Hi everyone, so in great excitement I have booked a ferry to France, taking my own car and a couple of bikes. So the question of bike racks has arisen.
I thought it would be a simple case of buying a rear mounted bike rack - but OH NO, it was never going to be that easy. Seems my car isn’t suitable (it’s a Fiat 500X) - the back spoiler and bumper are plastic, and can’t hold the weight. So I need to get a towbar fitted and buy a towbar mounted bike rack.
But My God, there’s so much choice of towbar, and bike rack, and then I’ll need a rear lighting board and on and on. There seem to be so many options, and questions like, do I need 7 pin socket or 13 pin (for the lighting board I presume). And what wiring type? Can someone help me with an idiot’s guide?
I would buy some roof rails from the dealer or aftermarket (they mount horizontally across the car) then get a couple Thule bike carriers that mount to those rails.
Where I live, there are independent stores that sell roof and other racks for cars. I’ll bet that they are familiar enough with various cars and the available products that they can advise you.
I agree for a smaller car roof racks are a good and less costly option to installing a hitch receiver and all that. They are also removable when not in use. The only question is if your ferry allows/has room for roof-mounted bikes (never forget they are up there!).
Otherwise, I am not sure why the wiring thing is even a question - most hitch mounted rack systems are simple and removable and not electrified (except maybe some of the higher-end models). I don’t think the wiring is a requirement unless you get a model with lighting.
Not sure if Yakima is available where you are, but we use a Yakima Fullback on our Toyota RAV4 and it works pretty well. According to Yakima’s web site it is compatible with a Fiat 500X. The RAV4 also has a plastic spoiler and bumper, the Fullback hooks into the hatchback door above the spoiler and doesn’t touch the bumper at all.
Roof rails might be the easiest option although I avoided them myself because it was too easy to imagine smashing my bike into a carport roof, etc. I have memories of my dad peeling off the roof of our caravan like a sardine can while trying to stop for gas back in South Africa.
What’s the deal with the light requirements? I’m assuming you’re in Europe where the rules are likely different from here (Washington State, USA). But I got a 1.25" hitch installed on my station wagon and attached this: Kuat Transfer - 2 Bike Rack. It seems hard to believe that such a small item would require a light kit. On my car at least it doesn’t block the back lights. Is something like that available where you are?
I like this one because it’s pretty cheap yet sturdy enough for two bikes. I also like that the bike sits on top of the rack like the local transit buses. I used to have one where you’d hang bikes and I found it inconvenient for frames that weren’t the right shape (some woman’s bikes or kid’s bikes). I also find the loading and unloading to be very quick.
Problem with driving around Europe is that you tend to encounter roads that pass under low bridges, or archways in medieval/Roman city walls, or underground and multi-story car parks.
It’s a case of whether my brake lights will be visible (and either way I’ll need to mount a secondary numberplate) some racks I’ve looked at include the lights board presumably for this reason.
This sounds interesting! I shall investigate - pretty sure that brand is available here. I would love to avoid the expense of a towbar if I can. Is it this one?
Very interesting. The regulations must differ substantially. Browsing the Thule, etc. sites for the UK shows that the light board and license plate holder are pretty common on the hitch based racks. I’m assuming the law demands it. They’re absent in the US, I’ve never seen a hitch based bike rack with electrification or a place for a separate plate.
It always amazes me here in the US that people can get away with obscuring their plate with a bike hitch, but they do all the time. I’m not sure it’s totally legal, but it’s at least legal enough.
Certainly not legal in the UK, and I’m not prepared to test the French on such laws either! In fact, France requires a bunch of other stuff to be carried in the vehicle - warning triangle, high viz vest, breathalyser, vehicle registration and insurance details, ‘GB’ sticker to identify our country of origin. It’s a minefield.
Here in the US, I’ve always carried the registration and insurance cards and since I heard of the Yellow Vest Movement in France started to carry a cheap high-visibility vest. But a breathalyser? That’s standard equipment for French car owners?
The Yakima UK site does not list anything other than rooftop carriers as compatible with a 500X. The US cite lists trunk mount carriers. With the Fullback mounted on my RAV4 the license plate is somewhat obscured as the bikes hang in front (and the lower rung of the carrier surrounds the license plate). Maybe that’s why they do not list it as compatible in the UK.
I worked at a bike shop in high school (so a while ago) and we did a fair bit of rack business. I’ve never heard of license plate or tail light visibility provisions for trunk or tailgate racks.
I do recall two instances of someone pulling into the garage after forgetting their bikes were on the roof rack. Suprisingly, the car and garages were ok though the bikes were pretty messed up.
License plates in the US are frequently obscured by decorative frames (mostly covering the name of the issuing state). It is not uncommon to see smoked plastic covers over plates as well.
In Germany a few years back I got flashed by a speed camera in a rental car. Fortunately it was snowing and the license plate was covered by wet snow and I never got a ticket, so there is some benefit to the driver from an obscured plate (front plate, anyway).