I would like to buy a bike rack for my RR Vogue 2001. Any thoughts or suggestions with regard to what type and where to buy? Thanks

Do you have a tow bar ?

Thank you Alistair - Yes I have a toe bar

Whoops...TOW bar

Several options -

1) Official RR kit - that means removing the towball mounting from the armature - if you look underneath it's one horizontal bolt straight through. That one holds the bikes far enough off the car to open the tailgate (lower & upper) with the bikes attached. Only takes 2 bikes though.


2) MaxxRaxx do a carrier that allows you to tow at the same time - it leaves the tow ball free. It's a single arm, so bkies need to have a cross bar.

3) Tow ball mounted system like these. Holds all type of bikes & some can be lowered - so theoretically you can open your tailgate, but they are very heavy with bikes on.

All are available new, or can be picked up second hand.

For completeness - you could also go roof mounted - in which case I'd recommend Thule roof bars & bike holders.

The RR is a bit high for getting them on & off, but they work just fine.

Not that I'm indecisive, but I've got a set of Thule bars & 4 bike holders, I also have a MaxxRaxx 4 bike carrier & an official RR one My best mate who also has a FFRR has a Thule towball mounted one.

Thanks Alistair - I think I'll opt for a tow bar arrangement. How much is the official RR kit do you reckon V Maxx Raxx?

The official RR one will cost about £350 new, but I think it is best because it fits straight into the armature (square section tube) Alternativly you could fit a removable tow ball at approx £250 then buy one of the many ball mounted racks - Thule etc, for about £50, (and upwards if you also want lights.)
I've been keeping an eye on eBay for a while with no joy so just opted for the RR one from Dan at Duckworth.
Hope some of that is of help.

This is really helpful & very much appreciated. Thank you

The MaxxRaxx does the job OK, but as it is only a single horizontal bar, all bikes need a cross bar or adapter, then you have to position each one so that it's balanced. I used it with a drop plate (not swan neck) tow bar and it needed a spacer to get it clear of the bumper.

The official one has 2 arms and feels absolutely rock solid - but it does stick out furtherand it replaces the tow bar so you can't row at the same time.

I bought the MaxxRaxx new, but they seem to come up on eBay fairly regularly.

I was lucky enough to get the official one second hand & paid something like £70

I have a Mottez 4 bike platform rack similar to the one in the video below. It's really very good indeed and very solid. It used to be a bit of hassle to get 4 bikes on when they were different sizes (2 kids). The smaller ones used to foul the larger ones with peddles etc. much better now the kids are bigger and all the bikes are a similar size. If I remember rightly, it wasn't cheap - but is now at least 6yrs old and as good as new with some pretty heavy use. It's pretty heave to manhandle on my own, but do-able. Towbar nose weight might be an issue on a lesser car, but I've never even considered it on my old P38 or current TD6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5xUN-H5KIs Current: 2010 Range Rover L322
Vogue SE, TDV8 3.6, Bournville
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Now gone: 2002 Range Rover L322
Vogue, TD6, Giverney Green

Thanks folks for these thoughts - I've just got my RR and joined this forum and I'm very impressed and delighted with the support available. Next query will be suitable roof bars to carry surf boards! As I'm only getting the hang of this site etc - I'll post this as a new question. Again, thank you.