Mount for a bicycle on a car towbar: features and choices

People who often go on vacation with bicycles or just on a bike ride outside the city very often face the problem of a lack of space in their car. There may be a family inside, various things necessary for a picnic or rest. And it happens that a passenger car is simply small in size, which is why a bicycle cannot be accommodated inside. In such situations, special bike racks for the car's towbar will help.

The bike carrier is a small structure made of aluminum or steel tubes. Some designs also include a special stand for car license plates. The bike is securely fixed on it, after which you can safely transport it at any distance, without fear of damage to the car and without taking up space inside the car.

All towbar bike racks can be divided into suspension structures and platforms.

Principle of operation hanging holders very simple. They have a special fastening system due to which the bike is held on it with the help of clamps tightened on the frame. The wheels themselves will remain in the air, that is, in a "suspended" state.

Platform bike racks outperform pendants in almost all respects. Bicycles in such holders do not just cling to and hang in the air, but stand in special grooves. Such a device will allow the bike to be securely fastened and will not allow it to fall out even at high speeds.

Both platform and pendant holders have pros and cons to be aware of.

Suspended structures have many advantages that you should pay attention to. These include:

• very small dimensions;
• convenience of storage;
• reliability;
• they will not harm the car;
• make it possible to transport up to 3 bicycles at the same time;
• do not require special care.

However, they also have disadvantages, albeit in smaller quantities:

• not suitable for long journeys or long distances;
• it is possible that the device will partially or completely cover the car's license plate.

The platform pluses can be safely attributed to:

• very convenient working principle;
• Possibility to carry up to 4 bicycles at the same time;
• does not make it impossible to use the trunk;
• convenience during long trips (or long distances);
• there is a possibility of displaying the license plate on the bike carrier itself;
• the presence of light signals.

Platform bike racks have no disadvantages as such. Buyers note only that the price of such holders is higher than that of pendant models. At the same time, they agree that their quality and convenience are also much higher.

Choosing a bike holder is a matter that should be taken with full responsibility, because the safety of your bike depends on it when traveling by car. When choosing, you should pay attention to several main factors:

• price;
• bike carrier dimensions;
• the distance over which the transportation will be carried out;
• average speed of movement;
• convenience.

The first thing to look out for is how much money you are willing to pay for a bike holder. The cost of a good bike carrier can be up to 20,000 rubles and more. This applies to platform bike carriers. Suspended devices will cost much cheaper (about 4,500-10,000 rubles), since their functionality is less, and the principle of operation is not so effective. However, price is far from the most important factor to pay attention to. Remember that quality and reliability are always more important.

Now think about how many bikes you are going to transport at a time. On sale you can easily find bike racks with a capacity of 2 to 4 bicycles. Remember that by increasing the amount of space in the holder, you increase the size of your vehicle (it becomes a little more difficult to drive). Since this is not very comfortable for many, you should buy a holder strictly for the number of bicycles that you have.

It is worth saying that its price also depends on the capacity of the mount. Be aware that the larger the volume, the higher the price of the bike rack will be. If you're looking to save some money, buy one that can hold fewer bikes.

An equally important factor in choosing is how far you are going to ride using the bike rack. Different types of mounts are designed for different loads, and this should not be forgotten if you want to use the bike rack for as long as possible.

A suspended bike rack will serve you well if you are not going to ride it over 100 kilometers. It is quite enough to prevent your bike from falling or damaging the car itself while driving, and the holder will “live” in such conditions for quite a long time. If you plan to travel far (more than 100 kilometers), you should not even look towards the suspended models. Your choice should definitely be something from the platform series. Only these mounts can provide you with the reliability of transporting your bike over long distances.

Do not forget about the speed of movement.Different types of bike racks are designed for different vehicle speeds. This is due not only to the type, but also to the size of the holders, because an increase in size also changes the load on the car's hitch.

If you move at a speed not exceeding 100-110 kilometers per hour, then a simple hanging bike rack is quite suitable for you. (You can safely use a device with a capacity of 3-4 seats). If you are a fan of fast driving (from 110 to 130-135 kilometers per hour), you should definitely choose the platform type of attachment. At the same time, you should not transport more than 1-2 bicycles in the device in one trip, because this creates a huge load on the holder structure. Violation of these recommendations can result in the loss of your bicycles, failure of the holder itself, or even damage to the rear elements of the car.

Another factor is the ease of use of the bike rack. Of course, this factor cannot be ignored, especially if you plan to use the device frequently. The very concept of "convenience" in relation to bike holders can be divided into several points:

• in consolidation;
• during transportation;
• in care.

When securing the bike in the suspension holder, you have to use the special straps to tighten it. It can take a long time, and when you are in a hurry, it becomes a real torment. Platform structures do not have such a drawback, their fastening principle is much simpler.

Before transporting bicycles on pendant models, it is recommended to wrap a soft cloth around the handlebars and other protruding areas. This is necessary so that the rear window of the car is not damaged during sudden braking or driving over bumps. Again, platform bike racks are designed to simply prevent the bike from bumping into the car.

Do not forget about caring for the holders if you want the device to serve you as long as possible. Pendant models have a problem with straps acting as anchorage. They deteriorate or fray over time, so you will need to replace them occasionally. Even straps made of high-quality materials will not save you from this problem - they will also deteriorate sooner or later.

There are a large number of brands producing towbar bike racks. To buy a truly high-quality product, you need to know about all the nuances of products from a particular manufacturer. Most often on sale you can find bike holders from brands such as Thule, Amos, Buzzrack.

Most cyclists Thule brand recognized as the best and highest quality in this area (judging by reviews and reviews). The company has existed for a very long time and has managed to establish itself on the market on a positive side. They have a huge range of towbar bike racks and related products. When you buy Thule products, you can be absolutely sure that the quality of the soldering and assembly of the structure will not let you down.

However, these products also have disadvantages, more precisely, one is the price. The products of this brand are quite expensive and may not be affordable for many cyclists (the price of the holders can go up to 50,000 rubles). Because of this, many treat Thule a little dismissively, because there are decent counterparts at a lower price.

Such analogs can be safely attributed Amos brand... It is slightly less popular than Thule, but this is not its drawback. The quality of products from this company is more than decent, so we can safely say that these brands are on a par in terms of quality.The price of Amos products is much more comfortable for the buyer: on average, Thule's counterparts are several times cheaper. It is for this combination of price and quality that the Amos brand becomes the choice of the majority.

There is another more or less popular manufacturer of bicycle racks - Buzzrack... This brand has appeared relatively recently, so many people are suspicious of it. About the quality of its products, we can only say that Buzzrack is slightly inferior in this parameter to products from Amos. The price of these bike racks corresponds to their quality, although many bike enthusiasts advise to spend a little more money, but to be confident in the reliability of the product.

When using towbar bike racks, certain traffic rules must be observed. There are not so many of them: the mount should not obstruct license plates and lights (headlights, turn signals) of the car. In case of non-compliance with these conditions, you can receive a fine of up to 800 rubles.

See below for how to attach the bike carrier to the towbar.