Transportation

[Fulmenicilus]

I also use Thule Clip On! Bit of a pain to get the triple triangle GT on it!

[RockCoach]

 

I also use Thule Clip On! Bit of a pain to get the triple triangle GT on it!

Errr... nope. I have a GT Avalanche Pro and it fits fine. You just have to be a bit inventive with the rubber straps (okay that sounds bad).

 

You turn the rubber mounting on the rack 90 degrees so that it will hold the frame at seat tube inside the small triangle.

 

[Scooterza]

 

A few thoughts on bike carriers. 

1. My personal recommendation is never get a roof mounted bike rack.  Sooner or later you forget and bam - you bike is mangled by some low bridge, garage, boom etc.  Not to mention your car roof plus bike rack - total cost = 6 Billion zim dollars.  Oh and they add significantly to the drag on your car = less fuel efficiency.  Try attaching a toaster to your helmet next time you are riding for a demonstration.

2. If you do get the hatch back clip on Thule, remember that if your car has a rear spoiler, this can prevent the rack from fitting.  Also, these racks CAN do minor damage to your car over time - a pedal slips and scratches the paint or the weight of the bikes (can carry 3) makes a small dent in the boot where the rack's arms attach.   Happened to me - slight deviation where the boot lid and car body meet. 

3. If you get one that fits on the towbar, try to ensure that it is designed in such a way that you can still get into your boot.  I have one (for the life of me I cannot remember what make it is - black with yellow writing) but it has 2 metal pins (thick as your finger) that slide in.  If you need access to the boot, you undo the top pin, angle the carrier forward and there you go - boot accessible. 

4. Ensure that whichever one you get is easy to fit and DOESN'T require tools to fit.  Invariably you find yourself somewhere without a spanner and you are stuck!
5. Make sure that if you need to, you can LOCK the whole thing up so if you need to go to the shops, you aren't constantly fretting about your bikes.  That means - lock the rack to your car and lock the bikes to the rack.

6. Lastly, make sure that you have somewhere to store the thing.  Thule makes a very nice rack that supports the bikes from underneath BUT it is very bulky and takes up a lot of room when being stored.  Now if you have a garage crammed with stuff and you have to hold your breath every time you drive in with your car, you may battle to find a place to store your bike carrier.

Scooterza2008-11-04 00:20:45

[Minion]

 

Oh and they add significantly to the drag on your car = less fuel efficiency.

This is not a valid argument.

 

Aerodynamics can often be counterintuitive. The relative drag from a roof rack or rear mounted rack depends so much on what car you drive and what type of rack it is that you cannot make this generalisation.

 

You can only really say that Brand X rack attached to Car A is better than Brand Y rack attached to Car A. What happens on Car B is completely different.

 

[Scooterza]

 

Ok - you got me - I am  not a aerodynamics engineer.  But I struggle to understand how a large item placed on the roof of a car will be MORE aerodynamic than a rear mounted rack.  I agree that a rear mounted rack would also add to drag.  However, I do admit I have not done the studies and have nothing to back up my argument other than, "Ag it MUST be less aerodynamic!  Just look at it." 

 

An analogy - you are in the peleton cruising along sucking the rear wheel of the rider in front of you.  If you sit up, or move into the drops or whatever you do, you can feel how much easier you ride.  Suddenly, by magic your bike's wheels get 3 times bigger and now you are sitting 1m above the rest of the group.  Are you working harder or is it easier than before? 

 

But you are probably correct - intuition and aerodynamics may not play along nicely.  It certainly SEEMS that a roof mounted rack would be less fuel efficient.  Any studies or figures?

 

Scooterza2008-11-04 01:04:27

[Edge_Design]

I've seen 2 bikes going through my rear windscreen before as I drove into a garage so I am all for rear mounted racks.

[henry newbi]

A thule roof rack just looks cool

 

[Dirtbreath]

 

Ok - you got me - I am  not a aerodynamics engineer.  But I struggle to understand how a large item placed on the roof of a car will be MORE aerodynamic than a rear mounted rack.  I agree that a rear mounted rack would also add to drag.  However' date=' I do admit I have not done the studies and have nothing to back up my argument other than, "Ag it MUST be less aerodynamic!  Just look at it." 

 

An analogy - you are in the peleton cruising along sucking the rear wheel of the rider in front of you.  If you sit up, or move into the drops or whatever you do, you can feel how much easier you ride.  Suddenly, by magic your bike's wheels get 3 times bigger and now you are sitting 1m above the rest of the group.  Are you working harder or is it easier than before? 

