Bike racks

[0593_troy]

Hi guys thinking about getting racks for mountain bikes but not sure of witch one to go with the roof bike rack, trunk rack or hitch rack what do you guys prefer whats easier to install and witch one would be more promising and secure?

[nitronovice]

I went with a hitch mounted rack. Installing the hitch is a paint at first, but I like the convenience of being able to open my trunk without removing the bike and/or rack. I'm currently using a Kuat NV rack. Not cheap, but it's held up fine on my Mazda and a Honda Accord.
https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpl1/v/t1.0-9/11891088_10155911209600237_1082863868913581115_n.j pg?oh=1c893de25f122b5fb4c36f9f6ee71c4a&oe=5791A105

[studum]

Trunk mount will be least secure and least convenient - but probably the cheapest.

Roof rack can carry other things too - depends if that's important for you or not. But it's noisy. Dat JDM look tho....

Hitch is my preference, but not cheap for a good one. Easy to swap to any vehicle with a hitch.

I use a roof rack myself because it's what I found on kijiji first and I use it for other things now that I don't have my truck any more. I can put it on and take it off the car in about the same time as a hitch mounted rack if I'm not using it for a while.

[SteveNS]

Is there a reasonable cheap option for carrying two bikes other than a clip on back rack? When you factor in a hitch installation plus buying a rack, or buying roof bars plus the bike racks it seems you end up paying $500+ either way. Is it hard to find used roof racks that are a perfect fit? Seems like there's a lot of different dimensions out there.

[nitronovice]

Your best bet would be to check online classifieds like Kijiji. Unfortunately this is one of those "you gotta pay to play" things. Personally I'm equally concerned with my bike as my car, hence why I justified buying a nicer rack. IMO the best bike racks make little to no contact with the bike frame.

If you're willing to compromise on convenience, the Thule Raceway Platform 9003PRO 2 seems like a good choice. I know several people who had it long term without issues. One carried a hardtail and my full-sus mountain bike. Another carried two fat bikes.

[ryan2.3]

Is there a reasonable cheap option for carrying two bikes other than a clip on back rack? When you factor in a hitch installation plus buying a rack, or buying roof bars plus the bike racks it seems you end up paying $500+ either way. Is it hard to find used roof racks that are a perfect fit? Seems like there's a lot of different dimensions out there.

depends where you look. You can get the hitch for our 3's for a little over $100 online (amazon/ebay)
http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Tite-24816-Hitch-Mazda-3/dp/B001EZ3SKY/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1459125589&vehicle=2004-80-2435-1--18-6-5-8061--1-1-297--1-0&sr=1-3&ymm=2004%3Amazda%3A3

http://www.amazon.com/113863-Class-Trailer-Hitch-Old-Style/dp/B002ELJZHC/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1459125706&vehicle=2004-80-2435-1--18-6-5-8061--1-1-297--1-0&sr=1-2&ymm=2004%3Amazda%3A3

and then a bike rack for less than $70
http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Sports-Deluxe-3-Bike-Receiver/dp/B00TRTSRVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459125656&sr=8-1&keywords=bike+rack+hitch+1+1%2F4


and those are the just the first results after 30 seconds of searching. With the exchange you're still less than $250 total

[SteveNS]

Your best bet would be to check online classifieds like Kijiji. Unfortunately this is one of those "you gotta pay to play" things. Personally I'm equally concerned with my bike as my car, hence why I justified buying a nicer rack. IMO the best bike racks make little to no contact with the bike frame.

If you're willing to compromise on convenience, the Thule Raceway Platform 9003PRO 2 seems like a good choice. I know several people who had it long term without issues. One carried a hardtail and my full-sus mountain bike. Another carried two fat bikes.

Thanks for the advice. Good to know some of the trunk mounted ones are half reliable. I've just been recently considering getting back into mtbing (now that I know longer live in PEI, where there's not much mountain biking to be done), and was just wondering about transporting a bike or two

[ach]

If you're willing to compromise on convenience, the Thule Raceway Platform 9003PRO 2 seems like a good choice. I know several people who had it long term without issues. One carried a hardtail and my full-sus mountain bike. Another carried two fat bikes.

Hey nitronovice, just wondering if the people you mentioned who had the 9003PRO 2 installed them on a Mazda 3? Or another type of vehicle? I was considering this one but seems that it's not recommended for a 2010 Mazda 3. I'm not sure if this means it's not compatible and won't work with a Mazda 3 ... or if it just means that it works but is not the "best fit" for a Mazda 3.

[nitronovice]

Hey nitronovice, just wondering if the people you mentioned who had the 9003PRO 2 installed them on a Mazda 3? Or another type of vehicle? I was considering this one but seems that it's not recommended for a 2010 Mazda 3. I'm not sure if this means it's not compatible and won't work with a Mazda 3 ... or if it just means that it works but is not the "best fit" for a Mazda 3.

Hi. One person had the rack on his Hyundai Accent sedan, and another had it on a Toyota Highlander. Both cars were about the 2005 models. I was also told it would have worked fine on my previous 2001 Honda Accord sedan with factory installed spoiler. It should be a very versatile rack.

[morganc]

Ditto to hitch mount. I installed the hitch myself (takes 40 mins) and bought a $100 rack from canadian tire. No straps on the body of the car, no scratches etc. And I can still open my trunk with the rack installed.

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o589/irmugz/IMG_20170616_090409156_HDR_zpsj7z3ajpk.jpg (http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/irmugz/media/IMG_20170616_090409156_HDR_zpsj7z3ajpk.jpg.html)



depends where you look. You can get the hitch for our 3's for a little over $100 online (amazon/ebay)
http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Tite-24816-Hitch-Mazda-3/dp/B001EZ3SKY/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1459125589&vehicle=2004-80-2435-1--18-6-5-8061--1-1-297--1-0&sr=1-3&ymm=2004%3Amazda%3A3

http://www.amazon.com/113863-Class-Trailer-Hitch-Old-Style/dp/B002ELJZHC/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1459125706&vehicle=2004-80-2435-1--18-6-5-8061--1-1-297--1-0&sr=1-2&ymm=2004%3Amazda%3A3

and then a bike rack for less than $70
http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Sports-Deluxe-3-Bike-Receiver/dp/B00TRTSRVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459125656&sr=8-1&keywords=bike+rack+hitch+1+1%2F4


and those are the just the first results after 30 seconds of searching. With the exchange you're still less than $250 total

[bastymn]

Ditto to hitch mount. I installed the hitch myself (takes 40 mins) and bought a $100 rack from canadian tire. No straps on the body of the car, no scratches etc. And I can still open my trunk with the rack installed.

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o589/irmugz/IMG_20170616_090409156_HDR_zpsj7z3ajpk.jpg (http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/irmugz/media/IMG_20170616_090409156_HDR_zpsj7z3ajpk.jpg.html)

May I know where did you buy your hitch? Did you do some cutting or trimming during installation?

[FMJ]

how many bikes op? and how often?
trunk mount would be the cheapest, but if you are holding 2 or more, then forget about it in the long run

[morganc]

I bought my hitch directly from www.canadianhitches.ca and had it shipped to my house. No modification to the car is required to install it.



May I know where did you buy
your hitch? Did you do some cutting or trimming during installation?

[FMJ]

thanks for the link^