Cycling is becoming more and more popular with the average Joe thanks to the success of the likes of Anna Meares. With this enthusiasm comes a desire to explore further afield on your bike, and this often requires transporting it on the roof or the back of your car.
There are heaps of options when it comes to choosing a bike rack, so we thought it might be useful to those of you looking to channel Cadel Evans if we shared a few tips for buying a suitable one.
Know the answers to these questions & you’ll be able to get the RIGHT bike rack:
- How many bikes do you want to be able to transport? (Single and multi bike racks are available.)
- How many cars have you got? (Think hard about which one you’ll be using most when transporting bikes – you can’t install the same bike rack on two cars.)
- What size is your car? (Can you easily lift your bike on to it? Roof racks tend to suit larger vehicles, while trunk racks are ideal for smaller ones.)
- What are your car’s specifications? (Your bike rack will need to fit these & be strong enough to stop your bike moving when you’re driving like Mark Webber.)
- Does your car have rain gutters on the roof or a rear trailer hitch?
- What other stuff will your car be carrying? Camping/kayak equipment etc.? If you’ll be towing a trailer anyway, you can get hitch-mount racks to attach to the trailer.
- What type of terrain will you be driving on? Bumpy or smooth?
- Will you be driving under garages, overpasses or carports? (Remember about required clearance!!)
- Will you use your bike rack in the city a lot? (If so, it’d probably pay to be more safety conscious and get one with locks!)
- How often will you use your bike rack? (If only for the occasional rare trip, then a cheaper option will probably do. But if you’re going to use it a lot, look for one that’s sturdy and will last you a long time.)
