Transporting my bike

[Dickie]

One thing to consider when it comes to installing your own hitch is what you’ll be using it for. If it’s JUST to carry a handful of bikes and a rack then by all means install a bolt on model yourself… it’s really quite simple. If you plan on actually pulling a trailer at any point you might want to pay the money for a proper hitch and install at the dealer, especially if you risk voiding your cars warranty. If you plan on pulling a lot of weight even after market hitches properly installed are sometimes insufficient. Tow packages on SUV’s and trucks come with more than just a hitch; extra oil pump, reinforced suspension, etc.

[rcannon100]

Blow torches and power drills near gas tanks – wooo hooooooo!

[creadinger]

Update!!

I got my class III hitch from etrailers.com. The amount of research on that site is amazing. It’s REALLY useful and highly recommended if you need a hitch or any sort of trailer type thing.

I got the hitch installed at MIDAS Alexandria. They originally quoted me about $170, but when they saw how easy it was to do, they only charged me $108. Not bad and since I don’t have a lift or a grinder to widen the holes it saved me time, effort, and money. I don’t plan on towing any big heavy trailers with this, so it should be sufficient.

I picked up a Thule T2 rack from REI, and have since installed that and it all looks great.

[STUPIDQUESTION]We’re going on vacation soon and we’re only taking 1 bike. I can just install one of the bike platforms on the rack right? There’s no reason to put both on there and haul an empty one around for hundreds of miles is there?[STUPIDQUESTIONTIME]

I’ll post a picture later.

[Sunyata]

@creadinger 143259 wrote:

[STUPIDQUESTION]We’re going on vacation soon and we’re only taking 1 bike. I can just install one of the bike platforms on the rack right? There’s no reason to put both on there and haul an empty one around for hundreds of miles is there?[STUPIDQUESTIONTIME]

But what if you come upon a really awesome bike that you want to buy?! :p

So, this weekend, on my way to the cabin I was staying at for the Gravel Race Up Spruce Knob (which was awesome, by the way – even with my broken bike issues), my bike got knocked off the roof of my car by a low branch on a tree.
While I was planning on installing a hitch and getting a hitch rack anyway next year, this has sped up the process. So, thanks for posting about your experience.

[huskerdont]

@Sunyata 143292 wrote:

But what if you come upon a really awesome bike that you want to buy?! :p

This. I still smart at the memory of the beautiful steel Peugeot someone was giving away out on the street that wouldn’t fit on my roof rack when it was exactly what I needed to convert to a fixie. If I had only had the trailer rack then…

[KWL]

@Sunyata 143292 wrote:

But what if you come upon a really awesome bike that you want to buy?! :p.

Or something else. I bought back a shop grade Parks work stand from Rhode Island on my hitch rack.

[Tania]

OK, add me to the “I have a (new) Crosstrek, I’m putting a 2″ hitch on it and now I need a rack” club.

Definitely going with 1Up. That’s decided. Now I need to figure out if I want a single with add-on or a double. I’d be carrying a single bike maybe 60% of the time which isn’t enough to sway me one way or the other. I’m too paranoid to carry 4 bikes, so at a max we’d be 3 and that would be rare. For cx season we can put the spare bike in the back anyway with the other two on the rack.

My first concern is weight – I park in a shared residents’ garage and, as most of my neighbors are severely parking challenged, I’d be folding the rack up and down with each use. This makes me lean towards a single tray and keep the spare in the cargo area. I rarely have any more than one passenger so I can use the back seat for transporting gear etc so taking up space in the cargo area isn’t a big deal. I’m relatively strong for my size but I’m also lazy. If it’s a pain to fold up and down, then a single it is.

Also, my second concern is the back up camera! I honestly hadn’t even thought of that (until I read this thread) since this is my first car with one. I may need to get the measurements, figure out where that stupid lens is and then see if the single tray folded up is out of the way. Or if maybe the break in the double tray doesn’t obscure it.

Editing to add, I think both the single or the double folded up won’t interfere with the camera. The single is 9.91″ tall and the double is 19.6″ If this is the back up camera, then it looks like I’ll be ok.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15082[/ATTACH]

[Steve O]

@Tania 162492 wrote:

I’m outrageously strong for my size

ftfy

[Sunyata]

@Tania 162492 wrote:

Also, my second concern is the back up camera! I honestly hadn’t even thought of that (until I read this thread) since this is my first car with one. I may need to get the measurements, figure out where that stupid lens is and then see if the single tray folded up is out of the way. Or if maybe the break in the double tray doesn’t obscure it.

Editing to add, I think both the single or the double folded up won’t interfere with the camera. The single is 9.91″ tall and the double is 19.6″ If this is the back up camera, then it looks like I’ll be ok.

First off, YAY NEW CAR! 😎

So… Granted, I have a 2011 Outback, but my double Kuat NV 2.0 DEFINITELY interferes with the backup camera (that is placed similarly to yours). It is annoying, but I get by without having a full camera view.

I put my rack in the upright position whenever I am not using it. Most people do and I have not heard anyone complain about reliability issues with either the 1up racks or the Kuat racks. I have almost zero upper body strength, and I can fold up the Kuat rack with no issues, even one handed. The 1up racks are much lighter, so I doubt you would have an issue with it. If it were me personally, I would get the 2 bike rack to start. I think if you went with the single, you would probably regret it once you got used to having a rack and not having to deal with putting bikes in the back of the car.

Feel free to come oogle my car/rack set up at GRUSK this weekend. You can see for yourself how the rack interacts with the camera and whether or not that is something you can deal with. The Shultz’s will be there also and have a 3 bike 1up that you can check out to get an idea of the weight difference (seriously, their 3 rack weighs less than my 2 rack).

[jdricks]

I have a Thule hitch rack that can accommodate up to 3 bikes. Although my Poison Spyder rear bumper on my Wrangler has an integrated hitch receiver, I had to put an extension on the hitch to clear my spare tire.

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