Bike rack without towbars (Strap/clipon type)

[William_Foster]

The internet tells me it will cost around $600; but I am sure with a bit of shopping around you could get it for cheaper than that. Compare that to lockable Thule roof rack mounted stands and it is quite reasonable [Not sure how much the towball option on the Polo is; but I was getting that anyway].

From experience purchasing Thule items from Repco or other places is much cheaper than purchasing the rebranded, or in some cases the exact same items from car dealerships.

[dave_r]

New bike it is

[seangti]

Torpedo7.com (NZ site) and wiggle.co.uk have some great prices on riding related accessories, bike racks for boot and roof mounting included (not the roof racks as such though).

[kaanage]

For the Polo I am going the towball and Thule towball mount bike rack; as this can be quickly put on and off without damaging the paint work; plus the new Thule ones have a lowering mechanism built in that allow you full access to the boot even with bikes mounted.

Bear in mind that the cost of the tow bar for a Polo (or any Volkswagen for that matter) is rather high (re: ASTRONOMICAL).

Also, I wonder how usable the tilt function is in real life as you would have to tilt it a fair way to clear the hatch's swing path. I'd want a demo with real bikes loaded on one if that was an important feature to you.

I'm now wonding if that "Invisible Car Bra" stuff can be applied to the contact points for a strap on rack.

New bike it is

[dave_r]

Roof racks, towbars, paint protection film.... blahhhh all too hard.

I'm definitely taking the lazy route. New bike for her birthday = 2 birds with 1 stone aka I win.