tow bar bike racks any suggestions

[cb550]

Have taken the plunge and having my dealer fit the fixed tow bar along with its first service.

Want the tow bar primarily for a bike rack and as a bonus I can use my trailor for getting rid of garden rubbish etc.

Anyone reccomend a good bike rack?I'm considering the thule 2 bike rack where the bikes sit on wheel cradles rather than being suspended.Is a bit pricy though

[sdg_77]

I bought a Thule 903 earlier in the year - from TowEquipe in Nuneaton - quick delivery and wrapped up well. The carrier is very stable and easy to fit. I had to spend a little while setting the 'puck' just right in the towball clamp but it's been ok since then. I'm not convinced I'd want to tilt the carrier and then pick it up again with the bikes on to get into the tailgate but I don't see that as a huge problem. For a little added peace of mind I wrapped the front bar of the carrier with pipe foam just in case I clunk the plastic bumper. On our previous Civic we had a Thule High Level clip on which carried our bikes to Holland and back a couple of times - this one seems to more stable if anything. The view through the lower rear screen is pretty much blocked but there's enough of the upper screen clear to make it easy to see anything close behind. The 13 to 7 pin adaptor was a bit strange to fit but it can stay in the plug on the carrier now.

It folds up reasonably small too - though it won't quite fit in the boot with the rear seats up - perhaps if you took off the upright U tube that the cross bar clamps extend from? Most Dutch people just leave them on the car.

hope that helps.
sdg.

http://www.thule.com/Thule/ProductPage____44319.aspx

[cb550]

Originally Posted by sdg_77

I bought a Thule 903 earlier in the year - from TowEquipe in Nuneaton - quick delivery and wrapped up well. The carrier is very stable and easy to fit. I had to spend a little while setting the 'puck' just right in the towball clamp but it's been ok since then. I'm not convinced I'd want to tilt the carrier and then pick it up again with the bikes on to get into the tailgate but I don't see that as a huge problem. For a little added peace of mind I wrapped the front bar of the carrier with pipe foam just in case I clunk the plastic bumper. On our previous Civic we had a Thule High Level clip on which carried our bikes to Holland and back a couple of times - this one seems to more stable if anything. The view through the lower rear screen is pretty much blocked but there's enough of the upper screen clear to make it easy to see anything close behind. The 13 to 7 pin adaptor was a bit strange to fit but it can stay in the plug on the carrier now.

It folds up reasonably small too - though it won't quite fit in the boot with the rear seats up - perhaps if you took off the upright U tube that the cross bar clamps extend from? Most Dutch people just leave them on the car.

hope that helps.
sdg.

Thule EuroClassic Pro 903 - Thule Web

Thanks for the info sdg.I'll look at that one-Thule seem to do a number of different versions of the same design,945,9502.902.I think the 903 is 3-4 bikes(902 but larger capacity)

[sdg_77]

Yes - our invoice says 902 - you get a better idea of the fitting in the pdf manuals - Bike Carriers Towbar - Thule Web

One of the www sites has a video of someone fitting one of these to a car - sadly not easy to find!

Some better photos of the three bike version here ...
Thule 903 Euroclassic Pro Towbar Bike Carrier

Hmm - quite a wide variety of prices too!

[SimonB]

I bought one of the Thule 902's. It is a fantastic bike rack and can't recommend it enough. (I also purchased it from TowEquipe in nuneaton - as they fitted my towbar, and were cheapest!)

The rack was fitted, and unfitted numerous times on a trip to the Netherlands last year (lots of cobble streets). Our stay was unexpectedly extended, and the bike rack had to stay permanently on the car for about 1 week, and it didn't move a millimeter at all.

I still can't get over how so much weight can be thrown around on a circular ball!!!

The image below, is a quick image of my rack on my Accord.

(The only thing is, there are 4 clips (two different sizes) to hold the number plate in. Make sure you use the right 2 clips for the thickness of the number plate!

[cb550]

Car been returned to me from dealers re service and tow bar fit.Point of interest for anyone considering the Honda tow ball is that the fixed option is in fact a swan neck style,not the conventional flange/bolted to a back plate variety.

Not any problem for me as I'm buying the clamp to the tow ball thule bike rack,but some racks are designed to bolt to the back plate-which with the Honda design there obviously is'nt one.

[Dimplyred]

A friend of mine bought a Thule bike rack from Towequipe and thinks it is great.

He's bought several towbars from them and claims they are excellent products.

[SimonB]

One thing just to check, is the clearance between the towing ball and the bumper. I can't honestly remember what the clearance is on mine, but I have to be careful lifting the rack on and off.

(You can tell by the picture, how close it is to the bumber!)

[cb550]

Originally Posted by SimonB

One thing just to check, is the clearance between the towing ball and the bumper. I can't honestly remember what the clearance is on mine, but I have to be careful lifting the rack on and off.

(You can tell by the picture, how close it is to the bumber!)

Noticed from the picture it also is a swan neck(fixed?) Shame on mine the plastic protector for when not in use looks a bit weird/cheap.

[sdg_77]

Ours is a Bosal Swan Neck - fixed. The actual clearance is 65mm, the Thule manual says 40mm minimum. You do need a little 'manoeuvring' room but so long as you fully open the clamp its not difficult. I don't think the thule clamp on carriers are compatible with the short bolt on style towballs.

sdg.

[druidh]

Another happy Thule 902 user here - on the genuine (Witter) detachable towbar. I've also got the adapter which modifies it to take three bikes.

It all works very well - although you have to suspend disbelief when you see how it fits on. Folds up small enough to go in the boot, which also makes it great for storing in the garage. I also bought an additional high-level brake light which straps onto the rearmost bike. I'm 99% sure this is a legal requirement as otherwise you're obscuring the built-in 3rd brake light.

[monty57]

Perhaps slightly off topic but can you get 2 mountain bikes in the back using the magic seats?
I am on the point of buying a civic and on looking in the showroom I thought you could. Can you?

Thanks
Graham

[druidh]

You probably could, but why bother? It's much easier to fold the seats down, take out the seatposts and just roll the bikes back - upside down - into the boot. Pack a few bags around them to stop them falling over / scratching each other and you're done.

[alanwalne]

I had the Thule ride on 3 bike carrier 9403 and I was not too hpppy with the stability of the bikes.

I have changed to the cheaper 972 3 bike carrier frame clamp unit and I am a lot happier with it.

[cb550]

Originally Posted by monty57

Perhaps slightly off topic but can you get 2 mountain bikes in the back using the magic seats?
I am on the point of buying a civic and on looking in the showroom I thought you could. Can you?

Thanks
Graham

Honda make an accesory for that so presumably you can(remove front wheel first??).I know hybrids(larger frames and wheels) won't,unless you remove the front wheels because I tried it with my previous ES.They both went sideways through the hatchback,but a bit of a bind to be honest.

[sdg_77]

Originally Posted by cb550

...but a bit of a bind to be honest.

Yes - I'd agree it is quite a bind. If you take both wheels out it's easier - but 4 wheels occupies a lot of the boot - and you need something to keep the chains off the floor etc. OK when the bikes are clean but not much fun after a muddy ride!