… would I be mad?

 

Halfords own brand are £80

 

Ebay roof bars with same spec are £30:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-120mm-CAR-ROOF-AERO-BARS-RACK-ALUMINIUM-LOCKING-CROSS-RAILS-/121625432202?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c5170d08a

 

I'm not going on holiday with them, just up the road to the forest with the kids' bikes using a Halfords 2-bike carrier system. And only every now and then.

 

Any other ideas? I can't fit a rear-mounted carrier as I have a roof spoiler (2009 Mazda 6 estate)

 

 

I've looked at these too, the company us actually Allen Ford, so a known auto dealer.

Seems they will take the max weight for the Octavia 3 rails

Sorely tempted myself.....

I've looked at these too, the company us actually Allen Ford, so a known auto dealer.

Seems they will take the max weight for the Octavia 3 rails

Sorely tempted myself.....

 

I'll buy them and give you a free review

 

I'm starting to go mad with the whole bike carrier thing as the main reason I bought an estate was to carry bikes, but failed to consider the roof spoiler situation

 

My wife seems to think we should be able to carry four, with three of them being full-size adult MTBs. I've explained that no sane person will carry four bikes with a full car load of adults and kids – that's what vans are for.

 

I'll get there in the end  …

I'm with the wife 

 

Get a towbar...

 

Funnily enough I've just been looking at these today for my fabia estate. They look ok but will they be up for the job, ie the trip to France with a roof box on them?

Looking forward to the free review of these!

Managed to snag a tow bar and twin electrics for my car off ebay yesterday

+1

 

Looking for a bike rack for the Accord and really can't afford the Thule prices.

 

Plenty of other racks say they are compatible but no one guarantees anything. Last thing you need are bikes flying off into the motorway.

It does say the following:-

Suitable for most vehicles with factory fitted roof rails (up to a maximum separation of 98cm)

Lockable to prevent theft

Easy to fit

Heavy duty - maximum tested load 90kg, TUV/GS safety approved load 60kg

Lightweight and aerodynamic profile reduces drag and wind noise

Assembled ready for use

Ideal for roof boxes & roof mounted cycle carriers

Length 120cm. Please ensure your rails do not have a larger gap as they will not fit

NOT SUITABLE FOR SOLID ROOF BARS WITHOUT GAPS

I've just been a little crazy and taken four bikes on the roof on a camping trip.

 

 

I bought them from Halfords - I've no tow bar, and didn't fancy having something against the paintwork on the rear.

 

It's the Exodus Racks and Dual Carrier Pack (x2) - total was about £270.

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/roof-bars-boxes-bike-racks/roof-mounted-bike-racks/exodus-twin-pack-roof-mount-cycle-carrier

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/roof-bars-boxes-bike-racks/roof-bars-fittings?brand=Exodus&initMin=0&initMax=250

 

The roof bars have the 'T-track' mounting system, which means the cycle racks are clamped on a bolt through the middle of the bar, rather than around the bar.  Recommended speed limit is 56mph. I kept to that and had no problems over a few hundred miles, including a couple of short dirt tracks.

 

Not sure if they fit the Accord - though I imagine they'll have some feet that do.

I've just been a little crazy and taken four bikes on the roof on a camping trip.

 

IMG_0598.jpg

 

I bought them from Halfords - I've no tow bar, and didn't fancy having something against the paintwork on the rear.

 

It's the Exodus Racks and Dual Carrier Pack (x2) - total was about £270.

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/roof-bars-boxes-bike-racks/roof-mounted-bike-racks/exodus-twin-pack-roof-mount-cycle-carrier

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/roof-bars-boxes-bike-racks/roof-bars-fittings?brand=Exodus&initMin=0&initMax=250

 

The roof bars have the 'T-track' mounting system, which means the cycle racks are clamped on a bolt through the middle of the bar, rather than around the bar.  Recommended speed limit is 56mph. I kept to that and had no problems over a few hundred miles, including a couple of short dirt tracks.

 

Not sure if they fit the Accord - though I imagine they'll have some feet that do.

 

Thats the system I am currently looking at, looks very neat on the car, and reading above, The Astra only has solid rails so looks like the ebay ones might not be suitable. 

I've been watching Gumtree for a few weeks but those eBay ones look decent for the price.

I've been watching Gumtree for a few weeks but those eBay ones look decent for the price.

 

Don't bother. I fitted them today and the lock on one broke instantly and the T-Track is only 15mm so I can't fit my cycle rack with 20mm T-Track adapters. 20mm is pretty much standard across the board so why they only made them 15mm I'll never know.

 

Buy cheap, buy twice

Been looking at the exodus and the Thule roofers both from Halfords, anyone have any views on the above. Only roof bars I have had before are the Skoda own brand ones from the Octavia

I'm going for the Exodus package today so I'll report back. The annoying thing is I bought the 1-cycle carrier for £60, then realised that they're doing the twin-pack for £75 so I've got to return the single and go to another store to pick up the twin-pack. It's never bloody easy is it

I actually ended up going to the wrong Halfords store today due to SatNav madness. It was a smaller store and was mercifully quiet so I managed to have a good chat with the manager about the various options, and he did me a deal on the Thule Wingbars, foot pack, and two 591 carriers for the same price I was going to pay for all the Exodus kit

 

I fitted them in about an hour and we had a happy day cycling around Epping Forest. It's the first time I've driven with bikes on the roof so I was a bit nervous and kept checking the wing mirror to see if they were still there  :peek: 

 

I needn't of worried. The kit is solid and so well designed it all slots together and locks down tight, and looks pretty slick too. All in all, I've had a very successful Sunday. :clap:      

Good turnout

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a decent turnout, I keep looking at the Thule wingbars myself,

I picked up a set of roof bars from Lidl last month for £26.

 

They turned out to be Menabo Brio bars RRP ~£70

 

Accord wasn't on the compatibility chart but they fit fine on the rails.

 

They only bother is that they are wing bar shaped so I can't get the really cheap bike racks form Halfords.

 

But still, £100 less than Thule, that'll do me.