Bike racks - gas mileage

I am headed to Ohio Saturday (day trip) and I may, or may not, have time to take a spin on the Richland B&O Trail. It would be easier if I could just toss my bike on the rack and go - but am wondering if this might have a strong impact on my gas mileage - it is a trunk rack.

I have a Saris Bones - do they have the potential to become loose over a long drive? That is another consideration - Saturday will include 9 hours of driving... I have the version of the Saris rack that locks. I haven't used it outside of town.

I have no idea about the gas mileage but have to admit that I always have assumed it does impact it. I have the same bike rack as you. I do drive a lot with my bike - to and from my family in Philly (3 hrs) and Pittsburgh (4 hrs) and a couple times to my family in Canada (8 hrs). I've never worried about this rack the way I did about the one I had before it. With that one, I swear I drove the whole way staring at the bike in my mirror. :)

A trunk rack will impact your mileage much less than a roof rack. When I had a roof rack, my milege literally dropped by 5 mpg. I now have a hitch mount rack and find that it doesn't impact at all.

So, you may see SOME impact, but not as much as with another type of rack.

SheFly

Depends upon your car and how aerodynamic it is. If you're talking a squarish SUV or minivan, probably not much; if you're talking a Prius or Honda Insight, you could see a considerable drop.

I drive a Prius and mileage dropped from 55mpg to around 40mpg with the rack and 2 bikes. Just the presence of the rack dropped mileage. We've since learned how to get both bikes inside the car if we're transporting for any distance.

But, we never had any issues with the Saris Bones slipping during transit. Yes, the straps loosen over time, but no problems with sudden slipping like other racks in the past.

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Originally Posted by Thorn

Depends upon your car and how aerodynamic it is. If you're talking a squarish SUV or minivan, probably not much; if you're talking a Prius or Honda Insight, you could see a considerable drop.

I drive a Prius and mileage dropped from 55mpg to around 40mpg with the rack and 2 bikes. Just the presence of the rack dropped mileage. We've since learned how to get both bikes inside the car if we're transporting for any distance.

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This.

We saw our Prius drop from 48 mpg to 33 mpg on the windy highways of Kansas and Colorado with two bikes on the back rack (ours is a hitch rack - but same idea). We moved the rack/bikes to our Matrix which is boxier and has a more powerful engine and the mpg drop was 2 or 3 mph - even crossing the continental divide. It really depends on the car!

ETA - I used to use my Saris bones on my Mini Cooper with little to no mpg difference and it held very well. The longest ride I ever used it for was about 2 hours and I was carrying two bikes (one very heavy one).

What kind of car do you have? Have you considering taking one or both wheels off and putting the bike inside the car?

As for whether the Saris is secure. It is if you strap it on correctly. When I use mine, I get the rack pretty well situated, then I put the bike on it and then I retighten every strap. I recheck it here and there along the way. What's disconcerting is that as you drive at highway speed, you will see the bike swaying a bit. I've yet to have an incident yet.

That said, I usually just put my bike in the car. I have a 4-door sedan but it's rear seats don't go down for some reason (a detail my dealer didn't point out to me). With just my front wheel off, I can put the bike behind my front seats. It sits upright, with the handlebard turned toward the side if you can picture that. I use a velcro strap to hold it in place behind my seat. My husband can put his bike in my trunk but he has to take both wheels off.

He also has a 4-door sedan, but its seats go down. We can put both bikes in the car if we take the front wheels off and still have room for a week's worth of luggage and gear.

I have a Mitsibushi Lancer (2008). I hate taking my front wheel of of the Trek. It has this "new and improved" Quick Clicks skewer that is spring loaded and a royal PTA to get the wheel on/off the bike. I actually cannot do this without turning my bike upside down (on a blanket or carpet only).

I know an avid cyclist who has been doing his own work on his bike for all of his adult life and HE has problems with it. Yes I am venting :) What I need to do is to get a new skewer for that front wheel - one assumes that a more traditional Shimano skewer would take care of the problem and that there is nothing special about my wheel that requires the "new and improved" skewer. I don't recommend it, and after 3 months it is no easier getting the wheel on/off than when I first brought the bike home.

This is why I am considering putting it on the rack for my trip - though I won't decide until tomorrow night. I have not yet seen those straps loosen at all, and I trust the rack itself. If I had to do it over again, however, I would have gotten a hitch installed and use a hitch rack.

I REALLY hope that Surly doesn't use this "new and improved" skewer...

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Originally Posted by Catrin

I have a Mitsibushi Lancer (2008). I hate taking my front wheel of of the Trek. It has this "new and improved" Quick Clicks skewer that is spring loaded and a royal PTA to get the wheel on/off the bike. I actually cannot do this without turning my bike upside down (on a blanket or carpet only).

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I had that on the Trek I just sold and HATED it. HATED IT. Every single time, it resulted in my cursing and getting so frustrated!

I would replace the skewers before your trip if you can. It doesn't sound like it would be easy to fix a flat if you had to deal with that skewer. Getting my front wheel on and off takes about a minute.

I've never had a problem with long distance drives with my Saris Bones, but I do take at least a 2mpg hit.

Your bike is a lot tougher than you think. I would never give it a moment of thought to put it on the rack if that's what you need to do. The effect on your mileage will be miniscule on the grand scheme of things. Really, if it costs you an extra $5.00 in gasoline, so what? I have hauled multiple bikes on a cheap $60 Allen rack on long distance trips of up to 900 miles one way. Never a problem. Last summer I took a brand new bike on the rack 800 miles one way, and it poured down rain the entire trip. I wasn't happy about it, but the car was too full to carry the bike inside.

I would suggest however that you run a bungy cord from the rack, through the front wheel, frame, and rear wheel, and back to the rack to prevent wheels spinning, and vibrating loose.

I'd spend more time riding my bike and less time thinking about it.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. I didn't know what real effect that the loaded rack might have on my gas mileage - but I don't think it will take too hard of a hit. Just wondering what everyone's experiences has been on this. I've no problem loading my bike up - but with the recent rise in gas prices around here it was worth the question :)

I notice a difference with the bike rack on the Ford Escort, and more of a difference if there is a bicycle on the bike rack. I don't recall exact numbers but not horrible, just noticeable. Our Saris Bones has never slipped. I do make sure all the straps are buckled because the bikes will bounce around otherwise. Have fun on your trip!