Which is the best bike carrier: tail or lid?
As the summer approaches you are going to be wanting to get out on your bike, and once you have finished with all the local routes then you might want to find something a bit more adventurous.
The other thing you might be considering is taking your bikes on holiday with you! So in that case, what is the best bike carrier for your needs?
Tail gate carriers
This is the type of carrier that I have, so from experience, is it any good? The best thing is that it is really easy to lift the bikes on an off. One of the big problems with roof mounted carriers is that you have to get your bike up there in the first place! It’s ok if you have some help around, but if you don’t then it can be a bit of a pain.
Is there a downside to a tail carrier?
Well yes there is. If you want to go in your estate’s boot for any reason then you either have to take the whole thing off, or else you have to balance the bikes very carefully. Now that is my slightly cheaper model, and it straps to the underside of the car. Yes it’s firm, but it can be a pain. I notice that Thule do a model which they claim doesn’t have to removed from the tail.
Roof carriers
In this case you can carry up to 4 bikes. Just remember that you are going to need to lift the bikes up pretty high, and you will seriously affect your aerodynamic shape on your car, which will push up your fuel bill. That said, you can still get at your luggage.
A couple of things I like about roof carriers as opposed to tail gate options. First, you can put the bars on for the whole summer season and just leave them there. Always ready for an impromptu trip.
Secondly, you can get a half roof box on the top with a couple of bikes, which means you can have the best of both worlds. Of course, if you have a big family then you might need all that space!
