Bicycle people: I need advice re car racks

[Alessandra]

I need a bicycle car rack and I can't decide what I should even be looking at. I have a Subaru Outback (it's like a station wagon/mimi SUV, rear door opens up). So far, ds and dd have mountain bikes -- they are heavy, so I am thinking that a roof rack would be too much. Right now ds is the only one whose bike has to travel (Scout trips). He will be getting a new, larger bike that won't fit in the car.

 

What are the plusses and minuses of the racks that attach to the back door of the car versus those that attach to a hitch. (My car has the thingy that a hitch would go into, but no actual hitch at this point.)

 

ANY information at all would be appreciated!! Looking at websites has me totally confused.

[Annie G]

We use a Thule hitch mount. Dh wasn't willing to risk a car mounted rack scratching his paint. The Thule we have is easy to leave on between trips but I usually remove it if it's going to be a couple of days before another ride. It takes like 3 minutes to install/remove.

Having said that, the hitch was not cheap, and the Thule rack was a couple of hundred dollars, too. Works for us because we ride frequently, but that's a lot to spend for an occasional need.

[Mommyof4ks]

We have a hitch mounted bike rack, because I did not want to scratch my van. It is easy to install and remove, and mine holds 4 bikes. It is a Schwinn brand bike rack if that matters. I found it on clearance at Target.

[Brilliant]

...

 

What are the plusses and minuses of the racks that attach to the back door of the car versus those that attach to a hitch. (My car has the thingy that a hitch would go into, but no actual hitch at this point.)

 

 

The pluses of the ones that attach to the back of the car vs. the hitch is that they are cheaper than having a tow hitch installed. But you already have that, so you should be OK.

 

The minuses of the ones that attach to the back of the car is that they can fall off on the highway. Yep, seen it happen.

 

So I recommend one that goes in the tow hitch. We have a Thule.

[Diann]

I would also recommend a hitch mounted rack, especially if you are taking longer trips. We have a car mounted rack that is useful for very short trips, like taking the bike to the local bike shop for repairs. I wouldn't trust it for anything longer. Both racks are made by Saris.

 

Diann

[LifeLovePassion]

Yes, go for a hitch rack. We had a roof rack and coming home from a long trip it was scary.

[RoundAbout]

Go for the hitch mounted one. We also have a Subaru Outback and we bicycle a ton so we also bought a rack (yakima brand) that swings out sideways of the trunk even if fully loaded. This is an awesome feature for camping or long trips.

 

One thing to look out for is that mountain bike frames can be configured weird because of the shocks and stuff so they can be harder to get on and off a rack with thick posts. All of our different types of bikes fit our rack but some are way easier than others to take on/off so definitely try before you buy with your specific bikes.

 

ETA - because ours swings out of the way easily and we bike several times a week our rack stays on all of the time except if we are doing a big bike-less vacation. I love it!

[jen3kids]

I looked at hitch racks for quite a while. I needed a 5-bike rack, but was a Thule or Yakima rack was way out of my price range, considering I had to have the hitch installed on my van too.

 

I searched for quite a while and was thrilled to find a 5-bike rack at Walmart for only $120. Normally I don't shop at Walmart, but I could simply not afford a name-brand rack. And scouring craigslist was a dead end too.

 

Definitely go with the hitch rack. I hated driving with the trunk carrier - scared me to death that it'd fall off and I'd cause a huge accident.

[Tap]

I typed up a response and then went looking for a website to explain how to figure out what 'class' of hitch you have and found this website. It says what I was going to say and lots more so here you go...

 

Lots of quality information on hitch racks. :0)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Another vote for hitch racks! I have a four bike Thule and I love it. Once I learned how to place the bikes on the rack and secure them properly, I rarely give them a second thought. Load and go!

 

The Thule drops down with a pull of a lever so there isn't too much interference getting in and out of the trunk.

