Bicycle Addict

So, a question for car owners(Trucks are obvious!!) How do you carry your bike, what rack set up are you using?.

I have one that straps to the rear (Trunk?) door of my car, we call it a boot here in NZ, I am thinking of going for a Thule roof rack, opinions?

Thanks guys

iab

I can get 3 on the inside and 3 on the outside. Saris Bones on the outside.

IMG_1278 by iabisdb, on Flickr


BAMF 001 by iabisdb, on Flickr

IMG_1313 by iabisdb, on Flickr

likebike23

I have both a roof rack and trunk rack and like the roof rack better. First, the bikes stay separated and don't rub on one another, ruining the paint like on the trunk rack. The bikes also don't rub on your car, ruining it's paint. The roof rack's bike trays can be removed also, giving you some carrying capacity on your car's roof. I carried 6'x8' fence panels home on mine this past summer. The only time that I like the trunk rack or hitch racks better is when they are on an SUV because it is a pain to lift the bikes so high.

photogravity

This is how I haul tandems and other bicycles. Below is my JT loaded for travel. I do not need to remove any wheels to fit it in my vehicle.


How To Haul Bikes by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

oddjob2

If you have long distances, a roof rack will penalize you 10 percent in mileage at highway speeds.

Bianchigirll 

I try to keep them inside but I do have a thule roof rack.

Spaghetti Legs 

Vintage bikes were ridden by hard men and women. If they needed to get somewhere, they threw a leg over it and rode it there.

I put mine in the back of the car.

gomango

Back of the Landcruiser or Traverse.

norskagent

I drive a hatchback, just take off the front wheel and lay it down in the back.

whatwolf

I drive a hatchback, and my bikes fit inside without removing the front wheel. That's where they go unless they're muddy, which is often, so I also have a Thule roof rack, which works great. Driven cross country twice in the past year with bikes on top. It's not great for gas mileage, though, whether or not there's bikes on it.

Chrome Molly

I just pull off the front wheel, and shove it in the back seat. Works faster than most racks, but I need to be careful not to get into a spot where it's cozy. If I'm going to be staying overnight, then I take both wheels off and put it in the trunk.

okie1kenobi

I like them on top as my car is too small to fit inside easily, but be careful if you regularly put your car in a garage, my dad ruined a really nice Woodrup running it into the garage.

Kindaslow

Like this....

daf1009

Saris Bones 3...and two inside...in a Lexus!

Or...

Saris Bones 3...and four inside...in a Ford Escape!

Or...

Two on a hitch mount tray rack...on a Jeep Wrangler (maybe one inside...)

roccobike

Inside the trunk of my.........

Corvette

Roadbikes lay right down in the back of a C5 coupe, just remove the front wheel.

sykerocker 

Depends on which vehicle. My Scion xB (first gen) has a Yakima roof rack, and a Thule strap on rear rack. Currently I'm using the Thule, and removing it when I get back home. The Yakima has the carriers that sits the bike high with both wheels on. Great for my racing bikes, sucks for my Raleigh Tourist.

The Ranger pickup has a home made three bikes across the bed rack (remove front wheel and clamp), and a four bike rack that fits in the hitch receiver. I'm using the latter lately.

If I'm running the Kia Sedona van, for the moment I'm just laying the bikes in the back (middle seats are permanently out, rear seats are folded in the floor). It's getting a trailer hitch in the near future, the Thule rack works just fine on it, and I'll be modifying that home made three bikes across rack to go inside. Plus, I fit any two folders in the rear well if the third seat is up.

Biggest deal at the moment for hauling bikes is fork spacing. As none of my IGH roadsters use the 'standard' 100mm, the Thule has been getting a big workout lately.

sykerocker 

I'm quite happy with my roof rack on the mouse car (Scion xB), the boxiness of the car is really well suited to that kind of setup. It does have a couple of, don't want to call them negatives, let's say less than positives:

1. Wind noise. Believe me, you want the optional deflector on the front bar.
2. It does hurt gas mileage. The mouse car normally does me about 32mpg. That drops to 26-27 with a couple of bikes on the roof.
3. How heavy are the bikes you're planning on carrying? There's a lot of weight difference between a Gitane Tour de France and a Raleigh Tourist. And that weight goes up exponentially once you've raised the bike above your shoulders. And exponentially again, if you're doing it repeated times during the day.
4. This one may only be an issue if you're anal about caring for your car. It makes washing the roof a PITA. And if dirt gets behind the pieces, it can rub the paint. I've got one spot, left rear mounting point on the rack, where there's a thin line rubbed out in the paint.

Biggest plus with a roof rack? Once mounted, they're more unobtrusive than the other kinds. I'll admit, I like my roof rack, and may put it back on the mouse car come spring.

This is why I tend to use the strap on rear rack - it goes on quickly (I've modified it with ratchet tensioners for the straps), haul the bikes, and remove it immediately once you're done hauling. Actually, I prefer the hitch mount racks the best, because they don't touch the car.

Bianchigirll 

What is this? A JT?

jiangshi

Honda Element. Always in, not on.

brockd15 

I have a Thule T2 hitch rack. I like it being on the back of the car instead of top and that it secures via the wheels. It's super solid.

Drillium Dude 

Like a dis:



Thule with BMW-Fixpoint footers. As whatwolf notes, gas mileage suffers - and the bikes tend to get fairly dirty in nasty weather, too. However, I once used a boot-mounted Saris Bones rack for an AZ to WA trip in conjunction with the roof rack and the bikes on the back of the car ended up dirtier than their roof-mounted counterparts.

And, no, I've never forgotten and ran into anything with the bikes on top (touch wood)

DD

Bikes and Jeeps

I have a hitch rack but I'm always afraid someone is going to bump into me.
If I'm careful I can get two in the back of my Jeep Cherokee.

jimmuller 

Bikes inside the Caravan. PG's Sprinter could swallow our entire car.

once when I had serious flats at the office a co-worker offered to take me home, but my bike wouldn't fit into the trunk of his BMW.

Bicycle Addict

Wow?!

I only started it a few hours ago . . . Thanks to one and all for the replies.

I have a rear rack that can take 3 bikes but did bring 4 from Wellington to Auckland(650 odd kms 403 miles) with no problems other than using more petrol than we did on the way down.

A Thule is something I may get too, would be nice to access rear boot area for food stops etc, At the mo I put the chilly bin behind the rear seat so I can get food during long trips.

Cheers all.

forestine

We use a trunk rack on @nelsonmilum 's hatchback. We got a bunch of paint scratches until we started wrapping the bikes in towels and pieces of scrap cloth for long distances. Pretty sure it dented his old car (not a hatchback) but the rack seems to work okay to run it to the shop or whatever. Also, cheap.