Bike Car racks recommendation?

[Perry M]

Have a Trek 5500 and a Specialized Mountain Bike. I drive an Explorer and wanted to know the pluses
and minuses of using a roof rack vs. something I can hang on the rear hitch. Any brands better than
the other and places to buy them on the net (nashbar, perfomance etc.).

TIA Perry

 

[Mark]

"Perry M" wrote in message...
> Have a Trek 5500 and a Specialized Mountain Bike. I drive an Explorer and wanted to know the
> pluses and minuses of using a roof rack vs. something I can hang on the rear hitch. Any brands
> better than the other and places
to
> buy them on the net (nashbar, perfomance etc.).
>
> TIA Perry

Roof racks keep your bike out of harm's way in accidents (think parking lots, gas stations), leave
your rear door/tailgate/window completely unobstructed, and the fork mount roof racks (remove front
wheel, insert fork ends into quick release axle- like clamp, put front wheel into separate holder)
are extremely secure at Interstate highway speeds. Roof racks can also accomodate cargo boxes,
baggage racks, ski racks, snow board racks, kayak racks.... you get the idea. Lockable bicycle roof
racks are also available, but don't put too much faith in them. Roof racks are also time consuming
to install and put bicycles in (especially if your car is tall and you are small), and the added
wind resistance will have a negative effect on highway gas mileage and acceleration, especially if
you have a small engine. If you're the absent minded type, forgetting that your bicycle is on the
roof when entering your garage can cost you a lot of money and make you feel very foolish..

Rear hitch racks are convenient as hell to use, but they can interfere with rear vision (depending
on the design), make getting in and out of the back of your car time consuming, and the extra stuff
on the back of your vehicle will make parking more difficult than usual. I would not expect them to
be as secure as fork mounts on a roof rack at high speed.

In short, if you care more about your bikes than your car and don't mind a little inconvenience,
roof racks are the way to go. Ditto if your MTB frame has a frame design that preclude using a
trailer hitch rack. If you want convenience above all else and only use the rack to drive 15 minutes
to a bike path, the trailer hitch racks make more sense.

I've been very happy with my Yakima roof system for 12 years and 3 cars, other people say good
things about Thule. REI (www.rei.com) has a great selection of both brands, along with a tool on
their website to help you pick out the system you want. HTH,
--
mark

 

[Perry M]

Thanks...I looked at the rei site early today. I'll check it out. Sounds like roof rack is best....

Perry

"mark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Perry M" wrote in message...
> > Have a Trek 5500 and a Specialized Mountain Bike. I drive an Explorer
and
> > wanted to know the pluses and minuses of using a roof rack vs. something
I
> > can hang on the rear hitch. Any brands better than the other and places
> to
> > buy them on the net (nashbar, perfomance etc.).
> >
> > TIA Perry
>
> Roof racks keep your bike out of harm's way in accidents (think parking lots, gas stations), leave
> your rear door/tailgate/window completely unobstructed, and the fork mount roof racks (remove
> front wheel, insert
fork
> ends into quick release axle- like clamp, put front wheel into separate holder) are extremely
> secure at Interstate highway speeds. Roof racks can also accomodate cargo boxes, baggage racks,
> ski racks, snow board racks, kayak racks.... you get the idea. Lockable bicycle roof racks are
> also available, but don't put too much faith in them. Roof racks are also time consuming to
> install and put bicycles in (especially if your car is tall
and
> you are small), and the added wind resistance will have a negative effect
on
> highway gas mileage and acceleration, especially if you have a small
engine.
> If you're the absent minded type, forgetting that your bicycle is on the roof when entering your
> garage can cost you a lot of money and make you
feel
> very foolish..
>
> Rear hitch racks are convenient as hell to use, but they can interfere
with
> rear vision (depending on the design), make getting in and out of the back of your car time
> consuming, and the extra stuff on the back of your
vehicle
> will make parking more difficult than usual. I would not expect them to be as secure as fork
> mounts on a roof rack at high speed.
>
> In short, if you care more about your bikes than your car and don't mind a little inconvenience,
> roof racks are the way to go. Ditto if your MTB
frame
> has a frame design that preclude using a trailer hitch rack. If you want convenience above all
> else and only use the rack to drive 15 minutes to a bike path, the trailer hitch racks make
> more sense.
>
> I've been very happy with my Yakima roof system for 12 years and 3 cars, other people say good
> things about Thule. REI (www.rei.com) has a great selection of both brands, along with a tool on
> their website to help you pick out the system you want. HTH,
> --
> mark

