Bike Rack Recommendation?

[Hancockbs]

I’ve had a three bike Saris Axis Aluminum for about 9 months now and like it a lot. It is very light weight and the three straps hold bikes securely. Being aluminum, it does flex a little more that I like, but that is just the engineer in me that over builds everything. If I were to buy it again, I might consider the steel version.

http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/vehicle-racks/hitch-racks/axis-aluminum.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=256&category_id=8

[americancyclo]

My brother in law bought the DoubleDown Ace 4 for his American made SUV. It’s held our bikes pretty well for some 6 hour rides and has an integrated lock which is nice if you’ll be traveling somewhere and leaving the car unattended with bikes for a while.

The anti-sway cradles don’t always sit so well on my bike frame, but then again I ride a 61cm.

http://www.yakima.com/shop/bike/hitch/doubledown-ace-4

Just be warned that hitch racks usually disable the backup sensors and add a little extra length to your vehicle, so watch out in the parking lots!

[lim]

I know you wanted a hitch bike rack, but the closest thing you can get to a hitch is Saris Bones RS trunk rack (if you are at all considering a trunk rack)

It’s got two rubberized metal straps and fit snugly into the back of the trunk, set it and forget it!

It also has a strap that stabilizes the bike closest to your trunk

[mstone]

We’ve got a new thule apex 5 that I’ve been happy with so far. The smaller versions have a swing-away option that looks really useful.

[jabberwocky]

I prefer the wheel-grab style racks (like the Yakima Holdup, which is what I have). Faster to put the bike in and easier to deal with unusual frame shapes.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I prefer the kind that hold your bike by the wheels. They are kind of a pain to dial in the first time but they are much more secure. They also do a better job dealing with step-through frames, of which my household has many (including my Dutch bike). Keep in mind that these hitch type racks are HEAVY. Mine weighs a good 60lbs. You may want to spring for an all Aluminum version if you can find it.

I picked up an older version of this rack for $100 on Craigslist:

http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Swagman/S64665.html

[cephas]

@lim 56401 wrote:

It also has a strap that stabilizes the bike closest to your trunk

That alone sounds worth it. I’m semi in the market for a hitch rack myself. Yesterday I had the bike on the trunk rack (which doesn’t attach so well to the flat back of an SUV), and this morning I discovered my bike rear rack had cracked clear through. I imagine it was from bouncing when it was on the rack. although I can’t imagine, as I thought I’d strapped it down pretty well. At any rate, a stabilizer strap.

[Brent]

I’ve got a Thule Helium. Holds 3 bikes, is pretty lightweight, locks to the hitch, and includes a built in cable lock.

However, the rubber straps seem to wear pretty badly, I had to replace them after a year.

[dasgeh]

@FFX_Hinterlands 56410 wrote:

I prefer the kind that hold your bike by the wheels.

Funny you bring this up. We have lots of different style bikes. I had been thinking I wanted a rack like what they have on buses, but didn’t know what they were called. I found a very cheap one on CL ($30, I think) that looks like this: http://www.ebay.com/bhp/bike-platform-rack-hitch

Now that I know what to search for (“platform style bike rack”), I found this cool video review of the options. There are some nice features.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7CkL1lDA7I

Two questions:
1) Am I dumb to trust our bikes to this cheap one (we use velco straps to keep the bikes on the rack — we strap both wheels, then the frame twice, so 4 straps per bike)?
2) Anyone want to sell a Yakima Hold Up 2?

[hozn]

I have a Raxter Tarsus 1.25 (http://www.raxterracks.com/index.cfm?id=3&prodID=8). It has worked well, very simple with just velcro straps (no need to dial in). Relatively light. On the whole it has done it’s job well. (It gets used at least twice a week and has been on a handful of long trips.)

BUT … two things: 1) the bikes sway around a lot; I don’t care enough to buy the anti-sway bolt thingy, but it is a little disconcerting sometimes and 2) a few (3?) years into owning it now it has gotten pretty rusty I tried touching up with some primer, but that hasn’t held all that well either (that is my fault, I realize). I don’t know whether I would get another one of these, I’d probably consider paying a little more for one of the higher end Thule or Yakima hitch racks.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@dasgeh 56424 wrote:

Two questions:
1) Am I dumb to trust our bikes to this cheap one (we use velco straps to keep the bikes on the rack — we strap both wheels, then the frame twice, so 4 straps per bike)?
2) Anyone want to sell a Yakima Hold Up 2?

Mine has a rubber coated hook that slides on a riser to hold the frame down onto the wheel holders. It’s very similar to bus racks, but the hook goes on the frame instead of the wheels. I always put straps around the wheels too for long trips, but it’s really gravity holding it down and the straps/hooks keep it from hopping out of wheel tracks.

[dasgeh]

Oh, and I meant to ask whether there’s any rack that will be able to hold a bakfiets…

[grandallj]

Not sure about when the sale ends, but REI has Thule racks at 20% off right now. If you’re buying new, etc. Disclaimer: I have no affiliation.

[jabberwocky]

@dasgeh 56447 wrote:

Oh, and I meant to ask whether there’s any rack that will be able to hold a bakfiets…

Look into tandem racks (since the problem, a longer than usual wheelbase, is pretty much the same).

[FFX_Hinterlands]

@dasgeh 56447 wrote:

Oh, and I meant to ask whether there’s any rack that will be able to hold a bakfiets…

Oh, yes. You can use one of these:
http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=AO

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