texascc

I'm looking to buy a bike rack I can take on/off my car trunk with just the straps, no permanent installation. I've checked my local bike shop and they cost anywhere from $120 - $160. Target has a Schwinn brand carrier for $40. The design is very similar and the Schwinn advertised that it carries two bikes. Is there a substantial difference in quality between the two? I'm sure the one at the bike shop is better, but I just need one that will do the job of getting my bike around. Thanks.

RonH

There's an old saying - You get what you pay for.

If you have a cheap piece of crap bicycle then get the cheap rack.
If you have a quality bike then get a quality rack.

Unknown Cyclist

I agree, buy the best rack you can, because if it fails you'll lose 2 bicycles, a rack and most likely be responsible for an accident.

Retro Grouch 

1. What holds the rack onto your car? A lot of trunk racks have some plastic buckles that can loosen as you drive down the road. I've seen a lot of bike racks on the road in which some of the straps have come completely loose. Saris Bones, and some others, have metal cam lock tighteners that stay tight much better. Some racks have 2 pairs of straps, some have 3 pairs of straps. I'm thinking that this is a case in which more is more.

2. All cars aren't the same. Nothing works with all cars. A trunk lid spoiler will greatly reduce the number of trunk racks that will work. I've found a few cars that nothing will fit. One of the reasons that I like the Bones is because it seems to fit more cars than anything else that I've experienced.

3. How does the bike fit onto the rack? A lot of racks were designed for bikes that have a horizontal top tube. Today most bikes have sloping top tubes. Small sized bike frames and bike frames with fat tubes can be a lot harder to fit. Try to visualize your bike frame when you're buying a rack.

4. How much do you love your car? If you use any trunk rack once or twice a week for a whole summer, at the end of that time you'll be able to tell where the feet go. Racks that hold the bike by the top tube sometimes allow them to swing front-to-back every time that you start and stop. If a bike pedal hits your car every time that you brake, it's eventually going to leave a mark. Some racks have an arm of some kind to prevent the bikes from swinging.

rajarajan

Keep an eye on craigs list. You can, with patience, come across one for under $50.

spinnaker

Consider a hitch mounted rack. Even if you don't already have a hitch, it might be worth it to have one installed.

nbac23

I love my Saris Bones (I have the 3 bike version). I normally only carry 1 or 2 bikes, but its nice to have the extra room. For a few extra bucks, it was worth it. Besides, if I want to put 3 on sometimes, I have that option.

I love it more than my old rack because:
*It has metal tighteners. They grip very well and do not come loose. I check them every month or so...
*It has straps for each individual bike (my old one didnt). It also has a strap that keeps the bike still so it doesnt crash into your trunk.
*It is very curvy so it curves right over my spoiler. My old one could only fit over if I put it on at an angle that it should never have been on!
*The arms fold down easily so it doesnt block my view when I do not have any bikes on it.
*It is super sturdy. The feet are very wide and stable. My rack (and bikes) do not sway when I go around corners. With my old rack I was constantly looking in the mirror at my bikes expecting them to fly off when I drove around corners.

If I only used my rack 1-2 times a year, I wouldnt spend the money. If you use it a few times a month though, I think its worth the extra $ to get a bones.

Torgrot

I had a cheap rack. The operative word being "had." After the saddle was pulled off the rack when a semi went by, I bought a saris bones 2 bike rack. They just work, nothing to come off. Almost anywhere I want to take the bikes involves getting on I80/94. There are more trucks there than you can shake a stick at. Those big guys create so much turbulence at 70MPH, that they can easily pull a bike and/or rack off of a car. I have never had a problem with the Saris other than a strap coming loose. That's when more is more as stated above.

torgrot

texascc

I decided to look at craigslist this morning and found a bike rack for $15 at a moving sale. The brand is ALLEN and they sell for $87 on Amazon. I don't even think it was ever used. I'm glad I waited instead of settling for the one at Target. Thanks.

PaulRivers

I see you already got a rack, but heck I've already read through this thread and other people read these responses, to. :-)

Let me tell you 2 stories -

The first is when I went to the MS150. I took the last bus the to start and the crowd was pretty sparse by that point. There were only a few other people on the bus, and the biggest group was a family telling jokes and passing the time, so I started talking to them. Turns out they were on the last bus because their bike rack had fallen off their car on the interstate. Assumabley they didn't strap it down like they should have or something, but all 3 of their bikes and their rack fell off their car onto the interstate. Fortunately they weren't actually run over. They were able to pay a couple hundred bucks to get 2 of the bikes rideable again right away, called their friends to bring them replacements for the other bike (their friends then had to drive 2 hours to bring them the bike) and this poor girl who wasn't in shape for biking had to either ride a bike that was way slower than everyone else's, or ride a faster bike that was painful to ride because it was like 2 sizes to big for her. So these guys were out several hundred dollars minimum, possibley a complete bike, and ruined a big ride they were going on (which they had undoubtedly raised hundreds of dollars just to go on).

