Weekend Athlete: A Word About Bike Racks

Until this post, I haven't written about bike racks in Weekend Athlete, for a couple of reasons. For starters, I'm pretty sure car companies don't want me slapping one of those things on their shiny new paint jobs. Also, I really believe that if you like your bike, you keep it inside the car.

That's not to say I’ve never used a bike rack. In fact, I've used both rear and roof-mounted racks in the past, and I can state for the record which I prefer, and that would be a roof rack.

Why not a rear rack? For starters, I have to parallel park a lot — both at races and in the city where I live. The problem with a rear rack is that instead of accidentally nudging the car behind you with your bumper, it’s your fancy race bike that takes the nudge. Before you scream “Learn to park!” remember someone could park behind you while you're racing and nudge your fancy rack. That's not good either, is it?

“But,” you say, “I use a rack that sits over the trunk of the car so the bike doesn't stick out past the bumper.” That's good — it does eliminate the bike-as-bumper issue. However, in my experience, once you put one of those over your trunklid, you can’t get in the trunk. I like to use my trunk for carrying stuff at races. Others may prefer using the rear seat. To each his own.

Now, with a roof rack, you can still get in the trunk and parking isn't an issue. Also, depending on the roof rack system, it can be modified with attachments to let you carry more things than bikes.

Of course, there’s always the (apocryphal) tale of the rider who left his bike on the roof, pulled into a garage and ruined a bike when it hit the ceiling.

I guess I could see that being an issue, but, really, no. If you go to a race and on your way back home forget a) why you left the house in the first place and b) that you brought a bike with you to the bike race … I just don’t know what to tell you.

To me, the best reason to turn down a roof rack is its height. If you're a shorter athlete or own a taller car, I can see hoisting a bike up onto a roof being too much to ask. In that case, yep, go for it with some form of rear rack. To help out, here's a section on racks in the Cars.com Advice section that details racks, and this section outlines different things that racks can carry.

Comments

[cactuswren]

I'm with you on the "Keep it inside the car". I had a roof rack on my old '95 Maxima, and a chief complaint was that it really eats into gas mileage-- the car would get 29MPG highway for me with no rack, 25MPG with just an empty rack, and 21MPG with two bicycles on the rack. That had been my biggest complaint until, I admit, my bicycle met its demise encountering the top of my garage. It happens! Plus, who likes having the lubricant blown dry on your chain and bugs fused into various bike parts? Trunk racks don't have that problem, but there aren't many trunk racks that will accommodate a Giant MCR-1 as it has no top tube, and... ditto the rest of your comments. Bikes are less likely to get stolen from inside a vehicle, too.

[Bill J.]

Oooh, well, first I'm sorry for your loss with the bike. That's not good and I hope the replacement serves you well.

And, yeah I hear you on the lube getting blown out of the chain and the bugs getting plastered everywhere. That's no fun. Excellent point about the mileage, too.

My other least-favorite thing is to have my bike on a rack and then have it rain on the way to the race, but stop before the race starts. So, you know, if I'd had the bike in the car, it'd be fine, but since I don't, I have to do a quick bike-cleaning.

[Six]

I drive an Element, and I do enjoy the ability to pile bikes in, or boats, and prefer the interior to a rack.

Racks can be handy tho, I had three bikes with full touring gear and one Bob trailer, panniers, etc., in a Buick rental SUV and it was completely overflowing, barely enough room for three people.

I probably could have moved four bikes and the same gear and four people in my old Protege5 with rack.

But you're right, most of the time when you have a bike to move around, it's hard to beat inside the vehicle where it is more secure and not creating wind drag.

[englerv]

All good points, I always kept my bike in the car, until I got a new car. Now its no bikes allowed inside as they invariable scratch, tear, stain the interior. I definitely notice decreased gas mileage, even without bikes on the rack.