I'm looking into getting a bike carrier for my Octavia hatch, I quite like the look of the official Skoda unit, but at £180 for the whole system (roof bars £127, bike holder £52) it is a bit much even if it is a qality unit. Does anyone know of other bike holders that do the job, preferably roof mounted.

Hi Roo,

There are several threads on here which discuss different roof mounted carriers, I used them when I was looking into this myself

I use the Skoda Aero Bars with Mont Blanc Barracuda carriers which seem to work well for me.

I know there was an issue about roof bars & how tight they could be clamped to the roof, so in the end I went for the Skoda ones as they have their own torque wrench so as to stop you causing any damage.

I bought my first set of Barracudas from our local Suzuki dealer as they were able to offer a good price for a pair & the third one came from an online dealer.

Well chuffed with this set up. It takes a little time to set up, but works very well. I've used it many, many times!

Good Luck!

One word for roof bars - Thule

Most manufacturers just use rebranded Thule gear anyway so you're better off buying it somewhere else for much less. It'll just have Thule written on it rather than a Skoda Logo, otherwise it's exactly the same stuff.

Last time I looked Halfords own roof bars are rebranded "square bar" Thule as well.

Try here for starters:

The Roof Box Company

or here

roofrackshop.co.uk

and if you use Thule's own website to identify the model numbers you require for the roof bars and bike carriers there's always eBay.

Only thing about buying the bike carrier off eBay is to make sure that the seller has the attachment type you need depending on whether you have square or aero bars as it's not uncommon for people to throw away the type they don't need after fitting!!

And finally, I'd buy square bars myself as they're cheaper and do exactly the same job!! - When not in use you should have the bars in the boot or the shed/garage anyway so as not to waste money on uneccesary extra fuel consumption - and on that basis does it really matter that the Aero bars look "nicer"?.

Niall

Don't Thule make the Skoda one's?

Don't Thule make the Skoda one's?

Not sure Mike. The Skoda ones bolt into holes in the door cavity, so if they do, i would guess they are special fitment ones.

Not sure Mike. The Skoda ones bolt into holes in the door cavity, so if they do, i would guess they are special fitment ones.

Do they actually screw into the holes, I looked at my roofbars which I haven't fitted yet, and to me they look more like a guide, location pivot?

Do they actually screw into the holes, I looked at my roofbars which I haven't fitted yet, and to me they look more like a guide, location pivot?

I've not really looked at the holes tbh, I just know they are there and figured they were for screws. Thinking about it you may be right as the paint would clog up the thread.

The Skoda bars don't "screw" into the holes in the door frame, but the holes do act as guides. The lower half of the clamp has a coresponding pin in it. This ensures that the pressure of the clamp & the weight of the bar is in the correct place, so as to prevent damage.

There can also be a difference between the way accessories attach to an "aero"style bar and a "square" section bar.

In most cases you use a "U" shaped clamp to attach to the square section, where some of the aero bars (skoda included) uses a central gutter into whch an inverted "T" is slid & then clamped. I use this method on mine and have a personal preference for it these days! The other advantage to aero style bars is that if you do leave the bars on (but take the carriers off) it doesn't make the horid sort of howling that square sections do!

None of this does anything for fuel economy on a petrol vRS, so I like this sytem as it is quick and easy to put on & remove!

I suggest a quick search of the threads as there was a lot of discussion about some bars that didn't prevent incorrect fitting, causing serious damage to the roof! I seem to remember that Skcoda also modified it's bars to be on the safe side, hence the torque wrench!

I'll see if I have any pictures of my lot that I can post.

I bought mine from roofbox as well. Bought Thule aero bars and 2 Altera bike racks (part of a package deal and came to around £180 for all of it). The Thule bars fit very well and have a pin that locates in the hole. Also for an extra £20 I bought an extra set of feet (can be changed it 2 minutes) so that the same bars and bike carriers can also be used on my wifes Honda Civic. Hence I got 2 roof racks for the price on one. Also if I ever change my car then all I have to do is buy a new set of feet and not a whole new roof rack (like you would have to do if you bought the manufacturers one)

best bike rack i've ever had is a towbar mounted thule one and trust me, i've had a fair few bike racks

you dont skimp when theres best part of 4 to 5 grands worth of bikes on it

I have just bought a bike rack for my car and after much research via various websites, I eventually decided on a tow bar rack.

I didn't fancy the idea of lifting bikes onto a roof and one slipping while trying to affix it and then scratching or damaging the car plus they are less aerodynamic and with the price of fuel only going one way, it was a win, win situation with a rear mounted carrier.

As a previous contributer has stated that if you have spent a few grand on a car is it worth skimping.......in my opinion..no.

Therefore I took the plunge, got a towbar fitted with a 13 point pin and opted for an Atera Strada 3 from the Roofbox company. The price of the carrier was £250 but the quality is second to none and comes with inbuilt locks for the carrier to the towbar and the bike to the carrier, which I think is a must. It has an inbuilt number plates and light, thus no need to strap on an auxillary board.

The fitting of this carrier is so easy and beats the pants off any Thule model (which I originally was going to buy).

So before you buy ensure you look at the Atera and their website Atera Trägersysteme.

They make most of the roofbars for VAG group, Mercedes & BMW who all rebadge them.

I don't think you will be disappointed.

Hope this info helps