Anyone have a 3 bike rack to fit a hatchback I could borrow?

[Judd]

@jrenaut 160497 wrote:

We’re heading out to Leesburg this Thursday-Saturday for some family brewery rides off the W&OD. I just realized that, now that the kids have upgraded bikes, they no longer fit in the trunk (We had been doing two on the back, two in the trunk). I think we need a hitch rack for the long term, but does anyone have something we could use for this weekend? It needs to fit on a Mazda 3 and hold 3 adult-sized bikes.

I have a Saris Bones 3 that the internet shows successfully mounted to a hatchback that I’d be happy to lend.

[jrenaut]

@Judd 160500 wrote:

I have a Saris Bones 3 that the internet shows successfully mounted to a hatchback that I’d be happy to lend.

That is awesome. Have to go grab the kids now but will pm you. Thank you!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[DismalScientist]

Hate to say this, but a Mazda 3 has a piece of plastic (the spoiler-like thing) that you put the upper hooks on rather than metal. I had to send back a rack mounted against the hatch for this very reason. I think you need a hitch-type rack.

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 160525 wrote:

Hate to say this, but a Mazda 3 has a piece of plastic (the spoiler-like thing) that you put the upper hooks on rather than metal. I had to send back a rack mounted against the hatch for this very reason. I think you need a hitch-type rack.

We currently have a Saris Bones 2 that we use all the time. It’s been fine so far, so I’m hopeful that it will work with 3 bikes, too. I want to do a hitch rack, but getting a hitch delivered and installed plus buying a rack before we want to leave Thursday AM is not likely to happen.

Worst case is I put one bike in the trunk, 2 on the back, and let the wife drive the kids out while I ride. That would be SO AWFUL.

[Emm]

@DismalScientist 160525 wrote:

Hate to say this, but a Mazda 3 has a piece of plastic (the spoiler-like thing) that you put the upper hooks on rather than metal. I had to send back a rack mounted against the hatch for this very reason. I think you need a hitch-type rack.

Yea, I’d really recommend checking Mazda’s website to see if they have recommendations if your car has a spoiler. It depends on where/how the spoiler attaches. I have a ford focus hatchback with a spoiler and Ford STRONGLY recommends not using a rack up against it since they have had many reports of them ripping the spoiler right off the car. When I was at REI I brought up that Saris says their racks would work on their website, but I had multiple REI staff tell me they’ve seen them rip spoilers right off focuses too so I needed to avoid them.

You might be better off looking for a roof rack if you need something temporary.

[jrenaut]

On the Mazda 3, the rack attaches to the metal hatch. The strap does go over the spoiler, but most of the weight should be sitting on the bumper and pulling on the metal.

A couple of websites suggest it should be fine. I appreciate everyone’s concern for the s**tty spolier on my 12 year old car, though.

[Judd]

@jrenaut 160526 wrote:

I want to do a hitch rack, but getting a hitch delivered and installed plus buying a rack before we want to leave Thursday AM is not likely to happen.

If you do go the hitch route, I bought a Curt trailer hitch for about $100 and was able to install it myself fairly easily. I only said the F word like 6 times during the whole process.

[jrenaut]

@Judd 160535 wrote:

If you do go the hitch route, I bought a Curt trailer hitch for about $100 and was able to install it myself fairly easily. I only said the F word like 6 times during the whole process.

Interesting. I’m not COMPLETELY incompetent when it comes to these things. Perhaps I should try (although it’s still not happening before Thursday morning)

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[Judd]

@jrenaut 160536 wrote:

Interesting. I’m not COMPLETELY incompetent when it comes to these things. Perhaps I should try (although it’s still not happening before Thursday morning)

Totally will not happen before Thursday. Curt has videos on line on how to install every type of hitch that they sell. You can do it with just a few hand tools. It involves temporarily removing the heat shield around your muffler and the cover underneath the trunk of the car. It’s easy-ish except for:

1. You’ll be on your back underneath a car.
2. You have to fish a spacer and a bolt through some holes in the frame. You also have to fish that bolt into that spacer. This is the part where I said all the swear words.

If I recall correctly, it would have cost a couple of hundred bucks to have the mount installed when I lived in Illinois. This being DC, it’s probably worth it to give it a try yourself and save a wheelbarrow full of cash.

[DismalScientist]

12 years old? Well that explains it. They were probably making cars out of metal then.:rolleyes:

My 2013 doesn’t have any metal to grab onto.

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 160543 wrote:

12 years old? Well that explains it. They were probably making cars out of metal then.:rolleyes:

My 2013 doesn’t have any metal to grab onto.

Mine’s 2006. It’s been a trusty and dependable steed, though I’m pretty sure it’s jealous of all the time I spend on bikes. If DC didn’t offer such good subsidies on public storage of my big metal box, I’d have sold it already.

[jrenaut]

@Judd 160539 wrote:

Totally will not happen before Thursday. Curt has videos on line on how to install every type of hitch that they sell. You can do it with just a few hand tools. It involves temporarily removing the heat shield around your muffler and the cover underneath the trunk of the car. It’s easy-ish except for:

1. You’ll be on your back underneath a car.
2. You have to fish a spacer and a bolt through some holes in the frame. You also have to fish that bolt into that spacer. This is the part where I said all the swear words.

If I recall correctly, it would have cost a couple of hundred bucks to have the mount installed when I lived in Illinois. This being DC, it’s probably worth it to give it a try yourself and save a wheelbarrow full of cash.

I should really just show up at my brother-in-law’s house with the hitch and a six pack and he’ll do it.

[dkel]

@Judd 160535 wrote:

If you do go the hitch route, I bought a Curt trailer hitch for about $100 and was able to install it myself fairly easily. I only said the F word like 6 times during the whole process.

I did this exact thing for Rockford as a Mother’s Day present.

Except I said the F word waaayyy more than that.

And I also couldn’t raise my arms for like a week after that.

But it cost literally $800 less than paying someone else to do it. It also made my wife happy, which is the best part. 😮

[drevil]

I’ve installed 5 hitches myself (3 Foresters, 1 Honda Fit, 1 Acura MDX), always purchasing them from etrailer.com and watching their installation vids. Some were more difficult than others. Your car:
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mazda/3/2006/24816.html?vehicleid=2006201590
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Mazda/3/2006/C11386.html?vehicleid=2006301017

There are vids on both pages that show you how how to git’r done.

[anomad]

Etrailer.com is pretty good. I’ve ordered 2 or 3 hitches from them and snow chains. Before the internetz I purchased hitches from uhaul on a couple cars but I bet they are still competitively priced.

[Author]

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