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Racks for cars/SUVs: What does the CV crowd use?

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Racks for cars/SUVs: What does the CV crowd use?

Old 04-26-22, 06:02 AM
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While I now just lay my bike in the back of the Highlander when traveling to rides, I am in search of a car for an old bike rack, the En-Flite, a wonderful design (image below borrowed from the web). It would strap to the back of a truck or hatch back, but it used offset, quick releases to hold the front drop outs. The rear wheel was strapped to the back of the rack. It was quick and easy to mount the rack and load 2 bikes, and toss the front wheels in the car. However, you had to keep an eye on the bikes since there was not a good way to secure the bikes.

​​​​​EDIT: Pics would not post. Will fix later. Gotta go to work.....FIXED..


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Old 04-26-22, 10:31 PM
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Someday, somebody is bound to want a vintage/classic La Prealpina roof rack. Cause it's classic and vintage!
When that bug bites reach out to ME, cause I have one and also some extras.
You will need a C&V vehicle with rain gutters, natch. And if you don't know what rain gutters are then ask some gray-haired old coot.
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Old 04-27-22, 03:03 AM
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Honda fit, saris bones 2. 25$ purchase off of Facebook marketplace.
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Old 04-27-22, 05:10 AM
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I don't have a good picture of the hitch rack by Yakima. I do have this one and yeah, it looks like the tandem doesn't fit
WP_20140308_009 on Flickr

It has an extension for two more bikes which I have used.

When the Evoque was purchased, I had fantasies of takeing bikes with it. It didnt' have a roof rack so one was purchased on Amazon that was suppose to be like the factory. It fit well. Then I did CL searches and found cross bars and the tray/fork combo at significantly lower cost.
IMG_20200705_115643 by superissimo_83, on Flickr

I also use it on the Jeep which is in very slow restoration with lift. I can cary 6 total with the hitch mount. all my bikes under 22 lbs with few exceptions so lifting is not an issue. If alone, I can also put one in the back seat with the front wheel removed. This later approach is the easiest and most secure.


Of the two, I like the roof mount better. I can leave it attached even though the hitch is easier to mount. I do lock the hitch mount to the receiver and can lock the bikes to the rack in all cases. The only issue with the hitch mount is mounting "ladies" bikes. I have not had a problem with bent TT with the hitch mount.
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Old 04-27-22, 08:19 AM
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Made me remember.....



I was driving to a group ride with my gal, and we saw a nice '06 'vette
convertible with a hitch rack on it and 2 bikes....I'd no sooner uttered
"hey, ...." when she said "No. Don't even think about it."
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Old 04-27-22, 08:31 AM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
Not sure how many C&V/BF'ers have this problem, but few options for my Porsche Boxster. A hitch would be nice but the few out there require cutting the car . The other choice is a rack from a company called Bird Automotive where the rack slides into two tubes mounted permanently under the rear of the car (bolt-on, no cutting/welding). Alas, $500 new the last time I checked but a fellow owner offered me his for $100 if I wanted to come get it... 475 miles away round trip. Yeah, it was worth it. As installing the rack onto the tubes just about requires laying on the ground to insert, I tend to leave it on for long periods during the cycling season. My wife's Honda S2000 has a hitch, so a regular hitch-mount rack fits easily.
The answer to your problem is to trade the Boxster for a Macan S or GTS. Drives like a Boxster, but can get a hitch for it. Believe it or not, but it's a pretty good track car as well!
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Old 04-27-22, 12:42 PM
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By the way, are all hitch-mount bike racks so heavy? Why not welded aluminum, or titanium, or something? I suspect mine outweighs two steel bikes hanging off it

Originally Posted by Mojo31
The answer to your problem is to trade the Boxster for a Macan S or GTS. Drives like a Boxster, but can get a hitch for it. Believe it or not, but it's a pretty good track car as well!
Pass.

We've striving to be the last household on the planet without a minivan, truck or SUV (so the hitch on the wife's Honda S2000 tows the 4x8 aluminum trailer for Home Depot runs, and also the trailer for the 21-1/2' ocean kayak). Late 2023, plan to swap the S2000 for a Subaru BRZ and that gets a hitch too.

