First trip using car bike rack

[malcermie]

Just took the car out with my bike strapped to the back for the first time. Nervous glances in the mirror, stopped three times to check tightness, no problems took it up to sixty mph, don't think I want to go any faster! I hope to do the London to Brighton trip next year and will need to get the bike to London and then trust my son to drive my car to Brighton to pick me up.
Malc

 

[darth vadar]

You and me too.

It has got to the stage where I bought an Estate car so I could put my bike in the back without the worry that it might fall off!!!

After saying that, I am thinking of taking a chance and buying some roof bars and a roof carrier.

Would that take away some of my worries?!!!!

 

[jonny jeez]

London to Brighton trip next year and will need to get the bike to London and then trust my son to drive my car to Brighton to pick me up.
Malc

Couldn't you take the train then ride home afterwards?

I never feel comfy with my bike on the boot. its constantly there reminding you that it will fall off at any moment.

not that it ever actually does.

 

[jonny jeez]

You and me too.

It has got to the stage where I bought an Estate car so I could put my bike in the back without the worry that it might fall off!!!

After saying that, I am thinking of taking a chance and buying some roof bars and a roof carrier.

Would that take away some of my worries?!!!!

Out of sight out of mind.

But you'll drive under bridges very slowly, I'll bet.

 

[darth vadar]

Out of sight out of mind.

But you'll drive under bridges very slowly, I'll bet.

A friend of mine ties a hankerchief to the steering wheel to remind her when she has her bike on top of the car.

Still didn't stop her demolishing the bike though when she went into a multi-storey car park.

Oops!!!!

 

[malcermie]

Out of sight out of mind.

But you'll drive under bridges very slowly, I'll bet.

Funny you should say that, some years ago I was involved in Swan rescue and when transporting them in their straight jackets they always ducked their heads when going under motorway bridges!

 

[lulubel]

I never felt very confident with the boot mounted rack that secured with straps, although we did do a trip from Penzance to the New Forest and back with 2 road bikes on it, and I certainly didn't stick to 60mph! We stopped about every 2 hours on the way there, and the straps needed tightening every time. Did the same on the way back, but I'd positioned the "doughnuts" better, so the straps hadn't moved.

We replaced it with a towbar mounted rack, which was much more confidence inspiring. It was the type the bikes sit on, and are secured to the wheel plates and to an upright bar. We drove from Penzance to the Channel Tunnel, and then all the way down through France and Spain with 2 bikes on it, and nothing moved. I was doing 90mph on the French motorways quite happily, but the bike rack and roof box made for quite a few fuel stops! (This is all past tense because we're now car-free, having sold the car, roof box and bike rack.)

 

[Falwheeler]

I've always used a rear mounted carrier in the past, never had any problems, even driven down through France but never felt entirely comfortable. Have a new car now and where in the past it cost me about £20 to get the electrics fitted, newer cars apparently need some sort of relay that was going to cost me over £90 so I bought a roof mounted one, best thing I thing I ever did regarding carrying the bike.

 

[Peteaud]

Roof mounted for me/

Had the halfords bike rack on the hatch many moons ago, bl00dy scary.

 

[biggs682]

tailgate mounted for me .

when i worked in a garage once we had a customer drive into a multi storey car park entrance in an mpv with a roof box on , needless to say the car park won big style , so be warned

 

[mrandmrspoves]

I have a selection!
1) Roof bars (but currently no roof rails - so loaned to a friend)
2) Tow bar bracket mounting - a small unit that fits onto a plate that is permanently attached to the tow bar and can carry three bikes hanging from it - This stays in my boot for emergencies.
3) Thule Ride on carrier that clamps to the tow ball - my favourite as it is easy to ensure the bikes don't get scratched.
4) Tailgate mounted - £2 off eBay just because it was going so cheap I couldn't resist...... and you never know when it will be useful (but hasn't been in the last year)

Roof bars are nice and secure - but scared of low trees and forgetting when going through height barriers
Bracket mount is small and compact - fits in seconds and great for a single bicycle - needs wiring for tailboard lighting. More than one bike requires padding to ensure the bikes don't get scratched.
Thule- great to use and secure (although initially I didn't trust it to remain clamped to the towbar - now it's pretty much fit and forget.
Tailgate mounted - a lot of hassle setting it up and ensuring everything is tight - but cheap and useful if ever requiring to carry a bike when not using my own car...
Method 5 -- fold back seats down in car which is an estate - sling bike in. (but back of my car is full of so much crap (stuff I carry in case I ever need it such as tool kit/first aid kit/cycle carrier/ snow mats etc. etc.)

 

[Nebulous]

We've tried lots of varieties as well. I probably prefer roof mounted. We even got bars similar to roof rails to go over the trailer and can fit 4 bikes on top of it. We've travelled about 1200 miles down through the uk over the channel and quite far into France with a thule 9705 and 4 bikes. It bounced a bit, so I could see some movement in my rear mirrors, but it held very well.

 

[flatflr]

just finished building my new bike rack, a Thule clip on the boot one, not tried it yet but does look like a well built bit of kit.

 

[jonny jeez]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdah5xtRDV1r714xso1_500.gif

 

[philwjones]

We bought a Hollywood rack with our two bikes. This was the bane of my life. The palava of setting the rack up, putting the bikes onto it, discovering that the bikes had interlocked and were difficult to take off at the end of the journey, and discovering that my wife's pedals always seemed to badly scratch my bike paintwork really made me resent the rack.

The last straw was one morning when it took me 15 mins of tantrums setting up the rack etc etc and moaning about how it was the worst part of biking.

On our subsequent cycle, we passed a garage which had a Peugeot Partner van. We took the van out for a test with both our bikes in the back, put down a deposit and haven't looked back since (literally, it has no rear windows).

Moral - if you hate racks as much as me, get a van!