Was wondering what rear mounted bike carriers people use on their Octavia's as I'm in the market for one. Thanks in advance

Do you have a hatch or estate?

Do you have a towbar?

If you do not have a towbar and have the hatch then I would personally look at a roof bar carrier since I have not seen a rear mounted carrier I would trust on the back of a hatch.

I have a vRS hatch with no tow bar. I'm a bit concerned about attaching a bike carrier to the rear glass to be honest

I would really go for the roof mounted option (this is what I did) and it gives a really secure way of carrying a bike.

+1 for roof mounting.

My Thule 591 ProRide is perfect for the job. Safe, secure and matches the OEM roof bars nicely.

My dad recently got a towbar mounted contraption for his Altea (he was having trouble getting the bikes up and then down from there - maybe he should use the steps he has for cleaning it's roof - another story) and I'm still undecided. The bikes never seem to stay still - rocking and rolling despite being protected from the airflow. It also adds another couple of feet to the length of the car - which is fun in tight car parks.

Although I'd rather put up with that than have a rear mount jobby. A cheap-ish

carrier + expensive (or even non-expensive) bikes = disaster waiting to happen in my humble opinion.

If you really want a rear mounted bike carrier then the Saris bones is the only choice. I regularly carried 3 bikes on my old car with no issue and got the carrier off ebay for about 50 notes.

Having said that I'd recommend a roof rack and a set of Thule pro-rides or similar over the rear mounted carrier, which is what I have now. Much more convenient as it allows for use of the boot and you don't need to worry about the number plate and lights. You just need to remember that you have the bikes on the roof when entering some car parks with those hight restricter things.

Not sure if this helps but we supply many bike carriers for motorhomes and this is one you can use on the roof and is very cheap....

http://www.laleisure.co.uk/roof-mount-cycle-carrier-30-p.asp

If you've got the vRS it is a pain to fit rear mounted carrier because of the rear spoiler. I tried to fit one to no avail but a scratched spoiler.

Have gone for Thule roof bars and a mixture of thule and halfords (they are the same) racks and carry 4 bikes with no hassle. Also being roof mounted gives you free access to your boot and the bikes are more secure.

i've used a rear mounted carrier on my previous gti and the new vrs.. scratched the car both times grrrr!

i've got two of those thule roof mounted jobbies coming soon...

hth.

I'm sure there is a Thule rear mounted carrier that clips to the hatch (rather than being strapped on) and allows access to the boot. Not sure if this fits the Octy though.

I would go for roof mounted every time though if you can. Its just a better solution.

Any bike rack that sits on the paintwork will mark the paintwork on the car, so the options really boil down to roof mounting or towball mounting unless you're not that worried about marking the car. The good news is that the boot material is thick enough to support a bike rack without getting dented (Unlike a C4 I had the misfortune to use a few years back). Or you could make use of one of the main reasons I bought the car, which was that bikes fit very well in the boot. Anything with a suspension fork less than 100mm will go straight in with the seats down without even the need to take wheels off. With front wheels off 3 bikes and 3 people can be transported pretty easily.

I have a 2 bike towball rack that I use for short trips - it folds up small enough that I can leave it in the boot without it taking up space, but I find that the rack tends to turn slowly on the towball as you drive. This might be a side effect of my towball being greased as it's used to pull trailers on occasion too, but it's a bit annoying and there's not a lot that can be done to stop this happening.

Digressing slightly but my father-in-law has a Thule towbar mounted beast for 4 bikes that he uses on the motor caravan, we just completed 1800 miles with 4 x adult bikes attached no problem, although he did add som extra security just in case (approximately 16 miles of rope and 27 bungie cords)

I have a vRS estate and much prefer the roof mounted option, in the past I've had 2 x adult bikes + a roof box, no issues, infact I forget they were on there during a particular 'lead footed' session.

I have all 3 types and the tow bar mounted racks are the easiest by far (you just have the hassle of getting a towbar fitted!)

This is my Thule on my Octavia (with the Skoda removable towbar):

I also have a couple of Mont Blanc Barracuda's, which really are great racks - these mount on roof bars.

This is them on my Seat with the Seat roof bars:

I also have the Halfords hatch type, which are a pain to fit and get secure - but I did go all the way up to Cape Wrath in my Seat, with my bike on the back and all was fine.

Downside being you can't get in the boot and they are un-secure.

HTH

I have a vRS estate and much prefer the roof mounted option, in the past I've had 2 x adult bikes + a roof box, no issues, infact I forget they were on there during a particular 'lead footed' session.

What bike carriers do you use? Or do you have a slim box? There is no way on earth I can get 2 bike racks on my roof bars with my roof box on!

What bike carriers do you use? Or do you have a slim box? There is no way on earth I can get 2 bike racks on my roof bars with my roof box on!

They are Thule but I can't recall the model, I have a standard Thule roof box (see attached picture fitted to my father-in-law's rubbish Peugeot) but I use 120mm bars with the bikes instead of the 110mm sized for the car, they are perfectly safe and don't extend beyond the body.

Just got a Thule 9708 4 bike towball mounted carrier and can recommend it - bolts on fine - folds in half on an estate when not in use and can be folded out to let you into the boot.

Its carried three bikes to Belfast this week from Sheffield on motorway and ferry and not budged. I have added two extra side straps to it though to be sure it doesn't rotate at speed.