What kind of bike rack?

[acomelek]

Roof rack or hitch rack?

 

[kcs4]

I made the decision last weekend to go with the roof rack.

While it's gonna take a lot more energy to get the bikes up there (or a step ladder!), I couldn't get myself to sacrifice the convenience of being able to open the hatch unencumbered.

Also, you can leave the roof rack on there even when you're not using it, while a naked hitch rack looks plain silly.

Plus, if you're disaster-prone, there's probably a greater chance of some guy rear-ending you (and destroying the bike) than there is of you being careless enough to rip the bike off the top by driving into a parking garage...

At least I would hope!

 

[sketch1]

I am a bigger fan of the roof racks simlply because they are incredibly versatile. With a yakima roof rack you can carry a ton of stuff. Bikes, ski's, snowboards, luggage boxes, cargo trays, spare tires, canoes, kayaks, etc. With a hitch mount you have to get a different type of hitch mount for each toy you are trying to transport. That a a roor rack can hold a lot more at the same time(and they look cool too). However if you are only interested in bikes Yakima does make a very cool bike rack called the Back Swing 4(http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=31), which moves out of the way so you can keep your bikes on the hitch and still have access to opening the tailgate. But you are spending damn near the same on that alone, than you would on a roof setup. I would go with the roof rack.

 

[jdub24]

I made the decision last weekend to go with the roof rack.

While it's gonna take a lot more energy to get the bikes up there (or a step ladder!), I couldn't get myself to sacrifice the convenience of being able to open the hatch unencumbered.

Also, you can leave the roof rack on there even when you're not using it, while a naked hitch rack looks plain silly.

Plus, if you're disaster-prone, there's probably a greater chance of some guy rear-ending you (and destroying the bike) than there is of you being careless enough to rip the bike off the top by driving into a parking garage...

At least I would hope!

Those were all my sentiments when I decided on my roof rack....

 

[HiVel-JR]

hitch racks are easy and practical, roof racks are for show-offs

 

[mswscco]

Bikes on the back since other stuff needs to go on top. The rack swings away pretty easily to open the hatch. Also, there's plenty of room for access to the rear window, even with the rack closed.

 

[adder70]

I like hitch for mileage and the ability to put other stuff on the roof. For ours, even the large Yakima storage bin leaves (just) enough room for a bike, but we have an old hitch rack from my previous 4Runner, so I use that, even if it's one of the first hitch racks and doesn't swing away.

 

[Bourbon City]

I own a Thule 4 bike hitch mount swing away. Their best and I love it. Expensive? Yes, but it will serve me the rest of my bicycling life.

 

[ktaylor]

roof.

i dont trust people that tailgate me. especially in the sacramento area.

and i like to be able to sit on the tailgate and get ready without tripping over anything.

 

[Uneek]

Yakima Holdup.

Hitch, because chances are I'm going to damage something in the process of getting the bike up on the roof.

 

[Dylan]

My insurance covers me if a jackoff rear ends my bike. Plus, it means I get a new bike. As far as the versatility of a roof rack goes, I don't do any of that other stuff to necessitate the versatility...no kayaking, no skiing, no snowboarding.

It takes 10 seconds to remove my bike from my hitch mount rack, and another 10 to remove the rack itself when I'm not using it (no unnecessary extra weight). The roof mount on the other hand, well that's another story. You have the possibility of slipping while atop the car and scratching both the car and possibly ruining your bike (insurance would not cover that).

I have an ARB roof rack that I use for gear when camping, but truthfully I don't keep it on that much. My car wash I go to doesn't allow roof racks because of all the mechanisms that do the washing.

Bottom line: If you're super Xtreme and do all sorts of outdoor activities 24/7 then maybe a roof rack will be your choice. But if you're just needing to carry your bikes, go hitch mount.

 

[GladeRunner]

I have a Thule 4 bike hitch mount. Love it. Its easy to add/remove bikes. The swing away like Bourbon City described is nice (and about 2x the price) if you need a lot of cargo access.

 

[habanero]

Hitch.
There are a lot of trees.
It fits every bike I've got, kid, tandem, mtn, road.
I can get the bikes that high, but not roof-rack high.

 

[aghily]

I have both.....4 passengers with 4 bikes!

 

[cacoghill]

I use the Yakama hitch rack it hold 4 bikes, and if I need in the back I just roll the window down.

 

[Silver01SR5]

Roof or Hitch? I chose neither. $30 bucks in fork mounts and a 2 x 6 (and some cool stickers) and I can run my road and mountain bikes in the back. works for me, but obviously you trade space for bikes!

 

[ebg18t]

Thule hitch rack on the 4Runner. Thule roof rack on the Audi.

 

[Tengu]

Softwide Dura

Amazon.com: softride dura

 

[aghily]

Looks good to me and they are locked up indoors with no chance of falling off the rack!

 

[wadle5]

It really depends. The roof racks are nice for parking and maybe everyday driving if ya don't have to deal with parking ramps. BUT for interstate driving it sucks and kills your gas mileage which is why if you are roadtripping with bikes and need space inside your vehicle the hitch one makes sense. So I guess I have no finite answer just some things to think about.