[Dad 4 Boys]

If you already have the receiver on your car, a hitch rack would definitely be more convenient. We use a hitch-mount Saris Bat Rack on our van. I use a Saris Bones tailgate-mount rack on my Camry wagon. The hitch-mount rack is much easier and quicker to get on and off the vehicle. Unfortunately, Saris no longer makes this model. The mounting arms on it are very adjustable, so it can accommodate bikes of many different sizes and shapes.

 

I would look at the Saris Axis series. They're basically the Bones bike mounting system adapted to a post for hitch-mount application.

 

Saris has tremendous customer service. I've needed parts for my racks a couple times. They've sent me exactly what I needed free of charge, and the parts arrived quickly.

[Alessandra]

Oh, these are all fantastic replies -- I will answer in more detail tomorrow. (It's midnight here now, ugh).

 

I went over to the bike shop where we get our bikes and they pointed out that some parts of the Subaru back were not that strong ('plastic'), so that the strap on rack could damage the car. They recommended the hitch rack, but I am really glad to have confirmation from the Hive.

 

I don't have a hitch after all (my mistake). Bike shop gave me the name of a bicyclist mechanic who installs hitches, so I will start with him and compare prices for hitches.... I'll check out good racks like Thule and Yakima.

 

With a real way of taking bikes to a good place to ride, I may even get a bike for myself. I hope it's true that cycling is something you don't forget to do, lol.

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

One thing to look out for is that mountain bike frames can be configured weird because of the shocks and stuff so they can be harder to get on and off a rack with thick posts. All of our different types of bikes fit our rack but some are way easier than others to take on/off so definitely try before you buy with your specific bikes.

 

 

 

I wanted to make sure you saw this http://hollywoodracks.com/videos/BikeAdapter.htm

It is made to adapt ladies' bikes to a bike rack but we have used it on mountain bikes. It took us awhile to figure out how to attach it to a mountain bike but it worked and the bike fit the Thule rack without a problem.

[catz]

We have hitch mounts bike racks for both our vehicles. We've been very happy with them. We have one on our mini van that will swing out to open the hatch. If it's loaded up with bikes, it's not super easy to do, but it's possible. The one on DH's car still allows him to get in the trunk.

[Hikin' Mama]

I have a Saris that goes into my hitch receiver. It works great. The only problem we've run into is difficulty getting some bikes onto the rack, due to the design of the bike, specifically the bars that go from the handlebars to the seat.

[Alessandra]

We use a Thule hitch mount. Dh wasn't willing to risk a car mounted rack scratching his paint. The Thule we have is easy to leave on between trips but I usually remove it if it's going to be a couple of days before another ride. It takes like 3 minutes to install/remove.

Having said that, the hitch was not cheap, and the Thule rack was a couple of hundred dollars, too. Works for us because we ride frequently, but that's a lot to spend for an occasional need.

 

We don't ride that much, but I'd like to ride a bit more if I had a way of transporting bikes. Normally, I'm pretty budget minded, but when it comes to things with moving parts that attach to cars, I tend to want good quality. Not just for durability and ease of use, but safety.

 

Go for the hitch mounted one. We also have a Subaru Outback and we bicycle a ton so we also bought a rack (yakima brand) that swings out sideways of the trunk even if fully loaded. This is an awesome feature for camping or long trips.

 

One thing to look out for is that mountain bike frames can be configured weird because of the shocks and stuff so they can be harder to get on and off a rack with thick posts. All of our different types of bikes fit our rack but some are way easier than others to take on/off so definitely try before you buy with your specific bikes.

 

ETA - because ours swings out of the way easily and we bike several times a week our rack stays on all of the time except if we are doing a big bike-less vacation. I love it!

 

My bike store mentioned Thule, but I am seeing that Yakima is the other top brand. The Thule swing aways require a 2" hitch (acc. to website) and I will have a 1 1/4" for my Subaru (I think). I love the idea of swing-away, but that might be too much rack for the amount of biking we do. I will look, though.

 

I looked at hitch racks for quite a while. I needed a 5-bike rack, but was a Thule or Yakima rack was way out of my price range, considering I had to have the hitch installed on my van too.

