinking some sort of hinged channel that could tandem could be strapped to and tilted and don’t think we could man handle it onto car roof without damage.
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by ClappedOut »

ClappedOut wrote: 4 May 2021, 9:01pm We have some generic roof bars- I‘m not sure they even fit as still in the box- seem to remember they were Aldi or possibly Lidl?

On a practical point of view apart from borrowing works van if available, are there any suitable ways to attach a tandem to them?

Thinking some sort of hinged channel that could tandem could be strapped to and tilted and don’t think we could man handle it onto car roof without damage.
Jdsk
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by Jdsk »

ClappedOut wrote: 4 May 2021, 9:01pmWe have some generic roof bars- I‘m not sure they even fit as still in the box- seem to remember they were Aldi or possibly Lidl?

On a practical point of view apart from borrowing works van if available, are there any suitable ways to stay a tandem to them?
Yes.

On our Espaces the tandems went on upside down with the rear saddle in a holster and the rear bars in clamps. Those bike-specific fittings were on transverse bars which clamped to longitudinal roof bars.

In order to get them up there we stood on either a removed seat or a small folding stepladder.

Worked fine for > 20y and at > 160 kph.

Jonathan
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by Jdsk »

Adjunct Satyr wrote: 3 May 2021, 9:20pm I live with my wife and my two teenage sons. We all have bikes. My wife and I are the more keen cyclists but the lads come with us often enough.

I am looking at getting something to fit to my wifes car so we can move the bikes elsewhere and cycle. Not sure if the lads would be keen or not but we would definitely need a rack for two bikes, but would be interested if anyone has used any for four and has any recommendations too.

My wife has a Hyundai iX35 (I have a tiny BMW 1 series which I can barely fit in myself!), which is the car we would be mounting them too. I've attached a model of the same car as a pic. We all have cheapish hybrid bikes. Mine and the lads are around 14kg and my wife's is around 12kg so the two bikes would be 26kg combined and the four combined would be 54kg.

Like I said, preference would be for two but I'd be happy to be pointed at decent ones that could do four.
Have you narrowed the type down yet? Not towbar, but could still be either roof or hatch mounted?

Jonathan
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by ClappedOut »

Jdsk wrote: 4 May 2021, 9:16pm
ClappedOut wrote: 4 May 2021, 9:01pmWe have some generic roof bars- I‘m not sure they even fit as still in the box- seem to remember they were Aldi or possibly Lidl?

On a practical point of view apart from borrowing works van if available, are there any suitable ways to stay a tandem to them?
Yes.

On our Espaces the tandems went on upside down with the rear saddle in a holster and the rear bars in clamps. Those bike-specific fittings were on transverse bars which clamped to longitudinal roof bars.

In order to get them up there we stood on either a removed seat or a small folding stepladder.

Worked fine for > 20y and at > 160 kph.

Jonathan
Think I get it, so some pipe lagging on roof bars would help perhaps and straps

I will have to look and see what is about locally, I did wonder if a double bike channel could be joined together, will have to have a look in bar box and car to measure if the car and bars long enough.

Good thread and thanks for the information
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by drossall »

First choice is always inside the car. Not always possible, but you can get more bike(s) inside a car than most people think. When we had an early Ford Fiesta, I used to put a bike in the boot even with two kids on the back seat.

With our last two cars, we've had tow bars fitted in order to fit the kind of rack discussed above. That's because window-mounted and similar racks get mixed reviews, and there are horror stories of their coming off, dumping the bikes under lorries and so on.

I used roof racks quite a bit decades ago, but prefer the tow-bar approach. Yes, there's a risk from vehicles behind, but no more than in any driving situation. And a few people have damaged bikes in low entrances when forgetting that they were on the roof.
yostumpy
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by yostumpy »

Whilst on the subject of roof bars, I’ve just got a new car, ( Volvo xc 70) and sourced some genuine Volvo roof bars, and a Volvo badged Thule carrier, which is an early version of the Thule ‘free ride ‘ with the open jaw, on e bay. I looked at these bits, and couldn’t decide which way round to fit the rack, as I had read that the bike is more stable if the front wheel is to the rear. Until that is, I looked on the Thule website, and saw how they were tested.
The rack is designed to hold a bike in place, in a Frontal impact, this is because ( when fitted correctly , with the bike facing forwards ) the ‘clamp arms’ grab the downtube,and in an impact , the triangulation of forces act against each other, and brace the bike. BUT fit the bike rack / bike back to front, and there is a danger that the bike could be ripped out of the jaws, as they would merely be clamping it, and not clamping and bracing it. This may not be true of the racks with a hook/clamp arrangement, but one with just jaws, this would certainly be the case.
By the way, this Thule / Volvo free ride rack, fits not only my upright touring bike, but also my recumbent bike as well.
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by DaveReading »

It would be worth talking to these guys: https://www.roofbox.co.uk/

No connection, other than as a satisfied customer.
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by drossall »

yostumpy wrote: 5 May 2021, 7:25amBy the way, this Thule / Volvo free ride rack, fits not only my upright touring bike, but also my recumbent bike as well.
Even more obscure, you can get an upright trike (or four bikes) on the kind of Pendle towbar rack described by jdsk :D
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Vorpal
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by Vorpal »

There is a really good thread about transporting tandems

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=54363&start=15
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ClappedOut
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by ClappedOut »

Vorpal wrote: 5 May 2021, 9:05am There is a really good thread about transporting tandems

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=54363&start=15

Thanks, I will investigate it.
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Re: Bike carrier recommendations (I have no idea)

Post by Traction_man »

Vorpal wrote: 4 May 2021, 7:48pm I have one that mounts on the back of the car. Mine is no longer manufactured. The closest thing to it is Saris Bones. I'm not aware of any rear boot mounted carriers that take 4 bikes. Most only take 2 or 3.
I have the Saris Bones that I use on my saloon Mazda 3, it's a rack that takes 3 bikes but the way they hang off the back of the boot would worry me with the weight of 3 bikes--1 bike on I am happy with, 2 at a stretch but 3, no.

The way the rack works, with weight on the rear bumper and straps on the boot edges, means I think a lot of stress is placed on the boot hinges, as well as the bumper, perhaps I am being overly cautious but I don't want to see our bikes disappearing in my rear view mirror...

I'm looking at a roof rack at the mo as a replacement though these are it seems to me very expensive.

all the best,

Keith
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