Recreational & Family - Newbie Question About Bike Racks

Hi,
I just got a bike for my birthday and I'm hoping to go for rides with my family. My suv doesn't have a tow hitch so I can't load them up on the back of my car. I was hoping to get a cheap rack that fits on my trunk but I can't find anything that fits. The only other option is to get a roof top rack. I'm only 5'3 and I'm worried that it will be difficult for me to get my bike on and off. My question is does anyone else have a roof top rack on their suv? Is it easy to get the bikes on and off? Does it look completely stupid?

Thanks!

There are pros and cons with each solution.

We have a rack on a minivan, so about the same height as most SUV's. It is a big lift to get the bikes up. If you are comfortable holding the bike over your head, you could probably do it. You likely will need to stand in the doorwell or use a footstool to get the bike onto the rack. For which model SUV can you not find a trunk rack?

Roof racks are sturdy and can hold more than bikes (kayaks, skis, boxes, etc). Roof racks are not cheap and they will affect your gas mileage. Many people forget they have bikes on their roofs and rip the bikes, rack and/or roof off their car when they drive into their garage or other low hanging structure. Expect to pay $200 and up.

Trunk racks are fairly easy to put on and take off. They are relatively inexpensive. They sometimes have awkward mounts that. Are limited in the number of bikes they can carry and increase the risk of dents and scratches. Can be a hassle to mount alot of bikes on these racks as you may have to carefully organize how you put them on the rack.

Trailer hitch racks are about the same as trunk racks, except they seem to be heavier duty. You can get swing away hitch racks that will allow you to access your trunk. The hitch can be used for any other purposes. The bikes can get dinged and scratched on the rear racks. More expensive than a trunk mount but cheaper than roof racks.

I have a Lexus Rx330 that has a factory mounted roof rack. I found a Thule attachment that works for $180 for two bikes. My bike is pretty light so I might be able to do it when I go out by myself. My husband can do all the heavy lifting when we're together.

I wish I would have paid extra for the tow package when I got the car since a trailer hitch rack seems ideal for me.

Thanks for the info!

I'd still look at the trailer hitch. My guess is that it will be cheaper to put on a trailer aftermarket rather than from the dealer.

The hitch should be somewhere south of $200. You can likely do the installation yourselves. If not, U-Haul was very reasonable on hitch installation prices (I think they still do this and it was something like $25). Things may have changed though so call around. We have a Hidden Hitch on our minivan. I chose it because it had the highest clearance of all the hitches available for our vehicle. I had to modify the hitch slightly but there were plenty of folks online that had written about their experiences that I had no problems. This is one for a 2004 RX330 (http://www.thehitchstore.com/class-iii-receiver-hitch-p-781.html).

That's pretty cheap for roof racks. My guess is that would be the bike carriers that would attach directly to your factory rails. If you only plan to carry bikes that will work. If you plan to carry other items you may have to purchase their adapters and rails. We had to do this but we carry 4-6 bikes at a time and a tandem. I think I am about $1000 into roof rack components. The only gotcha I ran into with the roof racks is that it was harder to find disc brake compatible carriers. Also if going the used route and want locking features, you should spend the extra and by new cylinders so that they all use the same key.

^^ I agree.

I would also do the hitch rack.

They are not that expensive and fairly easy to install. As said before U-haul will install for fairly cheap. I've installed many and it's simple bolt on stuff.

Look on C List. You may find one used for around $50 - $100.

My wife is 5' 3" as well. Since there's four in our family, I invested in a Yakima HoldUp for the hitch and added 2 Yakima FrontLoaders on my roof. I have a Honda Element and the roof is a tad high. I also invested in one of these: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-steps/folding-step-stools.htm

Folds nice and flat and stays in the car at all times.

My wife is 5' 3" as well. Since there's four in our family, I invested in a Yakima HoldUp for the hitch and added 2 Yakima FrontLoaders on my roof. I have a Honda Element and the roof is a tad high. I also invested in one of these: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-steps/folding-step-stools.htm

Folds nice and flat and stays in the car at all times.

How hard/easy is it for your wife to get the bikes on the roof with the step stool?

