Roof mounted bike racks

Soldato
Joined
2 Nov 2013
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What experience do people have with these? I see Thule ones at £100+, and a Halfords own for £25. That's a hell of a difference!

Anyone use the Halfords one and happy with it? Do you think you'd fit three side by side?

There was also a Halfords advanced one in store at £60 - but doesn't seem to be listed on their website.
 
Caporegime
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20 Oct 2004
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....
You can buy the thule ones for £70ish from ebay branded as volvo. You get what you pay for, I don't even like using the cheap thule one I have.
 
Soldato
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They're pretty great. Depending on the usable width of your roof bars, 3 is a tight squeeze, though I've seen people mount the middle one backwards so the handlebars don't clash.

I've got some Thule 532s, which I picked up at car boot sales. One was brand new and got it for £8!

I have two permanently on top of our Tiguan, as I use one near-weekly.

I've also got a Mont Blanc one, which I paid retail price for. Don't like that one so much though, so stick with the Thules.
 
Soldato
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Melbourne , Oz.
I have used three Thule ones on many occasions. Roof of a Mercedes C class coupe - so not the worlds biggest car. Fit three road bikes on no problem just have to have the middle one facing the other way as you cant fit three sets of handlebars in the same line.
Mine are the type that clamp to the tube rather than front wheel off. Would recommend the tube clamp as its far less hassle and just as secure. The clamp just holds the bike upright, the tying down comes from the pull tie things that go through the wheels. Drove out to the ski resorts from the city. 4 hours or so, motorway speeds. Zero issues.

 
Soldato
OP
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2 Nov 2013
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Thanks guys.
I was really hoping someone would come along and tell me they use the cheapo ones and they're great. :D

But genuine experience is of course what I need, and you have provided.
 
Soldato
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28 Oct 2006
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Sufferlandria
I had 3 Thule ones on the roof of my Audi A4 estate. Got them cheap on eBay. They fit perfectly for road bikes but MTB bars would be too wide so you'd need to turn the middle one backwards.
I find it quite stressful having my bikes on the roof. I'm always worried that they are going to fall off so having a decent mount with a solid connection did help with that a little bit.
 
Associate
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19 Sep 2010
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The North
Use a Thule Upride with an XL mountain bike regularly and it's perfectly fine. Certainly feels a bit precarious at first when you see it rocking about over rough ground but it feels solid enough that I trust it's fine.

Clamps the front wheel rather than the frame, so pretty much universal to any bike.
 
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