Author Topic: Bike Racks (Read 3599 times)

empty · « **on:** June 10, 2005, 03:43:12 pm »

I want to get a bike rack for my car (Acura EL), but I'm not sure what to get. I asked about this on a triathlon forum that I read, but I figured you guys and gals would be able to give an alternative perspective as car enthusiasts.

I guess there are 3 main types of bike racks:
1. Roof Mounted
2. Trunk Mounted
3. Hitch Mounted

The things that I am most concerned about are:
- scratching paint
- gas mileage
- looks (stupid, I know, but a concern nonetheless)
- ease of use

What type of rack is preferred by the users of this forum? And what do you think I should use based on my criteria?

The Fuzz · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2005, 03:47:25 pm »

I had a trunk mounted rack for my Cutlass SL and a hitch mounted rack for my Blazer. The hitch was FAR easier to use, FAR easier on the paint and somewhat less stupid looking. So based on that, I would use the hitch.

mrthompson · « **Reply #2 on:** June 10, 2005, 03:56:35 pm »

I would use the hitch as well. Keep in mind the number of bikes you can carry is limited by the class of hitch you have. I believe Class I hitches are limited to 3 bikes maximum.

I purchased a 4-bike Thule from Crappy Tire a few weeks ago as it was on sale. I was not impressed with its design. The rack was positioned too far away from the hitch, and seemed to limber. I returned it, and in the next few weeks I'll purchase a less expensive 3-bike Sportrack model. I borrowed a 4-bike Sportrack from a coworker and I prefer it's design...however the 4-bike exceeds my Focus' Class I hitch rating.

Previously, I had a 3-bike Class III hitch mounted rack on my Cherokee. It was a Sportrack model, and I was rather pleased with it.

quadzilla · « **Reply #3 on:** June 10, 2005, 04:13:03 pm »

Roof mounted: I use to have roof mounted racks on the P5 and put two bikes up there. I really liked it and when the bikes where on there it made the car look even better IMO. I would take a hit in gas mileage by about 10-20% depending on the weather and wind driving at 120kph. Another bad thing was that the front of your bike would look like the front of your car, covered with bugs! So on longer trips (6+ hours) we would put the bikes in the back and only use the roof rack for getting back and forth to trail heads. If you are short or have a hard time lifting things this will also be your worse choice. My g/f isn’t short but isn’t tall either and couldn’t put the bikes on top of the car without risking paint damage. Don’t forger that you can’t go into garages or underground parking without destroying your car and bikes. I’ve heard of so many stories about this.
Costs: $150-200+ just for 2 bikes rack (mounts to your roof rack) and you still have to buy the roof rack section which can be another 200+. You get some cross spending here if you buy or already own a roof box.

Trunk mounted: My buddy had one on his sedan and 3 of us went to Moab. By time we got back his car had $1400 of damage done to it from the rack and not having it attached perfectly. If a strap comes loose by just a millimeter it will start to allow some play in the tension. Then when you hit a bump it will keep working loose. Now you have friction with the rack and your car, damage will happen. I’m not blaming it entirely on the rack but if you do have a choice, this would be my last option….nope, I would put the bike in the back before ever doing this again. If you do go this route (read again, I don’t recommend at all) don’t try to save money and buy the best you can get.
Costs: $50 for a cheap model, $150 and up a good model.

Trailer hitch: This is the route we are going with for the 6-wgn. No lifting (well not much) and nothing touching the car. Look for models that can accommodate different bikes if you have a special frame or ladies frames. You can also buy a special bar to go between the seat tube and handlebars to make the bike level for mounting it. The only disadvantage of this model is if you forget you have the bikes on there and back into a wall or somebody’s car.
Cost: $80 and up for a 2 bike model, $150 and up for 4 bike model. I think a trailer hitch is about $200 and up.

Hope that helps some.

chris · « **Reply #4 on:** June 10, 2005, 04:16:09 pm »

Hitch. All the way.

I put one on my 2002 Vibe and love it. It's the 3 bike with fold down capability so you can have 3 bikes on it, remove a pin so the rack folds down which allows you to open the hatch. Probably allows better milage too but I've nothing to back that up. Less bugs on the head tube, forks and bars though! Oh, and you can leave the mucky wheels ON the bike whilst transporting.

Hitch mounted also alows you to lock the bikes easily and cheaply, reduces the risk of testing the structural integrity of your roof when bike and garage roof accidentally meet (!) etc. Plus you can take it off when you're not using it.

Good points about the class of hitch... my hitch could probably pull a motorcycle trailer (trailer pulled by bikes... not carrying bikes!) but that's about it!

Oops, simulpost with QUAD... what he said.

(Message edited by chris on June 10, 2005)

Snowman · « **Reply #5 on:** June 10, 2005, 08:34:54 pm »

Hitch mounted bike racks obscure the turn indicators, brake light, and running lights on most cars I have seen then on…..a safety hazard.

chris · « **Reply #6 on:** June 10, 2005, 08:44:17 pm »

Oh just thought of something else... what sort of bike do you have?

