HotCzech

Anyone out there drive a Hyundai Tucson? What kind of rack do you use? I ride a Liv Rove 3 if that helps.

PS - Not sure I'm posting in the right place, let me know if there's another forum where this fits better. Still new here.

Velo Mule

I can't help you with a Hyundai Tucson, however, I use a Yakima rack on my car. The downside of these roof racks is that they are expensive and if your roof is a reach, it will be difficult to get the bikes on top of your rack.

The for a sport utility like a Tucson, you may consider a hitch mounted rack. You need to get a hitch if you don't already have one. Again, Yakima has nice hitch mount bike carriers. There are more options on hitch mount bike carriers.

skycomag

see if this can help you : https://www.google.com/search?source...13.knVMhMBZekY

CT Sean

Having recently switched from a trunk style bike carrier to a hitch mount one - hitch is definitely the better way to go. I was able to find a used hitch for a Honda CR-V for very little money and a new "scratch n dent" hitch mount carrier for a good savings.

Dirtbleed

We have a Hyundai Tucson and use a Bell rack that straps to the hatch. Good for short trips. A hitch mounted rack is a much better setup for more frequent use and longer trips.

skycomag

my last 2 cars I have used a rear hitch, i like them better than a trunk setup.
but I still have my trunk rack as a j.i.c.
if you decide on a rear hitch. make sure it has a tilt feature, so
you get into the rear of your car without removing the rack.

HotCzech

So I've been doing some research on various options, and I can definitely see the advantages of using a hitch mounted rack. There also don't seem to be many trunk racks available that are compatible with my vehicle. I suppose the next step is getting estimates for having a hitch installed!

travbikeman

Few years ago, I was shopping for a new car and checked out the Tucson. Was told that it can only handle a 1 1/4 inch receiver for bikes. You may want to confirm what size hitch receiver your Tucson can handle.

AU Tiger

Up until a few months ago, I had a Kia Sportage which is basically the same thing as a Hyundai Tuscon. I used a two-bike platform rack made by Pro Rack (which is a fairly generic company, I think -- not Thule, Saris, etc.) It was 1-1/4" with an adapter for a 2" receiver, and it worked fine for two bikes. Since my Sportage didn't come with a receiver, I paid about $125 for a 2" Curt receiver and installed it myself... took about an hour. That setup worked fine for me for several years, including a couple of trips of 1000+ miles.

Now that I need to haul more bikes, I bought this one:
https://hollywoodracks.com/collectio...nt=15862463686

My local bike shop had it for only $400. It is much better than the one I had before. It's much sturdier than the other one, and it tightens up great with no tools needed. I love that it splits into two parts, so I can use it as a two-bike rack or a four-bike rack. Very highly recommend it if you anticipate the possibility of needing space for more than two bikes down the road.

The only drawback to a platform rack is the initial cost. But it's worth it in the long run... more stable than a hanging rack, better bike compatibility with slanted top tubes, and super easy to get bikes on and off the rack. I do recommend using a small piece of a pool noodle for padding between the hook and the bike, as I had a problem with rubbing through the thin padding on the hook itself once.

hokiefyd 

I use a Swagman XC platform rack. I bought it on Amazon a few years ago, for about the same price they are today. I would describe it as a decent "basic" rack. I don't transport my bikes but a few times a year, so I didn't spend a lot of money for a nicer rack -- almost all of my riding is local to my home. If you plan to transport your bike on a regular basis, I'd recommend buying a platform rack that hooks over the tires rather than the top tube, like this Thule or similar. I like these more than a tube-hook rack because they cradle the bottom of the tires better and there's absolutely no frame contact on your bike, so you don't need to worry about paint or frame damage.

CarloM

How many bikes are you transporting? I was driving myself crazy looking at racks for my soon-to-arrive Trek FX S6 and, because I didn't want to scratch my car (Acura TL), the only options were hitches. Which started to approach $1000 with installation, or nearly half my bike's cost.

I think when it arrives I'm going to see if I can just cover the back seat with a heavy duty fabric/cloth, and see if I can take the front wheel off and fit the bike in that way (or drop down the rear seats and use a combo of trunk and back seat). Since I only need one bike, and rarely have more than 2 in the car (including myself) this might prove to be a low-cost solution vs. paying $500+ for a good hitch and $250 for installation.

Now if I had two or three bikes, I'd probably look at a hitch.

HotCzech

So here's my current situation, and the reason I am contemplating a rack in the first place -

As of now, I'll just be transporting the one bike. My husband does not ride (although I am hoping to change that). I have a two year old daughter who I pull in a trailer. We do most of our riding local to our home, but I'd love to branch out more to other bike paths around town. I can get the bike in the back of my Tucson will the rear seats folded down, so that works for solo rides. But, I can't get it to fit with the car seat installed and her trailer in the trunk.

A rack would get regular use around our metro area, and very very occasional use for weekend trips out of town (driving 200-300 miles tops once or twice a year). Again, I haven't seen many trunk racks that say they are even compatible with a Tucson. I'm hesitant to spend tons of money on a hitch/rack set up.....but I also don't want to damage my bike or paint job on my car.

I was looking at the Yakima FullBack 2. Seems to be my best choice for a trunk set up. Not sure I can stomach spending more than $200-$300 to transport a $500 bike, but maybe that's just me.

rumrunn6

size of the hitch doesn't provide enough info as to what it can carry. for example my 2011 Subaru Forester had a 1.25" hitch but it was only Class I so it could only carry 2 bikes. when I got my 2014 Jeep Cherokee I had Uhaul install a 1.25", but it is Class II & carries 4 bikes very well

before i got the hitch installed I was carrying 1 bike just fine with a Hollywood brand, Over-the-Top bike rack due to the small spoiler on the rear roof. if you have that kind of spoiler, or lip or fin, or whatever you want to call it, then this rack would work for you

a cpl links to that model
https://hollywoodracks.com/products/...nt=15862475718

https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Rac.../dp/B00T4BIGSE

hope that helps!

