Bike Rack

[free_rideman]

I need help in deciding what bike rack I should get. I would want to get one that holds the bike by the two wheels for obvious reasons but I don't know if I should get a roof mounted rack or a hitch mounted rack. If I go the hitch way I would need to buy an actual hitch for my 99 honda civic 4 door. Then I would need to get the actual bike rack.

Any opinions and recommendations would be helpful.

Also what hitches are good? Any specific racks that people like?

Is this hitch good?

http://www.hitches4less.com/1920honciv24.html

[Keith Courage]

Fuck a hitch on a Honda. Those 2 wheel mount, hitch racks look like shit plus they add lots of weight the rear end of your car.

you can get a sweet roof mount system by thule for ~350 for your Honda.
With a Thule system not only will you be able to carry bikes easily, but you will also be able to switch to other things very easily (kayak, surfboard, you get the point)
I'd definitely go that route.

[trauma100]

I would go with a roof rack... a little more of a pain to get the bikes on but alot more versitile, especially if you want to haul more gear ...snowboard,skis,cargo box etc. I have had both thule and yakima base racks and IMO they are equally as good...as far as bike mounts go,Firewrx612 has the king cobra by yakima Ihttp://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=13 it's a five second mount and very nice.

I have a yakima base with two anklebiters http://www.rack-it.com/product_image.php?imageid=59 not to bad ,but a little bit of a pain to get bikes secured .... king cobra will be next

[GpTrials]

I would go with a hitch mount rack. I have seen at least a dozen people forget the bikes are on top and drive under something (garage ect..). For a hitch mount you can't beat this one. It works great for trials bikes and any other kind of bike. You can also get it in a four place for $150.00. Just my two $$$.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16208-255_SETS27-4-Specials-77-Top-10-Deals/Sette-Sierra-2-Bike-Hitch-Mount-Rack.htm

I just returned this rack. Don't bother getting it, it's junk. Sorry for the bad advise.

[kobrakai]

thule ftw
http://www.observedtrials.net/otn3/DSCN4584.JPG



seriously, roof racks are the only way to go.

[free_rideman]

http://www.raxterracks.com/products.html

Just found these. Seem simple and very reliable. From reviews people seem to like them a lot.

http://www.yakima.com/Consumer/Step4.aspx

This system seems too expensive and complicated. Plus it would seem that there will be a decrease in fuel economy and stability of the vehicle. Especially with a 50lb dh bike.

By any chance does yakima have a employee purchase thing for shop employees? Does anyone that work at a shop know?

[free_rideman]

I checked the thule website and their car fit thingy gave me a price of about $500. That is a lot!

[stocktrials]

the green power ranger and the red power ranger

[Keith Courage]

Kobrakai made it startlingly clear what kind of bike rack ANYONE THAT OWNS A BIKE should own.

gg, kkai

[mekanic305]

roof rack ftw

[free_rideman]

I have to tell you I am starting to consider roof racks more. Especially since I won't have to go through the pain of getting a receiver hitch. But I am more confused than ever now.

oh the possibilities...

[spoke2570]

Screw racks!

Bikes go inside! Friends surf the roof.

[Acolyte]

I checked the thule website and their car fit thingy gave me a price of about $500. That is a lot!

You price it out on their site, and buy it all on eGay. It's not $500 there.

I have a yakima rack, never going back to any trunk/hitch rack after going roof.

[JohnnyO]

Bikes on the roof make for sucky fuel efficiency. Ideally put them inside or if you need to on the back. Whatever you save getting a roof rack you will soon spend on petrol. Especially if you are driving open roads.

[B-boy]

I would go with a roof rack... a little more of a pain to get the bikes on but alot more versitile, especially if you want to haul more gear ...snowboard,skis,cargo box etc. I have had both thule and yakima base racks and IMO they are equally as good...as far as bike mounts go,Firewrx612 has the king cobra by yakima Ihttp://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=13 it's a five second mount and very nice.

I have a yakima base with two anklebiters http://www.rack-it.com/product_image.php?imageid=59 not to bad ,but a little bit of a pain to get bikes secured .... king cobra will be next


2nd this.. I also have the yakima king cobra on my honda accord, and even though it was expensive it has been TOTALLY worth every penny. Its a super fast load, and plus its tough enough to hold my DH bike nice and secure

[toyota200x]

Sorry I am doing a little high jacking.

