Part 4 of Choosing bike racks

A bit more on the most important pros and cons of these racks:

Strap-on trunk mounted racks usually cost between $50 and $150. The rack needs to be tightly strapped onto the vehicle and the vehicle’s paintwork properly protected from damage if parts of the carrier rest on the body. These strap-on racks usually carry one or two bikes, sometimes three. More than that and you risk damaging the car or bikes.

Pros
• They are good if you often change your vehicle as they are universal fitting.
• They are usually a manageable height for loading bikes on to.
• When not in use, they fold down for easy storage.
• With prices starting at just $50 they are the most affordable of all bike racks.
Cons
• The usual method of fitting means the weight of your bikes and the rack is all taken on the car’s panels, risking damage (I speak from first-hand experience!).
• The webbing fitting straps can snap or wear out in the fullness of time.
• Theft is a high risk as the straps can be easily cut with a knife.
• Care needs to be taken when reversing as the bikes project way out beyond the tailgate.
• In many cases it’s not possible to open the trunk once the bikes are loaded.
• The rack position means that the driver’s view to the rear is often blocked.

Choosing a bike rack - part 3

What categories of rack are there?
There are four basic types:
Hitch-mount racks, roof mounted racks, strap on trunk racks and racks that mount in the bed of a pickup truck.
The cheapest tends to be the strap-on. They are fine for light duties but are the worst when it comes to security. The roof rack is good as it uses wasted space and doesn’t hinder access to doors or the trunk but it can be quite difficult to load up due to the working height. The hitch mount is my favorite as it is easy to load and can take a lot of weight. If you’ve a pickup and don’t need all the space in the bed for other stuff then the bed-mounted racks are great.

More on choosing a bike rack..

There's more to think about than you might think?
Here are some starting points to consider:

• How often will you be using it?
• How many bikes will youneed to carry at once?
• Will you be wanting to swap the rack between different vehicles (say, for example you will need to switch one rack between two family cars)?
• Is the security of the bikes and rack a high priority?
• Are you able to reach up to a high rack to load a bike onto it?
• Is your bike standard in its design or something unusual such as recumbent bike or a tandem?
• Do you have a towing hitch fitted to your vehicle?
• Is your vehicle an off-road type with a spare wheel mounted on the rear?
• How much money are you prepared to spend?

Choosing a bike rack..

What if you want to go mountain biking out in the boondocks but it’s way too far from home to cycle there and back. What are you gonna do? Try to cram your bike in the back of your car and either damage the seats or get mud and grease everywhere? Nah, fortunately the answer is simple, just get a bike rack for your car or truck so you can transport your bike there and back.

That’s the easiest part of your decision made, the hard part comes when you try to decide what type of rack to buy. There’s a huge range on offer these days. This blog is here to help you make an informed decision so you choose the right bike rack for your needs.