Car Racks

[Fidsey]

Looking at getting some sort of bike rack for the car. I'm sick of pulling the bike apart to get it inside, and my lady doesn't like the dirt/mud, etc.

How do you rate racks with straps (strap-on racks if you like.....)? Do they damage the paint work of the car?

Saris "Bones" thing got much chop?

Should I just go for roof racks and the bike attachment?

[Martin.au]

Hate to say it but the best thing you could do, in my opinion, is to fork out for a tow bar and a rack like the grip sport ones. It's pricey but worth it in the long run.

Second option I'd go for would probably be the roof rack followed by the strap on arrangement.

Of course if you aren't using it much and only for short distances, then the strap on could certainly work well. If you are using it lots and putting the bike on and off regularly then a better system is required. It really sucks having to prevent damage from bikes rattling against each other, against the car, having to keep an eye on the whole lot, etc. There's a thread or two on here about peoples woes with racks. Most of the time the final advice is to get a grip sport rack.

I bought a Thule rack, similar to Grip's a little while back. It's a nice rack and is surprisingly robust. I forgot to write my review of it in the old Rack thread though. :rolleyes:

Basically it's made my road trips far more relaxing and fun. Putting the bikes on is now a nice short task rather than a painful chore. I don't feel that I need to watch them like a hawk. I'm not worried about parts on the rack wearing out and depositing our bikes on the freeway. It was a worthwhile investment.

Edit: Here's a short review of my Thule Rack as penance for leaving it out of the old racks thread.
Thule Euroway 945
Cost Approx $350
Pros:
-Super easy and lockable attachment to towball
-Nice tilt-able mechanism to allow access to boot
-Holds bikes down to the rack by the wheels and separated by clamps on the top tubes
-Has lights :D
-Has a spot for a numberplate

Cons:
-Not as robust as I'd have liked, though it's still rated for 36kg and hasn't budged on our drives so far.
-Cannot be used for large and heavy bikes. There's enough room for our lighter XC/AM rigs but if you start trying to stack on bikes with 150mm axles or long wheelbases you'll run out of room fast. There's only about 18cm c-c between the two trays and they're only 1m long. (Pretty pathetic really)

[sketchy ads]

Dude, I bought one that uses straps, and with a little modding using adhesive hard-compound foam from clark rubber i've got a cheap reliable set-up that doesn't damage the golf or the reign. No tow bar required.

[naz]

Looking at getting some sort of bike rack for the car. I'm sick of pulling the bike apart to get it inside, and my lady doesn't like the dirt/mud, etc.

How do you rate racks with straps (strap-on racks if you like.....)? Do they damage the paint work of the car?

Saris "Bones" thing got much chop?

Should I just go for roof racks and the bike attachment?

eeek i had to put one on a customers car, fuckin pain and sketchy.

thule aero bars, and door clamp (or rails if u have them), thule 591. i swear by this rack, have driven home from dirjumps like a maniac due to sunday drivers, to find my bike on the roof as i left it, with the down tube clamp and the wheel straps undone. its a awesome rack.

dont trust rear mounting racks either, what if some fu runs up yo asssss.

[Martin.au]

eeek i had to put one on a customers car, fuckin pain and sketchy.

thule aero bars, and door clamp (or rails if u have them), thule 591. i swear by this rack, have driven home from dirjumps like a maniac due to sunday drivers, to find my bike on the roof as i left it, with the down tube clamp and the wheel straps undone. its a awesome rack.

dont trust rear mounting racks either, what if some fu runs up yo asssss.

I think I'd take the odds of someone running into the back of me in preference to the chance of driving under something a bit too low.

[RCOH]

I have a Pacific Brand tow-bar mounted rack that bikes attached to via their top tubes:

Pros:
-Cheap at $130
-All my bikes have top tubes
-Easy to get on/off

Cons
-Rated to 60kgs & 3 bikes. I personally wouldn't put more than 30-odd kgs on it
-Only works with bike that have top tubes, otherwise you have to buy an adaptor
-A bike did fall off once, while going 110kph down the Pacific Hwy at about 1am
-Velcro as way of securing can get less adhesive after a while.


All in all it has been a good rack & has served me well. The furthest I have driven with a DH bike is from Randwick to the Blue Mountans & I had no troubles. I wouldn't ever put 3 bikes onthe rack even thoughthere are spots for 3 bikes & I probably wouldn't put more than 1 DH bike. I also have to uses some sort of tie to keep the bikes from swinging fore & aft.

Just pay the extra & get a grip rack.

[scblack]

What kind of bike have you got?

A DH bike I really would recommend a Grip-sport rack, followed by Thule roof racks set up. 510 is the model I've got I think, and it's very good. When I was buying my roof racks kit I was also buying a camper-trailer, so did not think I was going to be able to use a tow bar mounted unit with the trailer. But I got a camper with a tow-bar on the back of it anyway. I really wish I went for the Grip-rack, but thought I could not.

But a XC bike can easily get away with a Mac-rac style carrier, being lighter, and usually has tubes that can fit in the clamp.

[Fidsey]

At the moment it's a Mongoose Hardtail, but will be getting a Fuel EX8 soon:)

[craigb]

ive been using rhino roofracks for 3 years and think they are great. i only put xc and road bikes on them and to be honest i was scetchy at first with the sorta $$ the bikes are worth but must say i do'nt worry atall anymore. you do'nt have to worry about people running up your ass at traffic lights and aslong as you do the quick release up on the forks and the strap on the rear wheel the bikes will never fall off. only catch is the roof racks are around $200 maybe less and each bike attachment is about $120 so not cheap

[itsajoke]

I've got a set of Subaru cross bars and bike mount going up for sale soon (getting a Grip model of course) if you're interested. They're made by Thule with Subaru stickers so the quality is good. All the pro's and con's are listed so PM me if you're interested?

[GravityGuru]

You know Grip makes good racks when he doesn't even have to do his own advertising :D I have the 2 bike QR one and i love it :cool: Havn't tried a huge selection of racks but It's a lot easier and feel safer than the old Mac Rack

EDIT: Posts :D Senior Member... Has a nice ring to it :D