Bike racks...?

[lewis26]

I'm trying to do some research into a bike rack for my car.
I want to bring my bike down to Cincinnati with me for the summer, and also back to school in the fall.
I want something stable, but also something that doesn't break the bank.

I know some of you have bike racks. What can you guys recommend?

Thanks.

[00Beast]

I'd get a hitch, and get one that mounts in the hitch. Just my $.02

[bonnevillain]

i agree, its easy to remove that way. But if youre just transporting it to school and back, but riding it from your residence once you get there, just shove it in the backseat. I've fit a full 26" mens bike and a 20" bmx bike in my car. Only room for one passenger, but still.

[lewis26]

I don't want the hitch on my car though. I hate the way it looks, and i'd never use it for anything else.
The problem with that is that my car will be full of other stuff. haha

I know a few people have trunk/roof racks, but I don't remember who.

[bonnevillain]

take the tires and the handlebars off? it will lie down well. I cant see buying a rack for a couple uses, but it's up to you. I haven't seen any on a 2000+ bonneville.

[00Beast]

There's a GP running around locally with a roof rack. Ugly, and I'm sure it doesn't help fuel economy at all. I know Andrew got a pair of bikes and a bunch of other camping crap in his trunk last year, lol.

[Baileyjack]

This is the one i use and i've had no trouble with it.
When i'm done with it though i don't leave it on the car

[bonnevillain]

do you have any pictures of the rack with no bikes? just to see how it mounts?

[Baileyjack]

No sorry no pics without bikes on it.
It is sort of like this one....2 straps attach to lip of trunk lid near rear window
and the other 2 straps attach under the trunk lip at the rear bumper
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... 2BRack.jsp
Have to make sure tires are secured or they'll rub
Side view

[agrazela]

[BonneMe]

I have a Serfas Bones rack, and love it. Got it for less than half price on CL. It's a trunk mount one, uses 3 straps on each side, comes on/off in less than a minute, and is supported by the bumper.

[mntnbkr]

Roof racks have significant advantages that help to justify the cost, but only if you're going to use it with some regularity. I have (2) roof racks, (one for the jeep (Yakima), and one for the Volvo(Thule)). You can expect to spend about $150-$300 for a complete rack setup depending on where you get it. I prefer buying used on ebay.

The advantages include:

-they are lockable. bikes can be locked to the rack, and the rack can be locked to the vehicle.
-they can be configured to carry just about anything (kayaks, bikes, luggage, canoe, etc)
-they generally hold bikes a bit more securely than a trunk / hitch mounted unit
-if you get rear ended, you're bikes don't get smashed.
-they don't take up, or restrict the use of the trunk

The trunk mount units seem to be convenient, but I've never seen one that I would trust to not ruin the paint on the vehicle. Also, if you need to use the trunk, forget about it.

Hitch mount racks are nice because they don't contact the vehicles paint AT ALL. They can also be configured with lockable bike trays and the rack can be locked into the hitch receiver. If you don't already have a hitch though, you'll probably end up spending as much for that option as you would for a nice roof rack setup.

Let me know if you want more suggestions on how to buy a roof rack. As far as hitch and trunk racks, I can't help much more than what I said above.

[00Beast]

Problem with a roof rack is that they're ugly, and add un-necessary weight and aero drag to the car. Unless you use them every weekend, it's not worth it, IMHO.

[mntnbkr]

00Beast, I think when speaking of bike racks, roof racks are as aesthetically pleasing as (if not more than) any other method of attaching bikes to your vehicle...they're all ugly.

As far as unnecessary weight and drag, my previous argument applies as well... it's not any worse than any other method. Not to mention, they all come off (if you want) after you're done transporting your bike. During transportation though, one could argue that a roof rack adds less drag than the other methods which carry your bike sideways. I'm sure we'll never know the actual drag coefficients on the various bike racks though, so there's not much point in arguing.

[willwren]

A properly installed hitch is hardly visible from behind. Most people don't notice mine at all.

[BonneMe]

I would probably use a hitch, but Adding ~20lbs to the end of my car doesn't exactly thrill me. At some point it might become a reality though for bikes/motorcycles and/or a small trailer.

[Bugsi]

I use a bike rack like the one Baileyjack has. Here's a picture that shows better how it attaches:

The advantages I've found in a trunk-mount rack are:
-goes on and off the car in about two minutes.
-can use it with multiple cars (this is a big plus)
-you can quickly remove it from the car when you're not using it, and you can fold it up and carry it in the trunk when you're not using it if you like.
-I've never scratched my car's paint with one, use bungee cords on the bike wheels so they don't flop around and spin.
-no permanent changes are made to the car, it's not a permanent mount. I use a cable lock through the trunk around it if I'm worried about anyone stealing it or the bikes on it.
-you don't need to worry about low overpasses or parking garages like you do with bikes on the roof.
-this type of rack is generally less expensive than other types of racks.

Downsides:
-forget about opening the trunk when you're carrying bikes.
-rear end collisions will wreck your bikes.
-if you don't have it locked down with a cable lock, it can be easily removed and stolen.
-when you mount one bike, you mount the crank away from the car. When you mount two bikes, you mount the first one crank towards the car and the other crank away from the car. The bikes may rub against each other, especially at the forks, and scrape the bike's paint. If this is a problem, get some slit foam pipe insulation and wrap one of the fork tines with it so it cushions where the bikes rub.

If you're just transporting a bike for one trip, consider seeing if you can borrow one of these from a friend, or buy one one the used market for cheap. Even the least expensive ones I've seen were very usable.

If I were transporting bikes frequently, I'd absolutely get the hitch and use a hitch mount, because not being able to get into the trunk sucks. I'd imagine you can use a pretty lightweight hitch, but others can comment on how true or not that is.