Need advice on a bike rack

[MattNismo]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking this forum for a while and decided to register to ask a questions and possibly get a good advice.

I am thinking about getting a bike rack and can't decide what to choose for my 14' Ford Explorer.
There are roof mounted racks and hitch mount racks. They both have their own pros and cons.

Any suggestions which one to go with?

 

[JtB]

I've got one of these.

Roof mounted racks require too much lifting for me and sooner or later I'd forget I had bikes on the roof and drive under a low bridge. I also don't like the idea of strapping a rack containing several bikes to the back of my car, so for me tow bar mounted racks are the preferred option. This particular rack is solid, you can lock the rack to the car and lock the bikes to the rack. Also. the bikes are stood up under their own weight and separated from each other by bars, so very little stress is exerted onto the bike frames and they don't rub together. You need to be careful though that the combined weight of the bikes and rack does not execeed the maximum nose weight for your vehicle.

 

[JtB]

Ps. Please pardon my bad manners, I just realised that was your first post. A BIG WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

 

[Julia9054]

I have this

Even though my car is only a Renault Clio, it has a tow bar. It takes about 10 seconds to put on and folds up so it can live in the boot of my car and it was only £48. I am too short to get my bike up onto the roof!

 

[jonny jeez]

Hi and welcome.

Boot mounted racks can scratch and damage your car...plus the cheap ones are tough to get tight and stable.

Roof mounted racks, well I have one and never use it, a friend had a nasty experience that has put me off.

So for me, it's either take the front wheel out and lay the bike in the boot, or go out and buy a tow bar mounted rack, these seem the most stable .

 

[MattNismo]

Thanks everyone, this is something that I had to consider about before buying. I mean seriously, very useful advices

Roof racks look nicer to me, but look like hitch mount rack will be my option as you suggested

I found one that allows to mount 3 bikes:

http://www.carid.com/thule/thule-helium-aero-hitch-bike-rack-1561124.html

It's thule like on the picture that was posted by Julia9054
Silly question, but anyways: Does it fold down somehow when I need to lift my tailgate?
I am almost 100% positive that it does, just making sure I got it right.

 

[Rustybucket]

I have a Saris Bones -

Bike hasnt fallen off yet - frequently doing +70 on the motorway

 

[Julia9054]

Roof mounted racks require too much lifting for me and sooner or later I'd forget I had bikes on the roof and drive under a low bridge.

I have a friend who actually did this going into the multi storey car park in Headingley. Bike totally destroyed!

 

[Gez73]

We have the same one as Julua9054, bought a lighting board and number plate. Cost less than £100 in total and dead easy to use. You obviously need the towball and electrics set up if your plate is obscured. Gez

 

[Dogtrousers]

IMO:

1) Tow bar: Best, but very expensive unless you already have a towball and all the lights/number plate that go with it. A friend has one and I've had my bike transported on it often.
2) Roof: Next best, I have a pair of Thule 591 carriers. No complaints but they do involve lifting, and you have to be very aware to avoid driving under low height limits.
3) Pop the front and possibly also back wheel and put it in the back. Fine, but I find I need to take both wheels which is a lot of faff.
4) Rear door mounted. I really, really don't like the look of these. Not for me.

 

[JtB]

I've also got the older version of this one::Buzz Rack

I've not used it since I bought the Thule bike carrier, but it's a very sturdy carrier.

Here's some photos from a few years back:

The thing you need to be careful about with these sorts of carrier is that the bikes don't rub together because it will take the paint off the frames immediately. An easy solution though is to get some of that foam pipe insulation and attach it to key points on the bike frames.

 

[Butty1972]

I have a Saris Bones -

Bike hasnt fallen off yet - frequently doing +70 on the motorway

LOL, I read that as 'currently doing +70 on the motorway' - now that is dedication to the forum, live rack testing!

 

[MattNismo]

Thanks everyone for your help. I ended up getting Thule bike rack from CARiD.com - the one I showed above. A sales rep on the phone was really helpful and answered all my questions about the mounting hardware. Plus, I've got a discount as a returning customer, which is always nice :happy: Anyways, have this rack for a few days already. So far I'm pleased with it, and glad that I didn't go with a roof rack as I planned originally, so thanks again