Just bought bikes for me and my wife, and looking to get a bike carrier for my 2013 S60 RD. Only thing I saw on Volvo Site was roof mounted...was hoping to get a trailer hitch mounted one (my wife getting that for her 2014 Subaru Forester), so thought we could just share the bike rack depending on the car we take. Doesn't look like Volvo sells a trailer hitch...and checked with U-Haul, and the one they have for my car is discontinued...
I use the roof mounted one. I like it, but it bothers me to look up at 80mph and see the bike moving all over the place. I generally try to keep it 65 or less when the bike is up there.
I love the trailer hitch mounted but it is not imported, in the U.S., for the S60; I think it is a mistake on our part but it is what it is.
The roof mounted bike racks are decent; I have had 3 of them for the past 7 years and still in great shape. I also have a tow hitch mounted rack which i really prefer but I cannot use when I have S60 or V60 or XC60 R-design...
I can't quite tell from your picture if you're using a rack that clamps the downtube. If you are, and you have a carbon fiber bike, I would reconsider: carbon fiber frames are very strong, but they are very susceptible to crushing forces. I wouldn't necessarily be worried about movement at speed harming the frame as much as overtightening the clamp on the downtube.
The skinny: vacuum mounted bike rack that is very easy to put on and remove, so you wouldn't need crossbars on the car at all times. I've read good things about it.
I've had a bike nearly fall off of a trunk mount rack once on a motorway, I can only imagine what it'd be like to see the bike and the rack go. I don't trust suction cups. Once the first one loses vacuum it's a cascading effect as the rest get overloaded and lose the seal.
+1. We abandoned our downtube mount racks when we migrated first to thin double butted aluminum frames and then onto CF bikes. It's more of a pain to remove and stow the front wheels but worth it if you snap something. The wife had to stop once and cram the bike into the car while driving through Palm Springs in strong wind. Fork mount racks are an awful lot more stable in cross-winds.
It's a downtube mount in the picture, you can tell by the front wheel is mounted.
Not necessarily -- I own a Yakima Highroller roof-mounted rack, and it grasps the mounted front wheel. Held the bike securely at speeds over 70 on trips over 500 miles.
Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to try and find a local shop that will install the CURT Type II (1.25") hitch, as my wife is getting that on her Subaru. They have one for the S60, so hope that works OK. There are some video's of the roof racks on the Volvo Accessories page, but, just not really crazy about putting them on the roof.
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