Bikes on car roof - advice needed.

[ExConstance]

I am changing my tiny Fiat for a smallish SUV so that DH and I can go camping and get all our stuff in the car, plus the dog. We also want to take our bikes with us on some occasions (when we are not taking the dog). I have been thinking about getting two Thule bike holders to go on the roof, with the rails to fasten them to. In ;the past we had rear mounted bike carriers and I was always worried about them falling off an dou have no access to the tailgate.
What I need to know is whether this is a good way to carry the bikes, I'm concerned about getting them on and off for one thing. Also I need to know about whether to get them fitted by the supplier or if it is the sort of thing my DH could do for me.

We have a VW golf and a Thule bike carrier - our bikes are lightweight but if I was any shorter than my 5ft 8 I would struggle to get them on the rack . That’s the only thing that would make a rear mounted one more appealing but other than that have never had an issue going normal speeds with bikes up top (except for fuel consumption dropping like a stone!) 🚴‍♀️

We used to have a Thule roof mounted bike rack. As long as you have rails they are easy enough to fit. I’d recommend the type that hold the bikes upright with the tyres in half pipe things, rather than those that hold the bike upside down by the saddle.

Don’t forget you won’t be able to go into height restricted car parks that was an expensive mistake

I’m 5’8” too, and I used to have a little IKEA step that I carried in the boot to reach the bike rack more easily. I drove a Golf.

I'm wee, can't reach up to put them in the roof above my head, so we went with a rear towball mounted Thule one. It's awesome - I can lift and fit it myself, and there's still access to the tailgate because it has a drop down even when fully loaded. Love it. Fecking expensive mind.

I’ve recently switched from roof carriers to a tow bar mounted carrier and I’d never go back. Is that an option as it’s been an absolute game changer in terms of ease.

Prior to that, I could manage getting the bikes on and off the roof of a ‘normal’ car, but my last car but one was a Ford C-Max and it was absolute murder getting them on and off the higher roof. I’m 5 8” and needed a wee step, but even with that it was still hard going. To answer your other questions I never had any concerns about them falling off the roof and I managed to get the roof bars and carriers on myself - took a while the first couple of times but it gets easier til it’s just second nature.

We graduated from rear mounted rack, to roof mounted, to tow bar mounted to van…

@BikeRunSki we are 3/4 of the way along that list and I definitely see a van in our future….👍😁

It depends how much money you have to throw at the problem.

You can get the roof racks that 'tip-down' so you can load the bikes then push them up (rather than lift them up to load them, but I'm not sure how much cheaper they are than getting a tow ball & drop down bike rack (so you can get into the back of the car.

A small step wouldn't be enough for me to reach! Id need a proper ladder!!

We do both roof mounted and tow bar mounted depending on what we are doing. We have Thule carriers, and no problem at all with them. You might need a little folding step depending on your height and that of the car, but the Thule carrier is so easy to use it's not a problem to lift the bike on.
The tow bar mount is more hassle to put on, but lets you get into height restricted car parks and esp if you have heavier bikes. Ours angles down so you can get into the boot with the bikes on

[quote Ohdeariedear]@BikeRunSki we are 3/4 of the way along that list and I definitely see a van in our future….👍😁[/quote]
It’s the future!

Thank you everyone for your replies. I think a tow bar fitting will be too expensive but as DH is 6' and I'm more than happy to buy him a little IKEA step I think loading the bikes will be his job. We have two Temple bikes, so they look stylish sit up and beg but are quite light.

great thread, thank you. We were pondering about buying roof mounted too.

We have a people carrier and it's hard getting the bikes up for me but doable. Much easier for dh!

Bear in mind that putting bikes on the roof will increase the drag on the car and increase fuel consumption considerably. It also can restrict where you can park. Personally I'd go with rear mounted.

The conclusion. We eventually decided to get a detachable tow bar and Thule 2 bike carrier to fit on it. I haven't actually ordered it yet as the whole kit and caboodle will be £1220, though as we are going 50/50 it is less eye-watering for me personally. Thanks for all the advice. I eventually thought that even if DH could load the bikes on the roof there is no way I could, and I might need to take the bikes to be serviced or want to go out on my own. At least we won't have to worry about those car parks with height limiters over the entrance.

Just a thought (if you've not bought yet but): Atera seems as good as Thule but not quite as expensive

We've certainly been happy with our 3 bike carrier which reminds me: must get a tow bar fitted on our new car - an Atera DL (if I remember its name correctly ). I bought it from The Roofbox Company, who were excellent. They came highly recommended by the youth cycling racing community