The different types of bike racks

The Different Types Of Bike Racks

I started mountain biking a couple of years ago.

Every time I finished a trail my bike would be pretty dirty.

I didn’t have a bike rack at the time so I would put my bike in the truck which also made my trunk very dirty.

So after a few weeks of constantly cleaning my trunk I decided to buy myself a bike rack.

I did a little research about bike racks and found out there are three different types of bike racks.

A roof mounted one; a trunk mounted one and also one that attaches to a trailer hitch.

Trunk Bike Racks

Most likely the most common used bike rack used today.

The trunk bike rack is known to be able to attach fairly quickly and easily making it good for short trips.

Carrying the bikes at the rear of the car will also protect them from any debris that could damage them.

While the trunk mounted bike rack is attached you will not be able to have use of your trunk unlike the roof mounted bike rack that

allows you full access.

Roof Bike Racks

A roof mounted bike rack allows you to be able to get at the trunk without anything in the way.

The roof mounted bike rack is a status symbol in the world of cycling.

This bike rack usually means you are a serious biker.

After you have your crossbars on for your bike rack you can swap out to a variety of other types of racks.

The roof mounted bike rack can cause some wind resistance noise and lower your fuel economy.

And with the added height it could cause some clearance problems with certain vehicles.

Hitch Bike Racks

Being the easiest bike rack to install the hitch mounted bike rack is becoming more popular.

Just slide the rack into the trailer hitch and you are ready to go.

Depending on what brand you get you can carry a lot of bikes with one rack.

Now you might have to pay a little more if your car doesn’t have a trailer hitch and need to be fitted with one.

In order to have full access to your trunk you will either have to uninstall the rack every time or spend more money on a rack that

swings out to provide access to the trunk.

Also backing up with the extra length of the rack added to the car can be a bit challenging.