Help me spend some more $$: bike racks

[melissam]

I did the unthinkable and traded in my trusty pickup truck for a nimble little sedan.

I now need a bike rack and am interested in your recommendations. Here are my requirements:

• Must fit an Acura TSX
• Must not scratch the car or the bikes
• Must hold at least two bikes
• Must hold the bikes securely
• Must stay on the car securely
• Should be a trunk rack. I'm too short to deal with a roof rack, and I'm not quite ready to put a hitch on the car.
• Should be easy to install
• It would be great if it easily folded up, so I could put it in the trunk.

I've looked (online) at Thules, Yakimas, and Saris'. I'm interested in anyone's experience with their trunk racks -- good, bad, or ugly.

Thanks!!

-- Melissa

[snapdragen]

Bad experience with a trunk type rack. I got it from Performance, they said it would fit my S15 Jimmy. Managed to get it on the car, took off for Gilroy. Looked behind me while on hwy 101, saw the rack wiggling wildly! Pulled over, it was on the verge of falling off! So - stay away from Performance!

I bought my rack at the Sports Rack on Camden (I think the name is or has changed Rack and Road or sumfin like that) They were pretty helpful; they also sell used racks. Got my Bauer for $100 - pretty good for a hitch rack.

[aka_kim]

I was never very happy with my trunk rack (it was a Thule from about 7 yrs ago, on an Accord). It never held the bikes all that securely -- I'd be on the freeway and look back to see the bike blowing out horizontally, since there was nothing to secure the bottom of the bike to. Finally gave up on the rack when thieves lifted both the bike and rack off the car, destroying the trunk lid and rack in the process. A hitch rack really is a better option.

[Bike Goddess]

Melissm- I have a BMW Z3 so I don't have a lot of options. I purchased a Yakima Mighty Joe Trunk Rack from REI when I got my bike in August of 2003. The rack has gone on both my car and my partner Dave's hatchback with very little problems. The trick is to get the straps tight and I mean TIGHT. If they aren't tight, the bike will move and cause the clips to vibrate which is what happened to me one time last year. That resulted in some paint coming off, not serious, but it could have been prevented.

You shouldn't have any problem on your car.

Nancy

[Crankin]

I second the motion for installing the hitch. I wanted an EASY to use rack for just one bike. I searched and searched and we found a platform rack at Sears (who would have thought) on line. My husband put a hitch on my BMW 325xi and the rack is so easy to use, even a mechanically challenged person like me has no issues. I thought my bike would fall off, but it's secure and I have driven on the freeway with it twice. Yes, the thing is on all of the time, but it folds up flat against the back of the car. I am short and could never do a roof rack, either. It comes in a 2 bike model.

[susan.wells]

I have a hitch for my Subaru and nothing could be easier. But... since you said you're not ready for that I can recommend the Saris Bones . We use that on our other vehicle. We tried many other ones (our local LBS was generous enough to let us return those that didn't quite work or fit as we wanted) and I found many had arms with very limited ranges of adjustment. The Saris allows you the "dial-in" the fit for both your vehicle and bike.

Susan

[singletrackmind]

Hitch rack. It doesn't mess with the paint on your car and you still have access to your trunk. I have a Sportworks modular on my 4runner and like it a great deal though there might be ground clearance issues with a car. I like that the contact points are the bike's wheels so frame style does not matter, it holds kids bikes too and it only takes seconds to load and unload a bike. Bi-State busses use them because of this. The rack is too cumbersome to pull off constantly though.

By the way, hitches aren't really a big deal to put on. Get the 2" version if it's at all available for your car, it gives you the most rack options. Most hitches are made to bolt into existing holes and often your local rent a truck places can set you up.

[Technotart]

I tried a couple of the trunk/rear door/tie on racks - I didn't trust any of them - too much wiggle, too afraid they would scratch. Hitch rack it was! No contact with the paint at all.

[Trek420]

I'm 5'1" have a Yakima Cobra roof rack. Holds my bike securely without a scratch, and I don't have to take the wheel off. My old Olds Alero is low but still too high for me to reach. I keep a cheap plastic stepstool in the car, that's all you need.

Just use every trick in the book to remind yourself not to do the idiot move of the year and drive it into the garage ;-)

Even with a roof rack you have to be carefull. Several times on the freeway I've caught up with drivers so's to gesticulate wildy pointing upwards that their bikes were leaning crazily outwards.

