Bike Rack or Trunk it?
 

Been debating getting a bike rack or just continue taking apart my bike and stowing it in the trunk. Its a good bit of effort but its locked away safe and out of sight. But then again putting on a bike rack is somewhat of a hassle too.

What do you guys do?

Yakima Frontloader racks on top and a Yakima hitch rack on back of a 2005 Honda Element. I have 4 riders in the family, and never know who's up for a ride ;). Absolutely love this solution and Yak has outstanding customer service. I never have to futz with removing front wheels - load/unload takes about 10 seconds per bike.

Yakima roof rack with two steelheads. Two bikes and two people plus gear comfortably in a honda civic. You have the to take off the front wheel, but the bikes still get loaded in no time at all.

If it is just you, trunk it. It is very easy to forget to lock your bike on the rack and they are easy to steal if they are unlocked. A woman in my local club had her bike stolen when she forgot to lock it on her rack when she went to get a coffee.

I love my Thule Raceway. It doesnt have any obnoxious straps, its easy to take on and off, and it locks - the rack locks to your trunk AND the bikes lock to the rack.

Rack it. it will be worth the money and time saved. Ive done the trunk thing even with my SUV, sucked! I did the hitch mount first and now went to the roof rack. pro's and cons to both.

Roof rack: I'm not a tall guy so getting it up on the roof isn't difficult, but would be easier if i were taller for sure. I'm always scared to death that I'm going to forget my bike is on top of my car and pull into my garage without taking it off, so I have to constantly remind myself or use notes to keep it in my thoughts.

Hitch mount: Found that even with my good yakima style the straps rubbed my paint in certain spots. if your rear ended, your bike us toast. Again like the roof rack it wasn't difficult but I found it a pain to always be putting on my hitch mount rack and taking it off after getting home. (I always park my vehicles in the garage so I couldn't leave it on and still close my garage door) Having a couple bikes on can be cumbersome and I didn't like other bike parts from the other bike being that close to mine with the possibility of scratching mine.

Pro's and cons to each.

I'm usually alone, so I trunk it... No need to draw attention to it, especially since I have it around when I get off work early enough to go ride... Don't have a rack, so I'm a bit biased. I just have to take my front wheel off and it goes right into the trunk without any problems. If my family rode or I had multiple bikes to carry, I would get a hitch.

Yep....

Trunk it:
- Not an open invitation to theft
- Won't get damaged in transit by stones flying up from tires etc.
- Better gas mileage for your car
- Racks are ostentatious





YMMV...

"Rack it"

Jim Rome

I had a thule rack until I forgot that my bike was on top and I drove into the garage. Try it and see what happens.

Rack it with a hitch mount. http://www.kuatinnovations.com/index.php?page= I have the sherpa and it takes me 20 seconds to put the bike on it. No need to take the tire off. Thule and yakima have similar designs but the difference is in the materials and weight.

I have a Thule roof rack I have not used for a while ( since I bought the Explorer) just too high.... I usullay trunk it when alone.

you cant drive around and show it off if its in the trunk silly

We have a rack that we use when we run out of space inside the car (sometimes we travel with 2 single bikes, 1 tandem, sometimes with 4 single bikes with 4 people).

Until we run out of space inside it's relatively impractical to put anything on the roof. Mileage drops dramatically (5-10 mpg on the current car), you have to think about clearance, if there's anything loose with the rack you can ruin your car, rain/wind/stones affect your bike, etc.

my gf drives a ford focus and i ride a 60cm frame so trunking it doesn't work well plus living in NYC i don't have to drive anywhere to go ride my bike. we have the rack just for the few times we make trips and might want to ride. The rack is worth it, simple enough once you 've put it on a couple of times, only takes maybe 5 minutes total.

Trunk if I'm riding solo, rack if I'm riding with the family.

I use a rear hitch mounted rack not only because I frequently carry more than one bike bike also because I just got sick of the hassle of moving crap around in the trunk to make enough room, and then having to take on and off the wheels.

+1 on truck, bike is out of sight for theives. If you have not already done it, file off the tabs on the front fork so you can actually use the quick release (I'm not sure what else would be a hassle when putting the bike in the trunk?).

Both a last minute ride get racked. An after work ride, take bike with me, goes in the trunk.

I never thought of filing off those dumb tabs!! Great idea, I have to do that!

Yep

Roof Rack
Pro: Securely holds the bike without scratching. Fast loading, unless you drive a monster truck and are short.
Con: Poor gas mileage, even when it's just the empty rack. Be wary around garages and drive-thrus. Expensive.

Trunk Rack
Pro: Easy to remove when not in use. Easier to load than the roof rack.
Con: Easy to scratch your bike and trunk. Have to remove to get to trunk.

Hitch Rack
Pro: Same as trunk rack, plus it doesn't scratch the trunk (or the bike sometimes)
Con: Expensive. Must put a tow bar on vehicle.

Trunk/back seat
Pro: Free!
Con: Have to partially disassemble the bike every time. Parts can get tweaked. Grease all over

I put it carefully in my back seat (just remove the front wheel) unless I'm taking someone else with me. Then I use a trunk rack.

edit: Oh, and if the bikes are on the rack, I run a cable with lock through the rack, bikes (frames and all wheels) and the tow hook under the bumper... and don't go far from the car.

I own a Dodge Magnum so I just put it in the back, goes in real easy comes out real easy. No need for me to take anything apart..

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H...812_112042.jpg

Roof rack, as long as you don't have to worry about every forgetting about it and driving into a garage and/or drive-thru.

Roof rack. Sometimes I take my bike camping up in the mountains, which makes for great riding, but it also means I need the trunk.

Don't. At least not without some thought. It'll void your warranty. A crack showed up in my frame, and I got a new one for $0.00 under the warranty.