I want to buy a bike rack for general transportation of 2 bikes and will be using it to take the bikes to France in the summer. Clearly a rear mounted rack is cheaper than a roof mounted ones, although obviously there is the additional cost of a lightboard and getting power to it. I understand that the French Police take a dim view of rear mounted bike racks and this combined with a GB sticker brings them out in a rash of on the spot fines. I would like to hear other users views on how best to transport bikes by car especially in France.

after trying many different types of rack i personally found a towbar mounted one to be the best. i got myself a £80 thule for myself which includes lighting, plug etc.

a few of us also chiped in for a stonking big four bike rack.

i find them quick and easy to load, the bikes are well away from car bodywork so no chance of scratching your motor.
theres also plenty of space inbetween each bike avoiding the dreaded bike rub.

there very stable too, so when approaching warp speed you wont get to your destination
minus bikes and rack.


one thing we did learn from experiance though was the brake rotors gathered a lot of road sludge, which contamanted the pads. so even on a 200 mile round trip to wales we now clean the rotors and caliper with brake cleaner before even thinking about pulling the brake lever.

I took my bike to france last year with a Thule roof rack - apart from the whistling it was fine.

I am selling them at the moment as I now have a van.

e-mail me if you want them

I'd recommend a towbar mounted one. Easy to put on and off but sturdy enough to stand on (well, mine is) Try www.roofbox.co.uk I got a Tradekar 3 bike rack in their bargain section for £80. Total bargain and very robust - easily modified for a 4th bike too.

I used to have a boot mounted system however I never really trusted it to be strong enough to take the weight of two bikes safely.

I now have Thule roof mounted system. Very good as it hold the bikes securely and keeps all the filth (mud type not Police!) on the outside of the car. does whistle a bit and does nothing for your fuel consumption but does the job.

Have you got a towbar already? If so, that will make the cost pretty comparible, otherwise the roof bar option may be a bit cheaper?

I have the thule roof rack with the thule rack as i cant get a towbar on my KA... what type of bikes are you planning on taking? as most rear racks have 2 "tusks" which sit under the cross bar which is useless on most full sussers and many small and medium XC bikes my I-drive and my makes Zaskar wont fit a towsure cyclemaster as the two tusks are two far appart..

i have the Thule 591 Proride Bike very easy to use nice and secure and you can lock it (not that id trust it against a thief)

http://www.roofrackshop.co.uk/bike/thule-591-proride-bike-carrier.htm

As im looking to do the same would a roof mounted system hold bug DH rigs ok?

Tow ball mount all the way, better on fuel than a rood rack, secure and easy to use, I use a thurl 3 bike one.

I wouldn't fancy lifting a 45 pound DH bike on to a roof rack after a hard days riding ;)

Is a rood rack anything ike a roof rack? ;)

(I'll let you off seeing as your yellow!)

Your right about the weight tho- After I'd ridden Grizedale and stuck about 25lbs of clay to my bike I struggled to lift it onto the roof rack. I also get sick of the regular roof cleaning needed. So far I've had to clean my car twice in 18 months (a personal record!)

lol Monk! Well we are going to go riding in the snow at Wharncliffe this afternoon, but DLC's got a point, its gunna be a pain the the arse liftin out DH rigs back on2 the roof in the rain/snow and dark! but anything to just get out riding!

Well thanks for all your useful information. In the end I've decided to opt for a couple of Thule roof bars as although I liked what you guys were saying about the tow bar mounted systems I don't currently have a tow bar on the car. Thanks again for all your excellent posts.

Dude... www.skidrive.co.uk are great.

They do the whole roof system including 2 bike carriers for about £220.