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Bike Rack Options

MexiKen | Sep 16, 2009 |

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When it comes time to choose a bike rack for your vehicle, take the time to consider all the options available to you. Of course you'll want to take a look at various brand names such as Yakima, Thule, Allen, Saris, Schwinn and Bell, but this isn't what I'm talking about. They all make good quality racks and you'll likely be happy with any of those manufacturers' products. What you need to decide on, based on your own vehicle and personal preferences, will be how and where to carry your bikes on your car, truck, SUV or mini van.

You see, for many people who are betting a bike rack for the first time, they automatically think of the roof rack type of bike rack. The reason for this may be that it is the most obvious and noticeable way to transport a bike, so it catches your attention more readily when you're out on the road driving around. And for many people who are starting to think about getting a rack, once they start thinking about it they open their eyes to what is out in their immediate environment to see what is most popular.

With a roof top bike rack loaded with bikes, as an observer you'll see it whether the vehicle is coming or going, or maybe even if it is quite a few cars ahead of you in traffic. What you won't necessarily see or notice so much is rear mounted bike racks, which include those mounted to a trunk, to an external spare tire, or a hitch bike rack.

In these situations, you won't see that some of the on-coming cars are carrying not just one bike, but maybe 2, 3 or even 4 bikes are easily being transported on the back rack. Same thing in traffic; you're just not going to be able to see these lower mounted racks from a distance. And the thing is, the fact that these bike racks are mounted lower may be the exact reason you should be considering them instead of a roof rack.

Think about it; what will be easier for you to load a bike with, a rack that is maybe chest high where you essentially just need to get the frame of the bike resting on a couple of support arms (you can easily 'fine tune' the attachment points once the bike is loaded onto the rack). Or would it be easier to lift a bike above your head, place it in a narrow wheel track and get your bike forks locked in to the fork mount system? More than likely, the first option is going to be a much easier process for you that the latter.

And while some people prefer the roof rack because it keeps the bikes out of their way so they can easily access the rear of the vehicle (trunk, hatch back or lift gate), many of today's hitch mounted bike racks are built with convenient swing-away mechanisms so that you retain total access to the rear of your vehicle without needing to unload your bikes.

There is certainly nothing wrong with a roof mounted bike rack; it's just that when you look for your bike rack for car, the benefits of the other options available to you are sometimes easily overlooked, and it is the belief of this author that you take into account ALL your options before making any kind of purchase decision.