EDIT: just reconfigured it for Wifey's new car

hokiefyd 

A Saris Bones may fit. You didn't say the model year of your Tucson, but the Saris site says the Bones EX-3 fits all but the current generation Tucson (2016-current). Looking at a 2016 Tucson on the internet, I'm not sure what's so wacky with that liftgate design that precludes a trunk rack, save for possibly that integrated spoiler at the top of the glass.

One other option is a roof rack. If your bike is light enough to lift to the top of the car, that could be an option.

Otherwise, a hitch rack may be your only option.

BookFinder 

My Thule hitch mounted rack. When I first bought it I installed it on a Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler was later sold, and I originally took the photo intending to sell the rack but changed my mind.The Thule is a great product that offers a bit of security that is helpful where I live.

Moe Zhoost

I understand this completely. It makes sense to go the economy route to explore what works for you. I'd suggest looking for a used rack of the particular models that you're interested in. I see a lot of low-use racks on Craigslist around here.

Because I also have a boat to tow, I opted for a Class 3 hitch for our Forester with a platform rack (Rocky Mounts) and couldn't be more pleased with the ease of use and overall stability. It was not cheap, though I did save some money installing the hitch myself. I bought the hitch from etrailer.com, a great online vendor. They also sell bike racks of all types and brands and have many review videos for them. Plan on spending some time browsing their site.

camjr

Can't go wrong with that rack.
Just an fyi - you might want to flip your front wheel around - your tire tread is reversed from the correct direction of travel.

BookFinder 

LOL. Yep. That is a garage sale bike we bought on the cheap to ride the grands around the neighborhood. Heaviest dang thing I've ever lifted onto that rack, but it was a perfect mount for the child-seat we used at the time. I switched the tire one-day when I had fork-mounts on the tool box of the truck and just haven't thought to swap it back.

The grands are now aged 7, 9, and 12 but my wife doesn't want to part with the junker. So ... like any smart man, I just say "yes ma'am" and keep it in a corner.

HotCzech

It's a 2016 I think the spoiler is what causes the issue with trunk racks.

I'm fairly short; even if the bike were light enough, I don't think I could reach high enough to get it on the roof.

Hitch is feeling more and more the way to go.

HotCzech

I am more or less convinced a hitch rack is the best option for me. If you kind folks will allow me to alter my question slightly, which particular hitch rack is best for my needs:
- Want to be able to carry 2 bikes: I ride a ladies bike with a slanted top tube, and will assume my hubby gets a men's bike at some point
- Want to be able to lock the bikes to the rack
- Want to be able to access the rear trunk/hatch easily
- Want to keep costs reasonable (I realize that is relative)
- Main usage will be short trips around my metro area; would do a few longer trips per year

I'd appreciate all suggestions. I've done some online shopping and am a little overwhelmed with the options.

digger

I have a 2016 Tucson and after much research I settled on the Kuat 2.0 Base. It’s 2 bike, can fit road to fat bike, integrated locking cables, no tool mounting and dismounting on the vehicle, secures the bikes via the wheels only and tilt feature for hatch access.
There is a local company here called Rackology who helped me decide. I had thought about a Thule T2 Pro but he said that, so far this year, he has sold 14 of those and 6 came back for warranty issues. He said Thule quality has gone way downhill and I should avoid them. Price was within $25 between the 2 so it doubt he was feeding me a line.
The Kuat Transfer is about $200 cheaper but no locking cables and requires tools to mount and dismount.
I’m having a 2” hitch receiver installed.
Hope that helps.

Mista Sparkle

I went with an Allen 4 bike carrier on my CRV, installed a 2" hitch for it and it works well enough. The hitch install is not too bad for a reasonably handy person.

Probably about $200 in total.

For locking bikes up, I picked up an extra long cable lock at HF to fish through my bikes. I still wouldn't leave my bikes unattended...

It seems sturdy enough for moderately light bikes, but I wouldn't load 4 old steel mountain bikes onto it. I usually load 2 or 3 bikes on it.

Batstar

Realizing that I may be a little bit late to the game here, I thought that I would chime in anyways with regards to suggesting another option. This alternative solution virtually checks all the required items on your list.

I happen to own a late model Volvo SUV so I’m not sure how fitment would compare to the Tucson. My predicament was similar to yours in that our vehicle did not come equipped with a hitch. Mounting the bikes on the roof was not a preferred option and so I continued to look for a secure method to transport two bikes. I borrowed this idea of an in-car-bike rack from another bike forum and improved on its original design. The project uses materials acquired from any hardware outlet and could be completed in less than a weekend for most DIYers. The main component of the rack utilizes Gladiator Garage panels which were obtained from Lowes. They can be cut to size and already have preformed channels to accommodate a pair of Rocky Mount fork mounts which I purchased from Amazon.

I’ve attached a PDF that explains the rack build in better detail.

Speedway2

Around here you can get a $110 ticket if your rear plate is obstructed. Even the vertical arm of the bike rack mounted on a hitch can land you a fine if you're driving around without a bike on it.
That said my wife uses a class 1 trailer hitch on her convert mustang and has been ticketless so far......

u235

They probably have that law in my area too. I mounted a strap on rack on one of my cars 3 years ago and haven't taken it off once since. The bottom support bar lines up and comes to rest against the license plate and covers most of it up. No problems yet. I live in a two plate state and I have got tickets for not having a front plate, maybe if you don't have a plate you get a ticket, if you have one although not actually readable you're good to go