Fifty Plus (50+) - Rack on or off

Was just wondering how many leave there bike racks on the car once you start riding for the season? For what ever reason you select please give a reason why you have selected that reason.

The rack has two functions:

1 Taking the bike to and from the shop.
2 Taking the car to and from the shop.

Once finished, the rack comes off.

Paul

I take mine off while I am riding and after every ride when I get home.

I have a good bit of money invested in a good rack. I would really hate for someone to decide they needed it more than I do while I was out somewhere. Locks are for honest people so that is really not an option. Besides, it interferes with the back up sensors on my SUV and I have to turn them off when I have the rack on.

Mine's a roof rack that's locked onto the car. It doubles as a rack for other things as well.

Hubby usually leaves my cheap Bell rack on the car. Don't know what I'll do once I start riding my new trike...

Judy

One or the other hitch rack is probably on from now into November. Which one depends on what time of the season, whether or not wife is riding and how far we're going to travel to ride.

I selected "leave it on all season", because there was no selection "leave it on most of the time" which is what I mostly do. Going to the car wash or if I am going to be opening the trunk or tail gate often, it comes off. One reason that I leave it on is I will do some one way rides and my wife will come and meet me, have lunch etc, and then we will drive home together, that kind of thing, or if I have a problem and would like her to come and get me.

Now, that said, she will be riding with me much of the time this season so forget everything I just said, guess I am too lazy to take it off and on regularly.

I leave it on all season and take it off after each use! Huh ?

Lemme 'splain.....
1.) The Hollywood hitch rack is only on the Van when I'm transporting a DF to someplace then it comes off for safe, easy access to the interior for transporting my recumbents.
2.) The Yakima roof rack stays on the Caprice all season as it not only transports the occasional DF, but I can use it to haul lumber and fencing or anything else I can throw up there. (The Caprice is in it's final year of trusty service as I'm putting it up for sale this Fall, but I'll keep the rack)

Mine's a roof rack that's locked onto the car. It doubles as a rack for other things as well.

+1 with the added advantage that I can find my car in a parking lot just by looking for the rack :)

train safe-

My hitch rack stays on my van year round. It folds down when I need access to the back area.

The rack doesn't interfere with my backup warning system unless I have bikes loaded on it.

On our Mustang, we take the hitch rack off after each use.

I have two fork mounts permanently mounted to the tool box on my truck.

My rack consists of several of those skewer locks at various locations on the toolbox in my pickup bed. I ride year round.

Our "season" here is year round. I only put the rack on when I'm hauling bikes somewhere (which isn't very often) as there isn't enough room between the garage door and where I store my commuter bike for the van with the rack in place.

I take it off after each use, except I'll occasionally leave it on during a ride. It folds up nicely and lives in the trunk. Wish I had a hitch mounted rack, though.

I take it off after each use. But that is because I have a hitch mounted rack and a short garage. I can't close the garage door with the rack on the bike. Otherwise I would probably never take it off.

I take it off as DG keeps moaning about only getting 6 MPG if I leave it on his Rolls.

Season? Year round riding here, hitch rack style never comes off the suv...and too much work to take them off this beastie

I have a 1" x 6" with two skewer clamps attached. I keep it the back of my 4 Runner all year. I do use a hitch mount if we need to use the back of the car for luggage or more than two riders and three bikes on trips.

Four bike rack inside the mini van, stays in always.

I honestly thought you were referring to my bike rack ... the one that is mounted behind my bike seat. My first thought was, "People go to all of the trouble to take them off after rides?"

If I am only hauling my bike, it usually goes inside the PT Cruiser. But if I need to haul more than one bike, I'll put the cheapo Bell hitch rack on and will leave it there for a while if I think I'll need to use it again soon. I also use the rack when I am taking the MTB somewhere where I expect it to get really dirty.

I only take it off during a ride if I'm parking in an especially rough neighborhood where theft seems like a particularly likely outcome. But I try to avoid parking in such places.

I have racks on two of my bikes, but have a hard time getting the car onto the rack. I leave these racks on my bike all year, but, otherwise, carry my bikes inside my van.

I thought you were talking about the rack on the back of my bike that holds panniers. That stays on all the time. I have no rack on my petrol-powered wheels to carry a bike. My rides start and end at my back door. I can't remember the last time I put a bike in a car, but I think it was probably in 2005 when I broke a shift cable and wasn't carrying a spare and called my son for a ride home.

Considering I use my bike as part of a bi-modal commute, it's on my car 365 days a year.

We have two vehicles. On cgallagh's 4Runner, the rack stays on. My Camry, the bike rides in the back seat, hence no rack. No option for this so I didn't vote.

I leave my Saris Bones 2 on all year long. I just move the arms up or down. It doesn't prevent me from opening the trunk. The only issue is when I need to clean the car, it's either a touchless car wash or a hand wash.

Bike goes in the trunk of my car; requires me to remove front wheel of bike and fold down rear seats of car.

I have a trunk-mounted rack I never use.

I have a roof rack I bought for my wife's SUV that I never use.

I looked at the poll and wuz confoozed...

I put the seatpost rack on the bike when I think I'll be doin a ride which benefits from carryin more stuff than fits into my seatbag strapped to the bars (I always ride with a small seatbag on the bars for stuff like energy bars, gels, glass wipes, small camera, place to store armwarmers & windvest - I really dislike things stuffed into the pockets of the jersey...)

OH - car Rack!
just never think about it anymore.
20 years ago I stopped buyin vehicles which can't carry at least
3 longboards or
3 bikes or
multiple prs of skis/snowbds
and their riders...
or 6 soccer kiddies...
all locked internally...
and get at least 25 mpg hwy
no more poseur autos for moi...
that usually means they're NOT chic-chic, are plenty ugly, and durable...
Bike racks? Bike racks? we don need no steenkin bike racks!

Considering I use my bike as part of a bi-modal commute, it's on my car 365 days a year.

'Cept last year when it was on 366 days. :innocent: