[Closed] Roof or Tow Bar

Roof - Thule 591's all the way in my book.

if you have a tow bar use that and get a rack easier , safer and simpler

If not get a roof rack

I always get a towbar fitted to any car I buy if it hasn't already got one precisely for this reason. If you're doing many long journeys with the bikes it'll more than pay for itself in a couple of years on fuel savings.

I couple of years ago I read a quote saying that if you're driving from london to Ediburgh and taking 2 bikes it would be cheaper to send them in the post than put them on the car roof.

Wish I could remember where it was now.

Roof rack.

Good: Very convenient as long as you are strong enough to lift the bikes. Very stable. Doesn't get in the way. Keeps the bikes completely out of the way. Halfords do an excellent copy of the cheaper Thule racks (I heard they were made for them by Thule) although the 591 racks are great (I have two of each).

Bad: Kills fuel consumption. If only 1 or 2 bikes and you keep them well separated then not too bad, but expect a 40% or more hit if 4 bikes on motorway. Can't drive under height restrictions.

Tow bar

Good: No hit on fuel consumption. Easy to lift bikes on. Hinged racks allow you to open the boot.

Bad: You need a towbar already. Hinged racks that are easy to put bikes on can be pricey. Bikes not as completely out of the way. You can't leave the rack on permanently for impromptu trips.

Overall I would say it depends on your intended mileage. If only short or infrequent trips I would go for a roof rack. Long trips would justify the towbar through fuel savings.

Roof - Thule 591's all the way in my book.

had both and this ^

Tow bar is a little more fuel efficient all not as much as I'd have thought. But the faff of loading them and getting into the boot means for me the roof mounted Thule racks are my choice.

To put the fuel hit in context, I regularly get 42 mpg total for my car around the UK.

We just went to Morzine for the week. Four people, four DH rigs on the roof, we couldn't have had more stuff with us, it wasn't physically possible. 70-75 on the motorway plus pootling around the resort.

We did 1850 miles, and used 374 litres of fuel door to door. I make that 22.5 mpg. That's a whopping 46% hit on fuel economy!!!

In fairness, I was expecting it to be bad, but that's shocking!

Thanks for the speedy response everyone.

Thought that the tow bar would be better for fuel but I roof bars look like less of a faff

Trips maybe once a month dependent on work but there is also a saving to made on cost of two bar / rack v roof bars (roof will cost slightly less than half exc labour)

i'm thinking roof

To put that another way, the extra fuel the roof rack ate on the trip cost £212.

I have roof bars and a tow bar one - both will do the job but if i could only choose one it would be the tow bar as the bikes feel more secure.

The downside is the expense involved, then you also need somewhere to store it when it is not attached. But it is a 1 minute job to fit (basically lift up and put on tow ball, pull down lever, lock it and plug in the electrics) and it tilts to allow access to the boot.

As junkyard says.

Roof Mounted here.. If you get rear ended, at least the bikes won't be damaged. 😉 Also don't have to worry about fowling your rear lights or vision.

I have no idea on fuel economy, I only have a little 1.6 engine and didn't notice any difference until about 80+mph. Oh and side winds, I noticed them a little more.

i would never have a roof rack no matter how convienient, i have heard of too many people doing this:
[img] [/img]

think it only takes a 2 second lapse in concentration...

What car is it? My car (mondeo estate) is already longer than most parking spaces so I wouldn't want to add a rack behind that too.

Always a wee bit surprised by some people's mpg impacts... At absolute best on normal roads I get 60mpg out of the mondeo with nowt on the roof, and at best with 2 bikes on the roof I get 54. That's an awful lot less than the difference I get just by pressing the loud pedal slightly harder.

Yeah, but I've heard of many people (myself as a teenager included) reversing into things. Horses for courses.

My historical figures in a 2.2 diesel Accord estate:

Normal life: 42 mpg
Normal life with an empty rack: haven't noticed a difference
With one bike: around 40
Two bikes widely spaced: 37
Four bikes: 22-23

It's when it gets busy up there and all the vortices mix that it gets silly. A couple of bikes is no problem.

What car is it? Two bike will go inside most modern cars pretty easily. Better fuel economy and safer when you park up somewhere.

@ northwind

What car is it?

It's a Joke

Had both and roof because your bikes get destroyed by the salt spray in the winter months on a towball rack and if you have a largish car, parking and manouvering in tight spaces can be a PITA with the extra length.

Team Sky and the entire pro peloton seem to think that the roof is the best place for transporting a bike.

Does do nasty things to fuel economy though, I struggled to get 30mpg (as opposed to 40+) on our French trip last month. And had a very near miss with a height restriction that I had to reverse out of, red-faced!

I've got a pair of Thule 591s and Wispbar bars, both recommended.

I use both and much prefer the roof option - quicker, simpler, less damage to the bikes through them rubbing. The perfect tow bar mounted rack for 4 bikes has yet to be made.

Of course, inside is the bestest option with a roof box for light luggage if you must.

Four 591's live on the roof of our CRV. Tow ball wasn't an option. If you plan on removing it frequently, then tow ball. You won't remove the roof rack. I use at least one rack on an almost daily basis.

Fuel economy drops dramatically with four bikes and a loaded car. Unladen, it's probably only 5 mpg.

To put that another way, the extra fuel the roof rack ate on the trip cost £212.

Or £26.50 per person, each way. There, that's not so bad. What's the cost for a bike on a Lying Air flight 😉 .

Or £26.50 per person, each way. There, that's not so bad. What's the cost for a bike on a Lying Air flight .

I like what you did there 🙂

I find I get about the same fuel economy out of my Passat at 90 mph without bikes as about 70 mph with 😉

...I really wouldn't want to drive as fast with my pride and joy on the roof as it does affect the stabilty and cross winds are an issue.

As with a quote earlier about Mondeo's Passats already don't fit in a normal parking space so add another 4 foot of towbar rack and you'd have some bother.

another negative of the roof is your bikes don't half get covered in flies on a long summer motorway journey

Had all three types, wife kept putting the bike inside the car till I realised she couldn't reach the roof!
Tow bar so much easier to use generally.

If I stuck them on the outside I'd prefer to go tow bar for the fuel economy, secure fixing, and ability to drive into trail car parks with low bars without having the bikes flying off the roof when you forget. Not to mention rural roads with overgrown trees.

However, my much preferred choice is what I do, in the car.

Downside is the inside of the car gets scratched up and muddy.

The positives are it's far more secure from both a safety and theft point of view, has none of the problems of being outside, and it's not a whopping advert at popular trail centres saying "£thousands of bike kit here, follow me home / to service station and nick it at your leisure".

Towbar for long journeys or with more that 3 mates. Short journeys the bike goes in the car. That's what cars are for....

@ deadkenny

Yeh don't mind doing that if I'm going on my own.. Cars not really big enough for two bikes inside though.

Don't plan on spending too long at any services though; hate the food and use destroyer tactics and keep the tank topped up

Team Sky and the entire pro peloton seem to think that the roof is the best place for transporting a bike.

They also think the road is the best place to ride.

I have a custom Aiston rack that bolts direct to the chassis (instead of fitting a towball) nice and low so all the lights are visible, strong enough to take 3 DH bikes. Could have done with being a couple of inches higher to be fair.