Bike rack?

Faust29

Faust29

Moderator
I've had my current bike rack for over 20 years... It would look right at home on the back of a dump truck. Maybe a tad heavy for the truck, though... :o

What do you guys use in the modern era?

It needs to fit a regular hitch, and I would prefer it hold a minimum of 2 bikes- both road and mountain. If I'm alone, I usually just throw the bike in the back of the SUV or Jeep. But, I sometimes need to transport one or two extra, as with the Tour last weekend. Anything made today has to be lighter than what I have. I think some of the parts are made from cast iron.
 
Don't get a Swagman Jackknife. I have the 2 bike version still in the box. I'm debating whether or not to keep it since it a) the shipping weight was 66lbs & b) can't support fatbikes.

I think you should look into Thule, Kuat, & Yakima platform racks.
 
Stay away from the hang style racks....they are great for occasional use and beach cruisers....but suck for any modern full suspension bikes. Yes they make top tube adapters, but they allow the bikes to hand a little low.

The tray style racks are great. Any bike, any size, any design. Thule and Yakima are still pretty porky when it comes to tray style racks......our T2 2 bike is probably in th 40 lbs range. Kuat and I-Up are much lighter, and much more expensive.
 
I use this swagman. cheap and easy. especially if you are just mounting one bike. I just throw my bike on it and slide the hook down. takes 5 seconds to mount my bike on it. a little more involved fitting two bikes as you have to adjust things to make them fit without rubbing seats to levers etc... but for the price... works good

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.carid.com/swagman/2-receiver-folding-rac-xc-2-bike-carrier-mpn-64650.html?gclid=CK7V__jW-MMCFY17fgodjQYAYA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.carid.com/swagman/2-receiver ... fgodjQYAYA</a>
 
I've had a Thule t2 for about 6-7 years now and it's been great! The lever on the first one I had stopped working after about 4 years.. So I emailed Thule and they replaced it for free no questions asked! They even upgraded it for me to the ones that come with cable locks. Lifetime warranty is awesome!
 
I use a 1upUSA hitch rack. Made from extruded and machined aluminum, so it's very lightweight. Chose it over a Thule T2. It's flexy, and I don't drive rough bumpy dirt roads really, but it's been able to handle 3 years with plenty of G-filled mountain road turns without fatigue being a prob. Steel would've been more durable, but I just leave the rack on the car even without a bike, because it's so light. Was tempted by a 2nd hand Kuat. A rack like the North Shore rack is good for carpooling. If you want ultimate lightweight, there's seasucker.
 
I purchase 2 of the T2 extensions to get the 4 trays. I had some 2inch aluminum square stock that I cut for either a two bike setup or 4 bike setup. I don't have the tilt option that comes with the standard Thule T2, but I don't need the tilt. I run the racks on a 4-door jeep or my truck and they easily handle the weight and they are much lighter.
 
Thank you, Guys... I have some reading to do. I think I like the looks of the tray style, such as the T2.
 
fatboyone said:
I purchase 2 of the T2 extensions to get the 4 trays. I had some 2inch aluminum square stock that I cut for either a two bike setup or 4 bike setup. I don't have the tilt option that comes with the standard Thule T2, but I don't need the tilt. I run the racks on a 4-door jeep or my truck and they easily handle the weight and they are much lighter.
Click to expand...

We think alike. I've run the rack with 4 bikes and it works fine. To make my life easier, I made a few adapters for the racks. The first allows a buddy to use the extension with a 2" receiver. The second fits into a 1-1/4" receiver and is usually used by my wife with her beach cruiser. I can still bolt the two parts together as it came from the factory anytime I need to carry four bikes.
 
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.northshoreracks.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.northshoreracks.com/</a>

They have a 6 bike model. Crash Maxwell has one we use often. Great for shuttle days getting a bunch of bikes up the hill.

Dean
 
I've spent the last couple hours looking at bike racks! :D

I think I prefer the look of the "tray" style... The T2 looks good, as does the 1 Up that Varaxis mentioned. I probably won't leave it on all the time, and they all look like they go on pretty easy. Decisions, decisions...
 
The 1upUSA rack ships in a thick but compact box that you can use for storage. It folds up to be about 1/2 its full width and feels like it weighs like 30 lbs. The Thule T2 is over 55 lbs.
 
I feel my love for the 1Up rack is validated by Varaxis's recommendation, because I assume he researched his purchase exhaustively!

I'm on my second 1Up (sold my original one-bike rack for the two-bike rack), and I love it. Easy on and off, can put the bike on in a few seconds. I can go from having the thing laying in the garage to mounted on the car with a bike on it in a minute, maybe a 90 seconds. Since my wife's car has the hitch receiver (I'll rectify that with my next car purchase), it's got to come off when not in use, so that was a big consideration. And it's expandable. You can go from one to three or from two to four racks with the add-ons.

