Bike carrier for car without tow bar

[iamroddo]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a bike carrier that could fit 2 or 3 bikes that would fit on a car without a tow bar that would be strong enough for a long ~8 hour highway journey?

Are bike carrier racks designed for cars without tow bars as strong and secure as those which fit to tow bars? Without knowing much about anything, I'd imagine that the connection to a tow bar to be more 'fixed' than a few straps. If so, is this significant when the bikes are being carried for a longer period of time?

[rafletcher]

The Saris Bones is oft recommended. The only issue I had with a strap secured carrier was that the webbing in the straps stretches a bit after first fixing, so after loading and driving for a while it’s prudent to stop and re-tension them. I drove to and from the south of France with such a rack back in the day of company car and no extras allowed. You will of course need either a rack that lifts the bikes high enough to clear your lights and number plate, or a light board and suitable socket fitted to the car. I could splice mine in myself 35 years ago, CANBus makes that impracticable for most people.

[Diver300]

You will of course need either a rack that lifts the bikes high enough to clear your lights and number plate, or a light board and suitable socket fitted to the car. I could splice mine in myself 35 years ago, CANBus makes that impracticable for most people.

It's not so much CANbus, but the many and various ways that cars power their tail lights and detect failures in them. You can't expect a circuit that will power a 2 W LED brake light to be up to powering up to four 21 W incandescent brake lights on the trailer. There is also the legal requirement to detect failures in the indicators.

For most cars there are electronic modules available, both from the car manufacturers and from third-party suppliers, that are quite easy to use. Many of those will communicate to the car with LIN or CAN.

[robgul]

Does the car have a "visor" over the rear windscreen? - if it does then it's not safe/you can't fit a "strap-on" rack safely.  Where are you driving?- in some countries strap-on racks are illegal.

A towbar mounted rack is obviously the best, safest solution and the wiring deals with the issues on modern car wiring - BUT it's expensive for the towbar fitting* and racks aren't cheap.

*forget the manufacturer models, have a look round for your local towbar supply/fit man (mine was abou 35% of the manufacturer price and the bloke came to me to fit it in about 90 minutes)

The question about "strength" and drive-time duration isn't really relevant - the rack will either work or not work!

Personally, I wouldn't contemplate 3 bikes on anything other than towbar rack (or rooftop racks if you can fit roof-rails)

[rafletcher]

As a side note to Robs comment, any rear mounting rack is illegal in Portugal. That’s the only place I can find where it’s illegal. Italy and Spain legally require a 50cm x 50cm “overhanging load” plate, reflective with red and white diagonal stripes.

[Frank9755]

I once had two bikes on a 'Bucaroo'-style rack fall off on a roundabout, just before crossing the Severn Bridge, about 15 years ago.  It had been raining heavily and I thought that the straps might have expanded in the rain.  Or maybe I just hadn't tightened them enough.  Either way, we got a tow-bar fitted when we got home and have used it ever since.

[Ham]

Roof bars and mounts are the most useful, IME. Any rear mounted rack gives you the issue of rear access and is more likely to result in bodywork damage. Of course if you have roof mounted bikes, why not hang something from the mirror to remind you? Otherwise going through height restrictions can lead to excessive amusement AND eencie weencie bodywork damage. PLEASE DNAMHIKT. Rear mounts are best suited for the odd convenience trips (I have and use both types)

Oh yes, and there was the time that a (1/3) bike flew off the back carrier at 70 but fortuitously the magic bungee kept hold and the only damage was to the end of the SPD pedal as it was dragged along, and a small bit to the rear rack.

[MikeFromLFE]

Going off at another tangent, and onto one of my hobby horses.....

Are there any electric cars that can be (legally) fitted  with (approved) tow bars to carry bikes, but not to tow?

When I last looked there were none in the UK, but the Nissan Leaf had a Dutch homologated tow hitch that no UK fitter would touch.

[Diver300]

Going off at another tangent, and onto one of my hobby horses.....

Are there any electric cars that can be (legally) fitted  with (approved) tow bars to carry bikes, but not to tow?

When I last looked there were none in the UK, but the Nissan Leaf had a Dutch homologated tow hitch that no UK fitter would touch.

Jaguar iPace has a bike rack accessory. I think that the later ones can tow up to 750 kg.

[handcyclist]

The VW ID3 has a tow bar mount that can only be used to mount a bike rack or similar - the ball of the bar won't accept a trailer hitch.

[SpaceBadger]

Short answer to the OP: no. They are all a pain in the ass, and in many cases result in  illegality in my experience.

[mark]

Around here the Saris Bones is regarded as a very light duty, occasional use rack. The Thule racks are much sturdier and better built (and priced accordingly). Thule make a number of 2 and 3 bike racks designed to strap onto the lift gate/boot lid of your vehicle, including a 2 bike platform rack (bike rests on its wheels) that would work well for frames that don't have a top tube. The Thule buyers guide will tell you if their racks fit your particular car. In my opinion, transporting more than one or two bikes at the back of a car is not a good idea, and I would give serious thought to a roof rack for transporting more than one bike on a regular basis although roof racks have their drawbacks as well...).

[aidan.f]

The VW ID3 has a tow bar mount that can only be used to mount a bike rack or similar - the ball of the bar won't accept a trailer hitch.

three bike carrier and  mount  £1450 - fitted
Like all modern cars it would be a struggle to fit even one small bike inside.

I am considering the  Peugeot/Citroen Berlingo e-mpv much better for bike / trike carrying (inside).
I do though suspect limited range (claimed 170 miles).
This is mitigated by 100kW fast charging and being retired...

[mzjo]

Every summer holidays we see loads of strap-on racks with up to 4 bikes hung on (frequently one full size and the rest kid's bikes) on french motorways and nationales. Legality and security don't seem to be an issue with most drivers. Some racks mount the bike almost as high as a roofrack to maintain visibility of rear lights! It is surprising but lost bikes on motorways are not that common - but not unknown either. For the relatively low cost of a supermarket set of roof bars and a couple of roofmount bike carriers this would be a safer way of doing the job and a lot less stressful (provided that you think to follow the camping-cars in motorway services, don't use the vast majority of public carparks, look for on-street parking when you stop for the supermarket etc.)

The VW ID3 has a tow bar mount that can only be used to mount a bike rack or similar - the ball of the bar won't accept a trailer hitch.

three bike carrier and  mount  £1450 - fitted
Like all modern cars it would be a struggle to fit even one small bike inside.

I am considering the  Peugeot/Citroen Berlingo e-mpv much better for bike / trike carrying (inside).
I do though suspect limited range (claimed 170 miles).
This is mitigated by 100kW fast charging and being retired...

The Brompton obviously has great days in front of it for cycling couples with EVs. Wait for the kid's Brompton, guaranteed to fit in the glovebox!
Carrying bikes in security has always been a bit of a headache which is why most of my clubmates have cars far bigger than their apparent needs - it's to put the bike inside. The widespread use of bikes without mudguards and luggage means that dropping the wheels out and protecting the back seat is very much the norm.