If OP goes with roof mount, they will have to decide if they will use a carrier that requires the front wheel to be on or not. Your Yakima Frontloader (http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-frontloader-bike-rack-2103.html) keeps the front wheel on. I use wheel off carriers. I find them easier to load and unload than wheel on carriers.

How hard/easy is it for your wife to get the bikes on the roof with the step stool?

If OP goes with roof mount, they will have to decide if they will use a carrier that requires the front wheel to be on or not. Your Yakima Frontloader (http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-frontloader-bike-rack-2103.html) keeps the front wheel on. I use wheel off carriers. I find them easier to load and unload than wheel on carriers.

I have side steps on the Element, but the extra few inches the step stool provides makes it easier for both of us. Neither of us want to deal with removing front wheels each time we want to ride - we'd rather grab 'n go keeping the wheels on at all times. :D

I have a Neon and I rarely use my roof rack for bikes (all the time for kayaks though). Get the hitch mount, you will be glad you did! It might cost you extra, but it is a lot less hassle. I personally use a trunk mount, but...my car has a trunk. If I had a truck/suv I would get the hitch mount, for sure.

I used to load my MTB on top of my s10 blazer I used to have...I'm 5'8 and can easily lift my bike, and it was not very easy to do.

Actually, most of the time if I am just taking my bike, I will take off the front wheel and put the bike in the back seat :)

I have a Neon and I rarely use my roof rack for bikes (all the time for kayaks though). Get the hitch mount, you will be glad you did! It might cost you extra, but it is a lot less hassle. I personally use a trunk mount, but...my car has a trunk. If I had a truck/suv I would get the hitch mount, for sure.

I used to load my MTB on top of my s10 blazer I used to have...I'm 5'8 and can easily lift my bike, and it was not very easy to do.

Actually, most of the time if I am just taking my bike, I will take off the front wheel and put the bike in the back seat :)

Roof racks are great but expensive.

Another drawback not yet mentioned is the decrease in gas mileage. I think we get 2-3 mpg less with just the rack on, I would guess @4mpg with bikes on. We don't use it every weekend, but I am too lazy to take it off in between when I need it.

Throwing the bike(s) in the car takes away alot of worries (low clearance places, easier to steal, gas mileage, weather and debris, etc.).

The best way to carry the bikes IMO, is on the hitch racks...but they are expensive and so are the hitches if you don't have one. You are looking at a decent chunk of change. How far are you looking to carry the bikes? What type of vehicle do you have? I have used an Allen 2 bike Deluxe Rack and a Saris Bones 3 Rack trunk mounts with good success. I only go 10-15 miles on average to ride and they have both worked well. No problems. The Saris is much sturdier than the Allen though. Allen ran me around $75 and the Saris only cost me $30 off of CL and it was brand new. If you look, you might be able to find some decent deals or savings!

Good luck.

I ended up getting a Saris Bones 3. I had to special order an adapter to fit the top of my car so I haven't tried it out yet. Hopefully I'll get to test it out by the end of the week.

I have a child seat mounted on the back of my bike and just plan to take my daughter on short rides around the beach and maybe some paths. I bought my bike used for $100 so I didn't really want to spend a lot of money on a bike rack.

I tried it out today and it works very well. http://i926.photobucket.com/albums/ad107/Krykle_photo/DSC04815.jpg
http://i926.photobucket.com/albums/ad107/Krykle_photo/DSC04812.jpg

Another hitch mounted rack user here. I am 5' 4" and can easily use the hitch rack. We spent around $180 for the hitch and installed it ourselves. It was a surprisingly simple operation and took my hubby less than 1.5 hours.

I have the Thule T2 and very happy with it. however, I can’t imagine my wife loading and unloading the hitch herself. Once, it's on, it is very easy to load and unload bikes. Also it doesn't scrath my carbon fiber bike frame.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW5sGQoN9Vo&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW5sGQoN9Vo&feature=related)

My SUV came with factory hitch which is built into the frame that requires an adaptor.

Hitch adaptor
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/Norboo/LX/HitchAd.jpg

Star wrench
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/Norboo/LX/LXStar.jpg

Hitch on SUV
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/Norboo/LX/DSC01319.jpg