Roof or towbar

On Wednesday, 18 September 2013 00:17:30 UTC+1, Bertie Wooster wrote:
On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:58:26 -0700 (PDT), thirty-six

wrote:



On Tuesday, 17 September 2013 22:29:22 UTC+1, Bertie Wooster wrote:

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 21:59:05 +0100, "Zapp Brannigan"



wrote:











"Bertie Wooster" wrote in message



.. .







Getting the tandem onto the roof is seriously tricky (without damaging



the paintwork) when I do it on my own. Solo bikes would be much



easier, but I still reckon a tow bar mount will be easier, with little



or no risk to the paint.







That would be my view. Lifting bicycles on top of an MPV is no fun. Hard



to reach the straps, terrible noise and drag, much neater perched on the



towball.







I have just seen this for the tandem:



http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bts-car-r...dem-prod19197/



(But I won't be buying at �300).





Go to a pub and scavange or buy a solid beer crate. Grolsch crates were very good. An upturned bucket may do at a pinch, but ideally a wooden box into which your normal luggage may be stuffed in and around. You may stand on top of any of these otherwise useful onjects and can decorate in your own custom design with sticky-back plastic.



I don't think that you fully appreciate the difficulty in solo loading

You're right, I'm not thinking negatively.


a steel double marathon tandem onto the roof of an MPV. The idea of

lifting the bike, then stepping onto a cool box to load it onto the

roof is not as easy as it sounds.

Eat fruit and be strong.


The alternative of being on the box,

then lifting the bike, then somehow rotating myself and it 180 degrees

to load onto the roof is equally difficult.

That would be asking for an occurrence, of the wrong kind.

With the box next to the car, put the bike over/on the box/steps. Step up and lift up the bike. Move to higher/closer step and load bike.


I'm sure after you try it, you can think out specific reasons why my suggestion is failure-prone. It's not something that can be thought through,unless you want to empty your wallet,just get on with it and see. Opening a door and standing on a cill or standing on a tyre may get you closer.




And this looks like it will suit my needs as a tow bar carrier:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B51BNrYr2TA



At about �400 it is a little expensive, but it does look like a well



designed rack.

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 22:33:28 +0100, Mrcheerful
wrote:

On 16/09/2013 23:36, Bertie Wooster wrote:
We have just made my selection for a replacement car for our V reg
Peugeot 406, which I bought second hand just under 10 years ago.

The 406 is beginning to fall to pieces - with the air conditioning
broken, the 12v power socket broken, the remote control door lock
broken and locking and unlocking the car can only be performed
passenger side; and to top it all the nearside wing mirror glass was
broken through a misjudged reversing manoeuvre by my wife, but I have
managed to gaffer tape a replacement glass into place for our
forthcoming trip to France.

Our new car will be a 13 month old Peugeot 5008 MPV, delivery in two
weeks, after we return from the Loire Valley in our dilapidated 406.

I have a roof mounted tandem carrier which is fine, and a rear end
bicycle rack which I won't want to use on the new car. What is better
for transporting bicycles (other than tandems), roof carriers or
towbar carriers?

Why not get a vehicle that can accommodate the loads you want to
transport?

That is exactly what I want to do.

Sticking stuff on to the outside is a last resort idea.

I saw a car transporter today. Its loading was a last resort.

Same with the window cleaner...

Same with the fire engine...

And the driving instructor's car...

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 22:29:22 +0100
Bertie Wooster wrote:

I have just seen this for the tandem:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bts-car-r...dem-prod19197/
(But I won't be buying at £300).

The Thule tilt-and-swivel tandem rack design is quite handy for solo
loading. Someone used to do a tandem carrier that worked like this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVtdBZaDnmg but I can't find details ATM.

On 18/09/2013 00:44, Bertie Wooster wrote:
On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 22:33:28 +0100, Mrcheerful
wrote:

On 16/09/2013 23:36, Bertie Wooster wrote:
We have just made my selection for a replacement car for our V reg
Peugeot 406, which I bought second hand just under 10 years ago.

The 406 is beginning to fall to pieces - with the air conditioning
broken, the 12v power socket broken, the remote control door lock
broken and locking and unlocking the car can only be performed
passenger side; and to top it all the nearside wing mirror glass was
broken through a misjudged reversing manoeuvre by my wife, but I have
managed to gaffer tape a replacement glass into place for our
forthcoming trip to France.

Our new car will be a 13 month old Peugeot 5008 MPV, delivery in two
weeks, after we return from the Loire Valley in our dilapidated 406.

I have a roof mounted tandem carrier which is fine, and a rear end
bicycle rack which I won't want to use on the new car. What is better
for transporting bicycles (other than tandems), roof carriers or
towbar carriers?

Why not get a vehicle that can accommodate the loads you want to
transport?

That is exactly what I want to do.

Sticking stuff on to the outside is a last resort idea.

I saw a car transporter today. Its loading was a last resort.

Same with the window cleaner...

Same with the fire engine...

And the driving instructor's car...


