Bicycle rack for saloon car, experiences?

[JeffersLos]

It's a slight inconvenience loading my bicycle into the trunk of our car two or three times a week.

 

Disconnecting the front wheel, taking it off, taking off the saddle, putting it all back together, then doing it again when getting back to the car after the ride.

 

It would be much easier to have a rear rack kept in place, then just lift it up, latch it on, and off you go.

 

This is in theory, of course.

 

Issues such as ease of connecting and latching them on in a safe manner. Safety is of course a massive issue, I don't want to be responsible for the bike flying off the back and causing an accident. Due to not being secured properly, or the rack breaking etc.

 

What are your experiences of fixing a full-time bicycle rack to a saloon car and using it long-term in Thailand?

 

TIA. 

[Captain Monday]

THULE or Yakima are the brands I was familiar with. 

[JeffersLos]

It's for one mountain bike, by the way. I think the less it protrudes from the read the safer, with the way that scooters zip in and out of stopped traffic here. 

[steve73]

If you don't fancy the idea of a holder that straps onto your boot (tailgate??) cover,  you can also get a rack that fits on the roof.  They're a bit more cumbersome to load and offload, but there's nothing protruding behind.

 

Not sure if they're available in T/L, but then there are other types that fit onto a rear tow hitch to take the weight, rather than simply hanging off the body. 

[JeffersLos]

5 minutes ago, steve73 said:

If you don't fancy the idea of a holder that straps onto your boot (tailgate??) cover,  you can also get a rack that fits on the roof.  They're a bit more cumbersome to load and offload, but there's nothing protruding behind.

Thanks, tbh they aren't any different than loading and unloading the bike into and out of the trunk.

[StreetCowboy]

My road bike (56 frame) fits in the back seat of my Nissan Almera with both wheels removed.  No need to remove the saddle.  
 

I don’t want a rack where my wheels stick out beyond my wing mirrors, and I am nervous about motorcyclists impaling themselves on the spikes when there are no bikes fitted.

 

I am nervous about going through toll gates with a roof rack.  
 

If I could find a rack for the back that hung the bike by the handlebars and saddle, wheels rearward, or held the bike flat on the roof, I might go for that.

[bobfish]

Steve73 has pretty much summed up your options without some sort of custom semi-permanent set up. How successful depends a bit on the car. I've carried bikes on cars from 911 to Limo, 4wd to Van: I don't like the removable trunk racks, not so stable and inhibit trunk access. Towbar mounts are great if you already have the towbar fitted..... otherwise it can get expensive quickly. I'm now on my third set of Thule Pro Ride bike carriers. I use these with roof bars, but some people attach to the pickup bed. Not the cheapest option, but I think the best compromise. Bikes can be loaded without removing wheels. Loading/unloading is quick and easy. Downsides:  is it is quite a reach on a 4wd wagon, like SC says; need to remember the height before underpasses, garages etc! some wind noise at highway speed, but not alarming.

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by bobfish

[Hanuman2547]

I second the idea of Yakima or Thule racks.  I would go with a tow/hitch mount as they just seem more stable.  Can easily put three bikes on the rack.  I would suggest using a cable lock to keep them secure while on the rack.  I still wouldn't leave them unattended on the rack for too long even while locked.  

 

Back in the day, prior to 2000, people used to have problems going through the toll booths.  If the police were lurking about they would want to charge you an extra fee for the bikes on the rack!