rear hitch bike rack

Need a rear hitch bike rack. Was thinking of a Yakima ROC 2 for $112 USD.
The link is below. I just need a two bike rack and want something good but
reasonable to carry my $3000 road bike.

http://www.outdoorsports.com/osc/crd...uct_id=8002573

Thanks for any help,
Curt

Guess no one has a bike rack for their car out there. Any links to places
that may be of help would be great.

Curt


"curt" wrote in message
...
Need a rear hitch bike rack. Was thinking of a Yakima ROC 2 for $112 USD.
The link is below. I just need a two bike rack and want something good
but
reasonable to carry my $3000 road bike.


http://www.outdoorsports.com/osc/crd...uct_id=8002573

Thanks for any help,
Curt

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 17:19:03 GMT, "curt" wrote:
Guess no one has a bike rack for their car out there. Any links to places
that may be of help would be great.
"curt" wrote in message
Need a rear hitch bike rack. Was thinking of a Yakima ROC 2 for $112 USD.

It's been discussed so much lately that nobody wanted to repeat
themselves yet again. Read posts dating as far back as last week for
all the information you want. Go to groups.google.com to read old
posts. You can also search for relevant messages, and that will give
you more information than you can handle.
--
Rick Onanian

Sorry I must have missed that. I have not been here that long. I looked on
google and came up with a few things, but no much really. I did get an
interesting answer on rec.bicycles.racing though. A guy told me this....

Go to www.cabelas.com and look for the link to automotive/ATV, then
look for cargo carriers/bike racks. ignore their bike rack selection,
and check out the 48" hitch haul carrier. mount a couple of truck bed
mounts like you can get from Performance or from any yakima dealer on
the side rails (you'll have to figure out the spacing yourself, as
well as drill holes) and voila', a two-bike carrier that can be used
for LOT's of other uses, too. Less than $100 total.

I thought it was an outstanding idea!
Curt





"Rick Onanian" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 17:19:03 GMT, "curt" wrote:
Guess no one has a bike rack for their car out there. Any links to
places
that may be of help would be great.
"curt" wrote in message
Need a rear hitch bike rack. Was thinking of a Yakima ROC 2 for $112
USD.

It's been discussed so much lately that nobody wanted to repeat
themselves yet again. Read posts dating as far back as last week for
all the information you want. Go to groups.google.com to read old
posts. You can also search for relevant messages, and that will give
you more information than you can handle.
--
Rick Onanian

"curt" wrote in message
...
Sorry I must have missed that. I have not been here that long. I looked
on
google and came up with a few things, but no much really. I did get an
interesting answer on rec.bicycles.racing though. A guy told me this....

Go to www.cabelas.com and look for the link to automotive/ATV, then
look for cargo carriers/bike racks. ignore their bike rack selection,
and check out the 48" hitch haul carrier. mount a couple of truck bed
mounts like you can get from Performance or from any yakima dealer on
the side rails (you'll have to figure out the spacing yourself, as
well as drill holes) and voila', a two-bike carrier that can be used
for LOT's of other uses, too. Less than $100 total.

I thought it was an outstanding idea!

Suprising and encouraging news. When I followed r.b.racing you would have
been called a dumb-ass fred. Glad you got the info you were looking for.

Matthew

"curt" wrote in message
...
Sorry I must have missed that. I have not been here that long. I looked
on
google and came up with a few things, but no much really. I did get an
interesting answer on rec.bicycles.racing though. A guy told me this....

Go to www.cabelas.com and look for the link to automotive/ATV, then
look for cargo carriers/bike racks. ignore their bike rack selection,
and check out the 48" hitch haul carrier. mount a couple of truck bed
mounts like you can get from Performance or from any yakima dealer on
the side rails (you'll have to figure out the spacing yourself, as
well as drill holes) and voila', a two-bike carrier that can be used
for LOT's of other uses, too. Less than $100 total.

I thought it was an outstanding idea!
Curt

Meant to add, if I had a $3000 bike it would go in the vehicle. If you go
the Cabela route, I'd get locking mounts.

Matthew

I was called a dumb-ass fred by a couple of people there. There are lots of
bike snobs there, but some are cool. I thought that was a pretty good idea.
I could put the bicycle inside, but it takes up quite a bit of room and I
have a big dog.

Curt

"Matthew" wrote in message
...

"curt" wrote in message
...
Sorry I must have missed that. I have not been here that long. I
looked
on
google and came up with a few things, but no much really. I did get an
interesting answer on rec.bicycles.racing though. A guy told me
this....

Go to www.cabelas.com and look for the link to automotive/ATV, then
look for cargo carriers/bike racks. ignore their bike rack selection,
and check out the 48" hitch haul carrier. mount a couple of truck bed
mounts like you can get from Performance or from any yakima dealer on
the side rails (you'll have to figure out the spacing yourself, as
well as drill holes) and voila', a two-bike carrier that can be used
for LOT's of other uses, too. Less than $100 total.

I thought it was an outstanding idea!

Suprising and encouraging news. When I followed r.b.racing you would have
been called a dumb-ass fred. Glad you got the info you were looking for.

Matthew

"curt" wrote in message
...
Guess no one has a bike rack for their car out there. Any links to places
that may be of help would be great.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...3A4178%3A49043

or

http://tinyurl.com/2umoc

I have an older model of the Rhode Gear hitch mount 2 bike rack and I've
been satisfied with it. It mounts firmly into the receiver so it doesn't
rattle around. They also make a 4 bike model. I gave a tire mount one to a
friend and she has been satisfied with it as well. I just bungee the front
wheel to the big chainring (after moving the chain to the little ring) so
the front wheel & bars won't bang on my car.

The only problem I have with it right now is I have to swing it (down*) on
my Explorer to open the rear window. On my Expedition this wasn't a
problem...or my Ranger either.

Mine (and hers) allow the arms to pivot downward, out of the way, when
there's no bikes to be carried.

*If you look closely at the pic you can see a pin just above the horizontal
bar that comes out of the hitch. Pull that pin and the entire thing will
pivot downward and you can open the liftgate on the vehicle. I've actually
done this with bikes attached (and bungeed to the vertical post on the rack)
and it swung down and back up with no problem. You could probably do it
without the bungee and allow the bike to rotate as the rack swings downward
allowing the tires to hit the ground. I dont' worry about such niceties
with my MTB.

I believe someone makes one that will swing horizontally sort of like rear
spare carriers.

Also, give www.epinions.com and http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_Rack a look
for more information.

All that said, I'm sure there are nicer, more expensive racks, but I've been
happy with mine.

a.

Great information!

I did some digging and found another rack that is right up my alley.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...jpg&view=large

This is really what I am looking for and then some.

Thanks for the research material,
Curt


"andrew smith" wrote in message
ink.net...
"curt" wrote in message
...
Guess no one has a bike rack for their car out there. Any links to
places
that may be of help would be great.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...3A4178%3A49043

or

http://tinyurl.com/2umoc

I have an older model of the Rhode Gear hitch mount 2 bike rack and I've
been satisfied with it. It mounts firmly into the receiver so it doesn't
rattle around. They also make a 4 bike model. I gave a tire mount one to
a
friend and she has been satisfied with it as well. I just bungee the
front
wheel to the big chainring (after moving the chain to the little ring) so
the front wheel & bars won't bang on my car.

The only problem I have with it right now is I have to swing it (down*) on
my Explorer to open the rear window. On my Expedition this wasn't a
problem...or my Ranger either.

Mine (and hers) allow the arms to pivot downward, out of the way, when
there's no bikes to be carried.

*If you look closely at the pic you can see a pin just above the
horizontal
bar that comes out of the hitch. Pull that pin and the entire thing will
pivot downward and you can open the liftgate on the vehicle. I've
actually
done this with bikes attached (and bungeed to the vertical post on the
rack)
and it swung down and back up with no problem. You could probably do it
without the bungee and allow the bike to rotate as the rack swings
downward
allowing the tires to hit the ground. I dont' worry about such niceties
with my MTB.

I believe someone makes one that will swing horizontally sort of like rear
spare carriers.

Also, give www.epinions.com and http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_Rack a
look
for more information.

