Climbing frame
Ariel Nomad £36,538 OTR/ £55,313 as tested
Being the practical device that it is, there are plenty of solutions for carrying things on your Nomad. True, most of them involve ratchet straps, but I did say on, not in. Speaking of in, the Nomad does have an element-proof boot. It’s under the bonnet and about the size of a shoe box. I use it for storing those essentials everyone carries with them: ratchet straps, bungee cords, tie wraps and gafer tape.
In the past, I have strapped more tyres to the spare tyre, but most of the time it’s a bike wheel that sits on there. The rest of the bike gets to travel on the £357 rack. It’s a standard roof rack, but Ariel has fabricated the brackets it’s mounted on and can supply it with a brace bar if you’re going to be bouncing around of-road. You could carry a bike either side if you liked. And have a matching pair of aerials. My colleague Simon Bond took it to Bike Park Wales for a weekend and hosed the whole thing – car and bike – down afterwards. Perfect Nomad use.
The roof rack is a prototype. Several owners asked about one, so Ariel got on and did it. If you’re planning an expedition, or just want to look like you are, it’s just the ticket. I’ve carried skis, spiked tyres, a tent, boxes and so on with no issues. Most of that happened last month when we drove the Nomad up Mont Ventoux. This is a picture of it at the summit. The only thing I removed from the car that day was the shovel. The snow wasn’t deep enough for the spiked tyres or skis, while 60mph winds and -10º C didn’t make biking particularly sensible, either. No matter – I had a Nomad to play with. And it was utterly brilliant.
One thing: I now have Nomad bicep. I used to stand up in the seat and then slither out through the doorway legs frst and limbo under the beams. Now I have to haul myself straight out head frst. The result of this pull-up? A tweaked tendon.