My trusty old Mondeo estate has a "proper" roof mounted bike rack system on it. We use it frequently so it's more or less a permanent fixture.
Last year I bought on a whim, a rear mounting clip on rack for my Qashqai. It was in Halford's sale and I just decided to have it.
As is often my way with such things I've not actually got around to using it yet. There it sits at the back of my garage with all the other items of potential but not yet discovered usefulness......Some of which have been potential for years and have been transported carefully during at least three house moves.
The bike rack, I fear is set to become another of these items.
For no reason at all then, other than to, in some small way, justify it's existance, I was thinking of giving it a run out tomorrow instead of taking the much easier route of slinging the bikes on top of the Mondy as usual.
However, I'm a bit nervous of using it on a number of levels but most specifically I'm concerned that it might damage the back door of the Squashy. The legal side is fine as it purports to be a "high mounted" model leaving lights and number plates visible. It also claims to be very stable being a clip on version as opposed to strap mounted.
One fairly concerning thing is that I can see that it would foul the rear wiper if I inadvertantly switched that on. I might be smart enough to remember not to but the car is a bit stupid and might switch it on while reversing if it decides that's the thng to do.
Anyway, has anyone tried one of these things ? Do they mark the car. Might it damage the tailgate and does it scratch the bikes ?
Oh, and does anyone want to buy it ? I suspect I could be persuaded to sell it quite cheaply !
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sat 14 Aug 10 at 14:46
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>> Anyway, has anyone tried one of these things ?
Yes
>>Do they mark the car.
Yes
>>Might it damage the tailgate
Yes
>>and does it scratch the bikes ?
Yes
>> Oh, and does anyone want to buy it ?
No.
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Ah right !
I am prepared to take offers .........
:-)
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I have never seen one fall off, but I have seen a few wobbly ones in my time. Whenever behind such an equipped car I either hold back a long way constantly planning a quick exit strategy should a bike fall off or else quickly overtake when I can.
Too anxious ? I don't know but I don't want to be ploughing through a road full of bikes.
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I've seen a number of cars with lacquer peeling on the tailgate in symmetrical patterns. Bike racks I assume.
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My brother has seen a bike-rack part company with the car to which it was erstwhile attached. He was on the M6 heading up to Cumbria and the motorway was pretty busy. Amazingly, nobody hit the bikes and all that occurred was a fairly long and inconvenient traffic jam.
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Yeah a car passed me on the M5 just the other day at the thick end of 100 mph with a bike rack on the back. One of the cheapo strap on jobbies. Car full of kids, at least one wife and what appeared to be holiday kit.
One of the retaining straps had come loose and was whipping the bikes as they swayed alarmingly in the windrush.
At that speed in lane 3 a bike falling off would have caused carnage.
Twonk.
That's mainly why I've been using the roof system. It's pretty solid when attached to the integral roof rails on the estate car. Taken bikes all over like that without probs. Always cable tie them on for extra safety though.
I wouldn't want a lot for it by the way......
:-)
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The clip-on racks are carp imho, a friend of mine who's a keen cyclist used his once on the back of his company car, not because he cared about the damage - more the frailty of the set-up.
The roof is the best place in terms of keeping the bikes clean, can you not get the appropriate 'feet' to allow your Mondy's racks to be fitted to the Squashy ?
I now use a tow-ball mounted 2 Bike 'ride-on' carrier, this arrangement I feel is very stable and secure and avoids damage to the car/bikes, when I need to carry more bikes I press my old roof mounted carriers into service.
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Take the fuse out for the rear wiper.
Use some cloth to protect the paintwork where the metal clips attach (if any are used these days) & the foam on the frame come into contact.
I used a bike lock to secure the bikes to the rack in addition to the rubbers supplied.
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Clip-on is probably OK for one bike, if you take steps to protect the paint, as others have suggested. Beyond that, I've never seen one that made me think I'd be happy to carry my family's velocipedes that way.
