Hello all.....

Need sum help, please! I've not ling had my Monte Carlo tech estate, now decided to do sum biking for chariteeeeeey! can anyone suggest best form of carrying a bike on the estate? Roof or tail carrying the best way?

All help with this matter will be gratefully received

Mark

I'd say the order of best to worst form of carrying bikes on a car is:

 

1. Tow bar mounted cycled carrier

2. Roof mounted rack

3. Removable one that sits on the boot

 

Obviously the first one is also expensive due to needing a tow bar and trailer board etc but they are very stable, produce minimal drag and usually allow access to the boot.

 

The second option is the middle choice in terms of cost, pretty easy to fit, very stable but produces a lot of drag (40mpg was annoying on our trip to Germany last year).

 

The third should be avoided IMO. They are not very stable, still require a light, can be fiddlt to fit and block access to the boot.

 

We opted for the roof rack as we got one cheap and it can come in handy for a roof box or carrying large things on the roof. The drag is a big downside but ok for shorter trips... 1500 mile holiday trips are probably not ideal due to the increased consumption. Also need extra height space on the ferry or train etc.

 

Phil

Roof bars as they clamp on to the roof rails already on.

It's cheaper to buy those rear hanging ones but they're not as secure as roof bars plus you can't open the rear door with the rear rack in place.

I've got bars for my Monte hatch with the racks attached and just fit them when I need to transport my bikes, takes about 10 mins when there's two of you.

I'll disagree slightly with the opinions of boot mounted racks, but not that they are third place on the list.

We have a high lift bike rack with trays for the bike wheels and three bikes that lifts up above the lights on an Octavia and Fabia (we have both cars and fitting kits to use the same rack on both cars) and doesn't require a light board for it to remain legal.

It is very stable as it 'clamps' to the boot and also holds three adult MTB's without issue. It's a Mont Blanc one, but I've seen Thule ones that are even better.

The big disadvantage I see of these is the damage they may cause whilst fitting / removing if you're not careful.

IMO any boot mounted one that 'hangs' the bikes are best avoided and I've seen so many wobbling around, loose straps, bikes moving, etc.

In the end it depends upon how much money you want to invest and how far you drive with bikes on.

You're right.

 

I forgot about the high level ones.

 

We had one that sat low on the car. Made weird marks on the paint work too.

 

As above if you have the estate it pretty straight forward to get a roof rack as it just clamps to the rails.

 

I leave ours all bolted together and just lift the whole thing onto the roof. Can do it on my own in about 10 mins (I am very tall though which helps to reach!)

 

Phil

Cheers chaps.. you have given me food for thought! Thanks again....

Mark

Bikes on Roofs, and on High Racks can be a PITA for getting into Some Car Parks, Drive Thrus, even sometimes under railway lines and tunnels to places like at the seaside.

 

I use High Level Bike Racks and Tail boards mostly, but am aware when not too, like possible going to the Seaside.

We park up away from where we are going, unload the bikes, and ride under the tunnel etc.

(You need to remember obviously.!!, only once have i forgotten.)

 

Problem can be with some Racks, is the Spoiler at the top of a Hatch and the straps can then not tighten down without the possibility of breaking the spoiler right off.

So it needs to be a suitable type attachment.

 

Towbar and Towbar lighting and a Towball attaching Rack possibly with integrated lighting is wonderful but a big investment.

I find that once i have a Towbar and Electrics fitted  might as well use a Trailer for the bikes, so mostly do,

except maybe when getting a Ferry.

Oh just quickie.... What are the best roof bars for the fabia? Looked on evil bay, but seem to range from pretty cheap to an arm and a leg! a Gud mid range set?

Thanks again

Mark

Depends how often your going go biking

Iv just folded seats down, put a blanket over the car and carefully put bike in (had to remove front wheel but mines a hatch).

I only go once in a blue moon though

Friend of mine has a Legacy Spec B estate and regularly carries 4 bikes on a towball mounted carrier and has said that it's too much weight and makes the back really heavy and the car twitchy and difficult to stop.

Personally I'd always put a bike on the roof - I've seen tailgates slip on their hinges because of the weight of one or more bikes on a high, rear mounted carrier.

Thats interesting. Wouldnt have thought 4 pushbikes would make that much difference, especially in a legacy

Maybe its because the weight is so far over the back though?

Towballs have a maximum load weight. say only 25kg-50kg.

Check Verticle/Nose Weight figures.

That is where a trailer can be a better solution than a Thule Type Rack, 3 or 4 bike rack

Maybe giving you a possibility of towing 350- 500 kg Unbraked.

 

Kiddy bikes, Racers etc might be light enough,

but cheap Mountain Bikes, Downhillers can be a whole different kettle of fish.

 

This applies as well when loading up a roof. Again there is a recommended weight limit.

