roof rack vs. hitch rack vs. trunk rack

[NooNer]

so in preperation for roadtrip / biking trip season, im in need of a source to mount my bike to the ol automobile.

my car: 89 jetta 2door ... the fact its 2 door is important

for a roof rack, i have looked and not had much success on finding one that is compatible to my car. generally they have 2 cross members, one front, one rear and they clip into the door jams. the problem is i cant open my back windows and i dont have rear door jams. is it possible to get a roof rack up and running? are there any major advantages to having a roof rack other than those thule boxes to stash all your shit ... (extra trunk)

hitch rack. i know i can get a hitch from u-haul and install it on my own time. if i cant mount this up myself i probably shouldnt be driving or riding a bike. what are good that can hold preferably 2- 3 bikes. its not a big deal if they are on the table thing or kind of suspended on bars. the table is better tho, or so i think ... it seems more secure.

trunk rack. these suck, i dont really want one because i cant get into my trunk and its a lot of stress on flimsy trunk metal.

im kind of leaning to a hitch rack, and possibly run a roof rack at the same time, but i dont know what works and google seemed hopeless.

damn hell ass 2 door.

.evets

[toy4-jay]

one word.

thule!

i have never in my life seen such a complex rack system with all these crazy attachments and stuff....

its nuts.

[TheGiggler]

steve, we ran a thule system on an old 2 door celica.

call Rack Stop/Attack... i'm pretty sure you can get some "extender bars" that will work with you car... but it will be $$'s as with anything thule.

[skifreak]

Thule has a kit where both the sets of clamps hook in on the front doors but the second rear bar sits on roof alone.. its pretty good but I would use that system mostly for light objects, boxes, skis, boars, road bikes and stuff..

the rear hitches hopefully are strong or you'll be bending it down... rear racks are different leverage than a trailer on the ball

but chekc a store like rackattack for all the help you need.

[NooNer]

holy eff, these things are money ... ok lets try to stay on the cheap(er) end of things. i cant really afford to drop 500 on racks.

[skifreak]

Originally posted by NooNer
holy eff, these things are money ... ok lets try to stay on the cheap(er) end of things. i cant really afford to drop 500 on racks.

the thing is - what are you gonna put on your rack- sure i got an expensive rack but I know for sure it's gonna hold
cheap rack for cheap stuff.. .

if you've got an xc bike you might be ok with a cheaper rack

but if you want to carry a big bike around better to get a truck or dish out the cash for something that won't eject at 100km/h

[NooNer]

Originally posted by skifreak
the thing is - what are you gonna put on your rack- sure i got an expensive rack but I know for sure it's gonna hold
cheap rack for cheap stuff.. .

if you've got an xc bike you might be ok with a cheaper rack

but if you want to carry a big bike around better to get a truck or dish out the cash for something that won't eject at 100km/h

very true. maybe i can snag something used.

whats a good weight capacity?

[Shmoe]

I have a 4dr jetta, I went with a yakima set-up with 2 x sportworks racks. Pretty expensive. But I like my bikes the way they are. Yakima also sells the stretch kit.

Oh and if you get a roofrack, you will one day drive under somthing you dont clear because you will not think about it. IT WILL HAPPEN. :(

[NooNer]

Originally posted by Shmoe
Oh and if you get a roofrack, you will one day drive under somthing you dont clear because you will not think about it. IT WILL HAPPEN. :(

:(

[pwrslm]

I'd go with the roof rack, if you shell out the bucks for a thule system you can usually move it from car to car with only buying small fit parts.
One of the reasons I chose a roof rack was in case i ever get rearended, I don't want to deal with trying to get ICBC to shell out for a 5K bike.
I have yet to attempt to drive under something that i would not fit under.

[Tom P]

Trunk rack/hitch rack means you bike/s is toast if you get rear ended in traffic. Happened to me in vancouver once. ICBC has a max payout of $1500 or something for bikes, so insurance wont cover a $4000 dually. I feel a lot safer with my bike on the roof when crawling along highway one in bumper to bumper traffic.

