NICE RACK! What kind of bike rack do you use?

[RubberSideDown]

All this bike talk, how do you get the bikes around? Do you use Thule, Yakima, Swaggman, or whatever esle is out there? Thought this would be a fun poll.

Do you use roof or trunk mount racks? Who has the nicest rack?

 

[jongchen]

All this bike talk, how do you get the bikes around? Do you use Thule, Yakima, Swaggman, or whatever esle is out there? Thought this would be a fun poll.

Do you use roof or trunk mount racks? Who has the nicest rack?

I have two different racks. A thule roof rack with their "ultimate" stand up bike carrier trays. I also have a saris bones two bike trunk rack. I almost exclusively use the thule roof top carrier. Though I have been looking for a new bike tray. The jaws of the one that I currently use seems like it's scratching the paint on my bike.

IMHO the bones is the best trunk rack that I've seen. But it's a pain to constantly install and remove it. And it's really annoying that you can't access anything in your trunk while the rack is attached. And it's annoying that I'm adding a ~3K bumper to the back of my car.

 

[graf zeppelin]

I have been using a Yakima roof rack (the kind where you remove the front wheel) for a long time. I'm really happy with it. I use a windscreen for the bike on the highway (bugs, sand, rain sometimes). I dont transport the front wheel on the roof on the highway as the holder can settle backwards over a couple hours letting the wheel rub on your roof -- Yakima has round crossbars. Doesnt happen for medium distances or lower speeds over longer distances. Thule uses square crossbars (at least the model I have seen up close) so there's an advantage there in that case potentially. Doesnt matter to me much as I prefer how the round bars look and dont mind the wheel in the backseat for long trips.

I prefer this style roof carrier to that which carries the entire bike intact and any style roof carrier to any with rear car placement -- simple fender bender becomes something else with a bike back there.

 

[tonphil1960]

I just got the Thule Big Mouth Rackpack, two of them, takes entire bike with front wheel on the roof. It fits my crossbars so I saved some $$ there. Limited to two bikes though, if I wanted to carry three I would have had to gone with the entire Thule setup which would have been about 500 bucks. This setup cost me about 275.00 If taking a long trip though I would add some bungies just to stabilize the bikes a little better, probably not needed but peace of mind.


Tony

 

[Blue Thunder]

I have a Hollywood hitch rack. It is similar to the Pro Rider http://www.hollywoodracks.com/2&3.htm#prorider2 (guess they don't make it anymore) but carries the whole bike with front wheel attached. It works great, takes less than 20 seconds to load a bike and attaches to the seat post rather than the frame. And because it uses a hitch receiver it takes under a minute to attach or remove from the car.

I have a small convertible so a roof rack is out of the question and I really didn't want anything touching the paint of the car. A hitch rack is my only real option.

It has two problems, one is the weight and the other is that it leaves small black clamp marks on my seat post. It is a great rack but I am happy I don't need to use it much anymore.

 

[mmpc001]

I use the Performance Xport 3-bike hitch rack. While the clamping mechanism is somewhat tedious (have to screw/unscrew for awhile to mount/dismount bikes), it's proven to be a good rack otherwise. Also, I like it because it only cost me $70 on sale!

 

[Salsa Rider]

I've got -2- racks. We started with a performance trunk rack, but found that that taking it on and off all the time was sort of a pain in the neck. We've got a Yakima "king cobra" now. We like it cause we dont have to take the front wheel off (easy for the wife), and it doesnt touch or scratch the paint on the down tube (good for me), it also comes with integrated bike locks. The down size is that it really bulky and ugly when not in use. Also it's not cheap. It is very fast to use though, easy on easy off. Once winter comes and we're not riding every other day, I'll probably take it off the car and use the trunk rack til spring, then put it back on.

 

[Daremo]

I had a Saris roof rack on my old car a few years ago. Best roof system out there IMO (and not just because I sold them at the shop I worked at).

Now I have a Rhode Gear Super Shuttle I got in '98. Still works great, especially since I tend to change cars every two years or so.

 

[Telegram Sam]

Yakima hitch rack with the lock accessory- Bullet-proof, easy, safe and always with at least one bike in it in case I see something I need a little ride