Road Cycling - Rack Question

Hey All - I just want to say thanks from a newbie to all you pro's out there for putting up with my questions. So here goes other one of mine. What am I looking for when buying a car rack? I have a Nissan Maxima. I want to spend as little money as possible without having to watch my bike bouncing down the road in my rear view mirror. Thanks in advance!

Hey All - I just want to say thanks from a newbie to all you pro's out there for putting up with my questions. So here goes other one of mine. What am I looking for when buying a car rack? I have a Nissan Maxima. I want to spend as little money as possible without having to watch my bike bouncing down the road in my rear view mirror. Thanks in advance!

Only 3 suggestions;

1. Figure out some method for remembering not to drive into your garage with the bike on top (ok, I admit it, did this many years ago...tough when your tired and roll up after a century). Maybe use a hangtag on mirror or something.
2. Pay close attention to method/adjustment of attachment of towers/bars-to-roof, so roof or car doors don't lose finish/paint
3. If it's not mounted rear-facing-front, get one of those bra-protector things to protect your head/other tubes from thrown rocks.:)

1. Figure out some method for remembering not to drive into your garage with the bike on top (ok, I admit it, did this many years ago...tough when your tired and roll up after a century). Maybe use a hangtag on mirror or something.
you're not the only one who's done it. Three of my friends have done it in the past year.

The solution to not knocking the bike off the roof is to not buy a roof-mounted rack.

The solution to not bouncing around is not to buy a non-mounted trunk rack with the rubber bumpers, which will scratch your car when dust (unavoidable) gets caught between your paint and the bumper. However, this type of rack is definitely the cheapest.

IMO, the best solution in general is a hitch-mounted rack. That way nothing touches the car, and you always can check your bike in the mirror. Your Maxima (like my Passat) probably does not have a hitch receiver. I went to a Custom Hitch store in Houston and had a low profile hitch installed for about 2 or 3 bills. The brand is Delan -- "Custom Sport Frame Class 1 Tra - [part# D247348.] . What I really like (and what I was searching for) is that it is very low profile - all you see is the end of the 1-1/4 tubing. Other hitches I had seen were bulky, and had visible crossbars and framing, which would have ruined the fluid lines of the sedan.

Then I got a Yakima Kingpin-4 rack online with 1-1/4 adapter for about $160 (the setup would be $225 retail).

sportworks racks IMHO are the cleanest hitch mount racks bar none... They run about 300$ for the 2 bike setup but are awesome. Nothing touches the frame..

http://bicycleracks.com/stindex.asp

good luck.

sportworks racks IMHO are the cleanest hitch mount racks bar none... They run about 300$ for the 2 bike setup but are awesome. Nothing touches the frame..

http://bicycleracks.com/stindex.asp

good luck.

wow.. i spent less than that for my setup and it's similar if not the same as the sports work. you can choose either one.. but i agree with Jim.. this kind of rack is by far the best one.. once it's straped.. even if you had to do an emergency right turn, u don't have to worry about ur bike flying off.

check my sig.. there is a review of the rack i bought.

rui

Nothing like a nice rack.

I prefer Yakima roof racks for their versatility. If all you will ever do is haul bikes about, then a hitch-rach is for you. If you are like me me, you will occasionally want to transport your skis, or perhaps a kayak, or even a mettress.

Roof racks also do a nice job of "manning-up" your ride from a quaint sedan to an athletic endeavor.

I bought my rack from The Rack Warehouse and did not pay for shipping or tax.

http://www.rackwarehouse.com/

Figure out some method for remembering not to drive into your garage with the bike on top

Why that's easy. Whenever I load bikes onto our roof rack, I move the garage door opener from the sun visor to the glove compartment.

Avoid roof racks like the plague for bikes.

What am I looking for when buying a car rack? I have a Nissan Maxima. I want to spend as little money as possible

I agree that hitch mounted carriers are the most secure and offer the most flexibility. A friend just bought a hitch for his Maxima for $130.

