I need a bike rack but am worried about strapping the rack and bikes to the glass on the hatch.

Any recommendations and photo's?

Cheers

Prolfe

I need a bike rack but am worried about strapping the rack and bikes to the glass on the hatch.

Any recommendations and photo's?

Cheers

Prolfe

I've never heard of any stories of people putting windows through with hatch bike racks or anything like that, and loads of people use them, so they seem like a good idea. The only thing to be careful is if you do have any sort of spoiler make sure it doesn't interfere with the way the rack works, as I can't use them on my Fabia vRS due to the roof spoiler.

You can get some very reasonably priced racks of this type, but personally I prefer Thule roof-mounted system.

http://www.thule.com/en-GB/GB/Products/BikeCarriers/RoofCarriers/Thule%20ProRide%20591.aspx

It's not as cheap, but just as quick to take off and on if you don't want to leave it on the whole time (less than 5 minutes to whip it off). I leave mine of as I use it a few times a week - they're a really effective system, really solid and quick to use. I've been using mine for 3.5 years on my Fabia vRS and it works a treat. Also means you can put other stuff on the roof rack if you ever need to.

+1 for the roof mounted option.

I used to have a Focus ST with a fairy large rear roof spoiler. I managed to borrow a suitable rear mounted carrier, but got fed up stopping to tighten and check straps and generally wasn't impressed, nor confident to travel at any decent pace. the pads also fully compressed allow the metal frame to rub the bumper.

The rear mounted rack I tried retailed at £70....

I ended up going for the Thule roof bar option with two 591 (I think) bike carriers. Shop around on the net and some good prices can be had.

The system is fantastic and so quick especially once your out on the bike. We used ours at the weekend and had someone comment on how quickly we were ready to leave the forest we cycled in.

I'd say it takes 30 seconds to put a bike on the roof and secure it, while I'm doing that the wife can put the rest of the gear back in the boot and we're ready to leave.

Its not a cheap setup and I wasn't sure if I could justify it a couple of years ago when I bought it, but have no regrets whatsoever.

I as initially concerned about effects on fuel consumption, but my trip computer was still reading 52mpg average on an 80 miles trip, where it might read 57 on run without roof attachments. ok, 10% drop in economy, but not bad considering.

Edited 18 April, 201115 yr by swil00

The hatch is glass at the edge, that's what I'm worried about.

Another + 1 for the roof option. Thule & Mont Blanc Barracuda for me

I have some roof bars for a MK2 Octavia which I need to sell. Must put an ad in the for sale section.

I don't like hatch mounted carriers either. I had a Lancia Beta HPE a long time ago and one broke the seal in the back window and I never managed to get it fixed properly. I'm sure it contributed to the demise of the car as it rusted away in the end.

I also used roof mounted bike carriers, I have 3 of those as well.

I have an internal bike carrier for the Yeti.

I was looking at a rear mounted carrier but never got round to it in the end. I contacted Pendle who make quality racks and they said don't use one. Fortunately I'm now single so the bike stays in the car where it belongs. It's a good bike and there's tales of people following you home and nicking them.

I've used the Halfords Bike Carrier on my estate.

I think I paid around £50 for it. The fixing straps have dumbells that secure against the interior trim so no chance of damaging the glass.

If you're an occasional bike user it makes much more sense than a £200+ roof system, in my opinion.

the bike stays in the car where it belongs.

Agree with that too, when I'm out by myself, I always carry mine in the car, but that's not very often at the moment!

I've used the Halfords Bike Carrier on my estate.

I think I paid around £50 for it. The fixing straps have dumbells that secure against the interior trim so no chance of damaging the glass.

If you're an occasional bike user it makes much more sense than a £200+ roof system, in my opinion.

IMHO choosing a bike carrier depends on two factors, what fits your car & what bikes you carry. Some frames won't carry well if clamped, and some roof carriers won't cope with fatter MTB tires or skinniest road tires.

We cycle a lot, and carry a couple of expensive frames, so a decent carrier makes financial sense, I'm now definitely also looking at the Pendle stuff too. But if I was only carrying my kids "play" bikes, then of course you'd think twice!

I have a three bike rear holder and four Thule roof mounted, and have used both for various numbers of bikes/roofbox combinations.

Roofmounted are more expensive to acquire, but only the fittings need changed when you change car. Rear mounted doesnt work with spoilers. Roofmounted is more secure and can be fully locked. Nedd to consider effort of lifting bikes to roof height- Folding step from Lakeland is a regular piece of kit to help with this, especially when I had people carriers. Roofmounted tends to affect fuel consumption more than rear mounted, and need to remember you cant drive in to multi storey car parks with roof mounted on. REar mounted always feel less secure to me and I dont like seeing the overhang in mirrors.

My own preference is for roof mounted where possible.

Thanks for the replies, I didn't want to spend much, but also wanted one that would be okay with the glass surround and avoiding the spoiler.

Went and got a halfords boot mounted rack. It sits well out of the way of the spoiler and high enough to not obscure the lights and numberplates.

Halfords sell some glass hatch plastic dumbells so I got a couple of them to use for the top mount straps. I then noticed that it came with two anyway. I fitted the side clips but felt that they slid towards the spoiler so used the other glass dumbells.

The whole rack feels secure and I'm not worried about the rack trying to rip the glass off the car!!

Will pic it tomorrow.

Pics as promised:

You can see the dumbell things: