nm4runner

i have a 95 4runner with no roof rack. i mtn bike quite a bit and am going on a road trip from new mexico to washington this summer. iam trying to decide between a roof rack like yakima or hitch mounted rack. what kind of gas mileage loss will i get. i have the 3.0 v6 and avg now 18-22....also does a fairing help. thanks ....

jtrent

Just go with a hitch rack. It's much easier to get to, and you won't have to worry about aerodynamics. The bikes should be mostly out of the airstream. Of course, it won't look as cool... :rolleyes:

jacksonpt

Is price an issue?
Most hitch racks support the bike by the top tube. The vibrations cause a great deal of wear to the top tube, so if you've got a nicer bike, you might want to avoid that type of wear. From what I remember when I was looking at bike racks, the good hitch racks (ones that support the bike by the tires/cranks) are significantly more expensive (~$250 and up). For that kind of money, you could put together a pretty nice Thule roof top rack that would give you more flexibility if you ever needed to carry anything else.

Is convenience an issue?
Hitch racks are more convenient since you don't have to lift the bike up over your head, especially if your rig is lifted. If you're only going to be using the rack occasionally, then it might not be as big of a deal, but if you use the carrier 2-3 times a week like I do (in the summer at least), then hoisting a 30lb bike up in the air 6.5 feet could get old. It's not a big deal to me, but to some it might be.

Are looks an issue?
Roof top racks just look cooler. Plus, you can leave them on the rig when they aren't in use. You'd probably have to/want to take a hitch mount rack down when it wasn't in use.

Is stability an issue?
Carriers that hold the bike by the front fork are flat out the most stable carriers. I know you can get roof mounted carriers that lock into the fork, but I'm not sure about hitch mounted carriers. I suspect they are out there, but I've never seen one.


I have 2 roof top carriers that are part of my rather extensive roof rack setup. I love them. I much prefer the Thule carriers to the Yakima carriers, but both are good products. I lost gas mileage when I put up my safari basket and when I put on bigger tires, but I don't notice any additional loss with 2 bikes up top. I'm sure there is some, but it's pretty negligable from what I can tell.

FWIW - There was a very cool bike carrier in a past issue of mountain bike action (perhaps the december issue???). It stored on top of the rig when it wasn't in use, but when you wanted to use it, it slid out and folded down over the rear hatch, so the bikes were supported by the tires, and stored "up and down" on the hatch. It's hard to explain, but I'll see if I can find some info on that rack for ya. As I recall, it was a little more than a Thule carrier, but not significantly more.

EDIT:
I can't find the brand of the rack, but I asked some people who definitely will be able to help. Follow this thead for info on the rack.

Cebby

You'll take a beating on gas mileage. When I have bikes on my Thule roof rack, I get a TON of wind noise (which = resistance). I never documented it, but know I lost a few mpg. I have a faring(sp?), and my mounts hold the bikes by the down tubes, so they are up there in the wind.

Personally, I prefer the roof mount cause I'm in and out of the back of my Runner frequently, and don't want to monkey with the hitch unit. Also, when I go camping, I put the bikes up top and I use my hitch to hold one of those "tray" units for a cooler and other stuff.

Just my .02

Toddski

I have a Bauer 2" receiver mount bike rack.

The reason i didn't want a roof mounted rack was:
1) After riding for a couple of hours i didn't want to lift the bikes on top. Sometimes we ride at night and its hard to see what your doing.
2) I use my rack when i break something. I can put the bike on the rack to fix it.
3) I cant fit in my garage with the bikes on top.

jacksonpt

That is a definite plus.

I can't fit in my garage even without the bikes up top :rolleyes:

DH6twinotter

I'll have to agree with every one else here. Roof racks definetely look cooler. Plus you could add some lights and what not if you wanted too. Hitch racks are really handy though. We used to do a lot of traveling and we had a hitch rack (I think around $180).
The only problem with it is that if you had more than one bike on it, they would swing around some and hit each other and/or the center poll on the rack. Got a few scratches from that. :mad: If you're good at bungy (sp?) cords and have a few rags, you could solve that problem like we did. With the roof rack, I don't think you need to worry about them hitting each other and you can get in the back a bit easier.

Well, that's my thoughts on that.
Have fun.
DH6twinotter

BTW, welcome to the forum! Cool bunch of people here.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I like a roof mount.
I have 3 of these Yakima Lock Jaws I bought back in the early '90s.
http://www.toyotaoffroad.net/tando/b...mp/lockjaw.jpg

I have travled with 3 mountain bikes up there on trips with no problems other than reduced gas mileage.
The bikes never one hit into each other, and are rock solid with the Lock Jaw setup.
Only problem is the Lock Jaw is not designed for todays fat tubed frames.

Here is my other bike mount, a Yakima Copper Head where you remove the front wheel.
http://www.toyotaoffroad.net/tando/bike_temp/bike2.jpg

In both pics the bike mounts are not on my roof rack, but on the corssbars themselves.