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Bike Carrying
- Thread starter Pylon37
- Start date
This is not a serious answer.
I am just curious if you place 4 bikes on the roof, what will be the impact during emergency braking on Leon roof. Or the impact if you drive 100kmh and make a sharp curve.
As stated above, max weight by Seat is 50kg, 4 bikes with roof racks and bike carriers has 75kg.
Such overload (75kg on the roof, 50kg limit) can cause bending of the roof, braking can cause rip off the longways racks from the roof (as they are designed for 50kg), etc... And the same applies for roof box - if your box weights 15kg, you can put in just the rest of the 50kg overall max weight, not max carrying weight of the box.
So seriously - nobody cares about max weight and without any problem carries 4 bikes on the roof?
I am just curious if you place 4 bikes on the roof, what will be the impact during emergency braking on Leon roof. Or the impact if you drive 100kmh and make a sharp curve.
As stated above, max weight by Seat is 50kg, 4 bikes with roof racks and bike carriers has 75kg.
Such overload (75kg on the roof, 50kg limit) can cause bending of the roof, braking can cause rip off the longways racks from the roof (as they are designed for 50kg), etc... And the same applies for roof box - if your box weights 15kg, you can put in just the rest of the 50kg overall max weight, not max carrying weight of the box.
So seriously - nobody cares about max weight and without any problem carries 4 bikes on the roof?
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Sorry, I know this is an old thread but I thought I'd reply in case anyone stumbles across it.
The Seat bike racks are re-badged MontBrank Barracuda racks and they are excellent racks. The front wheel trough holds the bike up while you fit the main clamp and they are among the most stable racks you'll find.
I've put 2.4 wide tyres into the front trough by letting out a little air, works fine. Few seconds with the track-pump when you get where you are going and you're sorted.
The newer version of the rack is called the Roof Rush. It is identical to the Barracuda except that the front wheel trough is slightly wider and the main clamping arm is longer to accommodate long-travel mountain bikes.
Just to let you know...
Mistake was on Seat side. Allowable maximum weight on the roof for Leon ST is 75kg, not 50kg as I have in official car papers.
Seat dealers provide me an confirmation letter with new value, 75kg, to be able to change car papers...
With 75kg max weight, no problem to carry 4 bikes.
Mistake was on Seat side. Allowable maximum weight on the roof for Leon ST is 75kg, not 50kg as I have in official car papers.
Seat dealers provide me an confirmation letter with new value, 75kg, to be able to change car papers...
With 75kg max weight, no problem to carry 4 bikes.
Easy enough to get 4 on using the Thule 591 carriers
The bikes alternately face the opposite way - two face forwards - two face backwards.
Number of bikes on the roof does not rely how wide is the roof, but on the type of roof racks.
There are two options, one "closed" solution when rack ends at the foot (which looks fantastics) - Thule 9594, second "opened" solution when racks is a bit longer and foot of the rack is slided inside of rack.
On the first, closed solution, to put 4 bikes it is not possible.
On the second, no problem, like DEAN0 said.
There are two options, one "closed" solution when rack ends at the foot (which looks fantastics) - Thule 9594, second "opened" solution when racks is a bit longer and foot of the rack is slided inside of rack.
On the first, closed solution, to put 4 bikes it is not possible.
On the second, no problem, like DEAN0 said.
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It depends on the bikes too. With mountain bikes with wide bars the bars hit each other and limit how close together the bikes can be, and yes, that's with another bike between them facing the other way. You could loosen the bars and rotate them but who can be bothered doing that?
I don't know how it will work on the Leon, I've not bought roofbars for it yet, but there is no way I could get four MTBs on the roof of the Mazda6. That was with the Barracuda racks and official Mazda bars.
I don't know how it will work on the Leon, I've not bought roofbars for it yet, but there is no way I could get four MTBs on the roof of the Mazda6. That was with the Barracuda racks and official Mazda bars.
I took mine back as I didn't want to be have to deflate/inflate all the time.
Purchased Thule 591 and am delighted with them, bikes go on and off in seconds.
The thing I like about the Barracuda is the fact that the trough holds the bike up. You can chuck the bike up on the roof and it stands there. You don't need to hold it up with one hand while you attach the centre support bar.
The newer ones should have a wider trough, you shouldn't need to let air out of the front tyre? Even the 2.4 tyres I've put in the old rack only needed let down a little and Maxxis High-Roller 2.3 fits fully inflated.
The newer ones should have a wider trough, you shouldn't need to let air out of the front tyre? Even the 2.4 tyres I've put in the old rack only needed let down a little and Maxxis High-Roller 2.3 fits fully inflated.
Has anyone carried bikes on a Leon SC? What would be the best way? I am thinking of buying roof bars (there seem to be only the original ones from SEAT) and put two Thule 591 on top of them. What I am wondering is how easy and quick it is to mount/unmount everything since the SC looks ridiculous with roof bars and I need them only when carrying bikes.
What would be the best way? I am thinking of buying roof bars (there seem to be only the original ones from SEAT) and put two Thule 591 on top of them. What I am wondering is how easy and quick it is to mount/unmount everything since the SC looks ridiculous with roof bars and I need them only when carrying bikes.
Like I said, on my last car I left the bike carriers attached to the bars and lifted the whole thing on and off the car. It was easy and very quick. To remove I just unbolted the bars from the car, stood on the sill and lifted the bars/racks up and off.
The tricky bit is fitting the thing without scratching the roof. The first time I did it I landed the bars wrong and put a couple of scratches on the roof but once I got the technique right it was fine. The bars and three bike racks was weighty but not unmanageable, you just had to think about how you were holding it, standing etc and once you got the technique sorted it was very easy.
