What Bike Rack?

Hi all,

I need to buy a bike rack for the Saab 9-3 saloon family wagon...

I've not got a clue what to go for, and dont really want to pop down to halfords and let them pick one for me.

requirements:

Need to fit one kids bike and 1-2 adult bikes

dont need to go long distance, but something that's Ok for a small stint on a motorway would be good

roof mounted is fine - the saab has mounting points, but no roof rack at present. (one issue I can think of is if I am not about would my wife at 5ft4 be able to get bikes up there?)

dont want to spend too much, but also need something that is fit for the job.

if anyone could make me some recommendations or point me in the right direction that would be great...

cheers.

Before we switched to roof mounted carriers, we had a Thule boot carrier. It was very good, easy to fit and secure and kept the bikes still and safe.

We did hundreds of miles with this rack and only changed when we had to have 5 bikes.

This is it - https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/bike-rack/trunk-bike-racks/thule-freeway-3-_-968001

Looks like the kind of thing I need, but website saying not compatible with the 9-3 or wifes pug 307 CC.

Ahhhhh that's a shame. Are there any other Thule ones that fit either of your cars?

Mind you, they do get pricey!

Do you have a towbar on your Saab? We have a Thule towbar rack for 2 bikes. Was only about £90, but looks like they have gone up since.. ~£150. Works well, and you don't have to lift the bikes above your head !

If you do end up buying from Halfords, find someone with a trade card and you might save a fair whack.

If you don't have a towbar, then roof bars would be the way forwards. Then many bike racks will fit.

Some Saab discussion:

http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64192

only one for either car on the thule website is 300 quid and only fit two bikes...

no tow bar - and dont really want to go that route, as I can imaging my wife reversing with any form of 'trailer' being a bit silly....

found that thread earlier - left me with way to many options to think about.

Our two penneth. We have a combination of rear mounted and roof mounted for our 4 bikes.

We have a rear one like this. Although ours is a slightly older the way everything attaches looks the same. I found this to be a bit unnerving to drive with at first but with the straps done properly it has been down to the south coast and up to Scotland without issue including bumpy ferries. My first comments would be triple check the straps are all on (the one time I didn't do all of them I was only saved by a cable bike lock ) and it holds the bike more firmly that it looks. Secondly, the clamps that turn in order to flat pack it when not in use (picture with number stamped round plastic bits) are a PITA to move so I tend to put it away without flattening it. This saves a good half hour faffing about getting it to sit right before setting off bearing in mind that you can only put this type on once the boot is packed.

We also have Halfords equivalent (similar price and better than the £27 Halfords I see on the website currently) of one of these for the roof rails. These are a lot more solid and reassuring to drive with but have a look at how they are attached/removed. Ours has what look like quick release fastenings on them but there is so little travel on the bolt threads that a lot of time is wasted picking the captive nuts off the car roof when they inevitably fall off by unscrewing them too far. This only ever needs doing at the start/end of the trip.

If you are only ever going to need 3 then I'd go for 3 roof rail mounted ones.

I have the exact same high/rear mount and roof mounts that Wishy has. My wife who is 4 ft 11¾" uses the high/rear one every week and has no problem lifting the bikes up but cannot manage with the roof mounted racks, even I struggle with the roof mounts on either of our estate cars (Volvo V60 and jag XF) for bikes that go in the middle (we have 4 of them together) and usually open the rear door and stand on the sill.

I'd actually recommend the high/rear one instead. And get some rubber bunjee things like these "zuru raptor" to strap the bikes down top and bottom, the fixed "clamps" on the two bars that you hang the bikes on often don't work well for kids and ladies bikes, or mountain bikes for that matter.

But if you go for the roof ones, you'll need to buy the cross bars and suitable "feet" as well. And instead of buying 3 or 4 separate bike mounts, which means you'll get 3 or 4 separate keys for the locks, consider buying a 3 or 4 pack (could be pricey), or simply pop onto eBay and buy a set of replacement locks (6 or 8) all with the same key. Although I haven't bothered, I just have all the keys on the same keyring.

Yes I'd missed the height specifications in the OP!

MrsWishy is 5'2" and she'd struggle to put our bikes on the roof mounted one (on my V50 at any rate), let alone if it was in the middle.