[Danksi]

I have a Ford Focus Wagon. I had the same problem in deciding. I was living in Nelson at the time, which has lots of trees, so no roof mounted bikes. I went with a hitch mount in the end.

If you go with a hitch, since a Jetta has similar ground clearance, I'd go with a Yakima Hitch, as they seem to be the only ones with a rounded bar at the bottom. It should make a bit more difference, when you come across some bumps. I have a square bottomed rack and it grounds out on large kerbs and bumps (bike's still ok though).

http://www.rackattack.biz/cart/product-images/thumbs/202400.jpg

Since my home contents insurance doesn't fully cover my bikes, they're insured seperately, so I'm not that bothered about some idiot rear-ending me

[XXX_er]

everything is a trade off in some way

I got the hitch mounted rack on a TDI golf ,fantastic milage, I can carry 3 bikes pretty safely but a bighit bike with a 8" travel fork will hit ... only 4" clearance and front wheel will drag on driveways and dips in the highway at speed .I am thinking of extending the center pool by 6" at the hitch shop

You can get extender bars for roof racks but I wonder about the load capacity with a system that is only being held by 2 clips?Shuttling with roof racks I find to be a real drag, And while I havent hit any clearance probs with a roof rack its something to remember after safteymeetings or even just being really blissed after a ride

Ya its expensive but thule lasts

[Shmoe]

I really had no choice with my car. I could hae retro fitted a 2 inch hitch on it. But I did some reasearch and many people said not to. I carry a v10 and an aline on my roof all the time. I am under the weight limit and the sportworks racks are SOLID.

Racks are expensive, it sucks. But its one place where the money is well spent.

[XXX_er]

The new VW have a BIG rivet under the body molding that the rack harware loops around for a VERY solid fit ...I bet you could pick a >99 golf or jetta u[p off the grounf with the thule rack

It is fucking expensive,I figure between the xtra wide thule bars ,adventurer box,kayak stacker, roof rack for 1 bike,trailer hitch, bar to carry monoqoce frame bikes and hitch rack about 2K , fortunatley some of that came with a used SUV I bought and some was a a tax write off but at 55mpg I have saved ALOT of fuel to pay for making an SUV I can afford to drive.In 4 years bet I saved close to 20K on fuel over the 4-runner I used to drive

[BAC5.2]

The best way to do it, is to have a roof rack. Period.

I'm fucking pissed. I sold my roof rack, and now I'm getting back into biking. I'll probably just get a trunk rack or something. I can't stick it in the car, no hitch, and I'm to lazy to drop money on the whole roof setup again.

Maybe if I can pro-deal the roof setup, I'll go that way again.

[switch]

Originally posted by BAC5.2
The dead have awkened! :eek: :D


If you want inexpensive, get a strap on mount.

I got a hitch mount. It is soooo easy to use. I put the hitch in the trunk when I'm not using it, as it takes up very little space. Installing/removing it takes all of 15 seconds. Loading/unloading the bike takes all of 30 seconds. There's no having to lift the bike over your head. There's no excessive top-heaviness, and no worry about low ceilings. If the bike is muddy, I drive up to a hose and hose the mud off with the bike on the hitch; I wouldn't do it with the bike on a roof rack.

Cost me about $200 for the hitch and rack.

[XXX_er]

NEVER sell that stuff ,some of my thule has been on 3 differnet vehicles and has half a million klicks on it... paint is peeling off the towers

a side benifit of hitch racks is they make great work stands in the P-lot to work on your bike

[switch]

I still have my Thule racks I bought years ago (with clamps, locks, attachments for skis, etc.)

If I get a new car, the most I have to spend is $80 for new clamps, and I'm ready to go.

[JSinclair]

Trunk rack will be the cheapest set up. There are good ones and cheap ones. Get a good one.