It would obviously depend on how the clamps on the bars work and you might need a helper to guide the bars or something but definitely something to look at. It takes too long to mount the bars and racks individually and I don't want to be driving around with them on the car all the time either. It made a huge difference to me as it meant I could get the racks and bikes mounted up in about ten minutes.
The tricky bit is fitting the thing without scratching the roof. The first time I did it I landed the bars wrong and put a couple of scratches on the roof but once I got the technique right it was fine. The bars and three bike racks was weighty but not unmanageable, you just had to think about how you were holding it, standing etc and once you got the technique sorted it was very easy.
It would obviously depend on how the clamps on the bars work and you might need a helper to guide the bars or something but definitely something to look at. It takes too long to mount the bars and racks individually and I don't want to be driving around with them on the car all the time either. It made a huge difference to me as it meant I could get the racks and bikes mounted up in about ten minutes.
I use the Seat(thule) bars and 2x Thule 591 carriers.
Personally wouldn't recommend taking off in one go, to put on the two bars, two racks and two bikes I would say 10-15mins max.
Not exactly a hardship.
Also don't think the SC looks that bad with bars on...
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Personally wouldn't recommend taking off in one go, to put on the two bars, two racks and two bikes I would say 10-15mins max.
Not exactly a hardship.
Also don't think the SC looks that bad with bars on...
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Old thread but I have some pics for anyone trying to get a roof mounted set up. I went with the Whispbar S25 flush bars with the 733 fitting kit. This was £195 excluding delivery from from roofbox.co.uk. The roof bars themselves are great, 75kg weight capacity. The have the flush mount ends so they look very clean, almost OEM clean. Its a real shame the Leon doesn't have bolt points on the roof to save using the ugly clamp system. They are aerofoil shaped so they claim to be the quietest roof bars on the market and I can confirm they don't whistle or make much wind noise. The only issue is with the Seat clamp system, this naturally creates a slight gap in the doors seal and this is where the majority of added wind noise comes from. The radio will cover the noise but it is there. The mounting kit is a soft rubber foot that sits on the edge of the roof. I cant see it causing damage as long as the surfaces are cleaned before fitting and regularly maintained every month or so with a quick wipe. An option is to clear wrap the roof under the feet which I plan to do once its dry outside.
The bars are relatively easy to fit. Just adjust the bars width and fit the clamp fitting kit provided which is specially made for the Leon 5F 2012+. I can confirm that the sunroof tilt function will work for the flush bars but the slide back DOES NOT! It will make contact with the bars and possibly damage your sunroof so be careful. The flush end bars offer the added bonus of looking better but they do reduce the usable space of the bars themselves. I'll never be carrying more than 1 bike so it doesn't bother me but if you are carrying a box and bikes or multiple items the through bar setup would be better but this is personal preference. The bars themselves are interchangeable so you can reuse the clamping mechanism and just swap out the bars between flush and through if you want. If you change your car down the line you can also change just the fitting kit and swap the bars onto your new car for only about £30 which is handy. Here's some pics for reference on a Cupra 290.
I paired the bars with a Thule ProRide 598, basically one of the best bike racks on the market. It mounts to the Whispbars with 20mm T track fasteners. There come provided with the Thule rack. Plenty of info can be found about this bike rack online. So thats my bike fitting setup. Hopefully it helps someone on the fence like I was. Any questions please ask away and I'll help where I can.
The bars are relatively easy to fit. Just adjust the bars width and fit the clamp fitting kit provided which is specially made for the Leon 5F 2012+. I can confirm that the sunroof tilt function will work for the flush bars but the slide back DOES NOT! It will make contact with the bars and possibly damage your sunroof so be careful. The flush end bars offer the added bonus of looking better but they do reduce the usable space of the bars themselves. I'll never be carrying more than 1 bike so it doesn't bother me but if you are carrying a box and bikes or multiple items the through bar setup would be better but this is personal preference. The bars themselves are interchangeable so you can reuse the clamping mechanism and just swap out the bars between flush and through if you want. If you change your car down the line you can also change just the fitting kit and swap the bars onto your new car for only about £30 which is handy. Here's some pics for reference on a Cupra 290.
I paired the bars with a Thule ProRide 598, basically one of the best bike racks on the market. It mounts to the Whispbars with 20mm T track fasteners. There come provided with the Thule rack. Plenty of info can be found about this bike rack online. So thats my bike fitting setup. Hopefully it helps someone on the fence like I was. Any questions please ask away and I'll help where I can.
Hi, been considering roof bars for carrying my bike. Just wondering if they are easy to take on and off as I don’t want them on the car all the time. Also has anyone had any issues with the brackets damaging the paint? And do they flatten the rubber door seals? Cheers, Mark
The Yakima bars I have are dead simple to remove. You simply pop off the cover and loosen 1 bolt which allows you to slide the roof bar open which loosens the clamp on the door and it lifts off the car. You could easily remove both bars in 5 minutes. Taking off the Thule bike rack itself is only another 5 minutes before removing the bars.
Bump...........
Anyone having any problems with their roof rack? I am on the verge of buying one as my job requires me to ride bikes so transporting them on the roof would be much easier than in the car.
Anyone tried an E-Bike on a Thule 598 rack?
Anyone having any problems with their roof rack? I am on the verge of buying one as my job requires me to ride bikes so transporting them on the roof would be much easier than in the car.
Anyone tried an E-Bike on a Thule 598 rack?
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