All that said, I'm sure there are nicer, more expensive racks, but I've
been
happy with mine.

a.

"curt" wrote in message
...
Need a rear hitch bike rack. Was thinking of a Yakima ROC 2 for $112 USD.
The link is below. I just need a two bike rack and want something good
but
reasonable to carry my $3000 road bike.


http://www.outdoorsports.com/osc/crd...uct_id=8002573

Curt:

The place for advice on rear hitch racks is: http://nordicgroup.us/rack.htm

What to Look for in a Hitch Rack

-Spread. If the rack holds the top tube with two arms, how far apart are the
arms? You want them far apart enough to provide good support, but close
together enough so that short frame bicycles can be carried. Avoid hitch
racks where the frame is held by a narrow clamp of six inches or less; they
have compromised the design to avoid the cost of two separate arms.

-Do the arms fold? When you park, or if you keep the rack attached all the
time (a bad idea), you'll want to be able to not have the arm(s) sticking
several feet out toward the back of your vehicle. An injury could invite a
nasty lawsuit. Thule's, Rhodegear's Interstate series, and Yakima's RimRoc
all have folding arms.

-Rear access. Does the rack fold down or pivot out far enough for you to
open the back of your van or SUV. The more expensive racks that pivot let
you gain access to the rear even with bicycles on the rack while the fold
down racks require that you remove the bicycles first. The cheapest ones
neither pivot or fold down.

-Spare tire clearance. If you have a vehicle with a spare tire mounted on
the back be sure that the rack clears it.

-Wobble. If you use a standard hitch pin to secure the rack then it will
wobble and rattle. There are several systems designed to eliminate wobble,
from a collar with set screws to the use of a threaded bolt that secures the
rack to the hitch rather than a pin.

-Hold Downs. Some of the cheaper racks just have some hooks, you have to use
bungee cords or other tie-downs to hold the bike. The better ones have
cushioned rubber pads with straps. Unfortunately the only ones that have
integral locking are the poorly designed single arm racks; with the others
you have to use a cable lock.

-Security. How is the rack locked to the hitch? How are the bikes locked to
the rack? The advantage of the single arm racks with a solid mounting hold
down plate over the top tube is that it it make the rack lockable, but the
disadvantage of the single arm rack is so great that I would not use one
just for this reason; you can just use a heavy cable lock.

-Swinging. On the racks that hold the bike by the top tube, the bike can
swing back and forth while on the car. Some of the more expensive top tube
mount racks have a bottom support bar sticking out down near the wheels for
you to secure the bottom of the bike.

-Removeability. How fast and easy is it to remove the whole rack? Some of
the RhodeGear racks are easy to partially remove but they leave the base
sticking out beyond the bumper which is a very bad idea.

-Storeability. How easy is it to store. The racks with arms that don't fold
down, and/or masts that don't fold, are a pain to store because you can't
store them flat. The pivoting masts are also a pain to store, but you gain
the advantage of easier access to the rear of the vehicle.

-Odd frames and Children's Frames. A lot of the hitch racks that hold the
bikes by the top tube have a problem with odd frames, mixte ("ladies")
frames, and children's frames. The racks that hold the bike by the wheels
and crankarm will be easier to use with these. There are attachments to
create a fake top-tube to use the top tube racks with mixte frames. On the
top tube racks with dual arms you may be able to put children's bikes on
them by hanging the bike by the wheels.

-Other accessories. Many hitch racks have attachments available for skis.

Weeding out the Junk and Making an Intelligent Choice

-The reality is that most of the hitch racks are not well designed and it's
easy to weed out the bad ones. IMVAIO, on the hitch racks with top tube
mounts you should look for:

* Dual fold-down arms
* Pivot-out or fold-down mast
* Anti-wobble device included
* Integral locking of the rack to the hitch
* Rubber Hold-downs with straps that don't come off to lose
* Bottom support bar to prevent bikes from swinging
* Comes with bicycle locking mechanism (standard)

For a 4 bike, 2" hitch model, this would narrow down the choices to:

1. Hollywood Road Runner 4 (note that some older ones are subject to a
recall)
2. Thule 994 Expressway Hitch Carrier