OK this is the story.

I currently have a cheapie rear mounted bike carrier for the Octavia 4x4 that is fine for two bikes (me and my 6yr old daughter) but a bit fiddly to fit. However SWMBO now has a bike and I have a 3yr old daughter who is also likely to be cycling soon. We are also probably off tto Belfast next week and the girls want to take the bikes. So I tried three on the carrier I have last night and, whilst it was OK, the top of it did seem to pull away from the car a bit despite getting the straps really tight.

I'm therefore thinking about getting a tow bar mounted one to take 4 bikes that will fit the detachable towbar I have. What I'm not sure about is whether the ones that fit on the towball will fit OK and just how good the Thule's are, for example the 9708 which I can get for about £70,

Roof bar ones might be better but SWMBO won't be able to lift the bikes up when she's out on her own with the kids and, as we intend using it to take the bikes on a ferry where there is a height limit (and higher costs more!), I think the roof option is out.

So - any experiences or recommendation (quickly as I need to decide ASAP)!

The alternative is to modify the one I have with some more straps to the end of the bars to pull them in.

Thanks

Edited 2 August, 201015 yr by skomaz

Having done them all, boot mounted, inside car, on roof and now on towbar I can say that towbar is the best, with roof mounted (esp with Thule Pro-rides) a close-ish 2nd. We have a Thule 9503

Although not the most expensive Thule it still easily carries three bikes of all dimensions and sizes, especially when "frame hanging" racks don't always suit small frames or most suspension designs. The big advantage over roof mounted options is fuel economy (virtually indistiunguishable from unloaded) and on big holidays you can still take things on the roof.

This was at the Mother-in-laws on the way back from our Devon holiday at my folks' - All the toys and room for the little one!

The rack also rocks back when loaded so that you can still access the boot without taking the bikes off. The rack does seem to flex a bit from side to side when "pressing on" but this is no doubt due to the construction being various parts bolted together rather than a single piece. The connection to the towball is certainly solid and it just takes a bit of getting used to. From what I've seen following others with roof mounted racks; you get just as much flex, but ignorance is bliss!

Also, if I use the two roof carriers then I can now take 5 bikes with me - perfect for lads weekend away - just need to "negotiate" the time away....

Niall

Thule do a kit allowing you to add a mount for a 4th bike to the 3 bike towball racks. It may be cheaper to do this than to get a 4 bike rack. Also (According to a Thule sales rep I was talking to earlier this summer) a lot of the older Thule racks will become illegal on the continent due to regulations coming in saying the bike rack lights must be within a certain distance (Something like 10 or 15 cm) of the outside edges of the car. The new racks have lights that can be moved out on a parallelogram while the rack is being used and folded in so it still fits in the boot of the car when it's not in use. Only thing I'm not too sure of on the towball racks is how well the mounting acts to stop the whole rack turning on the towball. I've seen this with the two bike towball rack I use every so often where at the 50 mph mark, the wind pulls the bike strongly enough that the rack starts to twist, but a friend of mine has a 3 bike rack similar to the Thule (But not as good he reckons) and has never seen this happen.

Thanks guys that is really good info and your set up Niall looks spot on. It certainly sounds like the towball option is the way to go for me and, having checked the weight limit on the towbar (90kg) there is plenty to spare for 4 bikes and a rack.

The extra add-ons seem to only be for the wheel support racks rather than the hanging racks and the former seem to be a fair bit more expensive. I'm also wary that I'll struggle with the kids bikes on a wheel support one whereas I know that I can get the bikes we have on my current hanging rack so am assuming they'll also fit the Thule hanging rack.

I'm slightly concerned about the potential for it twisting but I guess this is all to do with how tight the fitting bolt is done up. I've also seen the odd report that the rack can sway so am thinking I could use a couple of the straps from my existing rack to stop this if needed.

The comment on the legality on the continent is interesting but I already have a 3' trailer board that I use so won't be using a Thule one and can always knock up a wider board to suit if needed. I'm just hoping that the fittings I have for the current rack that hang the trailer board off the ends of the rack bars will fit the Thule.

I think I feel an order coming on...

We had a custom one made up with a big block that fit behind the towball.

Worked a treat

Thule have an upper link for the 4th bike on the rack too. It looked like a pretty neat solution when I saw it earlier this summer anyway. Just watch you speed on speed bumps - they can give the rack a serious jolt, as a friend of mine discovered with his rack :(...

Well I've traken the plunge on a Thule 9708 - just hoping it'll arrive before I leave for Belfast in the next few days - otherwise we'll not be taking all the bikes!

I went for the towball mounted hanging version as I figured I could put the bigger bikes nearest the car and the smaller ones further back so that I get a bit more clearance for the ferry ramps than I'd have got with a wheel support rack that is low all the bay to the back of the rack. Now I'm hoping that the wifes bike will be OK on it as, whilst it has no crossbar it does fit on my existing hanging rack...

I'll report back when it appears and I've used it.

Edited 4 August, 201015 yr by skomaz