I used to have a mtb that had the shock on the top tube that made using the hitch mount rack impossible. This would also be true for top tubes that are not generally round. Now I've a Cannondale with the single sided front strut so a conventional fork clamp roof rack mount won't work for me.

Make sure the rack you choose will fit your bike!!!

empty · « **Reply #7 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:05:56 am »

thx.

it's interesting. most people on the tri site liked the roof-mount jobbies, but a few mentioned that they had wrecked their bikes driving into garages. yet they still preferred the roof-mount. weird.

i have a classic road frame, but my son has a y-frame mtn bike, so i'll need to find a rack that will fit that, obviously.

thanks for all the comments. snowy - i'll keep an eye out on other hitch-mounts to see if they reduced light visibility, but i have not noticed that being a problem before.

everyone - thanks for the detailed advice. it will be helpful. now i just have to find a place that does a decent job...

tenpenny · « **Reply #8 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:22:34 am »

I have a 4bike Sportrack from Crappy Tire, on the hitch on the Subaru.

I like the rack, it can tilt down so you can still open the tailgate.

But:
-there's only one strap that hooks from the rack to the top of the tailgate; I think it would be more secure with two straps.
-If you are going to have mountain bikes, make sure they'll fit on easily; that odd triangular plate on the back of the Sportrack makes it hard to wiggle my bike on...I think I'll take an angle grinder to it to make it fit better
-The nuts that you screw the plate into, that holds the bikes on, are weak. One of mine broke off last year, I had to have it rewelded.

Overall, it's okay. But I'm sure a Thule would be better.

johngenx · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2005, 09:23:28 am »

While the hitch rakcs are easy to use, if you need access to your cargo area, they can be a pain. the roof mounted ones are expensive for multiple bikes, allow the bikes to be coated with bugs, and are tough to access for shorter folks or on taller cars/SUVs.

Now that I want to get three bikes on-board, I'm going to switch to hitch mounted since I also like to be able to mount my roof-box on top.

The trunk mounted ones are a NO-NO. Well, if I had an 85 Pony I might use one, but otherwise, NO.

mrthompson · « **Reply #10 on:** June 13, 2005, 10:22:39 am »

Depending on the type of hitch that is available for your car, you may not be able to get a receiver type bike rack. My Focus has a Class I hitch, but is fitted with a 1 1/4" square receiver. Most Class I hitches I see have a flat bar receiver. The racks for the flat bar type hitches bolt to the draw bar that holds the tow ball. Confused yet?

If I were you, I'd consider Yakima. I don't have any personal experience with their products but IMO their designs may be superior to Thule's.

Railton · « **Reply #11 on:** June 13, 2005, 11:00:14 am »

Empty. What triathlon forum is that, Trirudy?
I've used both the roof mounted and hitch mounted. Each has its good and bad points.
Roof mount is OK if yor're tall enough as mentioned earlier. I use the stretch covers to protect from bugs and other stuff in the air. Yes, I forget once that my bike was on the roof and drove into the garage. I was lucky as the bike I had at the time was a beam bike and the Carbon beam flexed instead of bending the frame.
The hitch mounts are good for SUV's. Wouldn't want a roof mount on an SUV. The probelm with them is access to the rear compartment with the bikes on and I've known people to forget that the bike is on and back up into something. As Snowy points out as well there may be issues where cars travelling behind you can't see your lights and indicators. There also may be an issue with wind resistance. Reading your e-mail you seem to be into triathlons. If you have deep aero wheels like I do and possibly an aero frame then the bike will try to move around a bit as it will get caught in the airflow. Not good. You really need to tighten and strap them down in that case. I purchased a Thule hitch mount rack froma place in Mississauaga called "Rack Attack". They found one there that would accept my Softride TT frame and our Y-Frame mountain bikes.
But in your case with the Integra I would go with the roof mount as it is pretty low. You can purchase the wind deflector for it as well as a couple of washable stretch covers and be good to go. Purchase the covers at Nashbar.
Railton

footlong58 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 13, 2005, 11:08:26 am »

What year is your EL? I don't think anyone makes a hitch for an EL... It's not rated to tow anything at all, so manufacturers don't even bother, even for a hitch mounted rack... Could be wrong though... Depending what year your EL is, Acura has a genuine accessory roof rack and many additional components (bike racks, ski racks, etc)... The stuff is actually Thule, but sold through Acura... I've sold a few, and it is a little costly, but people are very happy with them...

empty · « **Reply #13 on:** June 13, 2005, 11:46:38 am »

Railton - the forum is on slowtwitch.com. it's pretty good for info and forum members are quite friendly. it's frequented by some pretty high profile people in the industry. no aero wheels for me - just a std geometry road bike (aquila) - might be allowed to buy a tri bike next year if a get a better job. of course this is all off topic so... :-)

Footlong - it's an 05 EL. Owner's manual says no towing. I was gonna call Acura Canada first b4 getting a hitch b/c the manual says it may void warranty if I tow. i don't really consider carrying a bike towing, but they may.