We've just returned from our third holiday trip with our Acera towbar rack. It was expensive (since we wouldn't otherwise have had the bar and we took the trouble to get a detachable one) but works brilliantly, even with four bikes aboard. We went 150 miles each way to the Suffolk coast and there was no buffeting, no discernible wind noise and minimal effect on fuel consumption - the benefits of keeping the bikes out at the back and letting the car shift the air for them. The bikes have lost tiny amounts of paint to the retaining straps but you'd have to look hard to see where, and I reckon it's a fair trade for the convenience and solidity. We can - and did - use height-restricted car parks too.
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Problem is, lots of car tailgates these days have plastic or glass edges, specially at the top. The clips that slip over this would break it off in no time with the weight of bikes on board.
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Point concerning IdCha's question on roof mounters: I'm a fan of the Thule 530 and used two on my Volvo. But on a taller car like our Verso or Humph's Qashqai, it's quite a heave to get the bike up there, and once you do you're driving a very tall vehicle. I tried it a couple of times but didn't like the noise or the effect on the Verso's handling. I still happily use them on the Volvo when there are only a couple of bikes to carry.
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........or I could just keep on using the perfectly serviceable roof mounted rack on the Ford of course !
Wish I knew how to work that E Bay thingy.
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Just in case anyone wonders what the Dickens I'm talking about........
www.snugburys.co.uk/sculpture.htm
Whoops, um... wrong thread disorder........
:-(
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sun 15 Aug 10 at 00:14
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>> But on a taller car like our Verso or Humph's
>> Qashqai, it's quite a heave to get the bike up there, and once you do
>> you're driving a very tall vehicle.
Absolutely agree, I find my tow-ball mounted Thule Euroway something-or-other to be a much better solution but it was an expensive option, e.g £200ish cost of a tow-ball (actually my factory-fit item was more like £650) plus about £300 for a decent carrier. I only press my Thule 530s into use when I need to carry all 4 bikes or when using the camping trailer (which they fit on top of).
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Sun 15 Aug 10 at 08:32
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Good points. It's deceptive though. Because the Mondeo is long it disguses its height. The Qashqai in isolation because of its styling looks much taller. However, they are parked side by side at the moment and the height of the Nissan ( without racks ) is exactly the same as the Ford whien it has its racks on. So the effect of adding roof kit to the Qashqai would only make the whole rig a matter of 4 or 5" or so taller. Granted that is still significant but certainly not as much as I'd have imagined.
Anyway, none of this is encouraging me to use the clip on job !
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...none of this is encouraging me to use the clip on job !...
...or the Qashqai.
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No that's true ! Havng said that I really don't mind, as I've mentioned before, I still prefer the way the old car drives. Maybe I'm stuck in a timewarp.....
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>> Maybe I'm stuck in a timewarp.....
Been telling you that for ages, and there you are trying to convince us you are a paragon of good taste.
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Fashions come and go but taste does not date.
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...Fashions come and go but taste does not date...
Or put another way, a Mondeo will always be a better more involving drive than a Qashqai - and most other cars from east of Suez.
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>> Or put another way, a Mondeo will always be a better more involving drive than
>> a Qashqai - and most other cars from east of Suez.
Sunderland shifted has it Iffi?
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...a Qashqai - and most other cars from east of Suez...Sunderland shifted has it..
I thought your name was gordonbennet not peterpedant, but as you ask...
You have inferred the sentence: 'A Qashqai - and most other cars from east of Suez.' means the Qashqai comes from east of Suez.
It doesn't, it means:
A Qashqai, which we are not saying where from...pause, new clause... and most other cars, which we are qualifying by saying from east of Suez.
It means that 'cos I say it does and I wrote it.
Someone will be along in a minute to say Humph's Qashqai is the one model in the range which is made in Japan.
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I knew i should have put a smiley on that post Iffi.
Having said that the inference in your post i quoted meant to me, a chap on the Clapham Omnibus, that the Cashcow was from the same stable and therefore would have the same attributes as it's Far Eastern conterparts, instead of being a slightly higher, shorter and 4WDish alternative van with windows, and if you're still reading this you are dafter than i am.
I've got a much better idea for carrying bikes anyway, buy proper pick up put bikes in boot, coat on boots laced engine warming up.
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I call that a draw chaps !
I'm pretty sure mine is British built.................... Bits are falling off it.......
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Bike rack nervousness - Zero
