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looking for roof rack / bike rack for a Subaru


Substance's picture

By Substance - Posted on 31 October 2013

NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.

hi all

i am about to purchase a Giant Trance 27.5 ..
this bad boy here http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/bicycles/giant/bi...

to go with this id like to buy a bike rack of some sort
i have been reading the following post with a similar question http://nobmob.com/node/43995

the only difference is that my car has a spoiler on the back
i drive a subaru wrx 2003

spoiler looks like this

going from the previous post it looks like the Saris rack might work...
the image on this one http://www.cellbikes.com.au/Saris-Sentinel-3-Bik...
indicates that the car has a spoiler... so it should fit on my car
but when i go to the saris web page to get a fitting it doesnt show this particular rack.. so im only going off the pic from cellbikes

does anybody know if this will work ?

any other recommendations?

cheers!

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bikemad's picture

hey substance,i got racks and two bike carriers from "wheelersracks" on ebay for my forrester.Very reasonable price had them for a year and no dramas.would link you to it but im a mong with computers so youll just have to go to ebay.com.au and look in vehicle parts and accessories/racks,should be easy enough ...

Ricos's picture

cant go past ISI carriers. the best there is

Ricos's picture

also forgot to mention they are Australian made

Substance's picture

yeah i found those on ebay... thing is the forester has a flat back.. no spoiler on it?

funnily enough pics on ebay are with a subaru forester... i take it this is the one you got?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-3-Bike-Aluminum-R...

i have a feeling that these sorts of carriers are adjustable and will work over a spoiler.. but it would be good to confirm that.

Pete B's picture

I have one of these racks I use on my wife's VW Jetta. I'll put it on tonight and take a photo so you can see if there's room for a spoiler.

Substance's picture

cool thanks that would be really helpful...

are you referring to the saris roof rack or the one i posted up from ebay?
is this the sort of spoiler you have on the Jetta?

http://www.body-kitz.com/contents/media/2012-vol...

Pete B's picture

Our Jetta doesn't have a spoiler. I was just going to measure what gap was left between the rack and the body work. Here's a link to the only pic I have of it fitted, it's the wrong angle though so I'll take another one tonight.

https://db.tt/eCB8yGoK

Substance's picture

oh right, ok cool.. knowing the distance will be good too

thanks!

im thinking i might go to cellbike over the weekend and get them to fit one for me.. they arent too far from my place.

bikemad's picture

mine are actual roof racks,the bike sits on the roof,back tyre in a holder,front wheel removed and fork locked on with the thru axle.it says they fit imprezzas in the specs.

VTSS350's picture

Personally I would be putting a tow bar on the car and getting a rack to fit that. You have far more rack options and none of them have the possibility of damaging paint.

You also get a tow bar which can come in very handy!

Substance's picture

got it!

Pete B's picture

Late reply sorry. But didn't get a chance to take a photo before we set off. It made it ok all the way to Mudgee.

Here's a link to the photo.
https://db.tt/H5nFBD0d

I don't think it would work with your spoiler but like you say, head to cell bikes and see what they've got.

If you're going to keep the car a while, I reckon getting a towbar fitted is the best option.

Substance's picture

hmm yeah... i dont think theres enough clearance where the spoiler sits with that particular bike rack...

thanks for the pic either way, good to know

yep, gonna go down to cellbike today to see what theyve got... if i dont find anything then yeah tow bar will be the way to go

Ian_A's picture

Don't bother with a genuine Subaru towbar, they are just re-badged Hayman-Reese in Australia I think. You'd get one cheaper through an aftermarket dealer.

Dirty Sandman's picture

is the boot an option?

if your only taking the one bike, it may be an idea to just take the wheels off and put it in the boot.

or buy a forester Smiling

macca_chris's picture

[Mod. not the place for this]

LikeAGlove's picture

If you intend to be doing a bit of riding there is nothing worse than an annoying bike rack. Personally Id suggest investing in roof racks with Thule pro ride carrier/s or a tow bar with a Thule bike rack. Why Thule? Cause they are awesome and they work.

I messed around with other carriers and finally just sucked it up and paid the money for the Thule kit and I never regretted it.

The thing I love with the pro rides is that you can leave them on and if you need to take them off they are dead easy to remove.

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