[Closed] Tow bar bike racks

Just do it, and if you buy Thule, buy the best one you can afford.

I use one of Thule euro classic for two bikes. No problem with it even when it had two downhill bikes on it. Very stable and the bars have never hit the back of the car (Ford Focus)

Only downside is security if you stop of at the service stations but have never had a problem yet though the actual bikes do lock to the carrier on mine.

Erny got one for sale brand new, have sent you an email.

I've got a Thule 9502 (2 bike version). Its great for carrying 1 bike but when you get 2 bikes on it, you need to spend a bit of time positioning them so that they don't rub. I got a bit complacent the other week and didn't pay enough attention - now have a nice silver patch on my fox float lowers.

It was fairly cheap though - I only paid £80 for it. I think you can get the 3 bike version for about £100 which would carry 2 bikes with no worries of rubbing (wish I had paid the extra now).

They also have a tilt function which means you can still open the boot with the bikes attached.

I've got a Thule 9403, easy to fit and holds the bikes secure.
Two problems though using it on my Berlingo:-

1. Bike nearest the car has to have bars turned otherwise they hit the tailgate glass over bumps.

2. Carrier has a tilt function so you can get in the boot with it fitted, but the tailgate hits the rack so you can't open it.

Other than that very good, much more secure than a strap on and a better alternative to a roof mounted carrier IMO.

Bought myself a EuroClassic G5 for three bikes once I changed over the car and have never loked back - no more hassle with roof mounted carriers - Can open the boot with the bikes mounted and the tow bar is detachable so all hides away - no need to worry about security they lock down to the tow bar and the carrier if using three bikes and I also add a krptonite lock for popping to services etc
a big outlay initially of cash but worth it so far and I can always swith over to using a trailer tent when I can afford 😆

I used to have a Thule 9403 which I bought off a mate who used it (amongst other things) to take 3 full suss bikes from North Yorkshire to Morzine. Totally secure and recommended, especially as you can pick one up new for around £100. Plus having the built in lighting board is a bonus. I sold it though as my new car doesn't have a tow bar.

I've got an old Halfords tow bar mounted rack that I'm planning to stick on the STW classifieds when I eventually dig it out of the shed. It won't fit a swan neck tow bar as there is a bracket that fits permanently in between the tow ball and the bit that sticks out of the back of the car. The rack then slots into the bracket and is secured with two metal pins on each side. It'll take 3 bikes and can tip forward to allow boot access if you remove the top 2 pins. It also leaves the tow bar free for towing at the same time. £20 if you're interested.

I've got a old thule ball mounted one that i brought S/H off there and its a great bit of kit. Take 2 minutes to fit. much easier to fit the bikes than to a roof rack, more aero as well, hardly know its there mpg wise (unlike 3 bikes on the roof.)
Very stable - secure when driving.
Security - take the seatpost/saddles off. lock the bikes to the rack and the rack to the tow hitch.
Even doubles as a post ride seat:-)

I've got the [url= http://www2.thule.com/Thule/ProductPage____83136.aspx ]Thule EuroClassic G5 908[/url] and it is superb! Can put it on and take it off in less than a minute, it is secure and lockable (as are the bikes) and, as mentioned above, tilts (even with the bikes on) to allow access to the boot. No problems with bars touching any part of the (Hyundai i30) car.

Have seen the (new?) Thule Xpress 970 and was impressed for the simplicity and price, but the bikes aren't as well held.

I've got a thule hangon 9708, if you can afford the flat bed types get one of those as its a pain strapping the bikes down. Ones that hold 4 bikes are hard to find got to watch the weight tho. Also for hangon types you need cross bar things for full sussers and you have to watch the bike wheels as they can be too low to the ground so need to be removed.

I got one of these [url= http://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/product_review2.php?partNo=ZX88 ]Linky to Witter tow bar bike rack[/url] from Ebay second hand for £45. They're about £90 new

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Bike is lockable to it with the right kind of lock and it has taken many bikes to France on numerous occasions without a problem.

Mate has the same and he thinks his is great too.

we have a thule, cant remember which one but its the 3 bike one with the extra bit so can take 4, problem only occurs if trying to get a cross bike aswell as mountain bikes on. perfect otherwise.

