Summer Survival Guide - Part 2 - Bike racks rated

Here, we round up some of the best that are currently on offer.

Saris Bones 3-Bike strap-on
Price £100
Web www.paligapltd.co.uk
Maximum capacity Three bikes
Fits to All cars
For Funky design; light weight; individual recess for each bike; fits any saloon or hatch
Against Bikes must have cross-bar to fit

This has to be the coolest strap-on rack out there.

True to its name, the funky Bones looks like an animal skeleton hanging off the back of your car.

It works by supporting itself on two pairs of legs, which rest on the bumper and against the rear window or boot lid.

The whole thing is then secured to the back of the car with webbing straps and plastic-coated metal hooks.

The rack is light, and sturdy once in place, with dedicated recesses for each bike's crossbar, and straps to hold each bike in place.

Thule ProRide 591
Price £82
Web www.thule.co.uk
Maximum capacity One bike
Fits to All cars with suitable roof bars
For Simple, easy-use support mechanism; stylish looks
Against Price; fiddly parts for fixing onto cross bars

The Thule ProRide looks superb - simple and sleek in brushed aluminium and black.

More importantly, it's very easy to use once you've managed the fiddly task of fitting it to the car.

Unlike some other roof-mounted racks, the parts where the bike's front and rear wheels sit are flat, so you don't have to struggle to lift the wheels over any raised parts.

A mechanical 'hand' on a moveable arm then holds the bike's frame firmly in place, while straps hold the wheels.

Halfords 4x4 Bike Carrier
Price £69.99
Web www.halfords.com
Maximum capacity Two bikes
Fits to Vehicles with a rear-mounted spare wheel (cover off)
For Easy to fit; dedicated slot for each bike, not too far to lift bike
Against Bikes must have cross-bar to fit

4x4s are often too tall for roof-mounted racks, while those with spare wheels on the back can't take conventional strap-on racks. This is Halfords' solution: a simple, sturdy rack that fits straight onto the spare wheel. It's held in place with easily fitting straps, and there are dedicated holders for each bike's cross-member, held in place with Velcro fastenings. Straps then give the bikes added security.

Ball Mounting Block
Price £104
Web www.pendle-bike.co.uk
Maximum capacity Four bikes
Fits toAny vehicle with a towbar
For Quick to fit when required; doesn’t touch car bodywork; takes four bikes
Against Can’t be used when towing; fiddly bolts on mounting block

This rack sits in a support clamped to either a bolt-on or swan-neck towball, so you don't have to fumble with any straps or hooks to fit it to the car.

Once the block's in place on the towbar, you simply slot the rack's two arms into their holders in the block.

It'll take up to four bikes, and the rack's relatively low height makes it easy to lift the bikes onto it, with webbing straps to fasten them to it.

Lightboard Pendle steel lighting unit
Price £39.50
Web www.pendle-bike.co.uk

If your bikes obscure either your vehicle's number plate or any of the rear lights, you'll need a lightboard - or something similar - to stay legal. With this Pendle unit, you screw the number plate in place through the holes in the lightboard's metal frame, then simply hook the frame over the arms of your rear-mounted carrier, after the last bike. Seven-pin towing electrics are attached, and they simply fit straight into the socket that should be fitted next to your towbar.