Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390 
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Post by Jem on Oct 21, 2023 19:05:33 GMT
Do any of you have experience with bike racks for vehicles?
It seems there is a gulf between the hugely expensive, complex to fit, heavy, but well made ones ; and then the cheap, extremely complex to fit, light and badly made ones.
I'm getting fed up of taking wheels off and squeezing bikes into the interior.
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Post by wheelson on Oct 21, 2023 21:05:53 GMT
That all depends on the type interface to the vehicle. One of our Jeeps has a hitch rack, the other is a hitch less SUV and requires a strap on type. The strap on I use is called a Saris Bones, comes in a 1, 2, and 3 bike model. They retail for around 100-150US$. I found mine at a thrift store for 25$. For a hitch rack, I have a 4 bike Hollywood, again a thrift store 25$. Most of the racks we sell in the shop are Thule, Saris, and Hollywood. Ebikes, with their added weight, require a much heavier built hitch rack. Currently, Hollywood and Saris for 2 ebikes are in the 500-700$ range. The Hollywood is the least expensive, but MUCH assembly required.
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390
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Post by Jem on Oct 21, 2023 21:10:04 GMT
That all depends on the type interface to the vehicle. One of our Jeeps has a hitch rack, the other is a hitch less SUV and requires a strap on type. The strap on I use is called a Saris Bones, comes in a 1, 2, and 3 bike model. They retail for around 100-150US$. I found mine at a thrift store for 25$. For a hitch rack, I have a 4 bike Hollywood, again a thrift store 25$. Most of the racks we sell in the shop are Thule, Saris, and Hollywood. Ebikes, with their added weight, require a much heavier built hitch rack. Currently, Hollywood and Saris for 2 ebikes are in the 500-700$ range. The Hollywood is the least expensive, but MUCH assembly required. Best, John “wheelson” Thanks for info John - we have Thule here, they are on the pricey side, but very well regarded. I'm a bit nervous of picking up second hand as any missing parts could scupper the whole set up. I have the 'hitch rack' or as we call them here, 'tow bar'. That is the way I was thinking of going. |
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Post by wheelson on Oct 21, 2023 22:15:16 GMT
The hitch (tow bar) rack is certainly the way to go. I agree it’s hard to judge thrift store second hand racks, not only because of missing parts but also because of damage. I have been known to “buy two, make one”.
Good thing about hitch racks, less straps to age and decay.
One of our customers just bought a like-new 550$ Saris ebike ready rack on FB Marketplace for 250$. Also check with local bike shops, sometimes trade ins come up as people transition from conventional to ebikes.
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 22, 2023 16:27:12 GMT
Flinching at the cost of a bike rack (carrier) some 30 years ago, I built the rack shown below using fairly inexpensive hardware and scrap lumber. It worked well with my pickup and shell camper and with the later addition of a roof rack, I could haul four bikes. The odd position of the fork mounts was needed so the the handlebars would clear the roof of my shell camper. I also had to lower the saddle in order to clear the roof of the camper shell. A friend built one like it for his open pickup bed and loves it.
I also used roof racks with my Subie; when I replaced it with an Infinity QX56, the roof (at 6 feet) was just to tall.
Usually, I haul just one bike, which I simply lay flat in the back of the QX56.
Cheers Jim
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Post by dracco on Oct 23, 2023 12:28:47 GMT
In 2017 I bought a bike-rack for the car. Specifically, this was a “Saris Bones 2” – not cheap, but well recommended. It has three legs, of which one sits against the bottom of the rear windscreen, and the other two sit on the rear bumper. It has two arms that swing out to the rear, with straps to fasten 2 bicycles. The rack is fixed in position by 6 straps with hooks at the end that are hooked under the boot-lid. Two at the top, hooked immediately below the rear window, two at the side, and two that hook under the bottom of the boot-lid.
The area number of different designs, depending on the shape of your car.
It's also a good idea to use a length of bungee cord to secure the cranks and front wheel, as the front wheel willspin around if it isn't secured. Current prices are quoted as between £130 and £150 (but about half that in some current Ebay listings).
The first time I used this I was careful not to tighten the straps too tightly: however this was a mistake, as I could feel the rack vibrating on the back of the car. When I stopped and tightened them as far as possible I found that this secured the rack completely.
The only problem I found was that I had to take care reversing, because the rack + bikes was detected by the rear-facing radar detector, triggering a continuous alarm signal when in reverse gear.
I've used this a lot: transporting my Viscount to DFRs and for taking a bike from Yorkshire to Bristol (300 miles down the motorway system) when I temporarily relocated there while my wife had a 6-month contract at Bristol University. While it's not cheap, it's not as expensive as some other brands, and I've been very satisfied with it, and never had any problems in transporting bikes on it.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,390
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Post by Jem on Oct 23, 2023 13:45:13 GMT
Thanks for insight both.
I like your DIY solution Jim, very good!
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Post by wheelson on Oct 23, 2023 13:46:12 GMT
I might add that the Saris bones comes in a hitch (tow bar) model. I have a clamp on model that has easily adapted to three different cars, currently on a Jeep Compass. I’ve hauled 2 bikes all over the Eastern USA. It’s so easy to install that I’ve resisted installing a $350 hitch on that vehicle.
Best,
John “wheelson”
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