Although the bicycle might be your preferred mode of
transportation, we can’t always bike to our favorite trail or riding
location. There will always become a
time when you have to transport your bike with your vehicle. Maybe you are taking your bike with you on
vacation or perhaps you are simply getting to the trailhead of your favorite
mountain bike trail. Regardless of the
reason for transporting your bike, there is always a need to get your bike
somewhere safely so you can enjoy the ride.
There are a number of ways to transport your bike. Various
manufactures such as; Thule (pronounced like “tool-e”), Yakima, Saris,
SportRack and others make racks for nearly every kind of car, truck, van and
SUV. Some are very simple and others are
much more complex. However, they all
have one thing in common – they are designed to get your bike from point A to
point B safely. I’ll discuss several of
those types of racks below. However, my
main objective with this blog is to tell you that there are just as many WRONG
ways to transport a bike as there are correct ways. We see many different bike problems come
through our repair shop that are a result of poor bike transportation. Just because a bike will fit in the back of
your SUV, doesn’t mean that is where you should carry it. A bike is a fine tuned piece of
equipment. Although they may take a
beating on the trail, it doesn’t take much to get the bike out of tune. Something as simple as putting your bike in
the back of your SUV could mean the difference between an enjoyable 20 mile
ride and a ride that is filled with clicks, rubs, and noises. The most common problem is when the
derailleurs (shifting mechanisms) get bumped, moved or damaged from bouncing
around in your vehicle. This is a very
common problem for those that put their bike in their car, truck, van or SUV
without some type of bicycle rack to secure the bike. Components on bicycles that provide valuable
functions like shifting and braking are somewhat fragile. A little bump or movement in one direction or
the other could mean the difference between your bike being able to shift into
the big chain ring or being stuck in the little chain ring. In most cases there is no visible damage to
the components, so you don’t even realize anything happened to the bike until
you try to ride.
A pickup truck bed seems like a logical place to carry a
bike. It certainly can be with the
proper equipment or rack. However,
simply putting your bike in the back of a pickup truck is one of the worst ways
to carry a bike safely. We recently had
a customer get a tune up, new tubes, and new tires on his mountain bike. He took the bike for a 10-15 mile ride and
all was good. He and 2 of his friends
loaded their bikes into the back of a pickup truck and drove 2 hours to their
favorite trailhead. Upon arrival, they
discovered that the bikes had shifted in the back of the truck and a pedal
started to rub a tire. The new tire was
completely destroyed, the tube was popped, and the right shifter was
broken. All of this because they didn’t
have a proper rack system in the back of the truck. Pickup trucks can certainly be a good place
to carry your bikes. There is plenty of
room, they are away from the road grime, and they fit nicely in the back of a
truck. However, we recommend that you
have a proper rack system in the bed of a truck to secure the bikes. A fork mount system is a pretty inexpensive
way to carry your bike (or multiple bikes) and can easily be removed when not
in use. See illustrations below. A simple fork mount can be as little as $25
and these can be mounted to a 2x4 or 2x6 piece of wood that is cut to fit your
truck bed. Other bed mount type systems
retail for $50-$250.
There are also a number of rear mounts for cars and
SUVs. This type of rack carries anywhere
from 2 to as many as 5 bicycles. The
rear mount system usually secures to the car or SUV with a series of heavy
nylon straps and buckles. The rack
usually adapts or adjusts to different types of vehicles and is primarily
designed for cars and SUVs. This system
is effective and is usually one of the least expensive options for carrying a
bike or bikes. However, you must make
sure the straps are properly secured and check the straps often to be sure that
the straps are tight and the bike rack doesn’t shift. There are also limitations on bicycle weight
that can safely be carried on this type of rack. A heavy bike or several bikes will have a
tendency to shift more frequently. Some
of these systems may also have supports (usually covered in foam) that may rest
against your vehicle glass. You want to
be sure that there isn’t too much weight on the glass. If your vehicle is dirty when the rack is
installed, the dirt may also result in some scratches in the paint where the
rack rests against the vehicle. This
type of rack can be a little confusing to install with all of those straps
(some have as many as 6 straps). This
type of rack usually retails in the $75-$200 range.
The hitch mount rack is a good option if you already have a
hitch on your vehicle. Most come in both
2” and 1.25” hitch size options. The
hitch mount is usually pretty secure and the hitch is designed to carry several
thousand pounds, so weight of the bike or bikes is not an issue. This type of system is pretty easy to install
and the rack itself usually run in the $120-$400 range depending on how many
bikes you want to carry and what features the rack has (folding arms, swing
away, locks, etc.). However, if your
vehicle isn’t equipped with a hitch already, you can expect to pay another
$250-$350 to have a hitch professionally installed at your local garage.
The roof mount rack is the last carrying option that I will
discuss. This is probably the most
versatile system on the market. One
obvious downside to this system is that you must have the physical capabilities
to lift the bike into the rack. This can
be bit challenging for some - especially if the rack is on an SUV. However, a roof rack system (including cross
bars) can be used for carrying many different types of outdoor gear. Once you have the base rack system (mounts
and crossbars) installed, the options for carrying things are endless. Bikes are just one of the many things you can
carry on a roof rack. You can also carry
canoes, kayaks, cargo boxes, cargo baskets, lumber, Christmas trees, etc.
etc. The cost of a roof mount system
varies depending on your vehicle. If
your vehicle is already equipped with a factory roof rack, then you can likely
mount a bike rack directly to your factory rack. The bike racks usually cost somewhere in the
$100-$220 price range for each bike.
However, if you do not have a factory rack installed (we refer to this
as a “naked roof”), then you must first get the base rack system, which is
usually in the $250-$350 range. The roof
rack system is usually the most expensive initial investment, but certainly
gives you many different options for carrying lots of cool gear. Not to mention that it just makes your
vehicle look pretty badass too.
Country Squirrel Outfitters is always happy to
answer any questions you have about rack systems. Regardless of what type of bike rack you
decided to go with, the rack is an investment that will extend the life of your
bicycle and keep you and your bicycle on the trails instead of in the bike shop
for repairs and adjustments. Country
Squirrel Outfitters carries a number of different rack brands including; Thule,
Yakima, Saris, Delta, SportRack and more.