For hitch mounted carriers, there is Yakima, Thule, and Bauer. I was going to get the Yakima when I went to a store that had Bauer (which I'd never heard of before). The shop is Sports Rack Outfitters and they carry hitches, carriers, etc. Their web site:

http://www2.sportsrack.com/

Here are their hitch mounted carriers:

http://www2.sportsrack.com/shopping/Receiver_Hitch_Racks.asp?s%5Fid=0&page=1&dept%5Fid=29053&dp%5Fid=&dl%5Fid=

Maybe not the cheapest, but better than any trunk or roof mounted rack.
Best.

why not add the performance Xport 2 bike hitch rack to the list.. on top of it.. u can still use the 20% off coupon in the HOT DEAL section.. so u'll save even more ;)

Why that's easy. Whenever I load bikes onto our roof rack, I move the garage door opener from the sun visor to the glove compartment.
The safest way is: When you are finished mounting bikes on the roof, move something large to the middle of the garage door. So you have to step out to move it away. You have to be outside of the car to mount bikes and you have to be out of it to move the item away AND to dismount bikes.

I personally use a Saris Bones trunk rack and only have one issue with it and the problem is it seems it would be easy to steal the bikes from the rack. Other than that it holds the bikes well, is not permanent (can switch between cars if need arises etc,) is much less than a roof rack and looks cool heh. I got it cheap on ebay. http://www.saris.com/products/bones.htm

Why that's easy. Whenever I load bikes onto our roof rack, I move the garage door opener from the sun visor to the glove compartment. Good stuff...yours and DJ's are the best one's I've heard. I just got better at paying attention, but all it takes is that one little lapse! :o

Here is another shout out for Sportsworks. I have the mod series hitch mount and it is top rated at MTB review.com for a reason. I know you are looking for cheap but at least consider something a little better. It is so nice to just throw the rack into the receiver hitch and go. It takes less than 3 minutes for me to take my Sportsworks Mod Series off the wall, put it into the receiver on either of my cars and then load the bike onto the rack.

You won't get that with the Saris Bones or anything else. Plus you can count on the bike staying put. Search the web and this forum for racks, Sportsworks etc. and make your mind up.

You don't say what year of maxima you have but here is a hitch for a 2000, (http://www.etrailer.com/productdetail.asp?partno=24686&vehicleid=1911&yearfrom=2000&h=e) that is pretty affordable.

I have a Saris rack on my Mustang. It looks like the Bones one posted above only it has one post that attaches to the decklid instead of two.

Thanks for all your help!! I know some of you must have been disappointed when you opened a thread with "Rack" in the title and it's about a car! I would have been too! This forum is so much better than most out here in cyberspace. It's all because of all you. Plus, cyclists like runners stick together because we are use to be the step-children of the athletic world!!

Take Care,
JustRide

Avoid roof racks like the plague for bikes.

Why? I've has them for over ten years and I have never had a problem.

Why? I've has them for over ten years and I have never had a problem.

Was wondering the same thing..

I love my rack.. and my car. :)

http://barren.steineke.com/barren/bike/rack_web.jpg

I've been at speeds in excess of.... let's just say 85 with 2 bikes on the roof..

What about for trucks. Do car racks fit on pick up trucks. I hate putting my bike in the truck bed. It goes all over the place.

Personally, I wouldn't use anything BUT roof racks for bicycles (I have a set of load bars that is at least 15 years old). The hitch mounts show some promise, but I have seen too many bikes on hitch mounts banging into stuff. I am sure the higher quality ones don't do that, but still.

My roof mounted rack doubles as a ski rack and potentially a surfboard rack and "extra storage space" rack.

Delta, I am not an expert, but I think they make racks that fit into the beds of pickup trucks so the bike still rides in back, but it's secure to the bed. That's a great solution - out of the wind and rocks and not getting bounced around behind the vehicle.

What about for trucks. Do car racks fit on pick up trucks. I hate putting my bike in the truck bed. It goes all over the place. Sounds like you haven't looked around at all yet, as there are numerous solutions for trucks. The one I've seen most is one that has a bar that expands like a shower curtain bar across the bed of the truck near the cab and can handle fork mounts/hubs that you just attach your bike to one and wheel to the other and off you go...

38 C...oh wait...wrong rack.

38 C...oh wait...wrong rack. :roflmao: I'd demand that you prove it, but that would be ungentlemanly and beneath me... :D

:roflmao: I'd demand that you prove it, but that would be ungentlemanly and beneath me... :D


lol