Roof rack is the better bet but a whole system will run you about a grand if you are doing a thule or yakima system ($400-500 for the rack then 150-200 per bike holder)

Both yakima and Thule have arms that hold on to teh Gunnel of your car. The gunnel is the metal rail that runs front to back over your rear passenger windows and front doors, they are strong as hell ( I had a 89 VW Fox that I used to carry a 450lbs boat on teh roof -- Thule racks mounted ont eh gunnels. I put 80,000 KM's with a boat on the roof)

Most bike racks are rated at 100 to 130lbs. They all say no more than 120km/h...

I did 110MPH with two full rigs on the roof back from Sun Peaks...

[switch]

Originally posted by JSinclair
I did 110MPH with two full rigs on the roof back from Sun Peaks...

In an 89 VW Fox? :eek: :eek: :D

[skifreak]

Originally posted by switch
In an 89 VW Fox? :eek: :eek: :D

Probably downhill on the Coquihalla with a tailwind :)

[XXX_er]

so an 89 has drip rails? I wasnt sure

my buddy has a 96 golf and he races flatwater canoes which are not heavy at less than 30lbs each but they have a large area to grab the wind.He had 2 boats on a thule blow off the roof at highway speed ,it wasnt his tie down job cuz the rack was still attached to the boats .It was that the rack attachment to the car couldnt cut it .2 pro boats are worth about 7000$ ,fortunatley he was able to repair the damage to the boats,but no longer trusts the rack attachment so he flew down to Vancover and picked up a well used 91 toyoyta van for 4000$ .he's a biker too and the van is gona be great for biking also

[pete]

Originally posted by switch
In an 89 VW Fox? :eek: :eek: :D

*cough* Audi A4 *cough*

[mrraulduke]

Yakima is the way to go. both myself and a buddy had 2 door cars with their extention kit.( his was an 89 jetta ) super stable, never had a problem with them loose. plus if you get the roof rack you can use it for other things snowboards, canoes, carring large pieces of furniture home from ikea on the top of a 91 pontiac firefly, drunk friends...the uses are endless. it's pricy at first, but they last a long time and keep thier value. ( i sold my basic rack setup with stretch kit to buy some new viper mounts for my new car's factory roof rack )

[skifreak]

the one thing to compare - Thule uses a rectangular bar yakima a round bar - I found that the round bar was more likely to bend... none the less - now they are making all the attachments carriers etc with clamps that work on either round or square bars.

[NooNer]

i dont understand how these extender bars work ... im gonna go to rack arttack, u-haul and popeyes to get some better ideas. im willing to shell out for a rack if i have to, but i cant really do it right now.

my bros boss has a thule rack he said he would hook up dirt cheap, but can they be moded to fit different applications?

[Tonestar]

Originally posted by skifreak
the one thing to compare - Thule uses a rectangular bar yakima a round bar - I found that the round bar was more likely to bend... none the less - now they are making all the attachments carriers etc with clamps that work on either round or square bars.

In actual fact a Yakima Roundbar (patented by Yakima) is about 20% stronger than a Euro sqare bar (Thule, Terzo, Sportrack). The roundbar also works better with sloping or curved roof lines, the accessories still mount flat. With the Yakima Q Tower system on your 89 Jetta 2 door, you do not need to use the Stretch Kit, it is an option if you want to carry canoes, kayaks, surfboards or use a cargo box, but you don't need it for bikes, you have an 18" bar spread with 165lb weight capacity without it. I personally woudl get the Stretch Kit if I was carrying 2 or 3 50lb bikes on my roof though.

Hitch racks on cars are not great, they sit low, plus the back of the vehicle is the worst place for dirt and road grime.

if you go with a strap rack to carry big bikes, you need to get a good one, it will end up costing you around $180 and will only serve one purpose, carrying bikes.

Don't think of the roof rack as a bike accessory, think of it as a car accessory, then it would seem to be worth every penny.

