# bike racks



## hunter1 (Nov 11, 2009)

what are the pros and cons for trunk racks versus roof racks.I have a hitch rack but no hitch on my new car, a 2010 hinda insight.I could have a hitch installed for about $250.00
but i could have to modify things. do not want to do that. So roof or trunk,


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## mikeharper123 (Jan 14, 2009)

Roof rack are awesome, but dont ever forget its up there. I know way too many folks that have driven into their garages with their bikes up there.

Hitch racks that the bikes hang from I hate. Every one of them I have ever tried scratched the frame of the bike. 

Best option, hitch mounted tray rack. Like Thule T2....


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## Doug B (Sep 11, 2009)

Whoa.... Bike Racks? Is this the Podim Girl forum?


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Mikeharper123 makes some valid points but I would take a roof rack any day. Ask yourself: How much do you love your bike? Personally, I would hate to get rear ended and lose my bike. The roof rack alleviates those fears but the downside is that your mpgs will drop some (2-3 mpg has been my experience), crosswinds are not fun with the bikes on top and remembering that the bikes are up. I have personally lost a bike when my wife pulled into our garage with my bike on top (yeah, my wife). We're talking bike damage, car roof damage and rack damage. Still, I'd rather it be me than someone elses mistake. Since you don't want the hitch, this is your only choice. Those trunk-mounts WILL scratch your paint. Even the best ones will scratch your car. Dust on your finish getting between the paint surface and the rack and it's over. Your hatch will be scratched.


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## barelfly (Nov 7, 2008)

I have a Thule trunk rack. It works great and has not scratched the bike at all. The pieces the bike sit on are rubber and sit well. There is an attachment that runs vertical along the seat tube that keeps the bike from swaying like I've seen on other racks. 

But, the one part I don't care for is the trunck scratches. The clips are medal and have scratched the edges of the trunk when you tighted down the rack. I could probably put some felt on these clips to help this, but that is the one thing you'll have to watch for.

I think I picked it up for $130. Not sure what roof racks run for, never looked into it.


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

Why the hell do people assume rear racks always get rear ended? Going back to the late 1980's when I worked in LBSs I don't ever remember seeing or hearing of bikes on the back of a vehicle getting damaged by another vehicle. I know of one trunk rack falling off partially and being dragged. I knew a guy who was backing down a friend's driveway and a rear wheel snagged against a curb resulting in a taco'd wheel. 

But I've lost count of roof racks getting caught on low objects like garages, hotel driveway awnings, trees and parking garage entries. I'm guilty of one snag myself. I was picking up my Alfa GTV and I put my road bike on the roof (59cm frame) before backing out of the service bay. I snagged the back edge of the seat and tore the leather like a banana peels. 

That said, I have at least one of every type of carrier. A Thule hitch rack and a Yakima roof rack for the 2000 4Runner. A Thule roof rack for the '06 Jetta. A Saris Bones-3 for any vehicle, but it's commonly used on the Jetta. Even our Coleman camper has a Yakima roof carrier mounted. 

If I was to do it all fresh today I'd get a hitch mounted on the Jetta and I'd buy one rack for both cars... a Saris Thelma


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

With the car I have now I'm able, and always do, carry my bike inside. I've had both roof and trunk racks. Back in the day when I had my tandem a roof rack was the way to go. carried my singles like that too. I never liked trunk racks. 

Fast forward to the 21st century. If I was going to buy one today I'd spring for a receiver hitch that would carry 2 bikes. The bikes would be supported by wheel cradles. I don't like it when my bikes have to hang from the crossbar. Too much chance of getting scratched up.


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

roof racks: wastes gas, crash expensive bikes into garages/tolls/etc, bikes hit bugs, hard to load/unload bikes.
hitch rack: $150 extra to buy towing hitch, easy to load bike, easy to take off bike, worry about car behind you hitting you.


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## LOMartin (Dec 15, 2009)

Congrats on the new car. 

I would get the hitch installed seeing as you already have the rack. 

Having a hitch is always a plus, yes you can't pull much with a Honda Insight. but if need be it could also be used for pulling small Uhaul trailers and such. 

Regardless when carrying bikes outside the car look into a cover. To keep the bike protected from the elements and prying eyes. 

Good luck,
.Larry O M. . .


