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I'm sure I we had a chat at the UKCS Pillaton meet about a bike carrier that fits onto a towbar but still allows you to tow a trailer... But I can't remember whether you made it yourself or purchased said item...

I've searched online and found a Thule 9705... But sure that's not the one... (Although price is about what I want to pay - £70ish)...

I've got an 05 focus c-max and tow a daxara 127 with a roof box fitted on top...

I have roof bars for my car, but would rather sell them and replace them with a cycle carrier that fits the back of the car, but still allows me to tow...

Atherwitzend or anyone else... Suggestions welcome...

Cheers for the low down on the Witter bike rack, that looks like a good option compared to the Thule...

Internal space isn't an option as I only tow a small trailer (Daxara 127), but thanks for the advice all the same...

I've already got a roof box attached to the lid of the trailer, otherwise, I'd buy bike racks to go on the trailer roof...

:-)

Cheers Keely...

We've got a bike rack that fits behind the bar and still allows you to tow.

However, we never used it with the trailor on - reason being the bikes always look to close to the trailer on tight turns and i never felt safe with them there.

Cheers Pauline...

ADL.

Thanks for the advice... I've got an opportunity to sell the roof bars for my CMAX, I don't use them anymore now I've attached the roofbox to the trailer... I'm just not so sure I'd be able to lift a bike up onto the roof without scratching or damaging the roof of the car... Perhaps I should buy a bigger trailer, then I could sell the roof box, and attach the bikes to the top of the trailer...

I can feel a "project" coming on...

Hi

We have use the Witter towbar bike carrier for over 10 years.  We have both the straight model and the kinked one to accomodate a rear-mounted car spare wheel. This carrier is within the, high, weight limit of our Kia Sorrento.  It is important to watch clearance between the 'van and bikes when doing tight maneouvres.  It is NOT a problem towing forward generally but when reversing.  Over about 10 years we have twice managed to buckle a bike wheel against the jockey wheel when reversing onto tight pitches.  One of us now watches the bikes' clearance carefully when we are reversing or, more usually, we take the bikes off before tight reverses.

Apart from the towball weight issue and restricted reversing we are fans of the Witter towbar rack. Easily accessible, no high lifting of bikes and low risk of car damage.  We pad the bike and rack with supplementary padding in the form of foam pipe insulation - it's cheap and easily replaced when it gets worn.

Cheers Tim and Cary.

As I only tow a small trailer, reversing isn't really an option.. (I have it from a high authority that the smaller the towed thing, the harder it is, so I'm not ashamed of not reversing lol, ever)...

The only problem is the gap between trailer and car perhaps isn't as large as between a car and a caravan...