|   Bike Racks | Tank
Mar 11, 2002 5:10 PM | | HELP
I need to get a rack for an explorer sport trac. I have used hitch mounts in the past, but am thinking about putting a roof rack on the top. What is the downside to a roof rack vs. a hitch rack--
do I run any risk of doing damage to the bike while it is on the roof?
Tank |
| re: Bike Racks | Matno
Mar 11, 2002 5:25 PM | | Only if you forget that it's there when you go into the garage... :(
No, uh, I'm not speaking from experience...
Actually, a couple of things are annoying about roof racks. One is that your Explorer is pretty high, so it's a pain to get them up there. Especially if you have a clamping system that doesn't use the fork/wheel. (There are some cool seatpost clamps out there, or some crummy pedal clamps, but either one makes your reach even higher). Secondly, on a roof rack your bikes get bugs on them. Tons of bugs that are hard to clean off and get in every nook and cranny of your bike. You can get a "bike bikini" for this, but they're an added expense.
I'd say, go with the hitch rack if you've got a receiver anyway...
Roof racks do look cool, but it's not worth the hassle, IMHO. |
| re: Bike Racks | +&-
Mar 11, 2002 6:57 PM | | I have a roof rack on a civic which works great.
The downside:
1 - Increased wind noise
2 - decreased fuel milage. 3-4 mpg
3 - If you have to clamp under the door jam the seals don't work as well.
4 - Takes time to assemble
5 - Assuming you already have the hitch. Probably costs more.
The upside:
1 - Lots of options... Skis, Kayaks, Storage, Cargo, etc...
2 - Builtin locking features
3 - Sturdy mount. Bikes won't move around and damage each other
4 - Looks cooler |
| re: Bike Racks | StumpyF4
Mar 11, 2002 8:09 PM | | Correct if I'm wrong but isn't the sport trac the explorer with the small pickup bed. If it is I'd recommend a fork style mount with the bikes in the bed. You can buy these skewer things that you can attach to a 2x4, attach the 2x4 to the bed and you're off. Very cheap, probally the cheapest route.
Marty. |
| re: Bike Racks | Johnhotmail.com
Mar 11, 2002 10:14 PM | | That's assumming you can get a bike in that tiny little bed. Aren't those just made for hauling groceries or some bags of clothes from the mall?
All kidding aside, a receiver mounted rack would probably be the best for a truck. It would be the cheapest, and the roof rack would probably be too high. |
| re: Bike Racks | bikerman
Mar 12, 2002 9:35 AM | | I had an old Blazer and did what Marty mentioned. If you dont want to attach it to the bed, I used a 2X6 about 2 feet long because it has more support. In the middle I had an old plastic patio table leg (the diamond shaped one) cut low, and drilled holes in it to hold the skewer. I then screwed the cut leg into the 2X6. I would take my front tire off and pop it into the skewer and put in the back of my truck. I only made 1 mistake, and that was when I took my first turn, the bike tipped a little. Get some bungy cords and hook them to the handle bars and onto the bed or rail. Im not sure what your truck has. its works and as Marty mentioned, its cheap! |
| re: Bike Racks | shadow
Mar 12, 2002 7:13 AM | | Roof racks are more secure, harder for thieves to get a bike off of (especially up on top of an SUV). They also do not affect car handling much. Hitch racks cause a lot of rear sway if you've got 3-4 bikes loaded. Both hitch and roof racks eat gas mileage with a car. I suppose an SUV would do better with a hitch rack since it's blocking most of the airflow anyway. Also roof racks are noisy. The fairing is a MUST. |
| slight edge to roof | GlowBoy
Mar 12, 2002 1:14 PM | | My experience is a bike on the roof cuts mileage by 2-4 mpg, pretty close to what +&- said. I used to have a hitch rack, and the result was about the same. This seems counterintuitive - there's supposed to be an aerodynamic "dead space" behind vehicles - but I lost at least 2 mpg with the hitch rack too. I've had both types of racks on a variety of Hondas and Subarus - haven't found door seals to ever be a problem, BTW - and here's my list of DISadvantages of each:
Roof rack:
1 - Have to worry about bashing bike on trees, bridges, garages.
2 - Harder to reach bike if you have high-roof SUV. Not an issue with cars, though.
3 - Vastly increases turbulence and noise if you have a sunroof. W/o sunroof, increase in wind noise isn't substantial.
4 - More expensive if you don't have a rack system already.
5 - Rocks & bugs can hit bike. Haven't had too many problems though.
6 - Some fork-mount racks can have interference problems w/ front discs.
Hitch rack:
1 - Most work best with bikes having relatively standard top tubes (i.e., NOT FS rigs).
2 - Have to install hitch if you don't have one. Of course if you already have one, not an issue.
3 - Can sway back & forth in strong crosswinds, which you can feel inside the vehicle, though not enough to substantially disturb handling.
4 - Hitch, rack and/or bike can substantially reduce departure angle and effective ground clearance, hampering vehicle capability on bad roads.
5 - Still have to remove the front wheel, because rim hangs below the bumper and is subject to rock showers on gravel roads.
6 - Not part of roof rack system (which I have anyway to carry skis, cargo boxes, baskets, etc.).
- Dan |
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