 

But you are probably correct - intuition and aerodynamics may not play along nicely.  It certainly SEEMS that a roof mounted rack would be less fuel efficient.  Any studies or figures?

 

[/quote']

 

I find my car less sluggish with the bikes on the roof than on the back. It's a Prado so I cant say aerodynamics are a major concern for me anyway.

 

A big plus for having your car on the roof is the cleanliness of the bikes. Driving dirt roads with your bikes on the back sucks up so much dirt. I wrap my stanchions and headet in cling wrap to keep bugs off and the bike is clean when I get to my destination.

 

As for bike damage, I have personally seen more bikes damaged by cars maneouvering in car parks than people driving into obstacles with bikes on their roof. The latter I have control over.

 

I also cant get into my boot with anything on the back and having a 3 door car makes it impractical.

 

[Minion]

 

But you are probably correct - intuition and aerodynamics may not play along nicely.  It certainly SEEMS that a roof mounted rack would be less fuel efficient.  Any studies or figures?

 

A big factor in the drag on a given body is what the airflow does when it leaves the body (compare flow off a sphere vs. flow off a teardrop - same leading edge, different trailing edges).

Depending on the car, a boot rack can really mess with the flow separation from the car, greatly increasing pressure drag. In some cases, this drag increase will be worse than if you used a roof rack.

 

There was an article in some (German, I think) auto magazine about this. I'll try dig out the link when I get home.

 

[RockCoach]

My car's (Golf IV GTI) consumption is 5 to 10% worse with a 3 bike rack on the back if I keep to the speed limit on highways. Gets much worse at higher speed.

 

[White Eagle]

Traveling down to the OFM with 3 bikes on the roof rack and  the wind, my Audi  used 1.5 litre per 100Km more than normal, and that's at 130km/hr.

White Eagle2008-11-04 04:20:10

[sias]

Volkswagen T5 Transporter Crewbus! Die bus vat 5 mense + bagasie en 4 fietse, die petrolverbruik bly dieselfde en jy hoef nie jou fiets te was as jy 'n stuk grondpad gery het nie. Die fietse is binne die bus, dus is daar geen bekommernis oor fietse wat gesteel word nie, behalwe as hulle die bus steel...

[Minion]

 

Traveling down to the OFM with 3 bikes on the roof rack and  the wind' date=' my Audi  used 1.5 litre per 100Km more than normal, and that's at 130km/hr.

[/quote']

That wind alone was a killer for fuel consumption. I normally average 7-7.5 litre per 100km in my Polo at 130km/h. I only got 8 for both the down and return trips

 

[ASTANA]

3bike on the roof is a bit too much - thats like a toaster on ther roof. As I see it a Thule roofrack and one of their bike mounds would do the trick for one bike and everything is nice and out of the way.

I have one of those older versions of the Holdfast racks - were the bike hang in mid air and you have to tie it down with straps. This rack sucks - and it scratched my frame a bit!!

 

I'd rather go for the less expencive option - put on a roofrack and the bike rack on that. The "cool" Thule rear racks for 2-3 bikes are you expencive R8K!!! sh*t..

 

I have a Toyota Tazz - le Tazz / TT haha so no one can tell me about fuel consumption. Put some clothes in the car and it struggels!!

 

Roof racks look cool!! Just don't be stupid and remember that you have your bike on the roof.

 

Would you guys go for the one where you take out the front wheel and fasten the bike thatway (roof rack) or where the whole bike sits on the roof (both wheels in the staps)?

 

Cheers

[Speed Devil]

I have a homade towbar mounted rack that takes 2 bikes that can flip away from the bootlid (alla Holdfast style) for easier access. It mounts behind the tow hitch, as the pinch type that fits on the ball prevents towing of a trailer while the bike rack is on.

If I tow my trailer, then I put an extension on to move the trailer away from the bikes.

I have now made a bike rack for the trailer lid too that can take 5 bikes, as my mountain bikes dont fit too well on the bike rack. At least towing the trailer I now have more place for all the extra cr@p that goes along.

 

As for wind drag and fuel consumption it doesn't really matter whether you have a roof or rear mount rack....wind drag is wind drag and your consumption is going to take a hammering.

 

I've also had personal experiences of driving into a garage with the bikes on the roof and will never use one again. It only takes 1 second of loss of concentration and your bike is wiped out.

 

At the end of the day the decision is yours.

[Minion]

 

There was an article in some (German' date=' I think) auto magazine about this. I'll try dig out the link when I get home.

[/quote']

It seems I didn't remember as well as I thought. The article stated that towbar racks had the least drag, followed by roof rack, followed by boot racks.

 

Here's the link to the previous fight on this topic:

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=8193&KW=rack&PN=1