Alas, tomorrow AM going to the Porsche dealer as my car is caught up in a recall, and the loaner car will certainly be.... a Macan.
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Old 04-27-22, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
By the way, are all hitch-mount bike racks so heavy? Why not welded aluminum, or titanium, or something? I suspect mine outweighs two steel bikes hanging off it



Pass.

We've striving to be the last household on the planet without a minivan, truck or SUV (so the hitch on the wife's Honda S2000 tows the 4x8 aluminum trailer for Home Depot runs, and also the trailer for the 21-1/2' ocean kayak). Late 2023, plan to swap the S2000 for a Subaru BRZ and that gets a hitch too.

Alas, tomorrow AM going to the Porsche dealer as my car is caught up in a recall, and the loaner car will certainly be.... a Macan.
Don't knock it. We have a Macan S. My wife has autocrossed them, and they handle like a sportscar. I've driven them on the track at well over 100 mph.

Recalls seem to be a thing. We have to take the Macan in for one, and my Taycan needs two done.

Racks - Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is aluminum and lighweight. We use it for our two road bikes and two hybrids. The only downside that I know of is that it cannot be expanded to four bikes.
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Old 04-27-22, 01:16 PM
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We have a Toyota Tacoma that carries our bikes, and we have two ways to do it. The normal use is taking two bikes, so we place a 2" x 6" in the indents at the front of the bed with these front fork clamps.

We also have a Saris 4 bike hitch carrier. So in a pinch, we can carry 6 bikes.
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Old 04-27-22, 01:36 PM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
By the way, are all hitch-mount bike racks so heavy? Why not welded aluminum, or titanium, or something? I suspect mine outweighs two steel bikes hanging off or
Steel has more elasticity. Hanging 50+ lbs with a 1-1.5 feet of a moment arm and the bouncing that occurs requires some flex without cold working to failure.
In contrast, airplane wings are expensive to design and build, and they flex a lot!
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Old 04-27-22, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
By the way, are all hitch-mount bike racks so heavy? Why not welded aluminum, or titanium, or something? I suspect mine outweighs two steel bikes hanging off it
My Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is aluminum.
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Old 04-27-22, 04:13 PM
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I suppose this is as outdated as my bicycles but youse asked. I have two old Rhode Gear trunk racks for my sedan. One is a double that I rarely use and the other is my often used rack. It started life as a 3 bike rack but I bobbed it to a one bike rack as that's what I do 99% of the time. Easy to install on the trunk and easy to hang and remove the bikes as its just about chest height. The keen eye will notice I've added felt pads on the cradles to protect the paint and "hook and loop" straps for the front and rear wheel to further secure the bike and prevent the wheels windmilling in the breeze and sanding paint off the car. Foolproof, cheap and easy. Like my bicycles.



New style PA license plate. Nice?



Lovely test ride today after giving both wheels a 1/4 turn as they were creaking a bit. About 2 years since the complete re-tension of everything. The keen eye will also notice the calipers QRs are open and it's in top gear. Went shopping on the way home and such a config is sure to annoy anyone who decides to cut the lock and remove this from my car.
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Old 04-27-22, 04:37 PM
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I love the Yakama roof rack on the GTI. However, due to the height I'm considering a 1up rack for the Expedition. These racks appear to be well made and reasonably priced. Regardless of the rack used I take my bike inside the hotel or lock it inside of the car when traveling. I also lock the bike onto the rack just in case.

Has anyone tried this product 1.25″ – 2″ Quik Rack Single – 1UP USA | OFFICIAL SITE (1up-usa.com)?
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Old 04-28-22, 08:45 AM
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I use an old Thule roof rack I found at a local flea market. For a dollar, I got cross bars, snowboard/ski clamps, a pair of bike trays, and the rain gutter brackets for an unknown car. I took the bike trays off and mounted them to a shorter piece of tubing so I can fit them in the back of my Expedition. They could go in my wife's Escape but with my 23 inch frames, I need to lower my saddle to fit the height.
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Old 04-28-22, 10:30 AM
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Originally Posted by iab
My Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is aluminum.
Not cheap, but worth considering. Alternatively, I'll possibly just live with the boat anchor I have... I could buy a lot of bike parts for that much $$$.
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Old 04-28-22, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
Not cheap, but worth considering. Alternatively, I'll possibly just live with the boat anchor I have... I could buy a lot of bike parts for that much $$$.
Easy to carry to and from my basement. Fits every bike I own and will own. Takes about a minute to setup and teardown. Fits a 1.25" and 2" hitch. I have access to the trunks of our cars.

