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Cycle Racks Tested

Make cycling trips simple with a bike rack for your car. We pick the best, plus give some top tips for fitting

Cycle racks tested

April 2010

After a harsh winter, now is the time to make the most of spring – and there are few better ways of doing so than cycling. Your car is the best way of getting to all sorts of bike routes across the UK.

However, even if your vehicle is big enough to carry a cycle inside, pedals and the like can quickly mark trim.

Plus, coming home, the bike could be muddy.

So what you need is a rack. There’s a wide choice available, yet the most accessible is the strap-on variety as it merely requires a little care and time to fit. We looked at 10 to find the best buy.

The Test


All these carriers require some kind of assembly, so we looked for ease of construction plus clear instructions.

And while straightforward fitting to the car is handy we also considered the carrying capacity and maximum load weight for each product. And then, every unit was road tested, with an emphasis on a lack of rattles and secure fixings. Price was a consideration, but as a carrier is a long-term purchase this wasn’t as important as in some tests.

Verdict

THIS test was very closely contested, but it’s the Thule ClipOn 9103 which is our easy rider, balancing quality, practicality and ease of use with a reasonable price. If you prefer your cycles mounted high on the back of your car, the Mont Blanc Easy Grip H3 is also good value and worked well. For the cash-strapped,
the Thule FreeWay 968 just takes the verdict from the Automaxi Rider Plus.

Top 3

  1. Thule ClipOn Bike Carrier 9103
  2. Mont Blanc Easy Grip H3
  3. Thule FreeWay 968 3B
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1 Comment

R Page

these cycle racks are Ok but alot of cars today are no good to fit them because of plastic bumpers and all glass hatches

By richpage4 on 13 April, 2010, 11:27am

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Tested Products

Thule ClipOn Bike Carrier 9103

Thule ClipOn Bike Carrier 9103

Price: £79.95 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3/45kg

Mont Blanc Easy Grip H3

Mont Blanc Easy Grip H3

Price: £71.51 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3 /45

Thule FreeWay 968 3B

Thule FreeWay 968 3B

Price: £54.95 Cycles/max weight (kg):3/45

Halfords Rear High Mount 3 Cycle Carrier

Halfords Rear High Mount 3 Cycle Carrier

Price: £89.99 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3/45

Thule ClipOn High 9105

Thule ClipOn High 9105

Price: £119.95 Cycles/max weight (kg): 2/30

Automaxi Rider Plus Cycle Carrier

Automaxi Rider Plus Cycle Carrier

Price: £54.95 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3/45

Pendle Strap-on Bike Rack Image Rights Global rights Web Mobile Mobile (For Sale) Syndicate Print

Pendle Strap-on Bike Rack

Price: £83.20 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3/40.5

Automaxi Rider High Cycle Carrier

Automaxi Rider High Cycle Carrier

Price: £59.95 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3/45

Halfords Value Rear Low Mount 2 Cycle Carrier

Halfords Value Rear Low Mount 2 Cycle Carrier

Price: £59.99 Cycles/max weight (kg): 2/30

Mont Blanc Easy Grip S3

Mont Blanc Easy Grip S3

Price: £122.60 Cycles/max weight (kg): 3/45

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