[BeenTravelinLite]

Hey

ive found myself in need of a car rack. I have three bikes, two mtb, and a road but i think ill only need to transport two at a time. I was hoping you guys could throw out some suggestions on a car rack for two bikes. Im on a tight budget as i just bought a new giant. I really just need this rack to transport my bikes on a one time basis (im buying a new truck in about a month, but for this move ill only have a lumina). Will a trunk rack hold up for a 300 mile drive going on average 70 mph? The mere thought of having my bikes flapping in the wind going 70 is freaking me out! Any insight/suggestions would be great.

 

[ArmySlowRdr]

I had a trunk rack once--used it perhaps 50 times---no where near as steady as a roof rack. But one time use--just stop every 50 mi or so and make sure everythings still tight. Where one of the straps fitted to underneath the car bumper on my sunfire when i had it--was 2 close to da muffler--bad things happen.........don't like trunk racks.

 

[BeenTravelinLite]

How much more is a roof rack than a trunk rack, and any suggestions?

 

[O~Hi~O]

How much more is a roof rack than a trunk rack, and any suggestions?

Do you have a hitch?

If so, look at a thule rack, they are welded, and work on pivot joints and pins. The trunk mount racks are "OK" but like your nightmare states, I lived it. Coming down the mountain doing 90mph,(highway mtn road), two bikes on the back, both levers slipped out when I hit a pot hole and blam, both bikes doing 25 ft cart wheels at 90 mph... needless to say I had some repair bills...

If you have a hitch mount on your car, get a thule hitch mount, they are welded at the bars that most racks have some sort of ratchet system, roof racks are best, but your looking at a min. of $350-400 to get you started, and most roof racks support 3 bikes tops. Hitch mounts start around $150 and a cheapy rear trunk mount starts around $30.

I work in a shop, sell the damn things, actually sold a thule hitch mount today, and was rather impressed with it. I like the pivot, welds, and pin bolt setup rather than the latch, turn, or flip types. You'll know what I mean when you go shopping.

 

[BeenTravelinLite]

Thanks for the info. I dont have a hitch on my car, so i think im stuck with the trunk rack. Looks like ill be going SLOW and steady for the 300 miles i have to drive. Im gonna be one of those guys going 50 in a 65 so if you are headed north on illinois 57 in the next week have pitty on me and please refrain from flipping me off.

 

[GearHead]

Thanks for the info. I dont have a hitch on my car, so i think im stuck with the trunk rack. Looks like ill be going SLOW and steady for the 300 miles i have to drive. Im gonna be one of those guys going 50 in a 65 so if you are headed north on illinois 57 in the next week have pitty on me and please refrain from flipping me off.

For the last 2 years (a few hundred rides) I have been using a SportsRack trunk rack. It cost me $71.20 CND. It has six staps to hold it to the car, and in two years as a permanent fixture it never once loosened up in all the trips over rough roads I made. I drove on the expressways at 80+ mph and the bikes never even budged an inch, you just need to take a couple bungy straps and secure the bike frames to the rack itslef. It holds 3 bikes easily, the only thing you need to worry about is other people rear ending you.

The only trunk bike racks I have seen not work properly are either ones that don't have six tie down straps to hold it onto the car or ones where people are morons and can't seem to figure out how to use all six straps (no you are not supposed to put all six straps going to the same tie down point parallel to each other).

Buy a trunk rack with with six straps, one which has individual saddle and saddle straps for each bike to sit in, a bag of bungy straps, and you are set.

Just for curiousity, I have a $900 CND THULE rack on the other car with the V2 bike trays. You can feel the bikes move around a lot more, it makes a lot of noise, and cuts into the fuel economy (the trunk rack doesn't).

 

[BeenTravelinLite]

thanks gearhead, i feel a lot better about the trunk rack now

 

[kirrill]

Put me down for trunk racks. I'm kinda short - about 5'7 - on a good day, so with my height, i never even considered a roof rack of fear I'd need to carry a small step ladder and provide comic relief to walkers by. I got my rack from a local store for around $100, it's sturdy, has 6 straps and has never, even once come loose or hinted that it's unreliable. It also adjusts to fit anything from a sedan to an suv/minivan.