Car rack?

[Pax]

Have you thought about trying to carry your bike inside your car? I don't know how much room you have in your car, but with the front wheel off, you might be able to get by without a rack. That was my preference, but I did have a Saris rack that I liked. DH and I now have a Thule T2 hitch rack that we love. Go to the websites of the major brands for racks and see what they spec for your car.

I do the same if I'm not taking my truck, I use one similar to this mounted to a piece of 2"x 8" and it fits great in the back of the SUV.

[indysteel]

I do the same if I'm not taking my truck, I use one similar to this mounted to a piece of 2"x 8" and it fits great in the back of the SUV.

That's handy. The rear seats of my car stupidly don't go down, but I figured out that I could slide my bike behind my front seats if I took off the front wheel and turned my handlebars. It's much easier than using a rack. We only use the Thule hitch on my husband's car when we're both traveling with our bikes.

[Pedal Wench]

My BF fits 2 bikes in the back of his PT, but that's with the rear seats completely removed.
Go to your local REI. They can tell you exactly what you need to fit your car. They stock Saris, Yakima and Thule, so one is bound to fit your car and needs.

[Jen12]

My BF fits 2 bikes in the back of his PT, but that's with the rear seats completely removed.
Go to your local REI. They can tell you exactly what you need to fit your car. They stock Saris, Yakima and Thule, so one is bound to fit your car and needs.

My road bike fits with the seats down but I do have to remove them if I ever want to transport my beach cruiser. A rack would be more a matter of convenience. I'm short, so my arm reach isn't very long. I tend to have to put the bike in the car, and then crawl inside to pull it all the way in. It's a little awkward and I probably look pretty funny.

I'll try REI and my bike shop. I was just in REI today. Wish I'd thought to ask them then!

[Velocivixen]

The Thule website has an interactive guide where you indicate the make, model, year of your vehicle and they can recommend the types of racks that would fit your car. Thule is a reputable maker of various types of racks. I bought my rack at a LBS about 15+ years ago and it's alright. However now they have so many more features even on base models.
Good luck.

[Roadtrip]

I have a Saris Bones 2 rack or my car... In love it.



Shannon

[Xrayted]

I put a hitch on my Subaru and then got this rack. It's really light and I really like it. I got the 2 bike rack. There is a 3 bike one, I believe. It's the Saris Thelma, holds the bikes by the tires. Tire racks fold flat and the whole thing folds up against the back of the car for storage. Easy to install/uninstall. Then I can use the hitch for all kinds of other stuff too.

[ZenBiker]

I use a Yakima hold up hitch mounted rack that works similar to the one xrayted described. I really like it because it's so simple to lift bikes on and off, yet very secure. This style does mean putting on a hitch, but for me it was worth the investment to have a rack that was so quick to put on and take off, and so easy to use.

[Pedal Wench]

I'm short, so my arm reach isn't very long. I tend to have to put the bike in the car, and then crawl inside to pull it all the way in.

Ummm... you might want to try putting it in rear wheel first - then you just have to roll it on in.

[ame]

I have a prius with a 2" hitch. I got this one http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Racks-HR1400-Platform-Receiver/dp/B000QJC4AY/ref=sr_1_13?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1303155721&sr=1-13. I can open the hatch with the bikes loaded (yay!) - I can carry my kids' bikes and my $3000 road bike with ease and sans freak-outs. I've driven on freeways and dirt roads with no problems for even long-trips. I started with a Saris Bones rack, but it just didn't work well for the hatchback - rubbed on my car and too much stress en-route, as I constantly had to check on the bikes.

Most of the time, I only have it set up for 2-bikes (and the 2-bike only model is much cheaper). It folds easily out of the way. It takes me about 2 minutes tops to get the bike loaded. It was WELL worth it. I wanted the Saris Cycle-On or Thelma, but I couldn't justify the price tag and wanted to make sure I could carry bikes of various sizes.

[Jen12]

Ummm... you might want to try putting it in rear wheel first - then you just have to roll it on in.

If it fit standing up, that would make sense, but it has to lay on the side.

[Jen12]

In general, how secure are trunk-mounted racks? They look like they barely attach to the trunk and anyone could walk away with the whole thing. Is that true? Can you at least lock the bike to the rack? Not that I'd leave the whole thing for a long period of time, but if I stopped at Starbucks or something and was gone for ten minutes I wouldn't want to find my bike gone!

[Roadtrip]

In general, how secure are trunk-mounted racks? They look like they barely attach to the trunk and anyone could walk away with the whole thing. Is that true? Can you at least lock the bike to the rack? Not that I'd leave the whole thing for a long period of time, but if I stopped at Starbucks or something and was gone for ten minutes I wouldn't want to find my bike gone!

If you wanted to remove the rack, you could... so I wouldn't rely on locking the bike down to the rack/car. There are simple straps that hold it secure on the rear of the car. I think the hitch mount ones may be more secure.

Shannon

[tulip]

I tend to have to put the bike in the car, and then crawl inside to pull it all the way in. It's a little awkward and I probably look pretty funny.

That's how everyone does it. I have a roof rack, but I only use it when I travel with my dog and my bike, or if I carry two bikes. Otherwise, my bike goes in the car (small car, with seats folded down and front wheel removed). I figure it's safer, more fuel efficient, and keeps bugs off my bike.