Cycle Carrier

[bennetj]

I have just taken delivery of my new D5 (185) XC90. I probably should have thought of carrying bikes etc in advance but did not.

Can anyone recommend a cycle carrier, either roof or rear. Ideally for carrying 3-4 bikes - thanks

[StevePritchard]

I've got a Halfords 3 bike doofah which was on special offer recently. I can make it sit pretty high so the bikes don't obscure the number plate, and only marginally cover a brake light on one side with the back wheels - hopefully showing enough not to warrant a talking to by PC Plod (so far, so good).

The guy at Halford was concerned that it might damage my spoiler (there are a couple of straps that come from inside the car, over the top), but it's fine, so don't worry about that.

I've got a factory tow-bar fitment, and that's very useful for the lower straps, but without it, I'm sure you could attach them to bodywork under the car, or even just the rear bumper.

Hope that's helpful.

Cheers,

Steve.

[sarge]

Do you have a towbar? If so you could go with a towbar mounted rack. With these you don't have to worry about the straps rubbing on the bodywork and as they come with lights and number plate holder you don't have to worry about obscuring the rear of the vehicle. I use the Volvo carrier but it's made by Thule.

Sarge
'99 V70 AWD

[Marmoset]

I'd second the towbar mounted rack. Not only are they more secure mounted to the car this way, but the wheel trays mean that any shape of bike can be accommodated. They also only take about 30 seconds to install as opposed to 5-10 minutes for a strap mounted rack.

[bennetj]

Thanks for the replies

Unfortunately I do not have a tow bar fitted. I have used a Halfords carrier on a previous car (Saab 93) with it fastening under the back bumper and it was pretty stressful as it kept coming lose.

Sounds like my choice is to either fit a tow bar and then use a tow bar bike rack or to go for a roof mounted carrier. I would be interested to know if anyone has used any roof mounted carriers other than the standard Volvo ones and if so if they would recommend them

thanks

[StevePritchard]

Originally Posted by bennetj

Thanks for the replies

Unfortunately I do not have a tow bar fitted. I have used a Halfords carrier on a previous car (Saab 93) with it fastening under the back bumper and it was pretty stressful as it kept coming lose.

Sounds like my choice is to either fit a tow bar and then use a tow bar bike rack or to go for a roof mounted carrier. I would be interested to know if anyone has used any roof mounted carriers other than the standard Volvo ones and if so if they would recommend them

thanks

For anybody following this thread - careful of tow-bar mounted racks on the factory fitted tow-bar. I was cautioned against it because a) it doesn't have the ball on all the time which means b) it sits further under the bumper which could be an issue.

The 3 bike Halfords one I have seems to be fine - I travelled about 340 miles to/from Scotland and about 40 while I was there on twisty roads, and didn't have any problems with it coming loose (with 2 mountain bikes on it).

Cheers,

Steve

[sarge]

I have a Volvo removable towbar and have not experienced any problems with using the Volvo cycle carrier on it.

Sarge
'99 V70 AWD

[StevePritchard]

Originally Posted by sarge

I have a Volvo removable towbar and have not experienced any problems with using the Volvo cycle carrier on it.

Sarge
'99 V70 AWD

I would expect the Volvo cycle carrier to work just fine, I was warning with regard to 3rd party carriers.

Cheers,

Steve.

[Philip Fisher]

I must admit to hating these rear screen mounted cycle carriers, they strap on to areas of the car which are never designed to be load bearing.

I would only consider either tow bar mounted or roof mounted. If they are on the towbar then any rear end shunt, however minor, writes off the bikes. If they are on the roof, you have to be careful going in to car parks with a hoop over the entrance - and don't forget that they are there!

I have chosen the roof option for both my previous V70 and current V50. I used Volvo bars and Thule carriers on my V70 and now use Thule bars and carriers on my V50. Very happy with the set up and it is very stable.

The carriers are Thule 511 which are very stable, but you do have to store the wheel somewhere. If the bike has front disk brakes, you will need the Thule 511-1 which has better clearance for the calliper.

Oh, and only get aero bars, the ones with a square box section as soooo noisy!

Finally, Halfords was always more expensive in my experience than a local Thule dealer - check out the web site for your nearest dealer.

Hope this helps.

Philip

[DCO]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

I must admit to hating these rear screen mounted cycle carriers, they strap on to areas of the car which are never designed to be load bearing.

I would only consider either tow bar mounted or roof mounted. If they are on the towbar then any rear end shunt, however minor, writes off the bikes. If they are on the roof, you have to be careful going in to car parks with a hoop over the entrance - and don't forget that they are there!

I have chosen the roof option for both my previous V70 and current V50. I used Volvo bars and Thule carriers on my V70 and now use Thule bars and carriers on my V50. Very happy with the set up and it is very stable.

To anyone considering a roof mounted cycle rack, before taking the plunge, I suggest you do a practice run lifting the cycle(s) up as high and as far over as would be required to put them on a rack. In case of a mishap, if you want to do this over the actual vehicle, then make sure it is well protected, otherwise it will probably end up with a big dent / scratch.

It is easy to load on top of a V50 or V70, but an XC90 is another matter, unless you are pretty strong or about 6'8" tall! I'am about 6' and I know that there is no way I could safely put a cycle onto a roof rack when standing next to the vehicle.