I've been wondering, do any of you guys get 'scared' that your bike rack might fall off your car? This is my one problem with me..i get so scared i ncase it falls off on the highway on the way to school, since i drive 130km. Anyone recommend a bike rack that will fit a SUV and Car? I'm leaning towards the strap ones. I don't see how those hitch ones can hold the bikes for so long since it's just something going up and out...i guess i'm kinda paranoid. Is Thule or Swagnat (?) any good?
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Hi,
I had the same worry after I bought an expensive bike. So I got a Swagman rack on sale from Nashbar. But I don't have the $$ right now to put a bumber hitch on the car; so I can't tell you how well it works. OTOH, I used a trunk rack for years, routinely putting 3 bikes on it......and never had any serious problems.
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I had one give out with 2 bikes on it, it was all setup right and everything, they are generally poorly designed. Go for a trailer hitch one (the best by far) or a roof rack.
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I too am looking to upgrade my rack. Heres a thread from a couple days ago that is very informative.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...threadid=20832 (锕侊箒)~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
I figure a hitch rack is the most secure. The hitch is bolted/welded to your cars frame so that is not coming off. Now if you are worried about it comign out of the hitch itself getting a locking hitch pin it will not come out unless you unlock it. I have the sportsworks rack and they actualy give you a bolt to hold the rack onto the hitch you could do that to get a bold just slightly smaller diameter then the hole in the hitch and bolt it down tight and it wont' come off either.
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I've been trying to figure out how to get one on my convertible BMW. I don't want to put a trailer hitch on it. I also don't want to damage the paint. Any suggestions?
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Roof racks are the best. It helps if you have a smaller car when it's time to put them on or take them off. An SUV can be a real pain. I made a homeade rack to carry my bike on my motorcycle. It was all I had at the time. I even moved to Los Angeles from Houston on it back in '88 in freezing temps through New Mex. Boy did I get the looks. Here is a pic taken at a stop in Austin. (锕侊箒)~~~~---------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Kev I figure a hitch rack is the most secure. The hitch is bolted/welded to your cars frame so that is not coming off. Now if you are worried about it comign out of the hitch itself getting a locking hitch pin it will not come out unless you unlock it. I have the sportsworks rack and they actualy give you a bolt to hold the rack onto the hitch you could do that to get a bold just slightly smaller diameter then the hole in the hitch and bolt it down tight and it wont' come off either.
I'm scared of the rack 'snapping' off, since it's a 90 degree angle going up, and the pressure will be trying to rip it off. (In my paranoia) Can a hitch rack handle 130km ?
(锕侊箒)~~~~---------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Bluechip Roof racks are the best. It helps if you have a smaller car when it's time to put them on or take them off. An SUV can be a real pain. I made a homeade rack to carry my bike on my motorcycle. It was all I had at the time. I even moved to Los Angeles from Houston on it back in '88 in freezing temps through New Mex. Boy did I get the looks. Here is a pic taken at a stop in Austin.
Oh man, that is such an ingenius idea!! You should patent that motorcycle rack and sell the idea to Thule!!!
(锕侊箒)~~~~---------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by AquariaGuy I'm scared of the rack 'snapping' off, since it's a 90 degree angle going up, and the pressure will be trying to rip it off. (In my paranoia) Can a hitch rack handle 130km ?
Take a look at some of the hitch racks sometimes. You'll find that they are made with heavy gauge tubing. I even take mine offroad. I'd be more worried about roof racks attached to the flimsy sheet metal of the roof. Yes, I know they're mounted in reinforced gutters/rails but the metal up there is still thinner than a hitch assembly. Also, there's not as much pressure on those bikes mounted on hitch racks as you might think since they're tucked into the slipstream of the vehicle. There might be some flow seperation at the rear but it's not like the bikes are directly exposed to the frontal airflow.