I checked out the rack attack and hitch city websites. they didn't give that much info. was gonna stop by the store first to see if they could do.

footlong58 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 13, 2005, 12:03:58 pm »

Footlong - it's an 05 EL. Owner's manual says no towing. I was gonna call Acura Canada first b4 getting a hitch b/c the manual says it may void warranty if I tow. i don't really consider carrying a bike towing, but they may.

I don't think anyone makes a hitch for the '05... It's not that they consider a hitch mounted bike rack towing, but if a car is not rated to tow anything, why would a company make a hitch, thus eliminating all possible hitch related accessories, ie hitch mounted bike rack...

For '05 EL's, I know we offer a genuine roof rack, made by Thule... You can also get the accessories, such as bike carriers, ski racks, boxes, etc... It's a really nice product, fits well, and is sturdy. I sold one for an '04 EL not too long ago, and the customer carried bikes and was really happy... Costly though, but you get what you pay for I guess, and it IS an Acura after all :-)

munk · « **Reply #15 on:** June 13, 2005, 12:10:41 pm »

I've got an 02 EL and I have a hitch mounted rack. It'a a hidden hitch. You hardly notice the hitch when not in use (I can post a pic of it when I get home tonight). I've never used a roof mounted one but I just think the hitch is BY FAR the easier way to transport a bike. I didn't notice any hit on gas mileage with the bike mounted. The trunk should open freely with a road bike mounted. If you're mounting a mtn bike, make sure to turn the handle bars out of the way before you open the trunk, or else you'll end up with a nasty scratch. The EL will have no trouble carrying two bikes.

Just call a few hitch places and ask for pricing. It cost me about $200 for my EL three years ago. I got my bike rack for about $75 five years ago when I had a hitch installed for my prelude.

Hope this helps.

munk · « **Reply #16 on:** June 13, 2005, 12:20:02 pm »

Oh, one more thing. The roof mounted one might be good if you like to go skiing in the winter. Or if you ever need to use a cargo carrier. But if all you need is to transport your bike then I would suggest a hitch instead.

IMO, I would not get any kind of rack (roof or hitch) at the dealer. They don't install many and are pricey. Go to a shop that installs that kind of stuff. You get a better product for less.

blairman · « **Reply #17 on:** June 13, 2005, 03:52:38 pm »

I have also been shopping for a bike rack. I am considering getting a trunk mounted rack as I dont really feel like putting a hitch on my civic, and im not big on the roof racks (i'll probably forget about it when i drive into the underground parking).

The trunk mounted ones are usually cheaper (from the pricing i did). Surely they can be used without scratching the car....right?...

quadzilla · « **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2005, 04:31:43 pm »

"The trunk mounted ones are usually cheaper (from the pricing i did). Surely they can be used without scratching the car....right?..."

Yes, just keep it in the box.

Seriously though: If you value your car and like your paint, don't get a trunk mounted model. Even if the rack doesn't scratch or dent your car there are really good odds that your bike might.

If you do get one, don't cheap out by trying to save some money, it will just cost you in the long run. Look for sturdy feet and lots of straps (6 or more?) to ensure a good grip. The last thing you would want is it coming off on the hwy.

davidm · « **Reply #19 on:** June 13, 2005, 07:13:18 pm »

I'm a big time downhill mountain-biker (40+ lb bikes going up to Whistler every weekend). I have a Yakima roof rack with the King Cobra attachments. Friends also have these for a WRX, B5 S4, Honda Odyssey, and our A4.

Pros: Fits any size of bike wheel / frame shape. Can take "heavy" bikes. Bikes seem most "secure". Doesn't interfere with lights, trunk, etc.. Rails can be used for other attachements or on their own. Looks cool on the car in my opinion. Bimmer still handles quite well at speed on the Whistler hwy, just a tad top heavy.

Cons: the paint on my roof is taking a beating, if you are shorter/weaker (ie. my wife, friend with WRX's girlfriend) it can be a PITA getting the bike up there, I'm the only one who hasn't "roofed" the bikes (fingers crossed).

I would consider a hitch rack of the type that are low mounted and you roll the bikes on (ie. holds the bikes by the wheels), my only concern is it kills your departure angle and those bikes seem to bounce awful close to the pavement when I see other cars with them. As with all rear racks, tail lights are somewhat obscured.

Never, never, never, ever use a trunk rack if you vaguely care about your car. Between the toasted paint, curled/bent trunk lids, and number of times I've seen a rack slack off and dump they are just not worth it.

Got mine at Rack Attack. Yakima and Thule stuff is significantly cheaper across the border - any future stuff I buy will be from REI.