The second is my own dumbass mistake. It was late at night and I had driven over to my dads to go biking with him. I threw my bike on my rack (I own a Saris Bones rack) and drove the 20 minutes home on the highway. When I got home and went to take my bike off my rack, I realized I had somehow forgotten to to any of the straps down and the bike wasn't even held onto the rack by anything. BUT - my bike was still there! Nothing wrong with it! Just sitting on the rack. If I had had a cheap rack it would have fallen off. Those things have a straight bar with some padding to protect the bike, but no built in notch for each bike. But my Saris rack had a carved out notch for the bike, so it never fell off the rack. I had previously debated myself whether it was worth the extra cost - it was all worth it for that one time.

Retro Grouch 

Why did you ask in the first place?

You asked about the quality differences of trunk racks and several people took the time to explain the differences. Then you bought an Allen rack because it's the cheapest thing you could find.

tornado60

I have had 2 (2bike) bike racks that were used almost daily. The first I bought at the local sporting goods store for about $40.00. It sat directly on top of the trunk and had no straps. You supplied your own. Because my car trunk did not come down very far and had plastic bumper this was the only thing I found that worked. Check out whether or not the rack will fit your car. I would still have it if it hadn't been ruined in a car accident. It is worth noting that it was in my car not on it at the time. Had it been on I would likely still be using it. My current rack was a gift to replace the 1st one. As far as I know it is your typical department store rack. I have used it for almost 3 years nearly daily now. It is a little worn but still strong. My only suggestions are secure the bike(s) with bungees as well as any supplied straps. This will keep the bikes much more secure and help minimize any flopping around that may occur. Also the straps that came on my 2nd rack have cracked and broken off. Everything else is weathered but very useable. Finally check everything over when you take the bikes off and put them on. Straps come loose, and things can shift. One more thing be aware bikes can be mean to cars they ride on. There are a number of small dings and scratches in the trunk of my current car and were on my old one as well; mainly from pedlas bumping it. They are only noticable up close. Also many of these I created loading and unloading, but not all. Know how you are going to load and unload bikes before you try. I have not taken it on faster more traveled roads such as highways so I can't help you there.

PaulRivers

Dude, you've been on here since 2004 - surely you've noticed by this point that that's the way half these "advice" threads go? Someone asks for advice for something very specific, gets lots of responses, then goes out and gets something totally different that they saw at the store or something.

The guy doesn't deserve a hard time - half the time you just never hear from them again, this guy was courteous enough to write back about what he ended up doing. It's not only good to hear what they did, but other people won't be wasting time writing responses back (unless they already feel like doing it, like I did :-)).

texascc

I thought buying a bike rack that was in brand new condition for $15 that was $90 new WAS a good deal on a quality bike rack that cost 2.5 times what the cheapo Schwinn cost at Target. I don't know one brand from another. I equated more expensive (like the others) with better quality. If you'd like Grouch, I'll return it and buy one that costs more than the cheapo bike I just bought as well. I'm trying to get back in shape and share the experience with my wife and two kids. I don't have endless amounts of money to buy us all top dollar bikes and then walk down to local store to pay $150 for a bike rack. I asked and appreciated everyones opinion and thought I was getting a better quality with the Allen I bought. Guess I'll keep my questions to myself until I'm at the point of entering the Tour de France and have turned into an uptight grouch.

David13

Tex dude. One grouch out of 11 responses is not a bad ratio. We always have to separate the chafe from the wheat.
dc

ozgnp

It almost makes you afraid to ask a question, doesn't it. We come here for input to our questions and get opinions. If we wanna get snapped at, we could just ask our spouses. (Not that my wife would do that, and she knows little about bikes). Sometimes we should run our thoughts through the "knee jerk filter" before we put them in print.

meari

Being a newbie, I found this thread to be very informative and useful. I was looking at the Saris bones over the weekend, and then today (coincidentally) a cyclist friend suggested I get the same brand. Now here is a good discussion about bike racks. So thank you for sharing your expertise!

Tapeworm21

Yakima King Joe ain't bad either.

probe1957

I just wanted to add that because of this thread I bought the Saris Bones 3 bike rack. I had no idea what to buy but saw no need to reinvent the wheel. You guys know what you're doing and that knowledge is good enough for me.

Thanks.

Retro Grouch 

Uh - it's Retro GROUCH not Retro Nice Guy.

Tapeworm21

Some people shop for price tags. Others shop for quality. I like quality.

meari

Ugh... I'm having trouble finding a truck rack that will fit my car. Saris won't work. Yakima won't work. There's another company starts with T (can't think of the name of it) won't work either.

Darth_Firebolt

thule?
what kind of car is it?

prxmid

Interesting thread, I joined this site to ask about a bike rack.

My main concern is what rack will mar the car the least. Had an Allen before and it tore the trunk up. I have a nice car and don't want it scratched. Also wondering if I should put something between the rubber pads and the trunk, like a towel? Is Saris Bones still the best choice

Roller1000

I have the Saris Bones 2. Compared to some other racks I have used, the Saris is much more heavy duty and secure - but it also cost about double. I have a Trek 7.2fx and my fiance has a Trek 7.2fx WSD. I mount her bike upside down (dur to the WSD's slanted bar) and had zero problems with it. The bikes won't even budge once they're buckled down. I'm very happy with the purchase.