 

I searched for quite a while and was thrilled to find a 5-bike rack at Walmart for only $120. Normally I don't shop at Walmart, but I could simply not afford a name-brand rack. And scouring craigslist was a dead end too.

 

Definitely go with the hitch rack. I hated driving with the trunk carrier - scared me to death that it'd fall off and I'd cause a huge accident.

 

Thank for another hitch recommendation. And just to think that a day or so ago, I was undecided, but now absolutely going with hitch after all these replies.

 

Another vote for hitch racks! I have a four bike Thule and I love it. Once I learned how to place the bikes on the rack and secure them properly, I rarely give them a second thought. Load and go!

 

The Thule drops down with a pull of a lever so there isn't too much interference getting in and out of the trunk.

 

The 4-bike Thule is one I will look at. My bike shop says they have the mid-range one, so I presume they mean Vertex, not Parkway or Apex. I will have to check on what "too much interference" means for my car, lol.

 

We have a hitch rack, with a Thule. We've had it on several cars now, and have lent it to other Scouts--very handy! It holds 4 bikes. It's older, so doesn't have the anti-sway thingie that the new ones have, but a bungee cord takes care of that very easily.

 

Margaret, I always appreciate hearing your scouting experience!

 

We have hitch mounts bike racks for both our vehicles. We've been very happy with them. We have one on our mini van that will swing out to open the hatch. If it's loaded up with bikes, it's not super easy to do, but it's possible. The one on DH's car still allows him to get in the trunk.

 

Good -- more hitch recs!

[Alessandra]

I typed up a response and then went looking for a website to explain how to figure out what 'class' of hitch you have and found this website. It says what I was going to say and lots more so here you go...

 

Lots of quality information on hitch racks. :0)

 

Wow, that is a lot of info -- lots of things that are not on manufacturers' websites. Even tough I will rely a lot on my very good bike shop, I love to research stuff like this. This is perfect! Thanks!

[Alessandra]

 

I wanted to make sure you saw this http://hollywoodrack...BikeAdapter.htm

It is made to adapt ladies' bikes to a bike rack but we have used it on mountain bikes. It took us awhile to figure out how to attach it to a mountain bike but it worked and the bike fit the Thule rack without a problem.

 

Oh, thank you for the link. I was just reading Amazon reviews last night and saw a mention of the Thule Vertex not working with Mountain bikes... don't know if this is true, but it's certainly a question I would want to ask.

 

It would never have occurred to me that some bikes would not fit on bike racks. Ds will probably be getting a new hybrid, but dd would then use ds's old mountain bike. And I am thinking on a ladies bike. I certainly don't want to find that things don't fit or are very cumbersome to fit. So thanks for raising this whole issue.

[Annie G]

We use a Thule doubletrack because I wanted to be SURE my bikes weren't going to be swaying or bumping into each other during transport. For those of you who use a mount system like a vertex, can you tell me whether the bike moves at all during transport? The wheel mount is easy to use but I think they're much heavier than a Vertex.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

O Ds will probably be getting a new hybrid,

 

 

This is a thread waiting to happen. (whispers into cyber space - Trek, Trek, Trek) ;)

[Dad 4 Boys]

If you're a DIY person, you can get receiver hitches at really good prices at www.etrailer.com They have a hitch fitting section where you put in the information about your vehicle, and it tells you which models they carry that fit it. I know it will vary from vehicle to vehicle, but it took me less than an hour to install the hitch on our 2001 Odyssey. The van had mounting points built into the unibody. All I had to do was get the rack in place and install the bolts.

 

You might check there to see if you could save some money on the hitch itself. Between the hitch and the rack it can get a little pricey, but there are quite a few options you can get to use with the hitch once you have it. We also have a hitch-mount cargo platform that we use when we need to take more cargo than we can fit inside the van.

 

As always, keep an eye on craigslist as well. I've seen some really good deals on racks on our local CL.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

We use a Thule doubletrack because I wanted to be SURE my bikes weren't going to be swaying or bumping into each other during transport. For those of you who use a mount system like a vertex, can you tell me whether the bike moves at all during transport? The wheel mount is easy to use but I think they're much heavier than a Vertex.

