"Doug Kanter" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Check www.thuleracks.com and use their wizard thing to
determine which parts
> are needed to put a rack on each of your vehicles. If
you're lucky, you'll
> find that the "foot packs", or whatever they call the
clips that hold onto
> the top of the car, are the same. If not, you'll need
different sets for
> each vehicle. But, the crossbars and bike holders can
remain the same.
>
> This doesn't mean that you're going to swap the rack back
and forth 14 times
> a week. The bars fit into the holes on the brackets very
tightly, and are
> held in place by set screws (if I recall correctly).
You'll need 1/2 hour to
> an hour to make the swap.
Huh? Even if you have to swap bars, feet, and accessories, it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
I've used Thule racks for over 15 years, sometimes taking them on and off every day. It usually
takes about a minute. The newer feet don't have the set screw anymore. They just slip on the bar and
clamp down as they settle into a final angle. The only fiddliness is getting the bar perfectly
centered, and even that's only for the most anal-retentive drivers.
> Yakima probably has a similar arrangement. Both companies
offer bike
> carriers that fit into hitch receivers. Not a bad idea,
but I don't know if
> they swing out of the way so you can open the tailgate of
the SUV.
Nope, or at least I've never seen one that does. However, these racks pull out in about 1 second,
once you get the bikes off. Also, they don't block the rear window if it opens, or the trunk of a
car -- so you still have access.
> On the other hand, getting bikes off the roof of the SUV could be
interesting,
> depending on your mood, fatigue level, and height of
vehicle.
That's one reason I prefer a car to a truck. I've watched people struggle with this at the
trailhead. It's especially bad after a ride when they're tired and shaky. I've seen more than one
bike get dropped on the roof of an SUV, ruining the paint.
Matt O.