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## lancezneighbor (May 4, 2002)

mikeharper123 said:


> Best option, hitch mounted tray rack. Like Thule T2....


Agree, Thule T2 is schweeeet!


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

its overpriced tho, 

does it perform that much better than a Sportrack hitch rack?

its 2x the price...


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

If you're so inclined here's a $135 hitch for your Insight...
http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2010_Honda_Insight.htm

I'll bet you and a buddy could do it in no time.


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

I'd be afraid that I would forget my bike was on the roof and pull into my garage and uh oh.

Regarding your hitch, try Pep Boys or U-Haul, they have hitches for about $150 installed. I feel very comfortable with that, especially carrying two or more bikes.

A good trunk rack is the Bones. but I think overpriced.

I use the Thule 2 way on my Honda Accord (use the Thule rear carrier on the Honda CRV) and it is a great rack, it's very inexpesive (I paid about $50) and all the straps retract and are on the carrier, no having to set your straps up. It only holds two bikes, so I use it just to carry my bike, thus it is compact; I can take it off the car very easy and throw it in the trunk.

If you did get rear ended, the other guys insurance will cover your bike; if you drive into your garage with your bike still on top, I think you are on your own.


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

According to the owners manual that came with my bike: Roof racks are better as far as the way they fasten putting less stress on the bike goes.
Personally I'm to anal about bike care to carrying it any way other than inside my car.


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

i use the Curt Hitch + Spotrack XC2 2-bike tray rack

the curt hitch is your basic class 1 hitch, took some drilling through a thin aluminum heatshield in your car and some following of directions. took about an hour with my auto-mechanic cousin.

the sportrack is cheap @ $150 and holds bikes very well and looks great.

check out e-trailer.com, they price match to any price


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## lancezneighbor (May 4, 2002)

Hank Stamper said:


> According to the owners manual that came with my bike: Roof racks are better as far as the way they fasten putting less stress on the bike goes.
> Personally I'm to anal about bike care to carrying it any way other than inside my car.


As far as I can tell the Thule T2 puts even less strain on the bikes since it supports them by both wheels. They are essentially just parked there.


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## cpark (Oct 13, 2004)

Get a hitch if the gas mileage is your concern.
The roof rack will kill your gas mileage much worse than an average car.
How is that?
Your car achieves great mileage due to the very good CD (coefficient drag).
The disruption of the air flow will be detrimental to the aerodynamics of your car.
My Prius used to get 50mpg.
With the roof rack, it drops to 45.
With a bike on it, it drops another 2mpg.
With a cargobox and a bike, I barely break 36mpg.....


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## FINEMNT (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm about to purchase a bike rack as well. I have heard both things, roof racks are better than trunk racks, and vise versa. I would really hate for my paint to be scratched up with the trunk racks, but in my opinion they are a great portable rack to switch off to many cars. I think I will be going this route, hopefully I don't get any paint damage!


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

FINEMNT said:


> I'm about to purchase a bike rack as well. I have heard both things, roof racks are better than trunk racks, and vise versa. I would really hate for my paint to be scratched up with the trunk racks, but in my opinion they are a great portable rack to switch off to many cars. I think I will be going this route, hopefully I don't get any paint damage!


Any system which touches paint will scratch your car. It will look like a buffer dulled the paint in those spots, but that's the point of contact for the rack. The only roof systems that don't touch paint are the ones which mount in or on factory luggage racks. Our 4Runner has a factory luggage rack and the Yakima Rail Rider/Landing Pad/Control Towers system. The Thule on the Jetta has rubber pads on the roof and metal clips wedged between the door frame and the roof.

Hitch racks don't touch the paint. 

If you're planning on multiple car flexibility you'll be restricted to trunk racks, unless all the cars have the same receiver hitch.


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## czacharyasz (Dec 24, 2009)

im gonna have to say a hitch rack is your best bet. I drive an suv so when im solo i just keep the bike inside my car, but when i go out with buddies its nice to be able to carry multiple bikes. 

Trunk racks seem like a pain in the arse...plus i dont like the idea of the bike being held by the frame. We just bought my dad a road bike and hes also in the market for a rack for his accord. Roof racks? Well, thats another story, ive never had any experience with them, nor do i think i ever will. I dont like the idea of adding an additional 4 ft above my car, too much risk there. And also, climbing up there multiple times and removing front wheel ( like a lot of them require) seems like too much hassle for me. 