 

[Hunrobe]

>"Perry M" [email protected]

wrote:

>Have a Trek 5500 and a Specialized Mountain Bike. I drive an Explorer and wanted to know the pluses
>and minuses of using a roof rack vs. something I can hang on the rear hitch. Any brands better than
>the other and places to buy them on the net (nashbar, perfomance etc.).

Personally, I prefer a hitch mount since the only real advantage of a roof rack I can see is that it
doesn't interfere with access to the vehicle interior. That one advantage isn't enough to offset a
roof rack's disadvantages. Roof racks are more difficult (hence more expensive if you pay for the
installation and more time consuming if you do it yourself) to mount on the vehicle. They turn your
bike(s) into a sail at highway speeds, especially if there's a crosswind. More than one or two bikes
in roof racks have met their demise when entering a parking garage. Their biggest drawback for me
though is they make loading and unloading the bike(s) more difficult. YMMV of course. If you do opt
for a hitch rack, try a local trailer rental shop or truck accessory shop before ordering off the
Internet. Any discount on the price of a heavy bulky item like a quality hitch rack you might get on
the 'Net can be eaten up pretty quickly by shipping costs.

Regards, Bob Hunt

 

[Pat]

x-no-archive:yes

>
> Personally, I prefer a hitch mount since the only real advantage of a roof
rack
> I can see is that it doesn't interfere with access to the vehicle
interior.
> That one advantage isn't enough to offset a roof rack's disadvantages.
Roof
> racks are more difficult (hence more expensive if you pay for the
installation
> and more time consuming if you do it yourself) to mount on the vehicle.
They
> turn your bike(s) into a sail at highway speeds, especially if there's a crosswind. More than one
> or two bikes in roof racks have met their demise
when
> entering a parking garage. Their biggest drawback for me though is they
make
> loading and unloading the bike(s) more difficult. YMMV of course. If you do opt for a hitch rack,
> try a local trailer rental shop or truck accessory shop before ordering off the Internet. Any
> discount on the price
of a
> heavy bulky item like a quality hitch rack you might get on the 'Net can
be
> eaten up pretty quickly by shipping costs.
>
> Regards, Bob Hunt

I agree on the hitch mount. I haven't had any problems parking with it as the previous poster warned
against. The body of the car protects the bikes, too, from wind-blown objects, weather, etc. If I am
tired from a long day's ride, the last thing I want to do is heave the bike on the top of a car.

Pat

 

[David L. Johnso]

On Fri, 30 May 2003 03:21:01 +0000, Hunrobe wrote:

>>"Perry M" [email protected]
>
> wrote:
>
>>Have a Trek 5500 and a Specialized Mountain Bike. I drive an Explorer and wanted to know the
>>pluses and minuses of using a roof rack vs. something I can hang on the rear hitch. Any brands
>>better than the other and places to buy them on the net (nashbar, perfomance etc.).
>
> Personally, I prefer a hitch mount since the only real advantage of a roof rack I can see is that
> it doesn't interfere with access to the vehicle interior. That one advantage isn't enough to
> offset a roof rack's disadvantages. Roof racks are more difficult (hence more expensive if you
> pay for the installation and more time consuming if you do it yourself) to mount on the vehicle.
> They turn your bike(s) into a sail at highway speeds, especially if there's a crosswind. More
> than one or two bikes in roof racks have met their demise when entering a parking garage. Their
> biggest drawback for me though is they make loading and unloading the bike(s) more difficult.
> YMMV of course.

I disagree. There certainly are disadvantages of hitch mounts as well. They bunch bikes up together,
which can scratch and otherwise damage the bikes. I saw one poor soul pulling into a parking lot for
a century with a couple bikes on the back, but getting in the rear tire of one of the bikes was
scraped along the pavement. Not good. Roof mounts keep the bikes separate. Both set-ups expose the
bikes to rain, wind, and other nastiness -- better to keep them inside the car for that reason.

