I have been lent a 5 door hatch 06 honda civic whilst I sort out a new car after the work one was taken away after the company went bust. According to Roofrack.co.uk, there are no bars which fit this vehicle, so was thinking of the seasucker style fitting. Anyone use similar, pitfalls, things to watch? ... or know of any second hand ones coming up?
I have the Rock Bros 3 bike one.
It's not our primary rack - we have a Thule thing on Mrs' car - but i use it whenever I'm going somewhere on my own, and therefore in my own car. Therefore, i have the rack for three bikes (5 suckers on the front) but use it for only one bike.
It has worked brilliantly. You asked for pitfalls.
It has left some very minor scuff marks on the roof, but that's probably my fault for not wiping the roof clean before sticking the suckers on.
The roof of my car seems to be very thin (3 series touring) and i have noticed the roof flexing (popping in and out while driving) a little where the rear wheels are positioned, but only for bikes in positions 1 and 3. No damage caused and the bikes were rock steady, but it makes a noise and can be unnerving. Easily solved by making sure the rear wheel sucker is positioned above a stiffer bit of roof that has support under the metal skin. not really an issue for me though as I almost always have only one bike fitted.
seem to remember the quick releases skewers are rubbish, but not used them for ages. I have the bolt-through adaptor. Obviously that wouldn't be an issue unless you're using an old-timey QR.
One of the velcro straps that holds the rear wheel to the sucker bit has started to fray, will probably snap eventually. they can be replaced though.
Oh, yes, as it's a front-wheel-off rack, obviously i have left my front wheel on the drive before.
I think that's it. It's been really good. never fallen off, never moved position. I like that it takes up so little storage space in the garage and is so quick and easy to fit/remove.
Oh, three more points.
Because they look pretty cool (mine's red anodised), are easily removed and are small, i imagine they're prone to theft, so sensible to take it off and put it in the boot while you're riding.
Not being securely attached the the car means you can't really lock the bike to the rack either. Seasucker do a cable anchor that i believe you trap in the door or boot of the car, which doesn't seem great really.
Last point is that I feel guilty for buying the knock off, instead of supporting the people that invented the thing, but the price difference was enormous, about 1/5 the price.
Another RockBros user here. No issues to report. Single bike rack, it's not my main method of bike transport but useful if I need/want to use the car. I'm meticulous at cleaning the paintwork so no scratching/scuffing. No concerns or issues with the valves losing pressure. One I bought came with adaptors for QR, 100x15, 110x15, 20mm etc. Shame they don't stay in place when there's not an axle in place but I've not lost them (yet).
Like @gingerflash, the small size is a bonus - my single bike version (3 suckers at the front, a single for rear wheel) fits in a drawstring shoe bag and lives under the boot floor.
Positioning depends on your actual car. My roof's too short to fit front and rear suckers on at the same time, hence I attach as per below. I imagine a 5dr Civic should be fine though.
Last point is that I feel guilty for buying the knock off, instead of supporting the people that invented the thing, but the price difference was enormous, about 1/5 the price.
Ha, I feel the same. It was £275ish vs £60 at the time I bought mine.
I use the Rassine one, purely on the basis of not wanting to pay £20+ for each and every fork mount adapter for the bikes we have - the Rassine comes with all the adapters you'll ever need and is probably the cheapest of all the non-Amazon-special versions. Works fantastically, no issues at NSL speeds for long periods, no issues with paint or bodywork damage, and if it'll do 200 mile round trips on mine with its weird roof lines then it'll do it on pretty much any car. All I do is keep a microfibre cloth and a water spray bottle in the boot just to ensure I can get a clean, smooth, wet surface when I stick it on.
I use two 3 sucker ones on the plastic roof of a BMW I3. It’s never failed over three years even though I’ve worried continuously. Clean the roof and the suckers well before fitting is my advice. I’m selling the car so will be getting rid of them if you’re interested.
The flying Ox +1.
I'm just entering my 5th year using an earlier rassine model.
Suction wise its been flawless, but I am meticulous about roof and suction cup cleanliness and carry a microfibre cloth and spray bottle too.
A couple of the suction plungers have needed replacement.
In the winter at close to zero, or sub zero temperatures, and spray from my bottle freezes on the roof, so I use a windscreen wash mix to prevent that happening. Also, the suction cups can go quite stiff. It can make it easier if you keep them indoors until required, rather than keep them in the car all the time like I do.
I have the Rockbros 2 bike version. Its been pretty good, however one of the fork brackets came loose, the securing bolt now doesn't tighten properly. I've been using the other side fine though - I'd probably say use them for occasional journeys and if you're doing anything more frequent go with the full roofbars or rear tow bar setup.
Have you considered uh, you know, replacing the bolt, or bonding it in?
i would search harder for some bars. I'd be amazed if none were avaiable to fit a civic