Hitch racks that carry the bikes by the wheels make the most sense to me. That way you know the bike is as secure as can be. No handlebar or wheel movement while driving. If someone rear ends you your most likely gonna be covered by insurance (as long as they are insured, or you have decent insurance) and the upside of that is youll get yourself a brand new bike or the retail value of the bike when it was new. We will be installing a rear hitch for his car and buying a nice hitch rack...hopefully one of the nice thule/yakima ones which actually hold down your bikes wheels and have optional key lock on it


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

TWB8s said:


> Why the hell do people assume rear racks always get rear ended? Going back to the late 1980's when I worked in LBSs I don't ever remember seeing or hearing of bikes on the back of a vehicle getting damaged by another vehicle. I know of one trunk rack falling off partially and being dragged. I knew a guy who was backing down a friend's driveway and a rear wheel snagged against a curb resulting in a taco'd wheel.
> 
> But I've lost count of roof racks getting caught on low objects like garages, hotel driveway awnings, trees and parking garage entries. I'm guilty of one snag myself. I was picking up my Alfa GTV and I put my road bike on the roof (59cm frame) before backing out of the service bay. I snagged the back edge of the seat and tore the leather like a banana peels.
> 
> ...


This is true about the roof racks but my CR-V was rear ended. Luckily it was a time I didn't have my bike on the Thule Spare Me spare tire rack. There are pluses and minuses to all. The hitch would probably be the OP's best bet but the OP doesn't want one. So choosing between a trunk mount and roof rack, I'll still recommend the roof rack.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

cpark said:


> Get a hitch if the gas mileage is your concern.
> The roof rack will kill your gas mileage much worse than an average car.
> How is that?
> Your car achieves great mileage due to the very good CD (coefficient drag).
> ...


I wouldn't consider a Prius an "average" car. The aerodynamics on that car are so vital to fuel consumption that any slight deviation in it's design (ie. a roof rack and/or even a rear rack) will affect fuel economy. Average cars are affect by these things but the affect on a hybrid is more extreme. One reason is because economy is so important on a hybrid. While most cars get 20-35 mpg on average, a hybrid achieves far more. Part of that is due to design and electric motor being combined with a lower tuned gas engine (usually smaller displacement gas engine too). While your Prius drops 15 mpg with those features on top, an average car might only drop 2-3 mpg (worse case scenario 5mpg drop on really strong headwinds). My CR-V I used to own only dropped like 3-4 mpg with 4 bikes on top.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

czacharyasz said:


> im gonna have to say a hitch rack is your best bet. I drive an suv so when im solo i just keep the bike inside my car, but when i go out with buddies its nice to be able to carry multiple bikes.
> 
> Trunk racks seem like a pain in the arse...plus i dont like the idea of the bike being held by the frame. We just bought my dad a road bike and hes also in the market for a rack for his accord. Roof racks? Well, thats another story, ive never had any experience with them, nor do i think i ever will. I dont like the idea of adding an additional 4 ft above my car, too much risk there. And also, climbing up there multiple times and removing front wheel ( like a lot of them require) seems like too much hassle for me.
> 
> Hitch racks that carry the bikes by the wheels make the most sense to me. That way you know the bike is as secure as can be. No handlebar or wheel movement while driving. If someone rear ends you your most likely gonna be covered by insurance (as long as they are insured, or you have decent insurance) and the upside of that is youll get yourself a brand new bike or the retail value of the bike when it was new. We will be installing a rear hitch for his car and buying a nice hitch rack...hopefully one of the nice thule/yakima ones which actually hold down your bikes wheels and have optional key lock on it


Most of us agree with you on this decision but remember that the OP does not want add a hitch to his car.


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

*Why get a rack at all, just ride where you want to go.*


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## LOUISSSSS (Dec 14, 2009)

Tommy Walker said:


> *Why get a rack at all, just ride where you want to go.*


what if we want to bring our bikes 100miles away to do a cycling event with our families?

what if we need to bring our bikes 100 miles away for a cycling race?


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

LOUISSSSS said:


> what if we want to bring our bikes 100miles away to do a cycling event with our families?
> 
> what if we need to bring our bikes 100 miles away for a cycling race?


:mad2: Don't be so anal, it was just a joke, a thought, a vision


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