I have a 2001 Toyota Solara 2D. When looking at racks on ebay how will I know if it is going to fit my car. I am kind of a newbie when it comes to knowing what components of a rack will fit my car. Are there different towers for different cars?
Thanks for the help. :)

[trauma100]

Sorry I am doing a little high jacking.

I have a 2001 Toyota Solara 2D. When looking at racks on ebay how will I know if it is going to fit my car. I am kind of a newbie when it comes to knowing what components of a rack will fit my car. Are there different towers for different cars?
Thanks for the help. :)
Thule and Yakima both have fit guides on their websites

[trialsrider50]

roof rack for sure. I have one of the yakima king cobra things or whatever. It's nice because it can hold any style of frame and it's very secure. even with my old rm-7 on it (50+lbs). the one's that clamp onto the frame are great unless you have one of the few weird frames that don't work in those.

[Dang!]

Thule racks!- Screw the "both wheels" crap-
Thule V2's
and they look great!

[willapaj]

If you get a roof rack, get a fork mount one, not the kind that allows you to keep both wheels on like above. I once had a bike mounted to one of those back in the early 90's and it got blown over sideways in a gust of wind on the freeway. Not a lot of fun to see your bike dangling off the side of your car when you're going 70...
You can save money if you don't have to have the name brand thule/yakima everything. The rack (towers and bars) sure, but for the actual bike mounts themselves, RockyMounts are just as good (and work with either yakima or thule bars) and are a bit cheaper.
Trunk racks work pretty well too. They're more fuel efficient for sure, but a bit less stable. You can get a cheap Allen for $50. I have one of those too, and it's been in my family for 15 years and it still works just fine.
Racks can last forever too. The yakima rack I have has been around since 1988. Different towers for different cars (4 or 5 by now), but the rest stays the same...

[firewrx612]

If you get a roof rack, get a fork mount one, not the kind that allows you to keep both wheels on like above. I once had a bike mounted to one of those back in the early 90's and it got blown over sideways in a gust of wind on the freeway. Not a lot of fun to see your bike dangling off the side of your car when you're going 70...


what upright was this? I can't see this happening with a king cobra.

The thing really is the balls, you can put anything in it, and it's super fast.

[willapaj]

It was a late 80's yakima thing. The type where there's a bar with a clamp that clamps the downtube (like that Thule pictured), and you strap both wheels to the gutter part.

[free_rideman]

Bikes on the roof make for sucky fuel efficiency. Ideally put them inside or if you need to on the back. Whatever you save getting a roof rack you will soon spend on petrol. Especially if you are driving open roads.

Yeah, that is what I was thinking.

Currently I have two choices. IfI didn't work at a bike shop, going the hitch mount way would be the same price, even though I would need to buy a hitch.

But since I can get a yakima rack for less that makes me wonder more.

In the end if everything goes smoothly with the rack company I am interested in, than it should be a hitch mounted rack, and if not than I will get the yakima king cobra thing.

[jda]

My rack is very nice and easy to use but unfortunantly you can't get them in the USA, I'm sure the design could be copied though by someone with welding and metal fabricaton skillz.

http://www.observedtrials.net/album/data/500/medium/Two_bikes.jpg

[firewrx612]

It was a late 80's yakima thing. The type where there's a bar with a clamp that clamps the downtube (like that Thule pictured), and you strap both wheels to the gutter part.

did it break? or did it just rotate somehow?

I used to have the one you're describing, and I can kind of see how it may happen with that type. Must have been some serious wind. That would be a shitty thing to happen. I've run two(the first time was a fork mount, the second was a King Cobra) bikes into garages (one a brand new IF that hadn't even been ridden yet) and the only thing that happened was the tray bent, so they are pretty strong in that direction anyway.

So I guess that is a disadvantage of roof racks, decapitation by garage. The first time wasn't totally my fault. I was driving the kid who owned the IF back to his dorm at BC, at the last second he said take this right. Well the right lead directly into the garage, the next thing we hear is a nasty noise, the bike hitting the roof of the car. The only thing that happened to the bike was the saddle came off the rails. He had Salsa skewers that hadn't been cut down yet and they dug into the roof of my car, and the tray of the rack bent.

The second time was completely my fault, I'm an idiot.

[willapaj]

Yeah, it was a hell of a crosswind, out on the plains somewhere... I was too young to remember what happened. I think the clamp just couldn't hold it. It was still strapped on by the wheels though, fortunately.

I haven't lived anywhere with a garage since I've had my own car, so have yet to mess up anything doing that. My car is a station wagon (Outback sport), and I took out the back seats, so I usually just throw my bike back there anyway...