Thule Bike Rack #9403

On our old coupe I had a roof mount bike rack which was fine as the car was low so I didn't have to raise the bikes too high. You could also still get into the boot but the bikes were exposed to the elements and not thoroughly secured. Since acquiring the jeep we initially used bike bags which kept the car clean and the bikes protected inside the vehicle so we felt like we could go for a bite to eat. The downsides were the repeated dis-assemby, re-assembly numerous times on a single trip and the fact that the rear seats had to flipped down. The bikes were also piled on top of one another which risked bending brake disc rotors and rear der hangers.

Now that the jeep has a towbar fitted we thought that we'd try a tow bar mounted bike rack which is low and easy to load/unload. It keeps the bikes out of the airstream and doesn't damage the mpg as much as a roof mounted rack. You can also keep a eye on your pride and joy as the bikes are visible in the rear view mirror, unlike a roof mounted rack. It's also easier to secure the bikes, keeps the inside of the car clean and we can still use the rear seats / boot.

At first I was a little sceptical how a tow bar mounted rack would work but in use the bikes are well secured and don't flop around at all. Another bonus is that fitting / removal is fast and easy with just a single bolt / lock. We've currently only mounted two bikes, nose to tail and we find that the saddles need to be slid out of the way to prevent chaffing with the bars / levers. I suspenct that mounting three bikes of a similar size would be a challenge.

As you can see from the pic, we opted for a Thule model which can carry upto three bikes and also came complete with all the electrics. Model = Ride On 9403. The two vertical supports work well to support the mainframes whilst the wheels are secured to the base. These supports are well padded and lie flat when not in use and make hanging it on the garage wall a doddle. Our model also had the ability to tilt back, in theory still providing access to the boot. Perhaps it's just our vehicle, but the angle of tilt is insufficient to lift the tailgate more than a couple of inches if you have a bike mounted on the "inside".

Overall, I'm mighty impressed with this option for transporting bikes especially as it was cheaper (approx £100) than a despoke roof rack and a couple of bikes racks for our coupe (£130).