Taking the bike

[Donrald]

For anybody interested I have dug around to find a bike rack for an Aygo. The roof and rear hatch mounts are no good. I am left with a tow ball mount. Brink do a tow ball mount for the Aygo and especially for bikes.

https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/shop-brink-eu-shop/sylius_uploads/03/54/9a8ab730f88e63ad4c371d591774.pdf 

The two ball itself is configured so that you cannot tow with the car. It is thus compliant. As for bike racks the best I have found so far is a Buzz Rack E-Scorpion 1 - this is just for one bike but they do them for more.

https://www.roofbox.co.uk/bike-carriers/bike-carriers-racks-range-towbar-mounting.php

My problem is age and the weight of my bike. Folded I cannot lift it into the boot but with the described setup I can wheel the bike up on to the rack.

I will report back when I have the new Aygo and have sorted it!

[Hornet3D]

1 hour ago, Donrald said:

For anybody interested I have dug around to find a bike rack for an Aygo. The roof and rear hatch mounts are no good. I am left with a tow ball mount. Brink do a tow ball mount for the Aygo and especially for bikes.

https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/shop-brink-eu-shop/sylius_uploads/03/54/9a8ab730f88e63ad4c371d591774.pdf 

The two ball itself is configured so that you cannot tow with the car. It is thus compliant. As for bike racks the best I have found so far is a Buzz Rack E-Scorpion 1 - this is just for one bike but they do them for more.

https://www.roofbox.co.uk/bike-carriers/bike-carriers-racks-range-towbar-mounting.php

My problem is age and the weight of my bike. Folded I cannot lift it into the boot but with the described setup I can wheel the bike up on to the rack.

I will report back when I have the new Aygo and have sorted it!

Look forward to seeing that when done.

[Hornet3D]

1 hour ago, Donrald said:

As said for most people separate insurance is not necessary. It is surprising how much in value your household policy will cover you. Same with musical instruments and mobile phones. Separate insurance can be very expensive for the same cover.  But read the policy terms before singing up! You can tell a comparison site what you want and when you go for the cheap quote they come up with, if you do not check the terms you often find you are not getting the cover you thought you were.

I some years ago looking for insurance for my camera equipment and went to a specialist company that was popular at the time.  The premium was costly but my camera outfit was expensive then I remembered my brother had a friend who was a practising lawyer and I asked him to have a look over the T&Cs, in his view he could not see under what circumstance a valid claim could be made.  He tried all the normal possibilities, theft from home, theft from person, theft from car or any vehicle, accidental damage and so on and each circumstance could be deemed invalid by way of some clause in the T&Cs

[Donrald]

Whilst I have established that I can add a tow bar to an Aygo that is designed for carrying a bike rack and not towing, there is not one around for the new Aygo X. Brink do one for the older models. I will have to wait. Much depends on whether Brink consider it worthwhile making one bearing in mind the setup costs and testing required. I hope they do but it looks like it will be some time yet.

[Hornet3D]

1 hour ago, Donrald said:

Whilst I have established that I can add a tow bar to an Aygo that is designed for carrying a bike rack and not towing, there is not one around for the new Aygo X. Brink do one for the older models. I will have to wait. Much depends on whether Brink consider it worthwhile making one bearing in mind the setup costs and testing required. I hope they do but it looks like it will be some time yet.

I think Brink may be looking at the Toyota guidelines.

What are the towing capacities of the latest Toyota models? - Toyota UK Magazine

 

[Donrald]

1 hour ago, Hornet3D said:

I think Brink may be looking at the Toyota guidelines.

What are the towing capacities of the latest Toyota models? - Toyota UK Magazine

 

There isn’t a towing capacity for the Aygo X, nor the earlier models.   You just can’t tow with them. A reputable dealer would refuse to fit a tow bar for towing. I suspect it will be sometime before Brink produce anything. I must look at other manufacturers.

[TonyHSD]

Interesting reading about new Aygo. 👍

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/can-you-use-toyota-aygo-x-suv

[Donrald]

13 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Interesting reading about new Aygo. 👍

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/can-you-use-toyota-aygo-x-suv

Yes interesting. I don’t think I’ll take mine off road! I wish I could put my bike in the back but it’s heavy, I have had a hernia operation two years ago and thereafter advised to take care, plus I am of an age now where the mind says you can do it but the body says otherwise.

[152bobby]

See Aygo X with a cycle carrier on the rear !!

[Donrald]

So somebody makes one! I must dig around. It’s not Brink.

[152bobby]

The article link is below, maybe by looking at all the photos, you may find out what country it is in.

From what I have come across so far.  Poland is on the ball with Aygo X accessories and possibly Spain 

https://allinfo.space/2022/04/09/toyota-aygo-x-cross-approaches-yaris-and-frightens-fiat-panda-video/

[Hornet3D]

Perhaps all the changes have meant that Toyota now approve it for towing, at least for a bike carrier which I believe was the case with the original Aygo.  The carrier certainly looks substantial and the apparent possibility to carry two bikes is a real plus.

