Edited for deletion

for option 1

here's what I use...
Made it myself.. some junk GI tubes, steel Plate, and some foam, left over read lead primer..

holds two bikes

only thing I bought were the bolts..

If she has on 03 Jetta and it has a hitch it probably isnt a 2". It is probably a 1 1/4 i think. I have the same year and make and went with a Yakima Roof rack. it's pretty pricey to put a girlfriends car. it goes on really nice and clean, it doesnt even make a scratch on the car, and you can leave it on all the time.

I really despise the trunk mount I bought and would not recommend them to anyone that has a choice. It's one of the best ones(brands) available and there is nothing wrong with it's design, but after using it I just wish I had something else. It's a pain to put on and take off. You can't get your trunk open without undoing all those stupid straps. The straps vibrate something fierce when your driving down the road. If you have plastic bumpers/bumper-covers on your car, the rack will flex the plastic and possibly cause the paint to crack. Mine is a 3 bike rack but there's no way I would trust it with 3 bikes on it. Two bikes is pushing it, IMHO.

If you DO have a receiver on the Jetta I'd say go with one that mounts in that. It will be easier to install/uninstall. Should be easy to load bikes on. Won't scratch/crack your car paint. The roof rack is another good option but maybe not quite as easy to take on/off as the hitch mount.

There are a lot of different vertical racks on the market if you look around. Don't think you will find them much cheaper than the one you found, but there are other choices. Here are some at Colorado Cyclist

ive got a Thule roof rack. Ive had it for about 6 or 7 years now and have had no problems with it. Mounting the bikes is really easy and unlike some (not all) hitch mounts you dont have a bunch of spinning wheels in the back. and also you never worry about backing into something and crushing a couple thousand dollars worth of bike

I've evangelized against trunk/rear racks ever since I was rear-ended with a recently rebuilt custom-painted bike on my trunk rack. Killed both hand-made wheels, bent the seat stays, bent just about every component, almost no damage to the car (which was a beater anyway).

The "big three" of car sports racks are Yakima, Thule and Saris. I have a Saris rack because I found a cheap one used locally; fortunately for me their HQ is here, so I can get service by biking out there.

The basis for any of these systems is a pair of load bars. The bars are pretty generic (Saris has three lengths, one will fit your car), and there are clips on the ends made for specific cars. From there, you buy various mounts and supports for bikes, canoes, skis, loose stuff (clamshell box), etc.

Generally, you can mount bikes on roof racks one of two ways. I'll use Saris as an example, as I'm familiar with them. There's the upright mount, which allows you to put the bike up front wheel and all. Then there's the fork mount, which uses a skewer like your front wheel has; you remove the front wheel and put the fork in the front mount. You can then throw the front wheel in the trunk or buy a separate wheel holder for it.

Actually, I've got a Saris roof system for two bike I'm getting ready to sell. But it's based on the 59" load bars, and those are too big for your gf's Jetta.

I've seen incredible deals for racks and components of all three brands on eBay. Just go to "Sporting Goods" and/or "eBay Motors" and do a search on each of the brand names. You may have to buy the roof clips specific to the Jetta, but I've even seen them on eBay occasionally. Visit each manufacturer's web site to determine what size bars, etc. you need first.

Just remember when your bikes are up there before pulling into a garage...

Yah, I've got a Yakama and it's pretty much the same story, except we have to remember not to drive into the garage with our bikes on top.

Edited for deletion

One thing to consider, if it's your girlfriend's car: is she tall enough to USE a roof rack, or is it strictly for you and your gear?

we had a roof rack on a Volvo wagon years ago, but my wife couldn't get anything on and off it without climbing halfway up the doorpost every time. we now are on our 2nd Bauer hitch rack. It has an extension that takes 2 seconds to add to carry 4 bikes instead of just 2. It's very easy to load and unload bikes - only danger is parking. Fortunately, the only time THAT happened, my wife backed into our au pair's SUV while the rack was empty (though it screwed up the ski rack attachment that was on it AND the Bauer rack enough that we had to replace it).

Edited for deletion

Supergo.com has a rack for home that looks pretty good. $59.95

I use a SportWorks receiver hitch rack. They are awsome, but pretty expensive. They make the ones that you usually see on the fronts of busses. It takes about 10 seconds to put the bike on or take it off. They make them for 2" and 1-1/4" hitches. They also make roof racks.

I'm 5'7"-ish, and with not much upper body strength. My Saris rack is on a Saturn wagon, probably about the same height as your gf's Jetta. With a little ingenuity, I can put our tandem on the rack by myself. A single bike is a cinch. The trick is to bend down at the knees so you're looking right at the bike, grab the bike low the frame, and stand up. A coupla more inches of lift and you're there. Think of the "bike stands" they do at Critical Mass rides. One advantage to a fork mount rack over a full upright is that with the front wheel off, you're lifting a coupla pounds less.

Edited for deletion

For indoor bike racks, I've got this one:
Racor PLB-2R Gravity Bike Rack
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=hi&n=507846

60$ from Amazon.com, and free shipping. It just leans against the wall. It comes with hardware to mount it to the wall if you want (basically just holds the top securely so it won't fall over).


For a car bike rack, I've got a Thule roof rack system, which I bought used. Since the load bars fit a much larger car, I cut them down to size. Using the roof rack is a minor incovenience for me, but now that I've got a trailer hitch, I might look for a hitch mount. I'd probably pick what I could get cheapest from Thule, Yakima or Saris, provided they had the attachments I liked better.

There's another interesting rack I've seen lately, although I don't know who manufactures it. It was on a VW sedan I think, and the bike was mounted with the fork on the roof (front wheel removed), but the rear wheel mounted to the trunk hood. So you wouldn't have to lift the entire bike up onto the roof, just the front fork. I don't think you could still access the contents of the trunk, though.

No, that's about right for a new rack, once you throw in all the bits and pieces that you need, and a wind fairing, etc. etc. That's why I recommended you check eBay; there's a whole section on car racks and you're likely to find something for less than half of that. In fact, if you search from the parent "Sporting goods" section, you will likely also find racks in the watersports section. You may have to shell out $40-ish for clips that are specific to your car, but I've even seen the clips on eBay.

Edited for deletion

This is the same rack I have which I've been using for about 3 years now. I love it. This is the second car I've used it on; the flexibility is great. Adjusting it to the new car was a snap. And for removing it, I only release 2 of the straps. Also, it sits completely on my trunk lid so I can still open the trunk if the rack is on. Of course, I don't try that if the bikes are on the rack.

I wouldn't sweat it. It's probably well under 100 lbs, which is a typical trunkload of luggage for a long trip, or groceries. Certainly less than a single passenger in the back seat.