None of them had the Cobra, it's been secure.

the least expensive Yakima latches onto the bike with a sleve that goes around the bottom tube of the bike, even my LBS said it's a bad idea, it will scratch your frame.

Then come the various models where you take the front wheel off. Not mechanicly inclinded does not BEGIN to describe me, I'd ride off with the wheel loose I'm sure. But AG will attest and advantage is the bike's lower an easier for us "verticly challenged" gals that way.

Finally a quick question; how many of us have chosen a car to go with a favorite bike rack?

[Adventure Girl]

Should be a trunk rack. I'm too short to deal with a roof rack, and I'm not quite ready to put a hitch on the car.

I know you said you don't want a roof rack, but here's my 2 cents. I love my roof rack because I feel my bikes are safer up there than on a trunk or hitch rack. I'm shorter than you, and I don't have any problem loading my bikes. I step up on the door jam (is that what it's called?) and voila... it's like being a normal sized person!

I also like the fact that the rack is locked to my car, and the bike is locked to the rack.

[smurfalicious]

Oooh ooooh ooooh! You NEED a Saris Bones! I loved my Saris, but I did the opposite and ditched my beater car for a big red truck. Where were you when I needed to sell it cheap! I got the bones three for $135 and loved it. It fit beautifully, the only downside was that my big fat tubed, small framed women's specific mountain bike was a bit of a tight squeeze. The nice thing is that it fits any rig, even over spoilers and it looks goooood! And, you can get it in colors. I got mine at RackAttack, I think that's their website too, rackattack.com. They only stock Grey, but if you're patient, they'll order a color.

love and cookies
-smurf

[melissam]

Thanks for your input so far -- this is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping to see!!

So now you've got me thinking:

-- Saris Bones -- will it fit my car? (It should, but when I looked up the fit for my car on the Saris site, it listed the Guardian Angel racks.)

-- Maybe I should look into putting a hitch on my car sooner rather than later.

-- Maybe a roof rack isn't so bad...

-- RackandRoad (nee Sports Rack) on Camden is a nice place. Just went there last month for one of my roommate's vehicle, and they were very helpful and have a nice selection.

BTW, I bought one of my roommates a Bauer hitch rack for her b-day a couple of years ago when she had a Jeep. My roommates have since gotten a camping trailer, and installed a hitch on the back of the trailer, and put the Bauer rack on the hitch. For the maiden voyage of the trailer & bike rack, we put our three bikes on it and drove to the north bay. After we'd crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, some guy was gesturing wildly at us, and we knew the bikes were in trouble. They were. They'd come out of the part that holds the top tube in, and fortunately had gone back towards the trailer rather than out toward the road. Unfortunately, there were stacked on top of each other, and the paint was rubbed off in several places. The good news is that it was my mountain bike, and not my carbon road bike. On the mt. bike, it looks like battle scars. On the road bike, well, I would have had some choice words and shed a few tears. I think that the huge vibration from being at the end of the trailer was more than the rack could stand -- lots more force there than if it had only been on the back of a vehicle. We solved the problem with duct tape -- taped down the part that held the top tubes. We're looking into a permanent solution.

Anyway, thanks again for the great suggestions!

-- Melissa

[SadieKate]

Melissa, if you're considering a hitch rack look at the Yakima Hitchfork. We have traveled thousands and thousands and thousands of miles with it with no problems. I personally like racks that use fork mounts. They just seem more stable and the Yakima locks have been bulletproof. I would never buy a rack from which you had to hang your bike from the top tube because of the paint/cables rubbing and because you can't put bikes of all different frames shapes on them. Plus we can use the Hitchfork as a workstand when we're on the road.

The Yakima roof rack with the Steelhead mounts has also been superb and done yeoman duty.

SK

[Steph_in_TX]

I agree with SadieKate...love our Hitchfork and with the quick release thing for the hitch(sorry, can't remember the actual name for it), it comes off easily. I don't want it on all the time. I can put the rack and bikes on in about 5 minutes.

[melissam]

Went down to RackandRoad at lunch and found out that there's currently no hitch available for my car. ETA is one month.

Y'all have pretty much convinced me that I don't want a trunk rack. Of course, if the hitch isn't available in another month, then I might revisit the trunk rack. In the meantime, I'll see if my bike fits in the trunk with the back seats folded down. I can also borrow one of my roommate's vehicles for bike transport.

Thanks again for your suggestions & input.

-- Melissa