Towbar mount carriers

[Tewdric]

I've been happy up to now with Saris but the boys' bikes will be tricky to fit inside the car soon so a Towbar mount might be the way ahead.  So, any good 4 bike ones that won't make me do a wheelie?  Thule vs Halfords?  Roofbar option better? 

[Torslanda]

Thule or Bosal. Thule for outright strength - I have stood on one. The Bosal, IIRC, folds for storage.

Avoid, like the f***ing plague, anything made from tubular steel which bolts together. Wobble city!

[mzjo]

We have both a simple towball carrier (one that suspends the bikes and only takes two ) and a selection of roofrack carriers. The great advantage with towball mounting is that you can enter carparks  without worrying about height restrictions (this takes on a different significance after you lost a bike off the roof after forgetting about the carpark entrance).

My only observation on the bigger towbar racks (having known two) is that they seem heavy and need a big and heavy car to carry them.

[toestrap]

We've had both the 'suspended bike' type and 'platform' towbar mounted racks.

The suspended type was one of these:

https://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/accessory/ZX88

It required a plate fixed behind a permanent towbar to mount the frame, so not pretty when not in use. (There are others that don't need that and just sit on the towball) Light and very easy to use, but bikes tend to need alot of protection and turning of handlebars etc to fit comfortably on it. (We did get 2 adult and 2 child bikes on it). Also needs a separate lightboard. Much faff.

The platform one we now have is one of these:

https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-specific-accessories/buzz_rack_brs_easytilt_3_bike_carrier_no_brp113/Qx%40w%2C6M42VAwp3%40Rb%7B~cC4ure5JbA3

It is heavy (17kg) though not too inconvenient to fit. It sits on a detachable towball and I am continually surprised how rock solid it is. We use it every weekend. Easy to get the bikes on and off and minimise damage from bikes being in contact with each other. Lightboard is integral. I'm not sure I'd get a 4 one because of sze, we just go for a roof rack if more needed. (Also check how much total weight you are alloed on the towbar for your type of car - see owners handbook)

The biggest cost of these systems is the towbar itself if you don't have one fitted.

[Cpt Sisko]

I recently change from having roof bars to a Thule 935 two bike tow bar platform mounted thingy. I wish I'd done it years ago!

Okay, it's bit of a faff to fetch the carrier from the shed and drop it onto the tow bar each time, but it's dead simple to do and is really secure. As for loading the bikes onto it, just sooooo easy. I was lucky enought that my car had a tow bar already fitted and whilst the Thule system isn't cheap, you get what you pay for and the quality of thier carrier is excellent.

One last thing. I hadn't realised how much extra noise the roof bars & bike carriers made until I took them off!

[Tewdric]

Thanks all - food for thought!  I had thought everyone would come back and say don't be a tightwad just get a Thule, but some good options to look at there..

[Maverick]

Thanks all - food for thought!  I had thought everyone would come back and say don't be a tightwad just get a Thule, but some good options to look at there..

I have a 2 bike Thule that folds for storage for sale. Located in Scotland although I'll be down in Wolverhampton sometime soon. PM if interested. Thule for not too much money 

[freeflow]

Before you buy check the distance between bikes so you can get a feel for whether or not you'll have to remove saddles or rotate handle bars.


You should also check to see how far bikes can be offset to each other. Offset being left-right adjustment rather than space between the bikes.


With the above caveats I have an Altera towbar mount platform style three bike carrier with a 4th bike adapter that works well. Easy to mount, slides back to allow boot access and some left /right adjustability for individual bikes.


Carrying three adult bikes requires careful placing of the bikes, four bikes is near impossible without removing seatposts and even then can be quite tricky.

[bikepacker]

I have an Atera STRADA DL although I have the two version they do a 3 version. It is much better and easier to load than my brother's Thurle. Our two bikes go on without having to change anything on the bikes.

[Ben T]

I have an Atera STRADA DL although I have the two version they do a 3 version. It is much better and easier to load than my brother'  Thurle. Our two bike go on without having to change anything on the bikes.

