Bike racks

Flamethrower

Well-Known Member
125
88
Worcester, MA
Vehicle Model
Honda Civic EX
Body Style
Coupe
I'm currently looking for a bike rack for my car. I am very particular about what I do want and what I don't want. Having the over the trunk rack that uses the straps, scares the hell out of me in scratching and fading my paint. Most reviews for the one I looked at on Amazon were positive and said no damage occured. I just don't see how that is possible. The friction alone would cause chipping or scratches in my mind. I then started to wonder if a trailer hitch would be the way to go. I found this one and it looks pretty simple to install, hidden under the car and pretty sturdy. http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Honda/Civic/2012/60822.html?vehicleid=20127080
Has anyone had experience with these hitches? Would this be a good choice to go with and then just buy a bike rack that attaches to the hitch? I want something where the bike is away from the car, sturdy enough to take on loner drives at high speeds and last a while without rusting.
 
I think the best way to do it is a roof rack with a fork mount. The hitch mount ones will still move a little at speeds but better than trunk mount ones.
 
I have the hitch mount. I bought my hitch from Etrailer and it was a really good experience. Great company to deal with. It really depends on the type of bike you are going to be carrying if you want to go roof, hitch, or trunk rack.

I got a hitch mount because I have some really heavy 40lb DH bikes to haul. I didn't trust the roof of my coupe to hold up. I can hear it flex/pop in and out at the touchless car wash. A sedan with a longer roof is probably stronger. If you have a sedan and light bikes you can probably run a roof rack just fine. Coupes require a lot of extra bracing, check the Thule site, because of the shortened roof line.


Install of the hitch mount was a breeze. I didn't even remove the heat shield around the exhaust like they said to. It just bolts right up. I sorta cheated cause i work at a bike shop and had some help holding it in place but yeah, 30min tops for install.

The rack you purchase will definitely effect how well the bikes stay in place. I am a fan of the thule racks for ease of use.

Let me know if you have more questions.

In terms of security, strength, and less chance of damage to the car - hitch, roof, trunk.



I don't like roof racks cause im short and it's hard to reach up that high!
 
I did like the fact it seemed easy to install that hitch. I would be carrying my Mt. Bike which isn't incredibly heavy. The only reason I would go roof rack is so I can double it as my snowboard rack too. I just don't understand why a roof rack is ~$400 when I can get a hitch and bike rack for well under that. Thanks for the input.
 
I did like the fact it seemed easy to install that hitch. I would be carrying my Mt. Bike which isn't incredibly heavy. The only reason I would go roof rack is so I can double it as my snowboard rack too. I just don't understand why a roof rack is ~$400 when I can get a hitch and bike rack for well under that. Thanks for the input.

Check around for cheaper prices.....they can be had for less than $400. I bought the civic coupe without the extra brace thing for $250 used then sold the loadbars, towers and fit kit for $200 and turned around and bought a brand new set of loadbars and towers for the BMW for $233 shipped.
 
Yep, that is a nice advantage to a roof rack. You can definitely use it for multiple sports.

I know that with the thule systems you can just get new "feet" when you move the rack from car to car. There are tons of attachments for bikes, skis, boards, kayaks and all that.

I haven't used a roof rack with bikes in a while but I do think they are quieter in terms of rack movement. Wind noise is increased but like Nomar said, with a hitch you definitely hear some clunking around. The thing is totally secure but the moving parts all shift a little.
 
In both the Civic coupe and on the BMW sedan the bike def moved a little at hwy speeds, around 60-70. On the BMW, since the towers were further apart, the bike barely moves now at the same hwy speeds. I use a fork mount bike tray which is more secure compared to other trays where you don't remove the front wheel.
 
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