I need to talk to people who take their bikes on holiday

[lisbey]

We are just starting to get into family bike rides, now DS1 has finally mastered cycling.

We are also looking at buying a new car. What do I need to know about attaching bikes to cars and the practicalities of different kinds of carrier?

DH thinks we need an estate car, but I'm sure he's wrong

We have one that goes on the back of our car (Renault Megane). It is very easy to put on and off.

We looked into a roof rack but the one for the back of the car was a lot cheaper and easier to install.

It depends how often you are going to use it and how far you will travel.

You don't need a particular kind of car but if you are buying a new one, and it has attachment points on the roof it will be easier to install a roof rack. Have a look at Thule, they are really good.

We use roof racks on our normal Ford Focus - too much worrying about bikes swaying about on the back etc. to use the rear mounted ones for anything other than short distances. They are absolutely solid as a rock on the top, plus they have locks on them so we can leave the bikes on the car if we don't want them. Also means my dh can do his normal motorway speeds but you do guzzle up the petrol that way. Can't remeber the make, but not Thule but still pretty dear, have to use them lots...

We have Thule racks on the roof, but the actual bike holders are from Halfords, I think.

There are four of us, and the back carriers generally only take three bikes. You need to faff around with a spare number plate, too, and they're not as secure as they are on the roof - although this is only an issue if you're planning on leaving them when you've parked.

The downside of the roofracks is that I can't reach - I'm 5ft, but DH and DS1 are both over 6ft. You need to be pretty tall to get the middle two bikes on (and strong), although I have seen a man get a small stool out his boot to stand on to lift his bike up.

If you decide to get a back carrier, make sure your car doesn't have any kind of spoiler - it makes it very difficult to find a carrier to fit.

The best bike carrier we've had was attached to the tow ball, it was a Thule three bike carrier but depending on the weight / size of the kids bikes you can get four bikes on there safely... I didn't trust myself to do it but dh has had bikes and carried them on cars for years so knows exactly what he's doing!

The tow ball one we had tilted so you could still get in the boot too...