Transporting bikes?

Igdos

Igdos

Registered User
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
323
Reaction score
7
Points
16
Location
UK
With the good weather took the bikes in the back of the car with the seats down, they both fit but longer term thinking of getting something to carry them.

Any recommendations appreciated - is roof or boot mounted better? And what's the best one to get?

Looking for a hassle-free option as there's not many times the weather's as good as this up here!
 
I use roof bars to carry the bikes on my s3 when we go mountain biking. I use the thule bars and racks, probably cost in the region of £180 for the bars and 3 bike carriers, but they work well, no hassle once you fitted the bars.

Fits 3 bikes easily, maybe you could get a 4 th on there , but I havent tried
 
I put my mountain bike in a bike bag with the rear seats down, keeps the mud and oil off my interior.

No way I'm having any sort of carrier touching the paintwork!
 
Had Thule aero roof bars. no roof rails on mine so you need the fixing kit, but it all goes together really well and exceptionally secure. Been over Europe with them a few times with two bikes and no problems. Got from roofbox.co.uk, which is much cheaper than Halfords, even when they have a sale on. They also provide matching locks for all the components so you only need one key.

Pro of roof for me is that I have a family so need to get in the boot. Potential cons are you need to lift your bikes up onto roof and it kills your mpg. I estimated a 20% drop for a 1000 mile france trip doing no more than 75 tops.
 
I wouldn't use a rack that mounts on the bootlid - they aren't strong enough and are likely to go through your back window eventually. Roof rack, inside, or a towball mounted rack is the way to go.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Off to Loch Katrine for an easy cycle today (nice and flat and closed to cars!) :o.k:
 
Have fun. I'm about to drive down to North Devon (with bike inside car) for a couple of blasts around the lanes with my mates to give our new bikes a shakedown before we go to the Alps in 4 weeks :eek:)
 
Matt said:
I put my mountain bike in a bike bag with the rear seats down, keeps the mud and oil off my interior.

No way I'm having any sort of carrier touching the paintwork!
Click to expand...


Same here, don't use a bag though one bike on top of the other with an old continental quilt in between to protect the bikes and a liner in the boot. No way would I use a carrier due to damage issues i have experienced in the past and also the security aspect of the bikes,when parked up and also it advertisers you have nice bikes and you could easily be folowed home and scumbags burst your shed or garage and steal them at there leisure. Paranoid, ME !!! never.

Mark
 
I'm just about to buy the Thule aero roof bars. no roof rails on mine either. Had a halfords bike rack for my last hatchback but would'nt recommend them, they have to be secured very tight to the cars bodywork which in turn could damage the paint. I only ever put two bikes on it as the pressure placed on the rear window is quite scary. I also found that on my fabia, if it was raining as soon as you selected reverse gear the rear window wiper comes on which in turn hits the rubber support on the bike rack that rests on the window and ends up blowing the wiper motor fuse. Not sure if my A3 has this function though!? I have also heard some horror stories from friends about watching their bikes bouncing off down the road still attatched to the racks. :ohmy:
 
Does anyone know if you can fit two mountain bikes in a 3 door A3 (with the front wheels off and seats folded down)?

Had a nightmare with those hatch mounted bike carriers on the missus's Cooper S, no way would I use one again. They scratch the paint and are pretty dangerous.
 
paul_b said:
Does anyone know if you can fit two mountain bikes in a 3 door A3 (with the front wheels off and seats folded down)?
.
Click to expand...

No problem, with room to spare. Have in the past had 2 bikes,camping gear and luggage, bit tight though.

Mark
 
id go for boot mount bet its a pain in the **** throwing them on top
 
St John Street Cycles do a basic unpadded bike bag ideal for use inside a car. You can get them off eBay for around£25.
 
check this one ive found mate it goes on the toe ball so no where neer the car i think this would be your best bet here's the link looks good although im not sure how much

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...en&lr=&safe=off&rlz=1G1FUJD_ENUK332&sa=N&um=1


AR2501_1P.jpg


We reckon thatAtera's new DURO XL tilting carrier is the best made tow ball carrier on the market, bar none. It fits to bolt on or swan neck tow balls, and is very easy to adjust and use - both for fitting and for tilting. The frame is of galvanized and painted steel (as it has to be, to support the weight), with aluminium wheel supports for lightness and style. It's supplied as a 3 bike unit; a 4th bike adapter is available. Apart from the Allround carriers, it's the lightest of the 4 bike units available. The tilt function is easy to use, with a long handle so there's no excuse for getting bike oil on your sleeves. The upright bike holder support is of course easily removed so the carrier can be stored flat, e.g. against a garage wall.
 
dalepearson said:
Any links to the bike bags you guys are using?
Click to expand...

I'm using one similar to this for my mountain bike but mine has internal pockets to put the wheels in.

I've just bought a road bike too so I'll be getting another bike bag soon. Probably the same as the one above but with the seperate wheel bags dhb bike & wheel bag set

Theres a few other bike bags on that site too if neither of those take your fancy. Hope this helps.
 
Those tow bar mount ones are good, they take 30 seconds to attach to the tow bar aswell. My boss has one.

Only problem is that you have to have a tow bar!
 
Dont bother with roof bars as they do leave residual paint/lacquer marks as used before even with rubber & need polishing out, also dont bother with rear mounted strapped holder as you cant use with spoilers full stop cause the spoiler will get damaged & isnt strong enough to take the pressure & weight.

The problem with the S3 is you cant get a valance for the detachable towbar, so you either have to cut a piece out or have it fitted so its coming from under the bumper & always on or change the valance for the sline that has the proper trim to remove so you can fit a detach towbar for bike rack as I have on mine, its pretty much invisible when not in use as the ball part just comes of & trim covers hole plus the electrics socket swings up into place & doesnt budge or make any noise at all when not in use.

I have a Euroclassic 902 IIRC & these are as already advised brilliant cause 30 seconds & she's on, bikes easily sit on there & have rear lights.

Now with the 8P there is a kit to properly integrate with the cars electronics & parking sensors, if you go after market then they will most likely tap into rear lights & also interfere with sensors, I fitted my kit with parts got from ebay cause the kit is about £700ish as it has 2 looms, 1 control module, towbar. Note bumper has to come of as the rear reinforcement bar is removed & the towbar is fixed in its place,

Its the only safe & best option to use, trust me on this.
 
I have the thule aerobars with a thule bike rack (one with a single arm that hooks around the middle of the frame), seems pretty sturdy and hasn't caused any damage to my paint work!
 
If you looking at using roofbox.co.uk you can get a 5% discount by visiting the url www.roofbox.co.uk/wmb/ before you put anything into your basket.

I have a set of Atera aero roof bars and Thule bike carriers for my S3. It takes some time to get the roof bars sitting correctly, but once on I haven't had a single mark on the paint.
 
Cheers guys, I got the Cruz bars and 3 cycle carriers.
They arrived today. I noticed the instructions say I should screw the fronts in where it connects with the door, but my 08 doesnt have any screw holes. Not an issue I am sure.
The backs look they are going to be fun to fit.

I will take some pics at the weekend when I do the install.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
2004 bonnet to 2006 bonnet are bits transferable
Replies
0
Views
546
gjseb79
G
Staz
Bedford Autodrome Triple Birthday Trackday Feeler - Early June
Replies
24
Views
1K
Staz
Staz
G
Bit of advice before Xmas travels?
Replies
6
Views
1K
Gussy
G
S3Alex
Time for a build thread....big turbo
Replies
3K
Views
498K
sliced
S
D
Big thanks to T8ups
Replies
5
Views
917
Pops848
Pops848
Top
Back