I have a Pendle, its very good.

I've got an old Thule from paul.e off this very site & it's been fantastic.
Would normally have gone for a Pendle, but glad I got the Thule in the end

coolhandluke - Member
I got one of these Linky to Witter tow bar bike rack from Ebay second hand for £45.

I've a thule (cheap end of the range) "flatbed" model - might be 9403

built for 3; I've had 4 on it using a bit of imagination and some old carpet as protection. Does "bounce" a bit if you hit bumps in the road but seems pretty solid.

is very quick to fit/remove

my car's a saloon. Can access boot without using the tilt if Im careful about keeping the inside pedal low down when putting the 1st bike on

Got the Thule four bike one, sturdy bit of kit, use it most weekends and on the trips to Verbier each year

[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=ytz2sb&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]

Tracey

My concern is the way these racks seem to rely on gripping the tow ball. I would have thought that there is a lot of scope for the rack to tilt back on the ball with the weight of the bikes. Is this ever a problem? A 45kg weight limit is also not enough for 3 dh bikes, even light ones...

i jumped on mine and it did not budge that is a lot of metal to only be able to hold 45 kg not sure why they have this so low on them tbh.

think you have to have a goose neck tow ball for the Thule.

Pendle used to be Witter only.
Atera works with both.

I have found that the Thule rack can rotate horizontally very slightly when fully laden when you go around corners.

I now have an Atera (4 bike version) from roofbox - works well & is very light but a little fiddly sometimes. You have to get the order of the bikes right on the rack.

think you have to have a goose neck tow ball for the Thule

Nope

Ours has never moved. It also sits on a normal bolt on tow ball

Tracey

+1 for Pendle, they work well and are made in the UK.

Put foam pipe lagging around the forks to prevent rubbing. Other than that issue, they're a really good bit of kit and worth the investment.

think you have to have a goose neck tow ball for the Thule
Nope

no but you may have to change your towball if you have a flange type, the ones designed for use with caravan stabilisers work.

What are the fundamental differences between the £100 thule rideon 9503 and the other 3 bike wheel mount thule racks which are ridiculously expensive at more like £350? I can see the mounting clamps are different and the expensive ones look a bit snazzier but apart from that there is nothing making me spend another £250?!

We put garden kneeling mats between the bikes to stop rubbing

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Tracey

I asked the Thule dealer the difference and it is really just the mounting clamp and the tilt mechanism in terms of function. Nothing worth the extra £250 imo

OK sounds like it'll be the 9503 then. Still not sure how they get enough clamping force to allow no movement on a greased towball!

[img] [/img]

This is what clamp looks like, the shape means it can't easily slip round once tightened rather than a huge amount of force

Acording to the Thule centre in Rotherham the tow ball and the clamping mechanism should be free of any greace

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Thule G5 908. Expensive, but very good.

Tow bar mounted racks are very convenient, and keep the crap falling onto the roof of your car, but they make a big dent into your fuel consumption, and the drag is very noticeable if you have more than one bike on it; in my case the fuel consumption difference with a single bike on it is about -9mpg, almost 20%.

Also, as someone else noted, the Thule racks offer zero security, both when it comes to attaching the bike to rack and the rack to the car (but that is no different from roof mounted rack).

Surely the bikes are better behind the car than on top of it?

Thule 9502 on a new shape Focus here. Really easy to fit and stick the bikes on, and we haven't actually noticed a big difference in fuel consumption TBH. On the Focus the boot clears the rack with one bike on the outboard side without having to tilt it, and the tilt with 2 bikes is enough although a bit heavy to do woth the DH bike on. I use a cable lock to secure the bikes to the rack, which came with a lock to secure it to the car FOC. We had been throwing them in the back of our Berlingo quite happily but having bought a new car and having the dog in the boot most of the time it would have been too much hassle dropping seats, removing dog guard etc every time we wanted to take the bikes anywhere. Now we ate lookiing at getting a trailer tent I'll just need to bolt a ball to that for it to hang off.

Tow bar mounted racks are very convenient, and keep the crap falling onto the roof of your car, but they make a big dent into your fuel consumption...

