[Closed] Bike Racks like this in the UK?

No, but this summer driving through BC Canada saw a lot of them on the backs of cars and vans and thought they looked really good.

yeah they do don't they!!

It’s a sensible solution as it leaves the lights unobscured

Those specific ones need a hitch receiver to mount to- not normally something fitted to Uk cars. While it might work fitted to a ball I suspect the weight/ moment of the rack would cause it to move.

Yeah more common here in Oz to have a 50mm box slot for the rack/towball to fit into. Nice and stable and easy to fit.

Yeah sounds like a good idea. Probably worth getting the hitch receiver fitted just for the hassle saved with loading the bikes.

One thing they aren't good for is leaving a visible number plate. Anecdotal stories that police in Alberta and BC starting to crack down on this. They also don't work for road bikes.

Having said that I have one (live in Calgary) and it's fantastic. Not the lightest piece of kit and a 2" hitch is required.

UK standards (and TUV so EU too) state that this type of racks must have lights and a number plate position so they don't pass the legislation. Strangely the minimal [url= https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-specific-accessories/buzz_rack_gazelle_2_bike_tow_ball_carrier_no_brh002/Qx%40w%2C6M42VAwp3%40Rb%7B~cC4urewJaWO ]type like these[/url] do! I had a conversation with the guys at the local towbar fitting centre about this when I chose what bar and rack to use on the new car a few years ago as I was thinking of that type of rack too.

[url= https://www.scorpionracks.com ]https://www.scorpionracks.com[/url]

These guys are based near the Surrey Hills, similar to what your after I think? (I have no links to the company etc, just saw one of the pedal and spoke guys using one)

I have one (which I'll probably be selling in the next month or so).
They are very quick to load which makes them great for rapid shuttle laps but some bikes are a royal PITA to fit into the prongs (eg my friends Stumpjumper has a rubber bung on the downtube to prevent the fork crown damaging the frame and some other bikes have super wide headtubes which makes the bikes sit higher than ideal)

Those scorpion racks look good,but also looking at the Thule ones, not sure which I'd go for?

Those Scorpion racks do look good.

Not a single rear view on that Scorpion site showing the reg plate obscured.

I'm out.

My thoughts are that someone should make a rack like this...
https://goo.gl/images/W4WcLe
That attaches to bumper mounting bolts and simply hinges up when not in use.
You could have a vertical bar that slots into the rack and you’d tie your bike to that.
Quick and as it’s just for push bikes wouldn’t have to be anywhere as bulky as the motorbike one.

We talked with Northshore Racks a few years ago to see if we could import them. I got together a bunch of companies in spain who were doing uplifts or guiding and tried to see if we could buy several but it wasn't possible because they aren't certified for use over here. Even if we could get that type of hitch fitted they couldn't sell us the racks over here. It´s a pity because they look fantastic.

that's a standard us tow receiver zippykona - all their racks attach like that.

@margraylish

but some bikes are a royal PITA to fit into the prongs

With tyre grip racks, this problem goes away. All tyres are similar. Also fast to load as ratchets at all fixings.

[img] [/img]
[url= https://auxtail.com/ ]Auxtail[/url]

[i]All tyres are similar[/i]

I had to buy fat bike adapters for my Thule rack.

Not quire sure what problem those vertical racks are solving over normal tow bar racks. I've seen them a couple of times - they stick out the back just as much, they stick out on top moreso, don't seem as convenient to load due to having to lift the bike. Can't see any benefits or advantages at all, only disadvantages.

https://www.scorpionracks.com

I popped by the surrey hills shop and saw the scorpion rack outside on a golf with a bike on it, the guy that makes em popped out and even managed to get on the bike whilst it was on the rack.

They make sense to me, with my Thule towbar rack and long wheelbase 29 my wheels stick out as much as the wing mirrors, not nice when going down lanes or narrow roads with it on! Its on the list to get once I have some spare pennies.

Like this?

[quote=wwaswas]Not a single rear view on that Scorpion site showing the reg plate obscured.

I'm out.

They sell a [url= https://www.scorpionracks.com/collections/accessories/products/number-plate-board ]number plate board[/url] that attaches to the bike to tick that box (although the photos on the site do seem to suggest just blagging it 😉 ).

They make sense to me, with my Thule towbar rack and long wheelbase 29 my wheels stick out as much as the wing mirrors, not nice when going down lanes or narrow roads with it on! Its on the list to get once I have some spare pennies.

I guess it depends what car you've got. If you're looking at a Golf and something like a Hightower then the width of the Golf is about the same as the wheelbase of a hightower plus 730mm for the front and rear wheel overhang. Like alot of these things the overhang is alot more in your minds eye than it is in reality. There are certainly no lanes in the UK that are that narrow where a few mm is going to make a difference....I know I drive a van. I'd much prefer a conventional tow bar rack and have better rear window visibility.

