Cycle carrier options

[RizzoTheRat]

Fed up with taking wheels off the bikes to get them in the car.  Anyone got any suggestions for cycle carrier options for a 2009 Octavia vRS Hatchback?

 

Presumably the ones that clamp on the back are out due to the lack of frame on the hatch.

 

Roof bars look like they clamp round the edge of the roof, but how secure is that?  It looks a bit Heath Robinson to me.  Looking on roofbox.co.uk it looks like around £200 for aero bars, and then £150-£200 for a pair of bike carriers.  Presumably these are pretty noisy and there's a risk of me forgetting about the extra height at some point...

 

A 2 bike tow bar mounted carrier looks to be around £200-£300 including lights, but a quick look online suggests around £600 to get a tow bar fitted, anyone got one able to confirm, and does it need the bumper cut?  Tow bar mount seems like the better solution, but £800-£900 seems rather steep for how little I'd use it.  Also what do you do about the reversing sensors, do they automatically turn off when something's plugged in to the to tow bar electrics? 

[Phil-E]

The best solution overall is the towbar.

 

I've used a roof mount before on my previous Octavia.

 

Although it was very stable, cost effective and easy getting them on and off etc, the fuel economy really suffered and the extra height caused problems sometimes.

 

Having them on a towbar is the best. The effect on fuel economy is minimal.

 

It's also come in handy over the years having a towbar when we've needed to tow a trailer.

[mb09]

Hi,

I have a Thule bike rack (Clip on high 9106/9105) for 10 years.

This is attached to the rear hatch of my estate Octavia and can see that clears the number plate and brake lights.

I have no problems when I using it to travel across europe and loading on to ferries.

I have used it carry normal bike 15kg or my  ebike 21kg.

When I use it I lose about 10mpg because of the drag.