Accessories

[swishtony]

As the missus would say, it's all about the accessories, you have to accessorise, so I have a question..... Again!

Just been out biking and it occurred to me I will need to get a bike rack of some sort. Anybody got a roof rack, wondering how difficult it is to get bikes on and off. I think I would cry if I dropped a bike onto a brand new roof/sunroof!!

I will need one that takes both mountain and road bikes as I use both.

[MikeIOW]

I would personally not want to have bikes up top....I know a few here have said it is not super easy to get up.
Best option would be a towbar rack, I believe. I am considering getting one fitted (I have a friend who has a rack that fits on, and carrying their bikes looked dead easy!), although I don't that often take bikes places.....

[calderaman]

I carry bikes on the top of the xc60 but I use the Thule fork mounted carrier.

Removing the front wheel makes it easier to lift and secure the bike as the clamping mechanism is so much lower than the standard carriers.

Even at 5'8" I can get two cycles on the roof without a step, although three bikes is a different matter.

The other advantage is the overall height of the car and bikes (with front wheel removed) is less than the overall height of the caravan.

The front wheels can be carried in the car boot or strapped to the bike frame.

[AngloScot]

One accessory you will need is a plastic/rubber tray for the boot. I got one from ebay for £30, it is thin and light and has been an excellent buy.

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by swishtony

Just been out biking and it occurred to me I will need to get a bike rack of some sort. Anybody got a roof rack, wondering how difficult it is to get bikes on and off. I think I would cry if I dropped a bike onto a brand new roof/sunroof!!

I will need one that takes both mountain and road bikes as I use both.

Worried about lifting? Posted this a few times before. Get one of these.

+ YouTube Video

Regards

[Waggatron]

I currently carry 4bikes on my roof (Thule bars and carriers). The middle ones are a stretch (tends to be the kids bikes) with adults on the outer carriers. I carry a metal fold down step in the boot which I use to make life easier (and I'm 6'4"). Whole set up works well.

I've (touch wood) never dropped a bike onto the roof but it could be easily done. More immediate threat is scraping a pedal down the doors as you lift it off.

However....Fuel economy takes a real battering with the carriers and/or bikes on and it's noisy....oh and you will be approximately 9'6" high so be careful of those carparks with metal height restriction barriers....I ripped a mountain bike off my roof a couple of years ago. Made a right mess of the bike and carrier (but car was fine!).

My new XC60 is being ordered with detachable tow bar and I'm switching to a rear bike carrier. My mates got a Atera STRADA DL 4 bike carrier and it works really well. Hopefully will be a much easier system with improved fuel economy and noise with the bikes sat in the slipstream.

[bobarctor]

Same: I've budgeted a grand for a detachable towbar plus a top of the range towbar mounted 4 bike carrier - Thule or some such (haven't done that bit of research properly yet).

Irony is that combined value of family bikes is nowhere near a grand......

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by Sebster

However....Fuel economy takes a real battering with the carriers and/or bikes on and it's noisy....

I have had a roof box on the roof of a Rover 75 tourer CDT and toured Europe at an average of 39mpg. I have towed a trailer full of canoes, with bikes on the roof of an RR petrol and got 20mpg which is not far off the average of 25mpg general.

Never noticed any real increase in noise to be honest.

Regards

[kimball808]

I went for the volvo tow bar with adapter for four bikes. Its a doodle to put on, quick and easy to put bikes on and it also tilts to allow access to the boot (dont under estimate this action) also its made by thule but sold by volvo dealerships for a fraction of the thule price....just changed the cycle rack and roof bars to the thule one key system, saves half a dozen little silver keys.....on the whole amazed every time I use the tow bar rack. Its quite heavy though, so handy if you have a garage to store it with direct access to rear of the car

[Chris36]

I have both tow bar mounted rack and also Thule roofbars for when we use the caravan.

Towbar one is preffered as it is much more stable, the bikes are out of the wind and you aren't restricted by any car parks. However, the racks aren't cheap and you need a towbar fitting as well.

I have thule proride 591 for the roofbars and so far haven't had a problem. I've got a folding step to use to give me the extra height I need to reach the bikes in the middle.

To buy the carriers, there is a ford dealer selling the thule ones at a good discount (I think it is something like ford parts online)