Yes, but no more so (probably less) than having them on the roof.

Thule user here. I got the cheaper one, £120 not the £350 one.. it's basically the same, but the fixings and stuff are better. The cheap one uses straps, the nice one has bars and clamps and stuff. Still not worth another £230 tho.

And it doesn't budge either.

My Thule locks onto the two bar and the bikes lock onto the rack. It's dead good too.

Another vote for the witter rack here

And you can still use the towball if required ( no I do not own a caravan 👿 )

3 bikes on a 9503: Makes no difference whatsoever to my fuel comsumption (on last trip in diesel Passat it was getting 52mpg whilst being driven at or just above the National Speedlimit!)

I've just got one of these and it as good as the £350 thule one.
[url= http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php?21909 ]BUZZ RACK[/url]

Thule 9503 here, used it with a swan neck towball and a flange type towball, no issues with either. Paid £95 for mine new and delivered from eBay. Never noticed any difference to fuel economy, like I did when I was roof mounting them. I always give the towball a wipe over with abit of petrol/alcohol to get any grease off and it's always been solid. Car never gets left unattended when we stop so not fussed about it being locking or not. Excellent rack for the money

Regards fuel economy, I go from 50mpg to about 45mpg ish in my Passat saloon. I suspect the effect would be much less if I had an estate or something with a high back that they could nestle behind ie a van.

Re security - being on the back of the car you could lock them through something attached to the towbar or the towing eyelet or something quite easily.

My concern is the way these racks seem to rely on gripping the tow ball. I would have thought that there is a lot of scope for the rack to tilt back on the ball with the weight of the bikes. Is this ever a problem? A 45kg weight limit is also not enough for 3 dh bikes, even light ones...

Don't worry about that, I used to have the Thule 9503 and when it was clamped I could stand on the end of the rack and it didn't budge (I weigh circa 90kg) so I'd be very surprised if 3 DH bikes would cause the Thule clamping mechanism to fail. My suspension did sag quite a lot when I had 3 people + luggage, a full tank of fuel and 3 full suss bikes hanging off the tow bar though...

The risk with the thule clamping system is side-to-side movement though. It has a sort of collar thing that is designed to prevent it moving down - but it still relies on clamping force to stop side-to-side movement. They say you have to clean the ball of any grease before using it for this reason.

I have a Thule "cheapie" from Halfords. It cost £140 ish and holds 3 bikes. I've had it for a couple of years now and it is ACE. Easy to fit and stashes easily in the boot when I'm riding. On my wife's Suzuki SX4 I didn't notice a change in fuel consumption but on my Honda Civic there is a big difference. Car shape must be a factor as to how much the economy is affected. As for security, I just use normal bike locks to secure the bikes to the rack. My tow ball does have an anchor if I wanted to lock the rack to the car, but not done so far.

Riding up in Fort Bill the other weekend I got 3 bikes on the rack, one bike inside and 4 people in the car - a Honda Civic!

Highly recommended. I think it is the Ride On 9503

I am the biggest paranoid when it comes to bike security and I was quite happy to leave my Pitch Pro on Peterpoddys Thule towbar rack for 2 hours in the middle of Ambleside on a weekend. I used a long cable lock with a huuuge padlock, with the padlock threaded through a hole in the towbar mount. And you could leave it on as well.

Makes zero difference to the fuel economy as well, at least with an estate car. I could imagine a saloon or hatchback's mpg suffering a bit but nothing compared to the 10-15mpg difference a roof mounted system makes.

My mate bought one of these last night...

http://aistoncycleracks.co.uk/

4 bike version.. looks absolutely bombproof and price is fraction of that of Thule.

>> Tow bar mounted racks are very convenient, and keep the crap falling onto
>> the roof of your car, but they make a big dent into your fuel consumption...

> Yes, but no more so (probably less) than having them on the roof.

Nope; a towbar rack provides a significantly more drag than a roof rack. I own both, and the difference between the two is palpable. As a simple exercise to demonstrate why, next time you ford a river with your bike, check the difference between placing the bike in the direction of flow and then across. 🙂