Which is why I said to get yourself a vehicle that can take the loads
you need to move.
So get yourself a pick up truck with a crew cab or a Transit with seats,
or a camper van, or a box trailer. All designed to take the loads you
are talking about without making the vehicle a mess by adding on silly
carriers that are difficult to load safely and dangerous to passers by,
coupled with making the vehicle a target for casual thieves.

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:41:17 +0100, Catrap wrote:

"Peter Keller" wrote in message ...

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 08:58:17 +0100, Catrap wrote:

"brianrob1961" wrote in message
...

On 17/09/2013 07:45, Bertie Wooster wrote:
On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 00:49:23 +0100, "Catrap"
wrote:



"Bertie Wooster" wrote in message
...

We have just made my selection for a replacement car for our V reg
Peugeot 406, which I bought second hand just under 10 years ago.

The 406 is beginning to fall to pieces - with the air conditioning
broken, the 12v power socket broken, the remote control door lock
broken and locking and unlocking the car can only be performed
passenger side; and to top it all the nearside wing mirror glass was
broken through a misjudged reversing manoeuvre by my wife, but I have
managed to gaffer tape a replacement glass into place for our
forthcoming trip to France.

Our new car will be a 13 month old Peugeot 5008 MPV, delivery in two
weeks, after we return from the Loire Valley in our dilapidated 406.

I have a roof mounted tandem carrier which is fine, and a rear end
bicycle rack which I won't want to use on the new car. What is better
for transporting bicycles (other than tandems), roof carriers or
towbar carriers?

Don't bother. Chuck them all in the bin and just enjoy the delights
of motoring.

For our honeymoon, Clare and I had a motoring tour of Europe, starting
in a Chateau in Champagne, progressing to Trier, a town on the banks
of the River Mosel, then to the Black Forest and later Passau. After
leaving Germany we drove through Austria to Slovenia, spending the
night on the banks of Lake Bled, and finally into Croatia where we
spent a week. The return trip was just as adventurous, through Italy
and over the St Bernard Pass into Switzerland, then back through
Germany (to avoid the French tolls), into Belgium and back to the UK
via Calais. 3000 miles in total.

But it was not the motoring we recall from that trip. It is the cycle
rides around the sleepy vineyards of Champagne on our tandem; it is
the glasses of deliciously sweet chilled auslese wine served at the
wineries along the Mosel cycle path; it is our 48 hour excursion along
the Danube cycle route into Austria; it is our early morning
circumnavigation of Bled with the mist rising from the lake, so good
that we cycled around it twice; it is our shopping trips on the
Adriatic, passing all those Dutch caravans stuck in traffic; it is the
exploration of Lago Maggiorie; it is my solo attempt to cycle up the
St Bernard Pass, while Clare drove to the summit; it is our
exploration of the city of Frieburg following the cycle route along
the river.

The car was simply a means for tandeming in different places during a
limited period of time.


Bertie, sounds wonderful, but I can assure you that it will be lost on
Catcrap.

How predictable. Briannob1861 demonstrating his hilarious infant school
humour.

Oh dear. So you are annoyed that someone actually had great fun and
pleasure while using a bicycle to get to wonderful places?
I suggest you do not try to make other people miserable just because you
are miserable.

No, not annoyed. Not even the slightest bit bothered. How could anyone
be cross with such simple minded people?

So you want them to be unhappy simple-minded people? So you ARE bothered
and cross.
And besides, I am really ecstatically pleased and honoured to receive
the great accolade of being simple-minded from the carprat.
How about bestowing the further honours of being mind-numbing, arassive,
poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, socially-retarded,
puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good!

Please?

"Peter Keller" wrote in message ...

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:41:17 +0100, Catrap wrote:

"Peter Keller" wrote in message ...

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 08:58:17 +0100, Catrap wrote:

"brianrob1961" wrote in message
...

On 17/09/2013 07:45, Bertie Wooster wrote:
On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 00:49:23 +0100, "Catrap"
wrote:



"Bertie Wooster" wrote in message
...

We have just made my selection for a replacement car for our V reg
Peugeot 406, which I bought second hand just under 10 years ago.

The 406 is beginning to fall to pieces - with the air conditioning
broken, the 12v power socket broken, the remote control door lock
broken and locking and unlocking the car can only be performed
passenger side; and to top it all the nearside wing mirror glass was
broken through a misjudged reversing manoeuvre by my wife, but I have
managed to gaffer tape a replacement glass into place for our
forthcoming trip to France.

Our new car will be a 13 month old Peugeot 5008 MPV, delivery in two
weeks, after we return from the Loire Valley in our dilapidated 406.

I have a roof mounted tandem carrier which is fine, and a rear end
bicycle rack which I won't want to use on the new car. What is better
for transporting bicycles (other than tandems), roof carriers or
towbar carriers?

Don't bother. Chuck them all in the bin and just enjoy the delights
of motoring.

For our honeymoon, Clare and I had a motoring tour of Europe, starting
in a Chateau in Champagne, progressing to Trier, a town on the banks
of the River Mosel, then to the Black Forest and later Passau. After
leaving Germany we drove through Austria to Slovenia, spending the
night on the banks of Lake Bled, and finally into Croatia where we
spent a week. The return trip was just as adventurous, through Italy
and over the St Bernard Pass into Switzerland, then back through
Germany (to avoid the French tolls), into Belgium and back to the UK
via Calais. 3000 miles in total.

