I'm wanting to start cycling again, and I'm weighing up the options for transporting my bike. I like the idea of having the bike on the roof, I'm just wondering how good (or terrible) a roof rack will look on a Mk3 vRS Estate. The other option is folding the seats down every time I need to transport the bike, which is less than ideal. Before I decide, I'm wondering if a rack will ruin what is a great looking car.

 

Post your pictures please!

Get it stuck on the roof. It's a Skoda estate, while decent looking, hardly a super stylish coupe! 

Surely it's only going on when you're going biking?   So who really cares, take it off when you're not using it.

 

I think a rack actually looks good myself.....

 

 

I think quite the opposite. Sedan looks horrible with roof racks (if it matters), while on estate you almost cant spot them. 

Roof or internal your only options?

 

vrs rear cycle carrier

 

Personally I like the Saris Bones range:

 

Saris Bones for Octavia estate

I have black Thule aero bars. They look really nice on the black roof rails of the vRS estate.

Saw mention of whispbar on here before. I don't have a roof rack myself but made a mental note of them for a possible purchase if the need arose as they looked pretty sleek.

 

http://www.whispbar.co.uk/uk/product-categories/product-bar/rail-bar-134/

I regularly transport 4 bikes. Up to a year ago I had used a roofrack and bike carriers. Now I am using a 4 bike wheel-standing towbar rack with tilt.

 

I'd avoid a roofrack if you can. Noisy even when empty and worse full. Easy to damage the car dropping stuff on the roof/leaning against car/muck falling off bikes. Slaughters fuel economy (-8mpg on my already not too efficient 2.0t Vectra). Slow to take on and off so gets left on.

 

If you can run to a towbar then get something like the Buzzrack. Mine is a 4-bike but you can get smaller. Built in light and numberplate board. No real wind noise. bikes are low down so no probs lifting/dropping etc. bikes separated by uprights so no chance of rubbing against  the others. Fuel economy not quite so badly affected. and the biggest advantage is it is so easy to take on and off you tend to use it more, and if you go e.g. on holiday then you can pop it off when not cycling.

59 minutes ago, edwards said:

I regularly transport 4 bikes. Up to a year ago I had used a roofrack and bike carriers. Now I am using a 4 bike wheel-standing towbar rack with tilt.

 

I'd avoid a roofrack if you can. Noisy even when empty and worse full. Easy to damage the car dropping stuff on the roof/leaning against car/muck falling off bikes. Slaughters fuel economy (-8mpg on my already not too efficient 2.0t Vectra). Slow to take on and off so gets left on.

 

If you can run to a towbar then get something like the Buzzrack. Mine is a 4-bike but you can get smaller. Built in light and numberplate board. No real wind noise. bikes are low down so no probs lifting/dropping etc. bikes separated by uprights so no chance of rubbing against  the others. Fuel economy not quite so badly affected. and the biggest advantage is it is so easy to take on and off you tend to use it more, and if you go e.g. on holiday then you can pop it off when not cycling.

 

I would prefer to run a towbar mounted bike rack, due to my latest bike being a heavy e-bike. It's more of an effort to lift the bike up on the roof.

The problem I have is the additional expense of getting a towbar fitted & buying a new rack. It was cheaper for me to buy a tyre holding bike carrier that's mounted on to the roof bars (I already had the bars).

 

Maybe later down the line, I will weigh up the costs of getting a towbar fitted & buying a rack. It would have to be a removable towbar too, which I guess are more expensive compared to fixed ones.

If you have a VRS with black roof bars and bike racks it looks great.

 

I take your point Jon, towbars aren't cheap. I fitted and wired mine myself on the Vectra, but it cost me two days of time (I'm a perfectionist and I did a full 'caravan' wiring job so lots to do). The (fixed) bar was £120 and the wiring about another £100, but you can get a 'trailer only' wiring kit for about £25. still a wedge and you've got to be able to do it and have the right tools, which luckily i have.

 

The Superb we have on order we specified the towbar as although its £765 it includes other upgrades to cooling and charging, and an aftermarket removable one fitted, with the correct Skoda electronics, is about £500 anyway.