 

 

There is a bit of front wheel wiggle, but that is taken care of with a small bungee cord threaded between the wheel spokes and the frame. The frames do not move at all, the rack comes with plenty of straps and if they are tightened properly the bikes do not move.

 

I have a front mounted basket on my bike and I have left it on (by accident) with items inside and have never lost anything during transport (and that's going 70-75mph on the highway). The bikes just don't move; they are firmly secured in the cradles by multiple straps.

[Annie G]

 

There is a bit of front wheel wiggle, but that is taken care of with a small bungee cord threaded between the wheel spokes and the frame. The frames do not move at all, the rack comes with plenty of straps and if they are tightened properly the bikes do not move.

 

I have a front mounted basket on my bike and I have left it on (by accident) with items inside and have never lost anything during transport (and that's going 70-75mph on the highway). The bikes just don't move; they are firmly secured in the cradles by multiple straps.

 

 

Thanks! I think we're going to buy a rack for our dd and she'll need to hold 4 bikes- good to know that this mount is secure.

[Alessandra]

If you're a DIY person, you can get receiver hitches at really good prices at www.etrailer.com They have a hitch fitting section where you put in the information about your vehicle, and it tells you which models they carry that fit it. I know it will vary from vehicle to vehicle, but it took me less than an hour to install the hitch on our 2001 Odyssey. The van had mounting points built into the unibody. All I had to do was get the rack in place and install the bolts.

 

You might check there to see if you could save some money on the hitch itself. Between the hitch and the rack it can get a little pricey, but there are quite a few options you can get to use with the hitch once you have it. We also have a hitch-mount cargo platform that we use when we need to take more cargo than we can fit inside the van.

 

As always, keep an eye on craigslist as well. I've seen some really good deals on racks on our local CL.

 

 

I am a DIY person on things that don't move -- finish carpentry, electricity, painting, plastering, etc. Anything to do with a car -- no. I begin imagining that the part I have attached works loose, flies onto the highway, and causes multiple fatalities. For car racks, I will pay.

[Alessandra]

This is a thread waiting to happen. (whispers into cyber space - Trek, Trek, Trek) ;)

 

You read my mind -- I will start a thread on this after our busy weekend is over. It happens that we have always had Treks. The kids started off with little Treks; ds now has a Trek 3 series sport mountain bike. Ds (now many inches taller) wants a hybrid, and the bike store recommended a Trek Dual Sport DS series, maybe the 8.s with suspension fork and disk brakes.

 

http://www.trekbikes...port/ds_series/

 

I'm presuming from your name that you have scouts (Boy Scouts?). My ds earned his Cycling MB last year and loved it. He'd like to have a bike for both on and off road use, as opposed to two bikes. He's a strong cyclist and the 50 miler (on paved surfaces) using his mountain bike; he was in the fast group and was not tired at the end of the day, so I don't think he need a specialized road bike to keep up. And the guy in the bike store said that the small tires on a true mountain bike were useful for sharp turns and trick stunts (which I don't want ds to do).

 

Well, that, in one paragraph, pretty much sums up everything I know about the subject, lol. So I will start a thread -- and I would like to hear why you said, 'Trek, Trek, Trek.'

[Granny_Weatherwax]

You read my mind -- I will start a thread on this after our busy weekend is over. It happens that we have always had Treks. The kids started off with little Treks; ds now has a Trek 3 series sport mountain bike. Ds (now many inches taller) wants a hybrid, and the bike store recommended a Trek Dual Sport DS series, maybe the 8.s with suspension fork and disk brakes.

 

http://www.trekbikes...port/ds_series/

 

I'm presuming from your name that you have scouts (Boy Scouts?). My ds earned his Cycling MB last year and loved it. He'd like to have a bike for both on and off road use, as opposed to two bikes. He's a strong cyclist and the 50 miler (on paved surfaces) using his mountain bike; he was in the fast group and was not tired at the end of the day, so I don't think he need a specialized road bike to keep up. And the guy in the bike store said that the small tires on a true mountain bike were useful for sharp turns and trick stunts (which I don't want ds to do).