But it was not the motoring we recall from that trip. It is the cycle
rides around the sleepy vineyards of Champagne on our tandem; it is
the glasses of deliciously sweet chilled auslese wine served at the
wineries along the Mosel cycle path; it is our 48 hour excursion along
the Danube cycle route into Austria; it is our early morning
circumnavigation of Bled with the mist rising from the lake, so good
that we cycled around it twice; it is our shopping trips on the
Adriatic, passing all those Dutch caravans stuck in traffic; it is the
exploration of Lago Maggiorie; it is my solo attempt to cycle up the
St Bernard Pass, while Clare drove to the summit; it is our
exploration of the city of Frieburg following the cycle route along
the river.

The car was simply a means for tandeming in different places during a
limited period of time.


Bertie, sounds wonderful, but I can assure you that it will be lost on
Catcrap.

How predictable. Briannob1861 demonstrating his hilarious infant school
humour.

Oh dear. So you are annoyed that someone actually had great fun and
pleasure while using a bicycle to get to wonderful places?
I suggest you do not try to make other people miserable just because you
are miserable.

No, not annoyed. Not even the slightest bit bothered. How could anyone
be cross with such simple minded people?

So you want them to be unhappy simple-minded people? So you ARE bothered
and cross.
And besides, I am really ecstatically pleased and honoured to receive
the great accolade of being simple-minded from the carprat.
How about bestowing the further honours of being mind-numbing, arassive,
poisonous, flagrant, self-destructive, abusive, socially-retarded,
puerile, clueless, and generally Not Good!

Please?

No, just boring, irrelevant and generally not worth reading. will that do?

On Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:06:12 +0100, "Catrap"
wrote:

No, just boring, irrelevant and generally not worth reading. will that do?

I'd prefer you just didn't bother posting, but it is a good first step
that you recognise the faults in the posts you do make.

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 07:45:28 +0100, Bertie Wooster
wrote:

snip


For our honeymoon, Clare and I had a motoring tour of Europe, starting
in a Chateau in Champagne, progressing to Trier, a town on the banks
of the River Mosel, then to the Black Forest and later Passau. After
leaving Germany we drove through Austria to Slovenia, spending the
night on the banks of Lake Bled, and finally into Croatia where we
spent a week. The return trip was just as adventurous, through Italy
and over the St Bernard Pass into Switzerland, then back through
Germany (to avoid the French tolls), into Belgium and back to the UK
via Calais. 3000 miles in total.

But it was not the motoring we recall from that trip. It is the cycle
rides around the sleepy vineyards of Champagne on our tandem; it is
the glasses of deliciously sweet chilled auslese wine served at the
wineries along the Mosel cycle path; it is our 48 hour excursion along
the Danube cycle route into Austria; it is our early morning
circumnavigation of Bled with the mist rising from the lake, so good
that we cycled around it twice; it is our shopping trips on the
Adriatic, passing all those Dutch caravans stuck in traffic; it is the
exploration of Lago Maggiorie; it is my solo attempt to cycle up the
St Bernard Pass, while Clare drove to the summit; it is our
exploration of the city of Frieburg following the cycle route along
the river.

The car was simply a means for tandeming in different places during a
limited period of time.


fascinating

"Bertie Wooster" wrote in message
...

On Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:06:12 +0100, "Catrap"
wrote:

No, just boring, irrelevant and generally not worth reading. will that do?

I'd prefer you just didn't bother posting, but it is a good first step
that you recognise the faults in the posts you do make.

Luckily, you don't get to choose who posts on here. Then that would be
*really* boring.

On Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:12:48 +0100, Judith
wrote:

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 07:45:28 +0100, Bertie Wooster
wrote:

snip


For our honeymoon, Clare and I had a motoring tour of Europe, starting
in a Chateau in Champagne, progressing to Trier, a town on the banks
of the River Mosel, then to the Black Forest and later Passau. After
leaving Germany we drove through Austria to Slovenia, spending the
night on the banks of Lake Bled, and finally into Croatia where we
spent a week. The return trip was just as adventurous, through Italy
and over the St Bernard Pass into Switzerland, then back through
Germany (to avoid the French tolls), into Belgium and back to the UK
via Calais. 3000 miles in total.

But it was not the motoring we recall from that trip. It is the cycle
rides around the sleepy vineyards of Champagne on our tandem; it is
the glasses of deliciously sweet chilled auslese wine served at the
wineries along the Mosel cycle path; it is our 48 hour excursion along
the Danube cycle route into Austria; it is our early morning
circumnavigation of Bled with the mist rising from the lake, so good
that we cycled around it twice; it is our shopping trips on the
Adriatic, passing all those Dutch caravans stuck in traffic; it is the
exploration of Lago Maggiorie; it is my solo attempt to cycle up the
St Bernard Pass, while Clare drove to the summit; it is our
exploration of the city of Frieburg following the cycle route along
the river.

The car was simply a means for tandeming in different places during a
limited period of time.


fascinating

Thank you.