chop_suey

Im looking at getting a bike rack here in the very near future(as soon as i decide what kind) since ive recently bought a mtn bike.

1.What i wanna know is whats better roof mount or hitch mount from experience?

2.Will a roof mount decrease MPGs?

3.Also if anyone has pics of both types, PLEASE POST THEM UP!

Thanks fo the input!

MadCityRich

Roof mounts will hurt gas mileage when you have something mounted up. I use a roof system for carrying kayaks and sometimes a weather proof travel bag.

For the 4Runner, I prefer a hitch mount for bikes. I have pretty beefy Thule that I really like. It swivels out of the way to allow me to open the rear hatch without having to remove the bikes or rack. Basically, I just need to throw the bikes on it and go. No need to put a muddy wheel into my clean 4Runner interior, too.

I've got a 3" lift so the roof is higher than stock. That's the other aspect of getting stuff off the roof. Mounting the bikes and removing them just takes a little more effort with a taller vehicle.

All in all, it's not THAT big a deal. There are times when I'm carrying both kayaks and bikes and the combination of a roof rack plus hitch rack lets it all work.

MadCityRich
'02 4Runner Ltd.

chop_suey

how secure are the bikes on the hitch mount?

sn0wrunnin

I think the hitch mount is the only way to go. Its really easy to get them down and if they were on the roof i think it would be much harder. Plus the hitch one can hold 4 bikes, i might be wrong, but i think the roof ones only hold 2...? But They are very secure on the back. The elastic straps hold them down real good.

mtbfreeriderkyle@yah

If your planning on carrying just a couple bikes i go with the hitch rack.. really the only down flaw to the hitch rack is that sometimes when your offroad the bikes hit one another.. If you have a 4runner you can also roll down the back window and fit up to six downhill bikes by hanging the front wheel out.. they do hit eachother but when your shuttling but its better than doing a hike-a-bike... Thule also makes a really cool cargo basket this year that has cross bars.. oh and the roof mounted racks can fit up to four.. unless you have a full size suv then you can fit more..

azblue3.slow

I have both no Pics though. the roof one will kill your mpg and can really suck on windy roads, plus putting a mtn bike up there gets old fast. on the other hand they wont hit each other or possibly swing in to the rig. the hitch one is all good is long as the bike are attached well but there is still the risk of rubbing on one another, but if you live somewhere with photo radar get the hitch on for sure...i love it in phx the camera get pics of bikes all day.

bak3rme

question for snorunnin or anyoen that knows....on the pics of his 4runner, are those horizontal bars on his roof rack snowboard racks?

azblue3.slow

looks like ski/snowboard racks

flashkl

roof mount racks will not 'kill' your mpg. A roof mount bike rack is very svelete and sleek and aerodynamic, and most good base rack systems are too, plus if you're doing hundreds of highway miles a week, you can get a nice aero rack system for a slight premium. Roof top mounting is also by far the most secure. On the other hand, if you forget your bikes are up there and try to enter a parking garage, you may have a problem. And of course it's a PITA to get a bike up that high. Rear mounts are pretty secure too, and are available for up to 5 bikes (at least from thule). Some will fold out of the way with the bikes still on them so you can open the hatch but those usually cost more than the ones that just fold down. There is usually more of a chance that your b ike will get scratched/dinged back there, and if you get rear ended, it's not too good for the bikes.

I use a rear mount rack when I deliver bikes for work. If I am going to carry a bike of my own, or need to carry a bike a very long distance, I put em on top. It all depends on how much youre gonna be using the rack, how much your bike weighs, how far you go with the bike, etc.

Yukon

Thule T2. No questions asked. I work for a Yakima dealer too, and theres a Thule on the back of my truck. Holds any type of bike, even DH bikes with weird tube work, and big 29ers.. BMX bikes, ive even put a tricycle on mine.
No rub marks on your tube like the rack above, super stout, usually don't take mine off when I go wheeling, and it is still straiht. Can hold up to 4 bikes with the add on. Pics to come.

Yukon

Ive had all type or racks, from roof racks, to the double down style (snowrunnins) and hte T2 Is just the best.

Heres the runner with King cobra roof mounts


its hard to get the bikes up on top of the truck when stock. if your lifted, forget about it. (got 23 MPG on that trip, driving like a grandma)

No pictures of the double down, but its hard to put bikes on.