[152bobby]

If anyone comes across a distributor etc, please let me know, as I would be interested to use it for my bike. 

Hopefully it's not a rear bumper off job, like it is with towbars !!! But I expect it would be 😭

[152bobby]

Also....Thule have confirmed to me that they currently do not do one (yet).

Towbar Man South have confirmed that Brink do a non towing towbar which people use to carry cycles.  They said it's a rear bumper off job and also includes a small cut out on the number, which I'm not keen on at all.

[Donrald]

31 minutes ago, BobbyMcLeish said:

Also....Thule have confirmed to me that they currently do not do one (yet).

Towbar Man South have confirmed that Brink do a non towing towbar which people use to carry cycles.  They said it's a rear bumper off job and also includes a small cut out on the number, which I'm not keen on at all.

Thanks I know about this one but it is for the previous Aygo and not yet for the 2022 Aygo X which is wider.

[Donrald]

1 minute ago, Donrald said:

Thanks I know about this one but it is for the previous Aygo and not yet for the 2022 Aygo X which is wider.

I am sure the Brink one is a bumper off job and a cut in the rear bumper is needed. Or rather was needed for the older models.

[152bobby]

Towbar Man South confirmed it was indeed for the 2022 Toyota Aygo X.  I was very specific when I asked.

Drop them a email to confirm !!

[Donrald]

47 minutes ago, Hornet3D said:

Perhaps all the changes have meant that Toyota now approve it for towing, at least for a bike carrier which I believe was the case with the original Aygo.  The carrier certainly looks substantial and the apparent possibility to carry two bikes is a real plus.

I don’t think it is approved for towing and that is not likely to change. However, using it for holding a bike carrier is fine. No approval is needed as it is not towing. I understand the Dept of Transport concur. Many reputable dealers will not fit a bar to a non approved vehicle even if the owner only wants to hang a bike rack on it as somebody else, a future owner, may think otherwise. Hence Brink came to the rescue some time back. It is still a modification to report to your insurers though but make sure they know it is not capable of being used for towing.

[Donrald]

2 minutes ago, BobbyMcLeish said:

Towbar Man South confirmed it was indeed for the 2022 Toyota Aygo X.  I was very specific when I asked.

Drop them a email to confirm !!

Will do, thanks.

[Hornet3D]

3 hours ago, Donrald said:

I don’t think it is approved for towing and that is not likely to change. However, using it for holding a bike carrier is fine. No approval is needed as it is not towing. I understand the Dept of Transport concur. Many reputable dealers will not fit a bar to a non approved vehicle even if the owner only wants to hang a bike rack on it as somebody else, a future owner, may think otherwise. Hence Brink came to the rescue some time back. It is still a modification to report to your insurers though but make sure they know it is not capable of being used for towing.

That makes total sense and a good point that the insurers will need to know.

[Donrald]

Had no reply from Towbar South. My contact in the trade tells me there are none available at present. Only Brink it is believed do them. But at least it seems the existing one fits the new Aygo X as we assume Towbar South must have had one in stock and found it fitted. A blessing as a new version would have to go through all sorts of testing before it can be marketed. My friend had a customer arrive asking if he could fit his towbar. He had made it himself. Apparently he had done a reasonable job but when the customer was asked for proof of testing etc. (done on an expensive machine) the customer said it was not necessary! My friend refused to fit it. Customer not happy!

[Donrald]

Still on the bike theme if anybody is interested my researches produced a tow ball rack for one bike at a reasonable price. Well reasonable compared to Thule. This one, link below, has the bike standing in the rack and for geriatrics like me who need to take care lifting, you can get a ramp to roll the bike up and on. The rack will also tilt out of the way with a bike on to access the boot. I just need the car now. Must be next week!

https://www.roofbox.co.uk/bike-carriers/bike-carriers-racks-range-towbar-mounting.php

[Donrald]

I have referred to the Buzz Rack E-Scorpion bike rack but have learned this will not fit the Brink bike rack tow ball because of the pin in the ball. Racks that fit are Yakima and Atera. I suppose there is a work around. Have the Brink bike rack tow bar fitted and then replace the tow ball part with a standard Brink one. 

[Donrald]

My contact in the trade tells me Brink do not yet have a tow bar for the 2022 Aygo which makes me doubt what has been advised above and whether it was  an Aygo X 2022 to which the bar was fitted. I have found one for sale on eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293204511288?hash=item444459ca38:g:rgEAAOSwiStdZjga - it specifically says it does not fit the 2022 Aygo.

[Donrald]

An update to my previous posts. Brink have confirmed to my tow bar installer that they do not have a bike towbar for the 2022 Aygo X and it is not clear whether they will do at present as they are unsure of the volume of sales they may have. Such need to have tests before they can be sold. Hence there is a cost involved. It may be some time before there is any more news on this.

It seems that the one we are told has been installed must be a version for earlier models of the Aygo, possibly modified to fit. That could be illegal.