I've also got one of those, mine's 9 years old and still going strong

[hatler]

I have an Atera STRADA DL although I have the two version they do a 3 version. It is much better and easier to load than my brother'  Thurle. Our two bike go on without having to change anything on the bikes.

I've also got one of those, mine's 9 years old and still going strong

Same here. We got the Atera three bike with the 4th bike option which you assemble onto the three bike rack yourself (and it stays mantled). (This one.)

Best bit of kit we've bought in years. Generally with four bikes on you might have to turn one set of bars, but it's sooooo much quicker than the hanging racks. You can move the rack away to get into the boot. Integral lighting board and plate. Very quick to fix onto the car.

[drossall]

We've had a Pendle hang-on rack for years. It's been fine, even with four bikes, but it does take a while to put them all on, especially because I'm a bit neurotic about strapping them well, and padding them to prevent scratches.

Last year, a friend was selling off a Pendle standard wheel-support rack. I bought it because I thought the wheel support design was better, although I've had annoying problems with the bolts that secure the arms dropping out. It's not that important because the bike itself secures the arms in place, but I keep having to buy more bolts. Once the rack is set up, it's quicker to load, but I have to disassemble it for storage because we don't have the space.

No worries on strength though, even with four bikes, on either rack. The hang-on one does bounce, but I think it's meant to. Rigidity is not the same thing as strength.

[504steve]

I've got a Thule HangOn , 4 bike version. I got it secondhand and am very impressed. Mounts onto the tow ball and is solid. Drove down to the south of France with a tandem (wheels, guards, rack and rear mechanism off, not much wider than the rear of the car) and a road bike hung on it (plus the tandem wheels).

I got the hang on type rather than platform type as wanted to be able to transport the tandem (with a bit of disassembly).

[sib]

Another vote for the Pendle hang on.
Its solid. Took tandem and two MTBs to France this year.
The only potential pain is you can't access the boot once you've mounted it so be careful what you pack.

[robgul]

I had a Thule 2 bike towball mounted rack - used for thousands of miles BUT bikes are bit close together and I had to modify the clamp arms for bigger frames.  I now have a 3 bike Thule but usually only have 2 on it - the gap in the middle makes for a better fit.

AND they can be used for other things: I've taken pallets (standing on end) to the tip on one and carried various boxes of stuff too.

Having seen several instances of bikes coming off the rear-window mounted racks (incl on the M6) there's only one sort - towball.

Rob

[Ben T]

Another vote for the Pendle hang on.
Its solid. Took tandem and two MTBs to France this year.
The only potential pain is you can't access the boot once you've mounted it so be careful what you pack.

Tip - just briefly pull down the folding rear seat, to access boot items.

[De Sisti]

No need for a tilt one if your vehicle has 5 doors?

[Kim]

Having seen several instances of bikes coming off the rear-window mounted racks (incl on the M6) there's only one sort - towball.

I reckon the tailgate mounted racks can work okay, but they require competence, mechanical sympathy and a reasonable degree of paranioa.  And a rack that's a decent match for the car.  And a bike that's a reasonable match for the rack (sloping toptubes are a problem).  And an order of magnitude more faffing around than the towball mounted ones.

What you certainly shouldn't do is buy one from Halfords, accept their offer of fitting it for you and then hang your bike from it.  (DAHIKT)

[Bender]

I have a Maxxraxx. it's built like a tank, quck to mount and dismount, plus holds our 4 bikes nicely. can't fault it. they're not cheap, but they do come up on ebay etc occasionally. you'll never buy another

 https://maxxraxx.co.uk/

-B.

[MarkT]

I have a Maxxraxx. it's built like a tank, quck to mount and dismount, plus holds our 4 bikes nicely. can't fault it. they're not cheap, but they do come up on ebay etc occasionally. you'll never buy another

 https://maxxraxx.co.uk/

-B.

Me too! Had mine for over 10 years.

[wolarry]

Both thule and yakima are good brands.