Originally Posted by
biker2
We bought a 26" bike at walmart for my son who is 57" but will be growing a lot more. The guy at the bike shop we visited said 24" would only be good for 6 months for him. However, the seat at its lowest position is too high for my son to get up on by himself. He also has difficulty dismounting. But he rides it fine as far as distance of handlebars and length to pedals. This is a mountain bike by the way. Should we return it for a 24" or let him grow into the one we bought?
We also need the bike rack. We have to go with whatever we can find on Craigslist as I'm sure the one you all recommended would be expensive new. We currently have 3 bikes but may get a 4th. I have seen racks on top of cars, as well as those that strap to the back. The 4 bike racks I'm seeing on Craigslist all seem to require hitches. We need the rack to fit either our suv or our small car. We have no hitches. One option is to get a 3 bike rack that straps to the back of the suv and bungee cord the 4th bike on the built in roof racks on top of the car. Another is to toss the 4th bike in the back of the suv, but we will lose space for bags and miscellaneous.
I need some advice on both of these issues asap.
Much appreciated!
The bike size question is one that only you can really answer. There is no doubt that buying a smaller bike would be better for him this year.
I know it's a bite on your monthly cash flow today but, if you think that you might be looking for a 4-bike car rack in the near future, you'll probably be money ahead in the long run by acquiring a 4-bike receiver hitch rack now. Look for one with a 1 1/4" so you can use it with either your SUV or your other car (provided you have hitches installed on both).
Roof rack systems have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. I think the biggest advantage is easy access to your car trunk or hatch while you have bikes loaded. You have to balance that with loading ease, the fuel economy hit, and the potential for overlooking a low overhead. If cost is a big factor for you (and it sounds like it is) unless you can find somebody with a whole system to sell, it's probably not going to cost out very well.
FWIW, the trick to fitting one or more bikes inside a car is to remove the front wheel. That allows you to twist the fork sideways and makes the bike a 1-plane object that fits much more easily.