Hi

Can anyone recommend cycle racks that they have managed to fit to OEM roof bars (VUB502790)?

The bars are quite wide on section and I'm wondering which bike carriers have brackets which will accept such a width (if you know what I mean). I'm not convinced even the Thule ones in Halfords at £80.00 a shot will fit? I haven't got the bars yet, awaiting delivery off a fellow forum member, so not exactly sure what the width is but am hoping someone here will already have trod this path.

Cheers  405 AB exec seats Baltic and Cirrus
93 RR Classic efi

Remember it's easier to get forgiveness than permission!

Gone in order:
4.4 TDV8 SE - gone to a good home
93 Classic hard dash Plymouth Blue
03 L322 Oslo Blue
2000 Disco TD5 ES Epsom Green
98 P38 Rioja Red
89 Classic Cairngorm Brown

Are you prepared to get a spare set of bars & drill holes ?

The Thule ones are designed to fit their bars - both rectangular & channel - the rectangular mountings - as you suspect - are not wide enough.


The ones for the channel would work if you drilled a hole - the are basically a square headed bolt that slides down the channel, then a tightening/locking mechanism.

Shameless plug

you can peel off or slide apart a cut in the rubber top to the roof bar, exposing the channel and drill through the bottom, and fix through channel to underneath. then when not needed, replace rubber, and only small hole underneath.

Do the OEM roof bars have a hidden channel ?

If drilling holes in the bars is the only option - I would.

I know what you mean about the bolt fixing having seen the optional bolt in Halfords which travels within the channel along the top of the bars. The OEM bars have a rubber strip along the top but suspect the Thule bolt is different.

Are you thinking of drilling thro the bars at the mid point and bolting up into the Thules from underneath?

Do you have photos of your shamelessly plugged carriers?

Cheers 405 AB exec seats Baltic and Cirrus
93 RR Classic efi

Remember it's easier to get forgiveness than permission!

Gone in order:
4.4 TDV8 SE - gone to a good home
93 Classic hard dash Plymouth Blue
03 L322 Oslo Blue
2000 Disco TD5 ES Epsom Green
98 P38 Rioja Red
89 Classic Cairngorm Brown

they are hollow flat oval, with a grooved top to slide in the rubber strip. you can drop in a posi head bolt and use a nut underneath. or a bolt from underneth through the rack on top, maybe a large rubber gasket between rack and roof bar top. they can hold 95 kilos i belive. so you could put a couple of old butchers' bikes up there.

On mine there is a bolt that hangs underneath - which slots into the channel -

Sorry Alistair have been away for the day.

I'm waiting for my bars to arrive and would feel better being able to look at them in the flesh to see how best bike racks can fit but will then be in touch if drilling seems feasible to me. Am I right in that yours are still available? Do they extend lengthways to accommodate various bike wheel diameters etc?

Cheers 405 AB exec seats Baltic and Cirrus
93 RR Classic efi

Remember it's easier to get forgiveness than permission!

Gone in order:
4.4 TDV8 SE - gone to a good home
93 Classic hard dash Plymouth Blue
03 L322 Oslo Blue
2000 Disco TD5 ES Epsom Green
98 P38 Rioja Red
89 Classic Cairngorm Brown

No problem - They've been sitting in my shed for several years since I last used them - I'll get round to putting them on eBay one day.....

Yes, they are adjustable - the places that the wheels strap to slide back & forth if thats what you mean. One of them is fixed to a roof bar and the other slides freely.

I found this image which also shows how the square bar mounting works (Part # 31468) - not sure if you could get something fabricated for wider bars ?

I got 4 Thule bike racks on the sports bars with no modification👍 they use the thule T-track system, which is built into the LR bars (the slot under the rubber) basically a bolt with a large square head as in alistair's post above, and the racks have an adustable slider so that they can be adjusted to the spacing of the fix points on the car.