 

Well, that, in one paragraph, pretty much sums up everything I know about the subject, lol. So I will start a thread -- and I would like to hear why you said, 'Trek, Trek, Trek.'

 

I do have a scout. My DS is a dual Boy Scout and Venturer. He worked on Cycling for about two years before he completed it. He began the MB with a Diamondback and just wasn't able to keep up once the longer rides began. Actually, all of the boys began the MB with BMX style bikes; all of them ended up dropping the MB due to not being able to do the distance rides on their bikes. We purchased a Trek Nav 2.0 for DS and that is the only reason he was able to do the longer rides.

 

DS's Nav was our first foray into good adult bikes and both DH and I ended up buying Navs, too. We love our Trek bikes. We now own 6 Treks of various sizes and styles. I have my Nav 2.0 and a FX Series. DH and I began doing long distance rides, 62+ miles, last summer on our Navs. We made quite a splash on the local biking scene with those bikes. People couldn't believe we were hitting 62 or a 100 miles within the specified time limits on the Navs. Navs just weren't designed for distance riding; the Trek reps at one of rides were amazed at how many miles we had on our Navs and what we did with them.

 

After one particularly grueling ride, we finally caved to peer pressure and upgraded to the FX series. The FX series bikes are much faster than the Navs but not as fast as others. I am not ready for the super fast road bikes yet. Maybe in a couple of years if I keep riding distance or begin entering races.

 

We have always been treated kindly at Trek stores and the techs are knowledgeable. We have never had a problem with any of our bikes and the quality has been excellent. We loan them out to people who are interested in buying bikes or upgrading from less expensive bikes and every person has commented on how comfortable the bikes are and what a nice ride they had.

 

We have visited other bike shops but always seem to gravitate back to Trek. It may just be a result of 'first exposure' and staying with what we know. I am sure there are other brands out there that are just as good.

[Alessandra]

I do have a scout. My DS is a dual Boy Scout and Venturer. He worked on Cycling for about two years before he completed it. He began the MB with a Diamondback and just wasn't able to keep up once the longer rides began. Actually, all of the boys began the MB with BMX style bikes; all of them ended up dropping the MB due to not being able to do the distance rides on their bikes. We purchased a Trek Nav 2.0 for DS and that is the only reason he was able to do the longer rides.

 

DS's Nav was our first foray into good adult bikes and both DH and I ended up buying Navs, too. We love our Trek bikes. We now own 6 Treks of various sizes and styles. I have my Nav 2.0 and a FX Series. DH and I began doing long distance rides, 62+ miles, last summer on our Navs. We made quite a splash on the local biking scene with those bikes. People couldn't believe we were hitting 62 or a 100 miles within the specified time limits on the Navs. Navs just weren't designed for distance riding; the Trek reps at one of rides were amazed at how many miles we had on our Navs and what we did with them.

 

After one particularly grueling ride, we finally caved to peer pressure and upgraded to the FX series. The FX series bikes are much faster than the Navs but not as fast as others. I am not ready for the super fast road bikes yet. Maybe in a couple of years if I keep riding distance or begin entering races.

 

We have always been treated kindly at Trek stores and the techs are knowledgeable. We have never had a problem with any of our bikes and the quality has been excellent. We loan them out to people who are interested in buying bikes or upgrading from less expensive bikes and every person has commented on how comfortable the bikes are and what a nice ride they had.

 

We have visited other bike shops but always seem to gravitate back to Trek. It may just be a result of 'first exposure' and staying with what we know. I am sure there are other brands out there that are just as good.

 

 

Ok, you made me go to the Trek site. I found the FX models, not sure about the Navs (Navigators?). O could google them, but couldn't get to them on the site. Whew, there sure are a lot of FX models! At some point, I'l be looking for myself.