Bike Racks...
 

What's everyone using? Particularly SUV drivers. I have a Honda SUV, and if you are familiar, you know that a hitch mounted bike rack is kind of a pain because you can't open the rear door. Well, unless you get one of the ones that kind of "lowers" to be able to open the door, but I'd prefer no moving parts like that back there.

This is what I'm looking at:

Surco Spare Tire 3-Bike Carrier Surco Products Spare Tire Bike Racks BT300

Thanks.

-t

any issue with getting a roof mount? they are lockable and not difficult to access.
I have one on my car and I love it.

You got an externally mounted spare Tire? the rack you linked to is for that.

I have a roof rack for my surfboard(s). If I end up driving cross country, ill need both.

Fietsbob: yeah I know, I was just wondering if anyone else had used that brand.

This was me back in my mountain biking days. Taken on the highway at 80mph by my buddies son. The thing worked really well for what it was. Sold it with the bike however I have been thinking about getting another one.

http://i.imgur.com/RJXLUJ0.jpg

Yikes!

Yikes is what I'm thinking, too. I don't believe I would want that kind of set up on my window. But for someone else, great!

If I had a car (thank god I do not anymore) I would get a roof rack only because I would always be super paranoid of some idiot crashing into me.

Anyhoo...speaking of bike racks...:D
http://i60.tinypic.com/qmyn8n.jpg

That SeaSucker worked extremely well. I had no issues with it at all. I drove an hour and a half with a steel framed hartdail 29er on there in a torrential downpour at 80mph with no issues. It didn't budge. It was nerve wracking to use it the first few times though. After I got used to it, there were no worries. Each of the vacuum cups holds something like 200 lbs of pressure or something crazy. Even if there was a cup failure, the other 3 would hold it quite well. It is a nice option for those of us with vehicles that are not hitch/rack friendly, such as my Mustang.

Thanks for the info on it. I always questioned if those really do work. I still don't know how comfortable I would be with that on the car.

then you lose the cover for the spare, right? seems like the bike would be way over on one side of the vehicle and sticking way out on one side?

http://site.backcountryracks.com/Rac..._bike_rack.JPG

Yeah thats one thing i was wondering about too.

I'm a fan of "SUV" racks which have an added feature of resting on the back bumper or lip. But I didn't suggest it because I think the spare would force it way over to the opposite side. But maybe a small standard rack that is cinched up or whatever, so that it can be centered better sort of above the spare somewhat.

I know you mention not wanting a hitch mount rack, but I have been extremely pleased with my 1up USA rack.

I use it on a Jeep Wrangler, and I do not have any complaints with the lowering mechanism. YMMV.

Its a bit spendy, but very worth it in my opinion.

1UPUSA.com :: Quik Rack Black

I am curious to see what people with hatchbacks are using. I am planning to downsize from a Jeep (where I can put a fully assembled bike inside the vehicle) to a Mini or VW GTI soon, and am curious what the best solutions are.

Other than the price, that thing has awesome features and looks like it's very high quality. I like that the bike is held in place by the wheels (tires) and not the frame.

Me and my idiot surfer friends used to throw bikes on surf racks sideways and stack for trips to go mountain biking. Worked fine minus some scratches.

If you want to carry both boards and bikes can't you just do some Thule bars with bike attachments on half and strap boards to the other half?

I hate racks for both bikes and boards and end up just throwing both in car, but usually not together. For cross country, unless you are using them on the trip, just ship 'em. Whatever you spend on shipping you'll save in gas and aggravation.

TWO... Very nice rides...

Maybe I would have positioned the front fork attachment farther down on the metal part of the car... Looks scary... I may have added some stabilizing ropes to the top of the seat or handlebars, but, you have to admit... This is a clean carry...

Go for the Gti. I miss my 2006.5 Gti 2.0- absolutely loved the car! And of course if you do go for it... you gotta get a roof rack :D

I just sold an 88 VW Scirocco. I already miss it. I love MK1's and MK2's and a couple MK3's.....

Thanks! On that car, the ideal way to carry the bike was how I had it. The front mount would not fit on the trunk since the spoiler was in the way. I tried it the other way around with the front on the roof, but the roof had a lot of flex to it, so it made me nervous to run it that way. I was afraid that with the flex, I would lose vacuum and it would fall off. With the three cups vacuumed to the rear glass, it was extremely stable. I set it up that way, and then my friend and I tried to rip the bike off the car after putting blankets down in case we did. Neither of us could budge it, yanking the whole time. Once set up, it is on there.

There is no need for additional stability support, as the front mount is a Delta standard QR. You can even lock it down if you so desire once it is set up. This will prevent it from somehow opening up while you are driving. Once that is set, and the rear wheel is strapped in, the bike doesn't have any lateral movement which seems to help in it remaining stable. In other words, it isn't going anywhere.

Upon looking at the picture, it is hard to tell, but there is another vacuum cup for the rear wheel, and it is strapped to it. I figured that everyone could see it since I knew it was there.

I drive a little MG hatchback (2005 ZR160) and I went the towbar route. Because we only got 48 of them here, a bolt on job wasn't easily available unless I wanted to import one from England, so I took my little car to a local towbar manufacturer and got one custom made. It was pricey but worth it because I was able to get it made to take the forces imposed by a bike rack (the torsional forces are quite a bit higher than a normal towbar is designed to take). As a result, the rack is always in my boot if needed, it's strong and practical and I don't have to worry about driving under low roofs or branches.

http://cyclebucket.com/images/towbarnzn.jpg

http://cyclebucket.com/images/towbarrpr.jpg