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Anyone use one and can recommend or not? Eldest is looking at them for 2 bikes on the roof of his first car.
i use one of the rockbros knock offs on my 108
works fine with 2 bikes just be sure to clean the roof first - not because it stops them sticking but because it has potential to scratch the roof when fitting and removing.
in randomised testing i was able to lift the (heavy wooden) dining room table clean off the ground using just the single rear wheel suction cup..... the front bar has 4 cups
I have a single bike Sea sucker. Agree you need to connect to a clean roof. I have had a few issues with the suction being lost on one of the suckers but never to the point its come lose. Just that I can see the orange bit when I've stopped. That being said I have had it on the roof on the autobahn on my way to the Alsace and can confirm they stay stuck far in excess of the UK speed limits.
Yep I also use the Rockbros mount and haven't had any issues.
I have the single bike mount and I have an additional single sucker that I use to hold the front wheel (which I strap to the top tube) for extra stability.
First drive is nerve-wracking, even now I'm a little nervous after 2 years of use but it's solid and the bike's going no where.
If I remember correctly it was better to order it via their eBay store as you get the attachments for thru axles for free, they were extra if you ordered it from Amazon (not sure if this is still the case).
Another Rock Bros user here, single bike version. Bought it for use on previous car and it was great: easy to fit, solid in use, no faults. Axle adaptors can be dislodged when sliding the axle through to mount it if you're not careful, but easy to manage. No concerns from me in use whatsoever. Front wheel sits on pedal then secured with two straps to downtime and seat stay.
Used occasionally on current car when I don't have access to the van. Now 5+ years old and although not frequent use, it works perfectly.
Options for my car (researched before purchase) were
a) official OEM roof bars
b) suction rack
The roof bars went out of stock the week I bought the car.
Got a seasucker
Nearly 2 years in now, can't fault it.
Tip: angle one of the fork mounts to the side slightly, so the bars of the two bikes dont clash. Then remember which way round you need to do it for each pairing of bikes.
Mini bomber here. Only used it for a short trip but seems fine. Bends the roof a bit but it is a daft double bubble.
Super handy as it means one got back up transport for when I run out of fuel or the engine blows up again.
Those that use them - do you remove them when you are riding?
Are they in anyway secure for fuel / motorway service stops?
Those that use them - do you remove them when you are riding?
Yes. I pop it off and stick it inside the car.
Are they in anyway secure for fuel / motorway service stops?
Not secure in the slightest, but not much worse than roofbars with flimsy built-in locks. I don't leave bikes on any sort of rack out of my sight when stopping.
Recently bought a rockbros one as well, a single bike version with the 3 suckers.
I was a bit concerned about the amount of wiggling as the roof of my Citroen C1 is made of tin foil, but I used it for the first time this weekend and it was decent. no sign of it budging and it was easy to pop off and put in the car while I was out riding.
I did have to lean on it a bit to overcome the slight curvature of the roof, but once it sucked down it was great.
The rockbros instruction suggest you shouldn’t mount it on a sunroof, but I don't know if that is applicable to a panoramic roof? our other car is a new Hyundai Tucson and internet trawls seem to say yeah, but no, but yeah....:-/
Are they in anyway secure for fuel / motorway service stops?
I think the point there is that any external carrier should be treated with the same caution as leaving the bike outside in general.
And TBH inside a car isn't really that much better. Smash window, open door, bikes are gone quicker than twiddling with axle adapters on a rack.
And TBH inside a car isn't really that much better. Smash window, open door, bikes are gone quicker than twiddling with axle adapters on a rack.
But inside the car you can cover it with a blanket or something. On the roof it's a giant advertisement beacon shining across the car park: "nice bike here, come steal it!"
I haven't used the sucker racks but I'd be more worried about sticking them to glass than the metal roof. Sure they might stick better, but enough wobble in the wind and instead of just, well, wobbling, surely there's a chance of shattering the glass?
I drove across france with a bike on a rockbros single mount - worked well. Much better value than the seasucker.
There is a window attachment that can be used to lock the bikes but I've never tried it or felt the need to buy one:
https://seasucker.eu/products/cable-anchor-window
I keep looking at one for my 944, then I remember we live in a bit of Reading that’s usually on fire and an expensive bike on a relatively uncommon car will equal all bikes gone, but that goes for bike racks in general.
I’d have no trouble trusting the suckers. I use one as a floor tile lifter in server rooms. They’re pretty solid, plus you could always run a tether/strap through the windows.
Shame you couldn't wire up the bike to the car electrics to give any thieves a little shock, would be like that episode of Clarksons farm where they install an electric fence around the goats 🤣
There is a window attachment that can be used to lock the bikes but I've never tried it or felt the need to buy one:
This looks somewhat optimistic at it's usefulness.
The placebo effect is strong
Ratchet strap through the doors, if you’re paranoid.
For me it’s not the stealing from the car, it’s the potential garage break in.
Another cheap chinese one here, I have one sucker that seems to work lses well than the others but I use a 2 bike rack for one bike usually so it's never been a problem, 4 suckers gives a ton of redundancy and none have ever come loose completely.
Security wise, there are no roof racks with security that's worth a damn. Thule locks are pathetic, but that's OK because most racks allow someone to remove the bike without undoing the lock anyway. If anything the locks only exist to give people a false sense of security, a thief will be off with the bike as fast as you can find the keys in your pocket. Ironically a seasucker or similiar with a fork mount is going to be more effective than a lock just because they can't ride off and it's a wee bit less simple to remove.
Please nobody trust a bike on a roofrack out of your sight, ever.