I've put 29er, 27.5 and 26" MTBs, road bikes and a beach cruiser on the 1up. They make adapters for fat bikes, too. I think the only thing it wouldn't carry would be a tandem.

The one drawback is no built-in lock. They do now have some locks that go through the arms (and thus the wheels), although I haven't tried them. I think those and a cable lock through the frame would make a thief take one look and move on to something easier.

Can't speak for durability, but I did see a photo on another forum where someone had rolled a truck with a bike on a 1Up - the rack was still attached to the truck, the bike was still on the rack. That is fairly impressive to me.
 
dstepper said:
http://www.northshoreracks.com/

They have a 6 bike model. Crash Maxwell has one we use often. Great for shuttle days getting a bunch of bikes up the hill.

Dean
Click to expand...

Wow, I like the vertical 2 bike rack. If it can accommodate fat bikes, I may have to sell my NIB Jackknife and put those funds toward a north shore.
 
All I will say is don't get a roof rack. I have one on my Mini and it's great and all but:
1. It makes a lot of noise going down the road especially with the sun roof open
2. I can feel the air drag with two bikes on top and actually notice a difference in gas mileage
3. You can't drive through a car wash and makes it difficult to hand wash your roof.
4. I did the proverbial drive into the garage with my Proflex on top one day after a hard ride.
5. You have to load your bike in the morning after you pull your car out of the garage (just one more thing to do in the morning)
6. If you do go through a drive through you are always worried your going to hit an overhang (even in the Mini)
7. They are a bee-otch to put on and take off so it's easier just to leave it on all the time...

:roll: I would rather buy a receiver for every vehicle I own so I didn't have to have a roof rack. But I own a Thule that does not require front wheel removal and love that about it.

...There! I said it! :D
 
I couldn't put a rack on my '01 Mitsubishi Eclipse so I've decided to upgrade to a pickup truck to carry my bike :P Just need something to throw over the tailgate and I'm good to go!
 
BigTex said:
The one drawback is no built-in lock. They do now have some locks that go through the arms (and thus the wheels), although I haven't tried them. I think those and a cable lock through the frame would make a thief take one look and move on to something easier.
.
Click to expand...

I have the small locks that go thru the wheels and they work well for quick trips in a store. I would not leave it unattended in a parking lot for hours on end with just the wheel locks but have a 10' cable lock to add to the wheel locks.

I keep my 1 up on the back of my car all the time set up as just a single bike. I can get into the back of the car without adjusting or moving the rack and its close enough to the car that parking is not an issue. One more thing I like is it does not block my license plate.
 
Mikie said:
All I will say is don't get a roof rack. I have one on my Mini and it's great and all but:
1. It makes a lot of noise going down the road especially with the sun roof open
2. I can feel the air drag with two bikes on top and actually notice a difference in gas mileage
3. You can't drive through a car wash and makes it difficult to hand wash your roof.
4. I did the proverbial drive into the garage with my Proflex on top one day after a hard ride.
5. You have to load your bike in the morning after you pull your car out of the garage (just one more thing to do in the morning)
6. If you do go through a drive through you are always worried your going to hit an overhang (even in the Mini)
7. They are a bee-otch to put on and take off so it's easier just to leave it on all the time...

:roll: I would rather buy a receiver for every vehicle I own so I didn't have to have a roof rack. But I own a Thule that does not require front wheel removal and love that about it.

...There! I said it! :D
Click to expand...

^^I second this...

I was able to get some "special" pricing through Thule a couple years ago and I got a roof rack and my GF got the T2 for her car...aaaand I totally regret getting the roof rack. At the time I had a S4 wagon and Jetta wagon. I liked the more sporty look of the roof rack and being able to switch between the two wagons. The roof rack is fine for road bikes...but its a pain in the ass for mountain bikes...especially a 40lb Kona Operator. I have to run an adapter each time I need to put the mountain bikes up. I do see a difference in MPG too. Without the rack I'm able to get up to 34 mpg consistently cruising. With the rack and bikes...I wasn't able to get more than 26 on the way to Vegas.

The T2...all you do it put the bike on the rack and lock the wheels down...done.

Only thing about the hitch rack is that it sticks out pretty far from the back of the car. I'll always look in the rearview to see if cars are following too close.

Oh...and I've read about people getting pulled over by police because the hitch rack obscures the license plate. Anyone else hear about this?
 
Putting the bikes on the roof is really pretty quick, granted bikes I put up there are under 27 lbs. It may be a difference of 3-5 secs compared to a hitch rack. Now all the other reasons mikie listed are true. VR6 your gas mileage difference is pretty significant! I've heard of and experienced much less.
 