[SC blur]

sportworks racks are the shit! Ive had mine for 8 months now and it literally takes less than 60 seconds to put on the car and it takes less than 15 seconds to load up two bikes. ist very secure and you dont have to worry about your bikes hitting each other or swaying under hard braking/acceleration. no joke. the best.

http://www.bicycleracks.com/stdem.asp

[atari_]

ok, sean from Rack Attack here.
First off, A hitch rack is not your best option. It will cost you $200 - $300 for hte hitch. That hitch will not be able to carry more then 2 bikes. Trunk mount is no good. Honestly your only option is roof mount. I suggest yakima because they have the best roof mount upright rack.


you need yakima q-Towers
clip 32 front and 32 back


according to the yakima fit guide, you get 18" bar spread, that's enough to carry bikes without a stretch kit.

This is your best option, you're looking at $380 new plus bike racks. (come to the outdoor show and I'll spot you 15% off cupon as well)

[atari_]

ohh yeah, for the roof
Yakima Cobra, or yakima King Cobra

those are the racks. If you have an SUV with high clearance and a class 3 hitch then a sportworks is the way to go.

www.rackattack.com we have em up on there.

[skifreak]

I just don't like the yakima bars - but that's personal

http://www.rackattack.com/prod/477_Short_Roofline_Adaptor_Car_Rack.htm

there's the extension in use...

18" doesn't give you much option for carrying stuff - I have my rack maxed out on my explorer to carry kayaks and stuff... and boxes - would be vibrating at that length... 36 - 48 inches is way better...

but that's my personal opinion..

[atari_]

18" lets you carry anything you want, excluding kayaks and canoes, and no cargo BOXES, baskets are cool

[atari_]

the more spread the better. The question is, is more spread work $200 to you?

ALSO, we rent all this stuff. So if you're thinking it's a one time thing you can rent it all. If you rent it and like it, we'll take all the money you spent to rent it, and put it towards buying the system brand new.

that's how nice I am

[NooNer]

ouch:(

[skifreak]

Originally posted by NooNer
ouch:(

how much is the bike you want to carry worth?

otherwise do teh good ol sheet and take the bike apart and stow it in the trunk - those Jettas have huge trunks

[atari_]

I like to look at it this way. If you're willing to spend over 2 grand on your bike, it should be no problem to spend $500 to transport it safely.

And then It really comes down to it, and wow I hate spending $500 unless it's new forks...

[NooNer]

its not that i dont want to, its sort of that i cant.

are there any good trunk rack options. i know its not great but it will maybe have to work.

im ghetto and dont have 500 kicking around ... basically my budget is up to $200

ps - disassembeling my frame and wrapping it in a blanket?? i know its a big trunk, but that just seems silly :lol:

[atari_]

yakimam trunk mounts are the king. look at the joes

[NooNer]

http://www.rackattack.com/exdyakima-2607.asp?id=87

such as this?

[mrraulduke]

trunk racks are fine, but a friend of mine almost ripped the trunk off his wife's calavier with a trunk mount. 2 bikes, a RM swith and a balfa minute man. all it took was 1 littel g-out on a construction section of east pender @ 50 kph to bend the trunk arms. and he's not an aggresive driver, you could barely see the dip.
It's something to keep in mind....i never would of had it hapen on my hatchback, it's just when the upper mounts hook on to the back of the trunk by the rear window, i guess they've got lots of leverage

[Tonestar]

Originally posted by NooNer
http://www.rackattack.com/exdyakima-2607.asp?id=87

such as this?

Yeah giver', that's the best one, but that price is in US dollars, they're around $200.

[atari_]

the skinny on trunk mounts:
If you install then correctly and drive carefully, they will get the job done. They are directly contacting the bumper/paint of your vehicle. So the chances of the damaging your vehicle are pretty high. (by this I mean slight scratches). If you overload the rack, or don't make sure it's tightened up all nice, then you risk bending your truck and such.

They are not the most robust option, but will get the job done.

canadian current pricing:
Mighty Joe - $225
Super Joe - $150

[switch]

Originally posted by NooNer
are there any good trunk rack options. i know its not great but it will maybe have to work.