Hers a few of the T2
Thats with the 4bike, its real long, but can hold 4 bikes better than any rack ive seen




Then heres a picture of my bike on my dads car, you can see how it mounts here,



Overall, its a kickass rack.

habanero

I've used a
1)Sportworks (pretty much like the Thule T2) hitch rack
Pluses:
uses the tires to mount and will even work with all but the smallest kid's bikes
easy to use
great to leave open when parallel parking, fold it up when you're ready to leave and voila!, 3 extra feet of space to get out (I have the 3 bike version)
easy to get into the back and the tailgate can be lifted if there aren't bikes on it
Minuses:
Long and low where it counts, sometimes hit the ground when the hill or dip was steep enough....even some driveways/parking lots
If you taco a wheel it might not hold the bike

Saris Bones trunk rack
Pluses:
Up high, but still low enough I could lift the tandem up onto it
High enough it didn't hit anything on the ground when wheeling or otherwise
can still get into the back window though you have to go around the rack
Minuses:
Dented the tailgate (holding a 45# tandem and a full suspension mtb...and off-roading)
air foil thingy on back of truck 'sawed' through the straps....especially off road
scratched up both tailgate and roof
allowed bike pedal to come in contact with tailgate
did ok off-road but simply didn't hold up

Thule Parkway 4bike hitch rack
Pluses:
Holds my tandem, the kids bikes, all the bikes I own. you can get a top-tube adapter for frames that won't go on.
Has been moderately off-roaded, on a stock vehicle it was low enough that the outermost bike's tire hit a rock but since it was held on with bungees and rubber and we had the bike's front wheel that hit the ground facing the same direction as the truck's the bike simply stretched up out of the way and the wheel rolled off the rock. Lucky, really. Those rubber holders really stretch!
Moves out of the way to open the tailgate (without bikes) and you can still get into the window with or without them on.
Bikes don't touch truck.
Minuses:
It's necessary to bungee as well as use their rubber straps or the bikes will move around on the rack. Really not too bad
It's lower than the Bones (off-roading) but also way sturdier/no damage to truck
on mine the bike holding part doesn't fold down without unbolting....kind of hazardous without bikes on it, I'm always worried someone's going to walk into it.

My husband uses a roof rack on a Volvo 240 wagon.
Pluses:
Holds a variety of bikes
Bikes up out of the way
Minuses:
Lifting bikes even that high is hard (for me)
He's a sensible, together person and has still scraped the bikes off on the garage. Twice.
It alters gas mileage by 2-3 mpg consistently.
Remembering they're up there.


Questions?

impreza

I have the Thule T2 that yukon pictured a little further down in his post. We routinely have carried 4 full blown downhill rigs and it is the only way to go. The nice thing is you can take off the extra 2-bike extension and have just a 2-bike rack. I don't have any pics right now but I will take some the next time out. Also the rack can fold up to the vehicle when there are no bikes on it. The rack will also tilt down so you can open the rear hatch. This really only works with the 2-bike as the 4 is too long to fold down. Hope some of that helps.
on another note I would not run a roof rack bike mount on the 4runner since the truck is already high. I used to run one on my subaru wagon but obviously that was way lower.

sn0wrunnin

I think this rack is a little overkill. But that is a SICK bike man.

muddpigg

iTrader: (1)

I was cheap and went with the walmart rack. The hitch was 1.25" for the car and 2" with an adaptor for the 4rnr. It is the fork type, holds 2 adult mountain and the kids bikes. The adapter no work so good, but with some cutting and welding I can do pullups off it. But looks about like the thule posted earlier, you can't tell that its been "reengineered." I was between a rock and a hard place so had to make do. Lost using it with the car capability. The bikes are secure but rock into each other, I cushion between the aluminum mountain bikes and don't worry about the kids steel frame 20". Need to put a low bar just below the bike frames to tie them off to perhaps that'll reduce the rocking.

Go a different route, I like the style rack overkill posted. Have used them on city buses. But a 4 bike rack really sticks out.

habanero

If you decide to go with a low bar to tie off the bikes check out Yakima's version of anti-sway bar for ideas. I use the bike's wheels and bungees to keep the bikes from swaying.....turn the handlebar and bungee the wheel to the other bike. Tada!
You'll have to post up your Walmart bike rack mods.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I have had both roof and now a bumper one.
I prefer the latter.
So much easier to load the bike, plus no room on my roof.

I have the Thule T2 which is an off road worthy rack.
Bombing down fireroads do not even phase it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GT2W1K/...SIN=B000GT2W1K