Mikie said:
All I will say is don't get a roof rack. I have one on my Mini and it's great and all but:
1. It makes a lot of noise going down the road especially with the sun roof open
2. I can feel the air drag with two bikes on top and actually notice a difference in gas mileage
3. You can't drive through a car wash and makes it difficult to hand wash your roof.
4. I did the proverbial drive into the garage with my Proflex on top one day after a hard ride.
5. You have to load your bike in the morning after you pull your car out of the garage (just one more thing to do in the morning)
6. If you do go through a drive through you are always worried your going to hit an overhang (even in the Mini)
7. They are a bee-otch to put on and take off so it's easier just to leave it on all the time...

:roll: I would rather buy a receiver for every vehicle I own so I didn't have to have a roof rack. But I own a Thule that does not require front wheel removal and love that about it.

...There! I said it! :D
Click to expand...


No problem here... I wouldn't consider a roof rack. I'm the guy who would drive into the garage, or through the In-N-Out drive thru... The worst part is my wife probably wouldn't be surprised when the phone call came! :shock:
 
scan said:
Putting the bikes on the roof is really pretty quick, granted bikes I put up there are under 27 lbs. It may be a difference of 3-5 secs compared to a hitch rack. Now all the other reasons mikie listed are true. VR6 your gas mileage difference is pretty significant! I've heard of and experienced much less.
Click to expand...

I have the rack where I need to remove the front wheel. Road bikes were easy as they are under 15lbs without the front wheel. I had to use a 15mm and 20mm fork adapter depending on which MTB went up there. My wet noodle arms had a heck of a time putting the Operator on the roof.

The S4 was the B5 with the two turbos...I would get low 20's. I remember seeing 20-21mpg with the bikes up there. The best I've ever gotten in that car without the racks was 27mpg on the way to NorCal. Lol...I had to buy four new tires after that trip. :mrgreen:

The Jetta is a mk6 with the 5 cyl. I would get close to 400 miles per tank with no rack.

The VR6 was in a Corrado with a VF charger and Schrick VGi. The bike went inside on that thing. :lol:
 
RS VR6 said:
scan said:
Putting the bikes on the roof is really pretty quick, granted bikes I put up there are under 27 lbs. It may be a difference of 3-5 secs compared to a hitch rack. Now all the other reasons mikie listed are true. VR6 your gas mileage difference is pretty significant! I've heard of and experienced much less.
Click to expand...

I have the rack where I need to remove the front wheel. Road bikes were easy as they are under 15lbs without the front wheel. I had to use a 15mm and 20mm fork adapter depending on which MTB went up there. My wet noodle arms had a heck of a time putting the Operator on the roof.

The S4 was the B5 with the two turbos...I would get low 20's. I remember seeing 20-21mpg with the bikes up there. The best I've ever gotten in that car without the racks was 27mpg on the way to NorCal. Lol...I had to buy four new tires after that trip. :mrgreen:

The Jetta is a mk6 with the 5 cyl. I would get close to 400 miles per tank with no rack.

The VR6 was in a Corrado with a VF charger and Schrick VGi. The bike went inside on that thing. :lol:
Click to expand...

The two vehicles I use the rack on get 20 and 10... 20 seems like a Prius after driving the Jeep at 10 mpg!
My wife's Passat, however, routinely goes in the 700 mile per tank range! My Salsa fits in the trunk easily, but I don't think that's going to happen too often... Not if I want to live. :D
 
I just "knot" one end of a 7' KryptoFlex cable to a hole in my hitch, and run the rest through the front wheel and use an U-lock (non-barrel/tubular key) through the seatstays and wheel with the end cable end in the lock as well. Prevents theft by passer-by opportunists. Wouldn't leave it overnight outside like this, but I've left it alone for 45 minutes numerous times. Doubt any lock would stop a determined thief, including built-in locks. Secures the rack itself from theft as well, though it's mainly roof racks that I hear are getting stolen (because it supposedly looks cool on modded cars).
 
RS VR6 said:
^^I second this.....

Oh...and I've read about people getting pulled over by police because the hitch rack obscures the license plate. Anyone else hear about this?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it seemed for a while the CHP had a hard on for vehicles with hitch mounted racks while driven in the Toll Roads, but only when they had no bikes on them.

I know a few that were cited.
 
I actually installed my Swagman Jackknife. It's actually not that bad a rack for the $150 + tax + free shipping.

http://www.autoanything.com/bike-racks/swagman-jackknife-vertical-bike-rack

Pros:

Looks awesome
No frame contact
It can tilt
Easy to load solo
The vertical part can be placed closer or further way from the car
Comes with a 2" hitch adapter as well as the complete arm for 2" hitches

Cons:

Heavy
Can't accommodate fat bikes
Saddle needs to be all the way down
Tire might not clear some garages
Some road bikes need spacers
 
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I just got rear ended (not bad) on Tuesday morning with my 1 Up USA rack on the back and not even a scratch on it. The other two cars in the accident were not so lucky.
 
singlespeedrider said:
I just got rear ended (not bad) on Tuesday morning with my 1 Up USA rack on the back and not even a scratch on it. The other two cars in the accident were not so lucky.
Click to expand...
WOW! Now there's a testimony!
 
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