Yes, there are. Yakima Mighty Joe or Saris Bones are pretty strong.

How many bikes do you want to carry, what kind of bikes are they, and how much do they weigh?

If you're looking at roof racks, then I'm guessing you're looking at 2 bikes max. If that's the case, you could get a class 1 hitch and a basic rack for the cost of a Mighty Joe.

[BAC5.2]

Who says 2 bikes is the max for a roof rack?

I have carried 4 bikes on the roof of my car, and my friend had 5 on top of his Explorer.

And it wasn't for a short trip either, it was a good 30 miles to the trailhead.

[switch]

5 bikes on an 89 Jetta 2 door?

[BAC5.2]

All about the rack, not about the car it's on. Though I can see the tricky part with so little spread...

[XXX_er]

that was the problem with my buddy carrying the pro-boats... not enough spread,thats why he bought the cheap van rather than risk 7000$ worth of kevlar/graphite racing canoes

only 2 hooks on the shortline roof adapter,might be Ok fo a couple of pairs of skis but worry me bigtime for loads and things that could catch the wind

[BAC5.2]

Yea, I had 4 bikes on a Subaru Legacy Sedan. My spread was pretty wide. And the Explorer was pretty wide as well.

I guess I forgot about the 2-door thing, and was just thinking in general.

[skifreak]

Originally posted by BAC5.2
Yea, I had 4 bikes on a Subaru Legacy Sedan. My spread was pretty wide. And the Explorer was pretty wide as well.

I guess I forgot about the 2-door thing, and was just thinking in general.

My gf just bought a 98 legacy - did you add on a thule to the existing tracks? or just mouted to the existing rack?

[atari_]

Originally posted by BAC5.2
All about the rack, not about the car it's on. Though I can see the tricky part with so little spread...

you're acutally backwards on this. When it comes to this type of rack, the rack can carry usually 3 times as much weight as your car is rated for. The weight limit (usually 165 lbs) is determined by the manufacturer of the vehicle. Going above that weight is usualy fine, but hitting a bump with a full load over that weight can dent your roof.

Some systems can carry a lot more. We've put 8 bikes on the roof of a 15 seater van before, not a problem.

But you can NOT get a class 1 hitch and a rack for the same price as a trunk mount.
The hitch itself retails for $260
then you have to install it, then the rack will be another $150 - $300 depending on model.

[atari_]

Originally posted by skifreak
My gf just bought a 98 legacy - did you add on a thule to the existing tracks? or just mouted to the existing rack?

Factory racks are usually rated much lower then using a thule crossroad system. In this case it's 50lbs. 110lbs for the factory rack, 165 for the thule or yakima.

Then bike racks. If you have a thule or yakima rack, you can get anyting (yet again I reccomend the yakima Cobra, or hte sportworks bobratchet). With factory racks I'd say go with a sportworks factory bob.

[yellowdogx]

Personally I would try and save up the cash to buy a proper roof mounted rack.

I ride with my brother in law often and after duing a fair bit of shutaling (him with his trunk mount and me with my roof mount) to places like sumas, and fromme his trunk now leaks! I imagine it is going to cost him more to fix the leaky trunk than it would have to buy a decent rack from the get go.

But if you dont have the cash then you dont have the cash......

[XXX_er]

they ALL got their good an bad points ,best thing to do is find out the bad/good for your application

the hitch type rear rack that clamps to the spare tire carrier on some SUV's is one of the better solutions...pretty cheap,no hitch needed and enough clearance to carry a big bike.

