Ok - so this has been discussed befoe , but having done a search it was a long time ago [ 2005 ] so I need a bit of advice and time to update this topic at the same time.

Mrs MDP and MDP jnr have now all got mountain bikes and have been pestering me to load up and go off somewhere ...... .. BUT i haven't got a bike rack yet

I also don't have a towbar fitted either !

What are my options and should I be better off if a tow bar was fitted or not ?? If I fit a tow bar - which one is best suited to the variuos bike carriers ??

Its all a mystery to me  
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

Roof systems - risk scratching your car lifting bikes on and off unless you are 10ft tall (not too many members here then...............) also create drag when driving at speed (no good to you MDP in a superfighter) also I have seen several holiday makers wiping out bikes, rack and car roof by forgetting they have that load on the roof and driving into the local carpark where there is a height bar to stop vans going in...........

Towbar systems - tend to be expensive if the Land Rover one is purchased, and of course require the full monty tow hitch too and you might need the electrics and a lighting/ numberplate bar). Drawbacks - bikes are easily nicked off the back of the car unless you have super strong security chains and padlocks. When you have the rack on the back you have problems opening the main rear hatch. Some of the towball mounted racks are not up to the job but the LR one is massively over engineered (I have still got mine from the Freelander, and had it transferred to the FFRR but didn't bother with the Sport.) Also if you go on holiday with the LR system what do you do with it when you don't want it - it will go in the boot but only with the seats folded.......... and it gets dirty. Advantages also include no drag from a load on the roof and the bikes are dead easy for your wife/ older kids to get the bikes off the back of the car

I have one of the racks from Halfords that has hooks for on the top of the rear hatch and bottom of the rear door, after the first practise run at fitting it I decided that I wouldn't want to put more than one very light bike on it as it was putting a lot of stress on the spoiler............ and damaged the paint!

It you go for a towbar carrier then you could also go the route of buying a small trailer, which is really useful for a heap of things like going to the tip/Ikea etc 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

.............or I could fold down all rear seats = load the bikes then put wife & kids in the trailer - Result  
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

No, wives and kids only go on the roof rack, then you cannot hear them shouting in complaint! Of course you could always forget to hitch up the trailer I suppose
BTW the last thing you want is bikes inside the car, they get filthy but also if you have a suspension system on the front forks of your bike the oil can leak out and stains the carpet (even black!) 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Who wants to bike anyway ...  
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

MDP - I just bought a detachable towbard off eBay (you can get them new for £150) and then bought a Thule towbar carrier (the 947 Euroway) which holds three bikes. Its excellent - very strong and I'd seriously recommend as its a serious bit of kit. It was about £200 but worth the money. You'all also need to fit the electrics which you can buy for £80 and fit in a couple of hours. Its the way to go!

Thanks exalld - just what I wanted to hear.  
" WITH MORE EXTRAS THAN A HOLLYWOOD EPIC "

MDP you could also try the Maxxraxx bike rack - you would still need the towbar and electrics though. It is a very good bike rack, very strong and secure, locks onto the towbar and the bikes are also secured onto the rack with a thick security cable which has its own lock. Also you can remove one bolt and the whole lot will tilt forward so that you can get in the boot. There was a 20% discount negotiated on the D3 site and I understand that if you mention the D3 site they will still give you this discount - I bought the 5 bike version and it was just over £200 including light board and delivery. One good thing about this rack is that it does not take up much storage space either.

http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic4207.html?highlight=maxxraxx

www.maxxraxx.co.uk