Inno Wheel Hold Bike Carrier

If you’re a keen cyclist, at some point in time you’ll want to take your trusty steed on an adventure to far flung places. In terms of the transportation options, there’s a myriad available.

The tow bar option, where you can’t always fit into parking places, or you reverse into walls. The rear mounted rack, which in most cases means that you can’t access the boot, and the lights can’t be seen without a lighting plate fitted. You can of course stow the bike in the car, which is fine if you’re ‘Billy no mates’ and you only have one friend at most. You could even buy a van – but that’s not as cool as a slick Audi A4 (don’t comment – I own one).

Then finally, there’s the roof mounted option, which you can’t see, and which may lead to you forgetting about things when you drive under that barrier or into the garage! Arh! Maddening all of them in one way or another. My personal choice is the roof mounted option, as it offers these benefits: access to the boot, access to parking places, and my friends can join me too – if I had any!

Testing the Inno Tyre Hold Bike Carrier from those clever people in Japan has been a joy. I mean it – a real pleasure producing joy. It’s light for a solid and firm frame carrier, well-engineered and well made, easy to fit, and holds the bike rigid. Living on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, there’s some great tight and twisty, steep and stomach churning lanes to drive along. Ideal then to see if the bike takes off in the wrong direction on route to a ride! Taking the carrier from the box, I not only read the instructions (I have 3 sisters – they told me instructions are invaluable guys), but I also looked at Youtube for a fitting video – off we go then.

It was simplicity itself, with the locking brackets easy to adjust, loosen and tighten, and the slotted arms also being simple to adjust for the variety of wheel sizes, by the removal and adjustment of the shaped wheel holder. All that remained was to lift the bike up and slot the front wheel into the front arm, then fit the extra cable around the frame and into the locking mechanism before snapping shut.

This action brings in the rear arm against the rear wheel and ‘hey presto!. Even better, once the front wheel is up and in, the carrier makes the bike stand firm and self-supporting, allowing you some thinking time. The laws of physics then ensure that the wheels cannot move and the bike is firm and secure, and no part of this ingenious carrier is touching your valuable frame; a real bonus these days, with most carriers clamping down on expensive carbon.

Test drive time then!

For the first drive I set off into the wilds of Wensleydale, taking in the trickiest roads on route to Semer Water. Yes I did worry a bit at first, but before long I was confidently whizzing along and enjoying the feeling of security that comes with knowing that the bike will not move and fly over a drystone wall hitting a shocked sheep and spoiling my day.

In terms of fuel consumption, I’ve noticed very little difference at all, and very little noise – if any.

Arriving at the other end, it was simply a case of one quick unlock, lift the bike down and off I pedalled. Finishing the ride was just as quick and easy, and it even drew in a small audience of interested Dales wanderers.

Over many months I’ve used both road and mountain bike on the ‘Inno Tyre Hold’, all with equal success. I’ve driven as recklessly as common sense allows, and have been pleased that the bike stayed safely attached to the car. Better still, I also feel confident leaving it attached when popping into cafes for tea and cake, as the rear locking arm also locks the bracket that attaches to your roofbars.

If I had one negative thing to say, it would have been the lack of a ‘T Bar’ fitting for my roofbars. However, having fitted and taken off the carrier several times now, this is definitely not an issue, and I’m actually really pleased that the brackets are designed as they are. It makes fitting to the bars a matter of a couple of minutes – brilliant. The carrier is also really good looking, top quality and well-engineered and should last a long time, protecting your precious bike frame at the same time.

I’m genuinely in awe of this carrier. It has to be the best cycle accessory I’ve personally tested this year. A well-earned 5 stars for Inno and Roofbox Company.