Most roof bars will be rated to around 70kg - I doubt the spec of the four bikes means they exceed much more than 10kg each.

Roof bars can be rated to what ever, they are going on the roof of a vehicle so what it is rated to is the important factor.

(Fabia max roof load 75kg)

3-4 bikes with some extras on like panniers of carriers and a Thule 4 bike rack can easily exceed 50 kg down on the tow ball.

 

Some £99 or even £399 clunkers need weighing just to see what they do weigh.

I would still say roof mounted carriers are the best method, a Fabia hatch has a roof load limit of 50 or 75kg I think.

I've got 2 bikes with a combined weight of approx 26-27kg plus the two alloy roof bars and the two bike carriers which is well within the weight limit allowed, I would say an estate with standard roof rails would be able to carry more but be I may be wrong.

The whole setup cost about £125 but the cycle carriers were carried over from my last car where I sold the old roof bars and bought new ones to fit my Monte.

Roof bars can be rated to what ever, they are going on the roof of a vehicle so what it is rated to is the important factor.

(Fabia max roof load 75kg)

3-4 bikes with some extras on like panniers of carriers and a Thule 4 bike rack can easily exceed 50 kg down on the tow ball.

Some £99 or even £399 clunkers need weighing just to see what they do weigh.

I'm going to assume from the OP that only one bike is going on the car so I guess weight isn't going to be a huge issue. I'd hate to be the poor sod putting a 50kg bike on a roof.

My personal opinion is a roof carrier is the best option.

For occasional use, won't it just go in the car with the seats down?

I do mountain biking and my bike is usually covered in crap so putting a wet, muddy bike in the back of my car is a no no.

Shove it on the roof out of the way which takes 5 mins and you're ready to go home.

My road bike doesn't get as dirty but I still carry it on the roof as it's more convenient plus it means the rest of my bike gear just gets chucked in the boot out of the way.

If my son comes with me then there's two muddy bikes to contend with so roof racks all the way for me.

Avid mtber. Gone around in circles over the years with every combination but with my tech estate roof mounted all the way. Fitted thule wing bar edge, look sleek and quiet. Thule pro ride racks for the bikes. Still get 40+. Fastest and most convenient way unless you're constantly parking in low roof places.

Not cheap but neither are my bikes.

Only absolute downside is the wheel trays tend to break when enduring consecutive freezing days over a couple of years, if left outside.

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Edited 13 January, 201412 yr by rone

For those with Monte estates has anyone has any issue with bars marking the gloss roof rails?  I'm pretty sure I could get mine and the little ones bike in the back but theres no way I'd do it over winter as the bikes are often filthy even off cycle paths.

 

I've got use of a dispatch combi most weekends but would like to be able to use the monte too, roof mounting seems a good option although I have seem some decent high lvl carriers in the past .

Edited 15 January, 201412 yr by capriboy

Another vote for roof mount. Up to four bikes fit without problem.  Obviously ideal if you're carrying luggage as well. Towbar might have been nice, but the 50kg max weight limit is too low to be worth it, considering the rack may be close to 20kg.

That said I do sometimes put one or two bikes in the boot with seats down and tarp lining to keep most of dirt off, but inevitably get some on somewhere - most of the dirt comes off my son in the passenger seat though.

We're hopefully getting a new Fabia in the next couple of weeks all being well, and are looking to carry the families bikes on the rear.

 

While I understand that the nose weight is 50kg (on both this and the Roomster, which surprised me somewhat), what are the real world implications of going slightly over?  

 

At the moment we have an 8 year old and a 5 year old, so I think that the bikes etc should just about make it under the 50kg limit, but as the little one gets bigger we will either have to buy myself a new carbon bike (how awful  ) or look to move one bike up to the roof.  We're getting a roof box as well for those family camping hols so will make sure we get one where you can still fit a bike alongside it, and bung one of them up there I guess.

 

I guess if you have a major accident (where police etc are involved) you'd possibly get the weight of your bikes checked, but other than that (and the handling issues) how likely is it to be stopped? 

Got to go roof mounted, rear carriers are fine for 1 or 2 bikes but if you've got 4 then it has to be up top.

Just have two facing to the front then two facing to the rear, 1 front 1 back 1 front 1 back then they'll all fit across the roof.

Fabias are a bit on the narrower side but if you mount them like I said then you should be OK.

Plus, roof mounted means you can chuck all the rest of the stuff in the boot and still have access to it all of the time.

Plenty of rear carriers that can 4 adult bikes out there and still give boot access, much prefer them out back than up top (not least as it's a faff getting them up/down compared to the rear rack and the possible dings in the process).  One'll go on the roof when it's necessary.

Then you've probably already decided on rear mounted, not my ideal but if it's gonna be better for you then go for it.

Is a Fabia going to big enough for you if you've got that much gear to hump around.