| Bike racks? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 15 2013, 08:37 PM (284 Views) | |
| andyjh | Sep 15 2013, 08:37 PM Post #1 |
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Mud Lover
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After hijacking the monthly ride thread I thought I better start my own regarding bike racks What's people's experience with boot mounted racks on estate cars? I have an Audi estate but I'm worried about any kind of rubbing and damage to the paint/body. For this reason I'm thinking about a roof rack but obviously that's a few more pennies. However I also have a Smart Roadster for buzzing around in and I would like to see if I can get the back on the back of this. Doing a bit research it seems my options are limited but I keep seeing the Saris Bones 2 rack mentioned. Anyone have any experience with this brand of rack? Looks good if not a little pricey. I went into my local Halfords today and the helpful chap was pretty sure their basic rack should fit okay but I'll need to look into this more. Anyway, any advice, experience etc welcome. Cheers chaps
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| mattwoodhams | Sep 15 2013, 09:10 PM Post #2 |
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Collecting Speckles
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Iv got one, and used it for 6 months befor i got a bigger car that i could fit a bike in.. good racks, really solid for hatch or saloon fit. all the attachments where rubberised or coverd in foam. never left a mark my cars.. roof or tow bar mount however are a better option, if not more expensive |
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| darth vader | Sep 15 2013, 09:24 PM Post #3 |
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Mudking
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I don't think you can go too far wrong with a tow bar. Mounted rack it does add big time to the cost iro 200£ But I have just spent £300 on scratch repair. Not rack related Roof bars are great but you do have to lift muddy bikes onto the. Rack and be wary of car park height restrictions Strap ons ( oh err) alyaws worried me but. Actually never had any issues and they were halfords own but in my head I never felt 100percent about them |
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| Coley | Sep 15 2013, 09:28 PM Post #4 |
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Fairly Muddied
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Rs6 and towbar dont mix saris bones are very good designed to pretty much fit any car. Roof mounted as darth said are good but you have be wary of height restrictions. For me its tge bones on the juke or smart |
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| andyjh | Sep 15 2013, 09:34 PM Post #5 |
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Mud Lover
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Tow bar is not an option unfortunately, can't fit one to the Audi as it's not certified for them! Good point re the muddy bike on a roof rack! I've also been worried about height restrictions on car parks so looks like there are some major downsides to the roof option. Thanks for the feedback on the Saris racks Matt This is looking like my best option right now.
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| timmyb | Sep 16 2013, 08:58 AM Post #6 |
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Fairly Muddied
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I have the Saris Bones RS (went for this one as you can lock the ratchets so it's more secure than a standard Bones). However, after a while I did notice minor marking on the car. I contacted the distributer who gave me a full refund and didn't want it back so I just put a bit of padding under the straps which solved the issue |
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| andyjh | Sep 16 2013, 10:01 PM Post #7 |
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Mud Lover
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That's a pretty good compensation from the distributor, well as long as the damage to the car wasn't too bad? This is what I'm afraid of on my estate so I think I'll go the roof rack route on that car eventually and for now try and sort a solution for the Smart. Not easy being such an odd little car and also being out of production now. If what I'm looking at on eBay falls through then I'll go back to Halfords and take a closer look at their standard bike rack. |
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| andyjh | Sep 19 2013, 08:53 PM Post #8 |
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Mud Lover
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I won my eBay auction for a Saris Bones 2 for the Smart Roadster and I'm going to pick it up Saturday. Plus I also bought some wheel bags so I can put these in the boot of the little car. All going well I shall be mobile from this weekend
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| andyjh | Sep 21 2013, 05:49 PM Post #9 |
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Mud Lover
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Sorted ![]() Ignore the front wheel rubbing, I hadn't fitted the strap to keep this in place at this stage. |
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| Coley | Sep 21 2013, 06:21 PM Post #10 |
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Fairly Muddied
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Highly illegal that you can't see the number plate or rear lights you would need a lighting board for it to.be illegal or or move the rack up a bit so they become visible |
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| andyjh | Sep 21 2013, 06:32 PM Post #11 |
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Mud Lover
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I have a spare number plate that the previous owner used with one of these racks so I'll dig that out. I also bought some wheel bags today so if I take them off the lights will become visible again, I think. Will check it out tomorrow and see how well it works. |
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| belugabob | Sep 21 2013, 07:12 PM Post #12 |
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Mudking
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Be careful - with all that weight on the back, you'll be popping wheelies ![]() +1 for the lightboard - even if the lights can be seen through the wheels, they'll still be considered to be obscured. |
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| andyjh | Sep 22 2013, 06:03 PM Post #13 |
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Mud Lover
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Good job it's got my lardy ar$e in it to keep it planted :lol: Didn't get around to adjusting it today but I'm sure with the wheels off the lights will be clear so that just leaves me with the plate to relocate. Surprised by the amount of bike racks I've seen today that totally obscure the lights and plates. Not saying its right but I wonder if many people get pulled for this? |
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| Ollie | Sep 23 2013, 07:22 AM Post #14 |
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Mudthing
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I'm pretty sure you can adjust those arms independently so you can get the front of the bike up and the forks off the bumper. If not, try putting the downtube above the right arm, behind the fork crown. |
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| belugabob | Sep 23 2013, 09:05 AM Post #15 |
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Mudking
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It's a shame your budget couldn't extend to these babies |
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| Chadders | Sep 23 2013, 09:35 AM Post #16 |
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Mud Connoisseur
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Andy - You almost definitely wont't get pulled for it but if someone piles into the back of you you won't be claiming off their insurance as it will be deemed partly your fault. Saying that I do remember a club ride from Bo Peep car park where a police officer had left a note under someones wiper saying that if they drove with a bike on the rack that was fitted to their vehicle they would be committing an offence. To much free time!!! |
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| andyjh | Sep 23 2013, 06:42 PM Post #17 |
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Mud Lover
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I really like those Might have to investigate further as it surely saves a huge expense of buying a roof rack to then fit a bike rack onto. Have to overcome the worry factor of just a big sucker holding the bike to your car but apart from that, fantastic :lol:
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| andyjh | Sep 23 2013, 06:45 PM Post #18 |
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Mud Lover
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Fair point Chadders re insurance. I will have a play around with this setup to how good I can get it so thanks for the advice. I assume with the wheels off the bike the lights will be clear if playing around with the arm positions don't solve this. I also have a spare number plate to hang on the bike so I should be sorted. |
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