Are rear mounted cycle carriers safe?

ukjoel

cardinalbiggles wrote: »

. In addition you cant get into your car boot with them on.

I.

Is this still the case? I used to think the same but am sure I have seen a couple recently where people opened the boots with the racks still on. I am fairly sure one was a mazda bongo but think the other was an estate car.

rev_henry

ukjoel wrote: »

Is this still the case? I used to think the same but am sure I have seen a couple recently where people opened the boots with the racks still on. I am fairly sure one was a mazda bongo but think the other was an estate car.

It all depends on the shape of the car and the type of bike rack. You just have to experiment.
In answer to the OPs question, don't quite know what you mean by pro fitted. You usually just buy a carrier and fix it to your car when required, then take it off.
I understand the best ones are the ones which clip onto the towbar. They don't actually touch the car anywhere but the towbar so no risk of bodywork damage. They're also easier to fix to the car, you just clip them on and off, and plug the lightboard in if required. However, these ones are more likely to block the boot. Cheap bike racks usually use a system of straps with V shaped metal things on the ends which you hook onto the boot of your car. These are also 'safe', but are more of a fiddle to attach and may harm the bodywork if you're not careful. Also I guess there's more risk of these ones falling off as they're not stuck rigidly to the car, they're attached with straps which one might accidentally not fix properly. But they're still fine tbh. Also these ones are less likely to block the boot as you usually attach them around the boot itself, so the carrier goes up with the boot.
To avoid bodywork damage and scratches on the bikes, if using a strappy carrier, put folds of carboard or similar in the V shaped hook things, between the hook and the car. Then cover the main metal tubey bits of the bike frames, and the carrier if desired, with tubes of that foam pipe insulation stuff.

mikey72

Mines got 6 straps, never made any mark, never come off, and I can open the tailgate with the carrier on.

darich

Usd one several times with 2 bikes on. Carrier was designed for up to 3 but don't remember ever having 3 on it.
Never had a problem.

Good idea to stop after a few miles and double check all the clips and fastenings. The bikes move whiler driving and the straps can get a bit slack while the bikes settle. Stop and check them, tighten the straps and it's fine.

mikey72

Had three on mine with no problems.

neilmcl

I'd personally recommend the Saris Bones range of boot mounted racks, particularly the Bones RS if you can afford it. They're pretty much compatible with nearly all models of car but do check on their site - http://saris.com/. They get very good reviews on the various bike websites, eg. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ and there are a number of videos on their own site and youtube.

Hammyman

They are safe but remember one thing:

Once you have fitted them, you will need to fit a light bar with rear lights and the number plate on as the bikes obscure the plate and the lights. The Police WILL pull you up for it and not only issue you with a FPN but stop you from continuing your journey until you've rectified the problem.

Hootie19

Thank you for all the helpful responses.

When I said she'd probably have it fitted, I had assumed they were a bit of a faff and quite complicated to do, so meant that she'd likely ask whoever she bought it from (Halfords, for example - but not necessarily them) to fit it for her, rather than risk making a hash of it herself.

neilmcl - thank you for those links. I will pass those on to her. I'm sure she'll find them useful.

neilmcl

Hammyman wrote: »

They are safe but remember one thing:

Once you have fitted them, you will need to fit a light bar with rear lights and the number plate on as the bikes obscure the plate and the lights. The Police WILL pull you up for it and not only issue you with a FPN but stop you from continuing your journey until you've rectified the problem.

IF the bikes obscure the lights and plates - not all do.