Roof Rack

slicecbr

Active Member
Aug 24, 2008
114
0
Hi,

I've searched a few threads and found a few options but before I take the plunge...

Anyone recommend a good roof rack to hold two mountain bikes for the beeza (without spending £££'s)?

Thanks!
 

abbotsmike

Active Member
Dec 17, 2011
418
1
Uxbridge
When it comes to that sort of thing, good and cheap don't always mix. Especially if you're planning to use it to hold up several hundreds of pounds of bike!

Thules do a kit, which will fit perfectly and be rock solid. Not cheap though.
Alternatively, go the root a few of us on here have, and fit a detachable towbar and a thule towbar mounted rack. Probably no more or less costly, but keeps the biks out of the wind and thus improves economy, and also enables you to tow a trailer (which I find very handy at times)
 
Jul 23, 2008
720
0
Manchester - UNITED
I went for.

Bars: "Thule wing bars"
Bike carrier: "Outride 561"

Locks were included in mine but make sure you get them to keep the bars on the roof. The bike carrier comes with a lock to hold it to the bars + Bike to carrier.

I used this setup to go to the south of france. Came all the way back to cheshire in 1day and I could literally not tell it was on the car. They also do a nice padded wheel bag that I had to have also :shrug:
 

DEAN0

Old Git
Feb 1, 2006
5,423
1
414
Preston - UK
I went for.

Bars: "Thule wing bars"
Bike carrier: "Outride 561"

Locks were included in mine but make sure you get them to keep the bars on the roof. The bike carrier comes with a lock to hold it to the bars + Bike to carrier.

I used this setup to go to the south of france. Came all the way back to cheshire in 1day and I could literally not tell it was on the car. They also do a nice padded wheel bag that I had to have also :shrug:


I have the Thule aero bars too but went with the Thule 591 cycle carriers.
Have done lots of distance with between 1 and 4 bikes on top of the car - no problems.
 

wrayvon

Active Member
May 9, 2011
408
0
Bingley
I have atera roof bars and some cheapo ebay bike carrier specials.

Seem ok to me :)

EDIT: Pic...
IMG_20120422_112702.jpg
 
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slicecbr

Active Member
Aug 24, 2008
114
0
Thanks for the recommendations.

Looks like its around £200 for the; Bars: "Thule wing bars" and Bike carrier: "Outride 561".

The towbar option seems more expensive - around £180 for a detachable towbar and £50 odd for the carrier.

Think I'll go for the roof option, wouldn't be covering huge distances with the bikes on the car (brecon beacons are around 40 miles from me). It's the first half decent bike I've bought for a long while (rode around on halford specials during Uni) so looking forward to a bit of off roading.
 
Jul 23, 2008
720
0
Manchester - UNITED
Im same,
First decent bike I have ever been able to afford so thought I would opt for the best kit I could afford :)

And the "wing bars" do look good :rolleyes: well worth the extra few £££
 

chrisRibiza

Active Member
Sep 27, 2007
1,194
51
I have the Thule aero bars too but went with the Thule 591 cycle carriers.
Have done lots of distance with between 1 and 4 bikes on top of the car - no problems.

I have the same set up. I would definitely pay the extra for a rtow bar next time round as it stops you worrying about the bike wobbling on the roof or driving into something with it on the roof.

All the dirt on the bike drops all over the roof too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DEAN0

Old Git
Feb 1, 2006
5,423
1
414
Preston - UK
I have the same set up. I would definitely pay the extra for a rtow bar next time round as it stops you worrying about the bike wobbling on the roof or driving into something with it on the roof.

All the dirt on the bike drops all over the roof too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dirt on the roof just means less bike washing when I get home - haha

I did quite well with prices - the 591 carriers were less than £60 each new through FORD of all places.

And the roof bars were less than £100 the set with a matching set of 12 locks so I have a single key system
 
Jul 23, 2008
720
0
Manchester - UNITED
I used
roofracks.co.uk

and the wheel bag is thule 563

The Thule kit is very sturdy on the roof, I have done 100+ (where its legal) for long periods of time in all weathers and it has never moved, I always just have a quick check when stopped just incase.

I decided against a rear mounted carrier because I like to be able to get into the boot without taking my bike off.

I will take some pics of my whole kit over the weekend and add them to this thread.
 
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DEAN0

Old Git
Feb 1, 2006
5,423
1
414
Preston - UK
Where did you get the bars from?

There was an accessories sale on at my local dealers - the bars were half price at £80 ( the Seat supplied bars are Thule )

Then the lock kit came off ebay.

Not long after I got mine, my mate also wanted a pair but the sale was over - best price then was from David at SERE motors - IIRC it was around £120 delivered.
 
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slicecbr

Active Member
Aug 24, 2008
114
0
Just want to check before buying, will:

thule bars: 761
thule feet: 754
Thule 1266 Fitting Pack

Fit the mk4 ibiza 5dr (2003)? Pretty sure these will, but not 100%! Some have come up on gumtree.

Thanks
 

slicecbr

Active Member
Aug 24, 2008
114
0
Sorted in the end...thanks for the help.

Got the 'thule bars: 761' and 'thule feet: 754' for £20 from gumtree, 'Thule 1266 Fitting Pack' for £20 off ebay and 'thule freerider' x 2 for £80 with 4 locks (found on amazon for £40 for 2 :censored:)

It all fits well to the car, pretty happy, Brecon Beacons here I come!

WP_000459.jpg
 

Modelmakerman

Mk4 Ibiza FR TDi
Apr 24, 2010
368
1
Bristol, UK
www.modelmakerman.com
Got my Thule wingbars this weekend and fitted them today. Did anyone else find the instructiong confusing and incorrect with regard to the distance between the footpacks? I found they were both too narrow to fit on and I had to unclip and move them out so they lined up with the rain channels in the roof. Also how am I supposed to tighten them to 4NM with a T handle?!

I also think they look a bit stupid as the front on points down and the back one points up due to the shape of the roof:

IMAG0331_zps66920c26.jpg

IMAG0332_zps613d01a3.jpg

IMAG0333_zps1355534a.jpg

IMAG0334_zps75928de7.jpg

Sorry for the terrible pictures, took them with my phone and the lens is scratched to hell!
 
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