Cycle Carrier recommends please, 3 bikes and a car.....

PaulF

PaulF

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Hi,

I know there are a few cyclists on here so was wondering if any of you have any recommendations for cycle carriers.
I really know very little about this stuff so help is badly needed :)

Require 3 bikes to be carried on the car securely including when parked up (2 adult 1 boys 14 yr old), the car is a Nissan Qasqai with roof rails so not the shortest.

I have had a look on the internet and the options I am looking at are either on the roof or a tow bar. Neither seems to be particularly cheap. Do not want the type that rest on the back of the car and attach with straps.

Like the look of the Wispbar and the Thule Proride 591 carrier (second from the bottom on this link http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rb...mulate=roofbar&vptype=424183&boxpackage=24945 )
Has any any experience with either of these?
The carrier is supposedly 'easier' to load bikes onto with the larger wheel rest thing, this might be good as I can see me standing on the door opening to reach the bike in the middle of the car!

If I was to go for the tow bar option, I'd need to get a tow bar fitted which I'm not over keen on but can get a detachable one so not too bad. Does any one have any recommendations for a carrier?

Cheers for putting up with this rambling request,
 
Paul, I've got two of the Thule Proride 591 carriers and they have been excellent.

I used them to carry two bikes on one side of the rack and a sea kayak on the other. Needed roof mounted as was also towing a caravan. All worked well.

Have not used them recently as unfortunately my Wife has early onset dementia.

Previously I had a rear mounted rack but the fittings were specific to a Ford Maverick. After I sold the Maverick I gave the rack to a friend who still had a Maverick. The rack was a Maxx something and could be used with the caravan hitched up. To be quite honest I found it a pain to load up and then couldn't get access to the rear door very easily. If you haven't got a tow bar I would go for the roof carrying.

I was impressed with Thule. I lost a couple of the straps which attach the bike wheels to the carrier. I emailed them and they sent me a new set, free of charge.
 
Craig1912 said:
Don't carry them anymore but have used a Thule clip on- this is similiar and would fit your car

http://www.thule.com/en/gb/products...nted-bike-carriers/thule-backpac-973-_-973002

It has metal "straps" which clip to the car.

When I changed car I had a tow bar fitted and there are loads of decent toward carriers. The one I had was rather heavy but something like the Thule Euroclassic are good
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link Craig, I don't want one that goes on the back of the car though as it would annoy me whenever I wanted to get into the boot :)
Think I'm leaning more to the roof type rather than towing at the moment, just know if I put a tow bar on the car my wife will see it as a green light to get a caravan :D

Nikon Ken said:
Paul, I've got two of the Thule Proride 591 carriers and they have been excellent.

I used them to carry two bikes on one side of the rack and a sea kayak on the other. Needed roof mounted as was also towing a caravan. All worked well.

Have not used them recently as unfortunately my Wife has early onset dementia.

Previously I had a rear mounted rack but the fittings were specific to a Ford Maverick. After I sold the Maverick I gave the rack to a friend who still had a Maverick. The rack was a Maxx something and could be used with the caravan hitched up. To be quite honest I found it a pain to load up and then couldn't get access to the rear door very easily. If you haven't got a tow bar I would go for the roof carrying.

I was impressed with Thule. I lost a couple of the straps which attach the bike wheels to the carrier. I emailed them and they sent me a new set, free of charge.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ken, sorry to hear about your wife.
Good to have a recommendation from someone who has actually used the 591's.
 
Id def go for the towbar option. Lifting the bikes onto the roof is not easy especially on a tall car like yours unless you get the ones that have the lifting arm.

We put a removable towbar on our car just for the bike rack (Thule 3 bike with the optional 4th bike extension). There is a foot lever that allows you to tilt the rack even with the bikes on, to get into the boot/hatchback.

Not cheap but superb quality.
 
Thanks guys for the links, I'll be having a read through the specs of those.
The roof options seem to be the cheaper at the moment but the convenience of the tow bar type is worth considering.
 
Last time I had one I went for the tow bar option - one of the Pendle Rack Tilting versions (http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/tilting-ws.php for the current version) - so even if you'd got the bikes on the back, you could tilt them out of the way and get into the tailgate.

For me, the extra cost of getting the towbar fitted was outweighed by the petrol saving by not having 2-3 bikes on the roof of the car - there's still a bit of a MPG loss with the tailgate mounted ones, but strapping 3 bikes on the roof put a mahoosive dent in the economy - and as at the time I was doing a couple of hundred miles a week with the bikes on the back, the tailgate option soon paid off...
 
Trouble with a roof option is getting the car into some carparks, onto ferries etc. You don't think it's an issue until that one time on holiday...

Says the person who had to take his roof box off to get into the park and ride at Bordeaux (carry it through, put it back on again, and repeat on exiting)
 
TheBigYin said:
Last time I had one I went for the tow bar option - one of the Pendle Rack Tilting versions (http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/shopping/tilting-ws.php for the current version) - so even if you'd got the bikes on the back, you could tilt them out of the way and get into the tailgate.

For me, the extra cost of getting the towbar fitted was outweighed by the petrol saving by not having 2-3 bikes on the roof of the car - there's still a bit of a MPG loss with the tailgate mounted ones, but strapping 3 bikes on the roof put a mahoosive dent in the economy - and as at the time I was doing a couple of hundred miles a week with the bikes on the back, the tailgate option soon paid off...
Click to expand...

Yeh, if I go for the tow bar type the tilting type would be the only one I'd consider.
With regards to the fuel economy, I'm lucky that I have a fully expensed fuel card through work so that's not an issue :cool:

Byker28i said:
Trouble with a roof option is getting the car into some carparks, onto ferries etc. You don't think it's an issue until that one time on holiday...

Says the person who had to take his roof box off to get into the park and ride at Bordeaux (carry it through, put it back on again, and repeat on exiting)
Click to expand...

That's a good point, I hadn't thought of that. We are National Trust members so we'd be going to those properties quite a bit. Trying to remember what the car park access is like now :) don't think they have height restrictions, or, do they :thinking:
 
I've got four paddy hopkirk roof rack mounted cycle carriers going spare in my garage, they wouldn't fit the Thule aero bars on my new car :(
 
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