Not quire sure what problem those vertical racks are solving over normal tow bar racks. I've seen them a couple of times - they stick out the back just as much, they stick out on top moreso, don't seem as convenient to load due to having to lift the bike. Can't see any benefits or advantages at all, only disadvantages.

I don't think we're talking about a huge manual lift are we?

Up on the back wheel and maybe lift it up a foot or so on to the rack, most uplift trailers require more effort to load...

The whole thing of not obscuring lights (for one or two bikes at least) seems like an advantage to me, of course if you're getting a towbar fitted anyway it would make sense to have the electrics and a lighting board sorted at the same time TBH, but it's not a bad solution.

Plus the 6 bike version looks good if you've got a big MPV or lifestyle bus full of MTBers, it wouldn't project much further than a 3 or 4 bike Thule jobbie I'd imagine and sits better within the width of the vehicle and lets you have the whole interior empty for people and kit...

I guess it's a bit like a Saris Gran Fondo but benefits from being sturdier than a Strap-on rack and being able to accommodate more than 2 bikes...

[quote=frogstomp ]
They sell a number plate board that attaches to the bike

Not lit, so illegal.

And there's a fair chance of obscuring the high-level brake light too - also illegal.

I'd say there's a minimal chance of being pulled up for these but if you are involved in an accident then they could well come into play when apportioning blame or assessing insurance payouts.

Thanks for the tip and thanks for the note re: legality Doug... that's a shame on the North Shore's

Those Scorpions do look good. They advise a lighting board anyway so I'm not sure what the fuss is about. You have to use one with a regular rack too.

I have a westaflia detachable towball, does anyone know if you can get a detachable flange plate to swap in, for the detachable towball. It doesn't sound too complicated but knowing my luck...

Thanks for the tip and thanks for the note re: legality Doug... that's a shame on the North Shore's

Doug's in Spain, I know they have different (much stricter) rules about bike racks and trailers, in the UK* it's pretty much a free for all in terms of the rack doesn't need testing, as long as the number plate and lights are visible. It's one of those things the EU's been very slow to harmonise (and doing it badly TBH, CE boat trailers are a complete PITA and IME worse than older non CE trailers).

n.b. visible doesn't mean just from behind, one bike mounted vertically in the middle would 'obscure' the lights at the side when viewed from an angle.

*If anyone has a link to any specific legislation I'd appreciate it, we've got to mount a camera to the back of a car for work and the best I can find is some advice to do a risk assessment.

Not quire sure what problem those vertical racks are solving over normal tow bar racks.

I think they're the most compact way to get 6 bikes loaded.

I have one (which I'll probably be selling in the next month or so).

What are you thinking of getting instead?

One thing I found out yesterday with mine is that strong side winds + fat bike + frame bag means a lot of lateral movement which was a bit disconcerting and ended up strapping bikes down with additional ties.

There is no agreed International or European Standards for rear bike racks.
I have collated the UK regulations below.
[url= https://auxtail.com/2017/12/14/acts-regulations/ ]UK rules[/url]

I will try to locate European rules for a later post.

One of the big advantages of the Northshore rack when I got mine 10 years ago was the fast easy loading of multiple combinations of bikes of different sizes.
They come into their own when doing multiple short shuttle runs in large groups when different bikes maybe involved for each run.
There's no farting around adjusting tray spacing to make sure handlebars don't interfere with the saddle of the adjacent bike for instance, and no faffing around trying to arrange straps to tie odd shaped frames.
Also, they obviously work better than roof mounted bikes if you're small or have to park underground (like I do)

However, over the last 10 years headtubes have been getting fatter so the prong a have to be spread wider to fit.

Now, as I rarely do short shuttle runs anymore, the main advantage is not so relevant (though they are still very quick to load!)
Now, however, I've discovered one major disadvantage in that my next bike has such a long wheelbase that there won't be enough vertical clearance in my underground garage to clear the back wheel in the entry slope and the overhead sprinklers.
So, I'll probably get a Thule T2 tray type instead though I best check for width restrictions first!
(For reference, I'm getting a XXL sized SC Hightower with a 1261mm wheelbase)

As an American that has lived off and on in the UK over the last 20 years I've been curious about what may be a stupid question: why do UK (and as far as I can tell, most European) cars when fitted with hitches, use a swan neck tow ball instead of the more versatile hitch receiver?

@krixmeister
The Hitch is a US legal standard.
The European towing regulations do not allow for single retention system to secure towing device, so the US hitch system is not allowed over here.
The towbar manufacturer's here have each generated a different removable fix system, so there is no compatibility for the bike carriers.

I've seen a hitch receiver bike rack on a car in Germany. It was a Prius though which has no towbar available, which might've had something to do with it. Or might not. ISTR the Thule thing is available in Germany.