My buddy ed had to take a bike 1000 k at xmas on the back of his SUV and was worried about dirt .I told him to buy a big roll of clingy saran wrap an wrap the shit out of his AC1 ... far as I know it worked

[NooNer]

i looked into getting a hitch .... $220 then i still gotta get a rack, but the thing with the hitch for a pansy lil vw is a max tow weight of 1500lb and a max tongue weight of 10% ... so 150lb, but with racks that go up then ou to have bikes on it, theres leverage and they said to be safe double the weight of the bike otherwise i may have a serious neuclear meltdown in the hitch. eff!

looking to carry 3 bikes ... roughly.

mine 35 - 40lb id presume
giant team w/ monsters 50lb
rmx w/ monsters no idea on weight
peeler w/ 888 40ish lb

any combination of those. so i know a roof rack isnt going to work. with the weight and how it would have to be set up with the clamps close together it would be slightly unstable and speed while cornering.

so basically im down to a trunk rack. oh well, ill shell out and get a good one saris bones or yakima mighty joe or whatever. one question ... if rack attack or whatever rack shop sells trunk racks why do they always claim they're crap ... if its such shit why sell it? or do you steer people away from those to make more money? its not an attack, i just think its a legitimate question ... sorry if taken the wrong way.

[NooNer]

Originally posted by yellowdogx
I ride with my brother in law often and after duing a fair bit of shutaling (him with his trunk mount and me with my roof mount) to places like sumas, and fromme his trunk now leaks! I imagine it is going to cost him more to fix the leaky trunk than it would have to buy a decent rack from the get go.

:lol: its already a tad bit leaky. i added some speed holes in the bottom of my trunk to let it all drain out. :thepimp:

[BAC5.2]

Originally posted by atari_
you're acutally backwards on this. When it comes to this type of rack, the rack can carry usually 3 times as much weight as your car is rated for. The weight limit (usually 165 lbs) is determined by the manufacturer of the vehicle. Going above that weight is usualy fine, but hitting a bump with a full load over that weight can dent your roof.

Some systems can carry a lot more. We've put 8 bikes on the roof of a 15 seater van before, not a problem.

How was I backwards? I said it was all about the rack, not the car it's on. You seem to confirm that, unless I'm confused?

I was also basing my decision to carry 4 bikes on the Yakima recomended weight limit. I didn't have a factory rack, just Q-towers on a naked roof.

[XXX_er]

If you have a beater you can just bolt one of those quik release fornt axle setups directly to the roof :D

[atari_]

first of all I said it's all about the car it's on and NOT the rack.

But as for your questions, trunk mounts are the cheapest option, that's why we carry them. But I would NEVER use one myself, or suggest for anyone to buy them. With the bikes you want to carry, I DEFINATELY don't reccomend it. Too much weight. There is a weight limit of 30lbs per bike on trunk mounts. On the roof is the best way. you need 12" of bar per bike. You'll have 50" bars. 3 bikes is peanuts.

[atari_]

We don't try to get people to buy roofracks because they cost more. This is the reasoning. For some people a trunk mount is the perfect option. they use there rack once, twice a year to carry 1 or two canadian tire brand bikes. So it's a perfect solution. But when someone like you comes in, if we tell you to buy one. I gurantee it's going to have problems in the long run. That means we have an active biker telling everyone that "Rack Attack sold me a pile of crap that damaged my car". Trunk mounts do have there place, unfortunately in vancouver that place is few and far in between.

[XXX_er]

I once took one of those cheap norco trunk racks and bolted it to a piece of 3/4 plywood,configuered it so one of the bars looped over the spare tire on my 4-runner and straped it all down with a camstrap and I had a great rack for 4 years and 270000k

[atari_]

that's ghetto. I like it!

[Team2K]

hooli has the coolest rack i've ever seen

and no, not the man breasts :lol:

guess its a bit diesel for your jetti tho :P

[XXX_er]

I got 72 " wide thule bars on my tdI golf they stick more than a foot on each side so you have to duck getting in,I got road hockey balls on the rack ends to protect the bars from people hitting them with their heads.With a thule adventurer box ,I can carry 5 paddlers 5 kayaks and all gear in comfort

or 3 kayaks,3 paddlers/bikers,3 bikes on the rear hitch rack and paddling gear/camping gear for 2 weeks and still get reasonable milage