I need to buy a bike rack for the Spaceback Sport.  Can anyone recommend one?  I've never used a bike rack before and it looks like there is potential to scratch the car if not put on right, also the ones that hook over the top of the boot look like they might not fit due to the spoiler so keen to hear from someone who's used one before on a Spaceback.

 

Any advice is greatly received

I use one of these on my Spaceback, with no fitting issues or scratches.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005Q5VC92/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

However, Im about to sell it having invested in a roof rack and roof-based bike carrier.

There is one thing to be wary of - some of these racks have, quite rightly, a pair of straps that hook onto the sides of the hatchback to give lateral (sideways) stability - the excellent Saris Bones is one.

 

However, the rear window of the spaceback goes the full width of the tailgate - there is no metal surround to hook these straps onto. And hooking them onto the edges of the glass somehow doesn't seem to be a wise thing to do!

I have a saris bones 3 (although I can only carry 2 bikes because I have the hatch rapid)... It's a great rack and really secure but even fitting it right I have scratched the car a little - there isn't any bike rack that won't unless it doesn't touch the car. If you're going to use one a lot I'd looking in to a detachable towbar version... Then the bikes and the rack won't touch the car. As I said saris bones is a great rack!

For heavier bikes we are using a Thule Easyfold 931 bike rack which mounts on to the towbar ball.

Folded up it fits easily into the luggage area when not in use.

Our older Thule bike rack was a non-folding model and was too wide to fit into the luggage area.

 

(We have an odd law where it is an offence to drive with an empty bike rack fitted.)  :no:

I use the Decathlon 300 cycle carrier, I wouldn't put more than two bikes on it though, I reckon a third would be pushing it

 

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/300-rear-cycle-carrier-3-bikes-id_8342387.html

 

The Rapid isn't in the instruction manual for the settings so you need to play around a bit to get the fit right, if I remember correctly I started on the same settings as a Polo and tweaked it from there, once I got the fit right I used some white paint to mark it off so I could set it back up again correctly without having to remember the numbers (of course, i could have just noted them down in the phone or something too)

 

Here's the car with just my bike on it

 

 

 

 

That's basically what mine looks like on the back of my Spaceback, just with fewer bikes

For heavier bikes we are using a Thule Easyfold 931 bike rack which mounts on to the towbar ball.

Folded up it fits easily into the luggage area when not in use.

Our older Thule bike rack was a non-folding model and was too wide to fit into the luggage area.

 

(We have an odd law where it is an offence to drive with an empty bike rack fitted.)  :no:

Hi Spiz,

 

We also use a Thule detachable mount which folds and fits onto the towbar ball. 

 

In our case it is an Xpress 970 (not sure what the difference is to the 931) However great rack, folds up and doesn't touch the car.

 

Cheers

I have a saris bones 3 (although I can only carry 2 bikes because I have the hatch rapid)... It's a great rack and really secure but even fitting it right I have scratched the car a little - there isn't any bike rack that won't unless it doesn't touch the car. If you're going to use one a lot I'd looking in to a detachable towbar version... Then the bikes and the rack won't touch the car. As I said saris bones is a great rack!

 Do you hook the side straps directly to the edges of the window, or do you use hatch huggers?

Do you hook the side straps directly to the edges of the window, or do you use hatch huggers?

Having the saloon type I have hatch huggers ( cost another £20 but its what saris recommend)

Just had a look at the Saris web site, specifying the Bones 3 + Spaceback, and the illustration doesn't look like my spaceback! https://www.saris.com/catalog/racks#&region=2&make=275&model=6428&year=25721&sort=2&filter-3=on

 

The side straps in the illustration don't go either side of the rear screen, but onto the body panel below it.

 

Since I already have a bones 3 (previously used on an MX5) and a Spaceback, does anyone have piccies of that rack on the spaceback that they can share?

Just had a look at the Saris web site, specifying the Bones 3 + Spaceback, and the illustration doesn't look like my spaceback! https://www.saris.com/catalog/racks#&region=2&make=275&model=6428&year=25721&sort=2&filter-3=on

 

The side straps in the illustration don't go either side of the rear screen, but onto the body panel below it.

 

Since I already have a bones 3 (previously used on an MX5) and a Spaceback, does anyone have piccies of that rack on the spaceback that they can share?

The site is not showing you a picture of the rack on a Spaceback, merely showing you a list of racks that will fit on a Spaceback. The picture on the Saris site is simply the rack on a generic estate/hatchback car. The fit will be roughly the same as pictured.

Just had a look at the Saris web site, specifying the Bones 3 + Spaceback, and the illustration doesn't look like my spaceback! https://www.saris.com/catalog/racks#&region=2&make=275&model=6428&year=25721&sort=2&filter-3=on

 

The side straps in the illustration don't go either side of the rear screen, but onto the body panel below it.

 

Since I already have a bones 3 (previously used on an MX5) and a Spaceback, does anyone have piccies of that rack on the spaceback that they can share?

 

I think this has been answered already, the rack should fit...when I put my car in it shows an audi a4... Personally I would try and get the bottom feet to sit on the top of the bumper and don't use your rear windscreen wiper! top legs will go against the rear window on yours  and saris don't reccomend hatch huggers for a 5 dr space back (normal looking hatch) compared to mine (5dr saloon looking one). I might be putting the bikes on the back some time soon so will take  a picture...

Edited 20 September, 20169 yr by JonBRapid