 

If you ever do get a towbar, this is the rack I have and it is really rather good. It tilts so you can get in the boot and folds up reasonably small for storage. https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-accessories/buzz_rack_buzzwing_4_bike_tilting_and_folding_rack_brp704/njNA_v3iZbYo

 

 

 

Edited 5 January, 20188 yr by edwards

2 hours ago, edwards said:

I take your point Jon, towbars aren't cheap. I fitted and wired mine myself on the Vectra, but it cost me two days of time (I'm a perfectionist and I did a full 'caravan' wiring job so lots to do). The (fixed) bar was £120 and the wiring about another £100, but you can get a 'trailer only' wiring kit for about £25. still a wedge and you've got to be able to do it and have the right tools, which luckily i have.

 

The Superb we have on order we specified the towbar as although its £765 it includes other upgrades to cooling and charging, and an aftermarket removable one fitted, with the correct Skoda electronics, is about £500 anyway.

 

If you ever do get a towbar, this is the rack I have and it is really rather good. It tilts so you can get in the boot and folds up reasonably small for storage. https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-accessories/buzz_rack_buzzwing_4_bike_tilting_and_folding_rack_brp704/njNA_v3iZbYo

 

 

 

Very useful - I've got the detachable hitch on my vRS and I will be looking to get a bike rack come the spring - I will probably look at the 3 bike Buzz Rack.

59 minutes ago, Gti Jazz Blue said:

Very useful - I've got the detachable hitch on my vRS and I will be looking to get a bike rack come the spring - I will probably look at the 3 bike Buzz Rack.

 

I've used the 4-bike a fair bit. With 4 road bikes on it it tilts easily which is useful as we have a lunatic springer spaniel who does like to come out of the boot occasionally  its heavy-ish (more than a Thule one) but it is sturdy and the fact it folds for storage means it isn't a PITA off the car.

 

I also like the fact it keeps the bikes away from the car - I'd be upset to drop a bike or a load of mud and crap on my old car roof but when we get the new one I'd really cry! it also separates the bikes so they don't rub against each other which stops my titanium dream-machine (!) being scratched by the other bikes....

It won't ruin the look, I was pleased with how my brother's blood red Norco looked atop my car last weekend. 

 

Roof rack will look good on your estate! Just make sure you secure the bikes properly 

Looks alright on this estate :

Whispbars look really neat, being barely higher than the roof rails. I also have a set of full length Thule bars when I need to fit a roof box and a bike.

 

 

Presumably bikes on the tow bar get covered in spray and road muck like my rear windscreen does when it rains?

17 hours ago, timmys said:

Whispbars look really neat, being barely higher than the roof rails. I also have a set of full length Thule bars when I need to fit a roof box and a bike.

 

 

 

I have the rail bars on my Qashqai. Have you got the part number/s for the Octavia estate? Sort of hoping the ones I already have will fit, which admittedly is unlikely... 

5 hours ago, Swirly182 said:

 

I have the rail bars on my Qashqai. Have you got the part number/s for the Octavia estate? Sort of hoping the ones I already have will fit, which admittedly is unlikely... 

 

Sorry I don't. Presumably if you enter the details of both cars on the Whispbar website you can get that info.

Not a bike but I use Whispbar Roof racks on all the vehicles I’ve had, love there system setups and accessories.

 

 

 

I have ebay cheap roof bars. very small and discret

 

Here is the ones off mine

 

https://www.hypermiler.co.uk/product-reviews/xtremeauto-maypole-universal-roof-bar-review-skoda-octavia-estate-amazon

 

 

If you do end up putting your bike on a roof rack DO NOT forget that it is there like a mate of mine did. There was a sudden crunching sound as he drove under a height barrier at a local park!

On 05/01/2018 at 09:43, uchuff said:

Saw mention of whispbar on here before. I don't have a roof rack myself but made a mental note of them for a possible purchase if the need arose as they looked pretty sleek.

 

http://www.whispbar.co.uk/uk/product-categories/product-bar/rail-bar-134/

 

I had these on my MK2 and can recommend them.