But yes, not cheap. (I have enough bike parts )
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Old 04-28-22, 02:24 PM
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My first was a Saris Bones, which I still have. I like it, but does make it a little difficult to use the trunk once it's mounted. I still use it for loaded trips in the big car to the beach and the like.

I also had a roof mount dual Thule for a while. I didn't like that it knocked about 10% off my gas mileage, bike or no bike. (Passat). So I sold it after I sold the car.

My current Honda Insight Hybrid isn't really Bones friendly, so I'm using a SeaSucker (single). It's one drawback - security. I did add one of their lock accessories that a determined thief could screw up your trunk while extricating; but I'm going to swap out the skewer for a locking one, too. Not sure why they don't have the locking skewer as an option anymore. I do like that when not in use it's small, in my trunk & leaves no visible trace.
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Old 04-28-22, 03:35 PM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
By the way, are all hitch-mount bike racks so heavy? Why not welded aluminum, or titanium, or something? I suspect mine outweighs two steel bikes hanging off it.
(...)
I've had a couple of not-so-capable drivers bump my rack in parking lots, and I am glad it is as stout and unyielding as it is. YMMV.
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Old 04-29-22, 12:23 AM
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I don't have any current photos with the bikes, but we have four different racks, all Yakima as well as a Rocket Box and a set of cross bars. I have stuck with Yakima not because I necessarily think they're "the best" but they're fine quality and work perfectly, in other words, good enough. Many years ago I got a Rocket box and the cross bars because that was what was available locally. So as I've added stuff, I decided to just stick with the Yakima lock system so I only have one key to deal with. All of these racks lock onto the car and also secure the bikes onto the rack, all with the same key. (between all of the stuff I have 11 or 12 lock cores).

The only one that touches the frame is the Raptor and so far I haven't had any paint damage from it. I just make sure the frame and the clamp padding are clean/free of grit before attaching. BUT....

....BUT: 90+% of the time I just slide the bike into the back of my Impreza (fits without taking the wheel off), or put it on a fork mount in the bed of my pickup (which holds 3 bikes easily on fork mounts, 4 with some effort.) I always prefer to have the bikes inside the car or the shell of the pickup. Clean and secure.

Fork lift:


Front Loader (my favorite roof rack):


Raptor - also easy to use, except the frame clamp is not optimal, but much cheaper than the Front Loader :


Holdup 2 (which I use a 1-1/4" to 2" receiver adapter to install on my Subaru with the 1-1/4 receiver). Heavy to put on and off, but extremely secure and solid. Folds up without any rear vision impairment on my Impreza.

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Old 04-29-22, 12:45 AM
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Originally Posted by tiger1964
By the way, are all hitch-mount bike racks so heavy? Why not welded aluminum, or titanium, or something? I suspect mine outweighs two steel bikes hanging off it
I have a Thule Helium, a hitch mounted, folding rack made from welded aluminum and designed for a 1-1/4” receiver hitch. It works fine and even survived a very low speed hit from a Seattle city bus (!).

I used it on an ‘07 Ford Focus for years before finally moving up to a Jeep.
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Old 04-29-22, 10:29 AM
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Volkswagen

Put them on top with a Volkswagen brand roof rack if you need to pull something else. Otherwise we have a Rack'N Lock (class 2) hitch type
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Old 04-29-22, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Ex Pres
My first was a Saris Bones.
I also had a roof mount dual Thule for a while.
I'm using a SeaSucker (single).
I recall a rack you had on a scooter.
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Old 04-29-22, 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Narhay
My bikes fit inside of my minivan
++++ Minivans are the ultimate on-road utility vehicle. If I could only own one car it would be a minivan (I have 4 cars).
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Old 04-29-22, 06:10 PM
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Originally Posted by bamboobike4
I recall a rack you had on a scooter.
Yep, doesn't exactly work on a car/SUV though
Slightly modified surfboard carrier
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Old 04-29-22, 10:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Ex Pres
Yep, doesn't exactly work on a car/SUV though
Slightly modified surfboard carrier
Hard to believe that didn’t end on YouTube….
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