I have yet to lose a bike to a parking garage, but I was rear-ended when I was carrying a couple
bikes on the roof. Had they been in the back they would have been toast. One bike was inside; it
survived, too. The car didn't.

Now, with your Explorer, you do have additional considerations since the roof is quite high. It will
be seriously difficult to get bikes on and off of a roof rack. Too bad the Explorer is not tall
enough inside to just roll the bikes in.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The lottery is a tax on those who fail to understand _`\(,_ | mathematics. (_)/ (_) |

 

[Baltobernie]

Pat <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> x-no-archive:yes
>
> >
> > Personally, I prefer a hitch mount since the only real advantage of a
roof
> rack
> > I can see is that it doesn't interfere with access to the vehicle
> interior.
> > That one advantage isn't enough to offset a roof rack's disadvantages.
> Roof
> > racks are more difficult (hence more expensive if you pay for the
> installation
> > and more time consuming if you do it yourself) to mount on the vehicle.
> They
> > turn your bike(s) into a sail at highway speeds, especially if there's a crosswind. More than
> > one or two bikes in roof racks have met their
demise
> when
> > entering a parking garage. Their biggest drawback for me though is they
> make
> > loading and unloading the bike(s) more difficult. YMMV of course. If you do opt for a hitch
> > rack, try a local trailer rental shop or truck accessory shop before ordering off the Internet.
> > Any discount on the
price
> of a
> > heavy bulky item like a quality hitch rack you might get on the 'Net can
> be
> > eaten up pretty quickly by shipping costs.
> >
> > Regards, Bob Hunt
>
> I agree on the hitch mount. I haven't had any problems parking with it as the previous poster
> warned against. The body of the car protects the
bikes,
> too, from wind-blown objects, weather, etc. If I am tired from a long
day's
> ride, the last thing I want to do is heave the bike on the top of a car.
>
> Pat
>
>

I also like the hitch mount, for all the reasons mentioned previously, plus these:
. the ability to keep an eye on your bike
. much less areo forces in the eddy area behind the vehicle
. automatic car wash hassle of the roof rack

Both types are rather expensive, particularly if you don't already have an installed receiver hitch.
But I always get a chuckle watching folks unload a step stool or short ladder from a Suburban, so
that they can hoist the bike(s) up. A well-designed hitch rack goes on and off in a minute, allows
access to the trunk (of a sedan), and your bike is on and off in seconds. My homemade version cost
<$50, and has been field-tested at well above the posted speed
limit!http://pennstar.home.mindspring.com

Bernie

 

[Psycholist]

I've read all the posts here. I had an Explorer and I built a little platform out of 2x4s to which I
mounted a couple of fork mounts. I strapped this to the hooks in the floor in the back of the
Explorer. Thanks to the split rear seat, if I was just transporting one bike, I could flip down half
of the rear seat and easily accomodate my bike and other cargo INSIDE the Explorer, completely
secure and free of any concerns about exposure to the elements, parking, etc. Two bikes don't work
so well if you have two passengers. If anyone is tall at all, the seats have to be back to far to
fit the bikes.

However, at times I've needed the interior space free. I've used roof mounts before. Odds are, you
WILL forget your bike's up there sooner or later. I truly believe that everyone I know who has a
roof mount rack has done some damage to their bike at one time or another.

The concern about hitch mounts holding bikes by the frame or bunching bikes together is addressed by
a really nice rack made by a company called Draftmaster. Go to www.draftmaster.com. Very nice
product. It mounts to the trailer hitch, holds the bike in fork mounts just like a roof racks, and
swings down out of the way so you can access the rear door of the vehicle. Yes, parking is a bit of
a concern ... but it's nothing like coming home from a ride and deciding to swing through the
drive-thru for a coke and wondering what that crunch was as you drive up to the window -- after
which you discover you just bought a $3,000 or so coke.

Been there, done that, Bob C. "Perry M" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Have a Trek 5500 and a Specialized Mountain Bike. I drive an Explorer and wanted to know the
> pluses and minuses of using a roof rack vs. something I can hang on the rear hitch. Any brands
> better than the other and places
to
> buy them on the net (nashbar, perfomance etc.).
>
> TIA Perry