[Closed] Thule boot mounted bike racks

Honestly (and this has been covered quite extensively here), boot mounted racks are The Wrong Way To Do It and I would always recommend either towbar or roofbar solutions (or even putting the bike in the boot) to a temporary bootlid carrier.

Any reason why you wouldn't want to do this properly for your (very nice...and expensive!) Recluse? Even an expensive solution would probably be < 1/10th of the price of the bike!

Thanks, that's what I thought however my dear lady wife thought this was the best way to go. She doesn't want to pay for the towbar tbh

We had a Thule 'Clip-on' boot rack for years and it was one of the most solidly built and stable racks we've owned. It murdered the paintwork on the car though. The clips went under the lip of the boot and over the top of the boot door. Didn't work if you've got any sort of go-faster spoiler thingy above the window of your boot. Found that out when we tried fitting it to a mate's car....whoopsy!

Even though the metal clips had plastic and rubber coatings to protect the car's paintwork, these soon wore away, but we didn't notice this until we started seeing the damage to the car's paintwork.

Mrs Beagleboy's new car has roofbars, so we binned the boot rack and now have Thule roof racks. I don't like them as much as the boot rack. It makes me nervous that my £4K pride and joy is wobbling around on the roof where I can't see it, but it's her car, and I'm not going to start an argument I have no hope of winning...ever...any argument....about anything... 🙂

We too had a 'Halfords Advanced' which was a re-badged Thule.

It uses steel straps not the usual soft nylon straps. It had two big levers that clamped the rack hard onto the boot. I could swing my body weight off it. IT was the only boot rack I have ever truly trusted - it took three bikes the length and breadth of UK over 5 or 6 years we had the car.

Prior to  that we had nylon strapped thing (Mont Blanc IIRC) that was a liability to get tight enough and stay done up. I *always* tie straps (we still carry canoes) as well as buckles, and I happily had to ignore instructions as leading a strap around bumper that was too flexible was not secure.

I've had Thule roofbars, and tow bar racks over the years, whatever you pick is a compromise.

Honestly (and this has been covered quite extensively here), boot mounted racks are The Wrong Way To Do It and I would always recommend either towbar or roofbar solutions (or even putting the bike in the boot) to a temporary bootlid carrier.

Below is my latest rack, picked up an ex demo, brand new really and boxed, for 100 quid. It's definitely NOT temporary! 🙂

No buckles or straps, still allows boot access, and by eck it's solid! Video worth a watch OP.

https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/bike-rack/trunk-bike-racks/thule-clipon-high-2-9105-_-910501

We had a Thule ‘Clip-on’ boot rack for years and it was one of the most solidly built and stable racks we’ve owned. It murdered the paintwork on the car though.

I also had a Thule Clip-on for my VW Touran. It carried 3 full suspension bikes no problems and never moved an inch. Absolutely rock solid as mentioned above.

Luckily I put helicopter tape over the rub points on the tailgate so my paintwork was fine.

Would definitely recommend one to anyone.

The only downside was the rear windscreen wiper couldn't be used. I had to remember to switch the wiper off before engaging reverse to ensure it didn't automatically start.

No buckles or straps, still allows boot access, and by eck it’s solid! Video worth a watch OP.

The Thule one does at least keep the bikes properly separated, so they don't grind together...but the entire weight of the whole rack with potentially £10,000+ of bikes is supported entirely through two straps, two small metal hooks and a thin lip of bodywork on the car that was never designed to do this job. Engineering wise, while it's a quality product, from a car mounting point of view, they are simply making the best of a bad job.

I appreciate that not everyone can practically (or financially) use towbar or roof carriers, but this sort of rear carrier will always be a bodge solution, albeit that this one is definitely one of the nicer bodges 🙂

I had a Thule 9103 and apart from the slightly fiddly first set up it was amazing. It had the metal straps and two huge clamps that clamp the whole thing to the car. I could pick the back end of the car up with it. I loved it but then got a car with a tow bar and went for one of those type next.

To avoid paint damage I use some helicopter tape where the various bits touched the paintwork. This had the advantage of marking exactly where the rack needed to go each time it was installed. I used it carefully and there were no marks on the car when I returned it to the lease company.

I’ve recently got a new works car I can’t fit a towball to and the roof option is really ugly (no mounting points or rails and I don’t use it very often) so I’m going to buy another 9103/4 (whichever fits my car).

but the entire weight of the whole rack with potentially £10,000+ of bikes is supported entirely through two straps, two small metal hooks and a thin lip of bodywork on the car

Again, it's a compromise. My Thule roof bars were held in place by four bolts. If one of those front bolts shears, which considering it's subjected to all weathers, road salt etc, then the whole lot whips off with the force exerted at 70 on a motorway.

On a tow bar, I was always aware that I'm one rear end bawbag shunt away from all the bikes being written off too, and lets face it, that's far more likely than losing a roof rack, or a tail mount!.

Use what suits you, none are 100% THE best option.

ive got a 9103 on the golf.

its solid and much better than a roof rack imo. however it has damaged the car as others have said.

Its also a bit difficult with my new stumpy

however it has damaged the car as others have said.

Well that’s your mistake to be honest, I used mine for 4 years and with just the use of a little bit of protective tape (4x 3x3cm patches) on the paint and careful installation each time I managed zero damage.

How many posts in and no mention of buying a van? Standards are slipping....

I'e had a van too, as well as every other type of rack or mount. It's all a compromise, have whatever suits you. I used to always prefer towball mounted racks, but I had a trailer to use too for other stuff at the time, so had a towball anyway. Not having that anymore makes tow bar mount too expensive to consider.

Bike goes in the back of the civic 90% of the time, only really the wife and wee yins bike that go outside now.

👆what Nobeer said: nightmares with several, boot mounted, racks ; bought a Thule tow bar mounted rack/tow bar  in 2013 and it’s still doing its job perfectly (can never work out how mind you) but it just works......in its chequered past, it has held on to: Anthem, Trance, Talboy, Carbine, Hightower, Pivot LesFat and Stache....so a fair cross section of nadgery frame designs.

Well that’s your mistake to be honest,

well you may be right but the issue i had was.

The car (owned from new) had very tight panel gaps. it was not possible to hook the staps over the boot. So to fit it you had to open the boot, slide them on from the side, then close the boot and do the other side. As you shut the boot quite often one of the straps would flop over and jam between the boot lid and roof damaging it.