Getting the bike out of the garage and onto your new rack needs to be easy. I’m sure most of us have had the ‘I can’t be bothered’ moments when having to load up the bikes becomes such a pain that we go to the café instead.
So, the biggest issue to sort when looking at bike racks is how easy and quick will it be to load. This is where a practical discussion with one of our team on how to load the bike rack, and will the bike rack work for you, will be most valuable.
There are basically two types of bike racks; roof mounted, and tow bar mounted. Roof mounted is the most common option for all except electric bikes. The options come with a variety of fork mount, (where the front wheel is removed and stored in the car), and clamp mount, where an arm locks onto the frame and rubber straps hold the wheels/tyres in place. The latter is by far the most popular now, as the need to store the front wheel in the car with fork mount options takes up too much room.
The key thing to consider is if you can lift the bike up onto the rack; if you are too short or not strong enough, you are unlikely to look forward to using it and the bike will gather dust rather than miles. A bike on the roof may prevent access to many places you may want to visit; underground car parks, fast food outlets, home garage etc. Special care needs to be taken to remember the extra height with low trees, pergolas and carports etc. That being said having bikes on the roof keeps them out of the way, so there are pros and cons to consider.
For many customers nowadays the clear option is tow bar mounted bike racks, especially with E-Bikes. There are two fitting options here, tow ball mounted (check your tow ball is compatible with the rack), and hitch mount, where the tow ball is attached to a bar that slides into the tow bar structure. Hitch mounted options allow the tow bar to be removed and the bike rack to be inserted. If you are having a tow bar fitted be sure to talk to us first so you get the best tow bar system to suit your bike rack needs.
Tow bar mounted options start with the basic hanger types and range to extremely smart, engineered roll-on options. You should discuss the range with us to ensure you get the best option.
Things to consider; any steep drive way issues where the rack might bottom out getting in and out of your drive, does the bike rack fold up for easy storage when not in use, light and number plate visibility, if weight limitations meet the combined weight of your bikes (e-bikes are heavy), and fold down options where all the bikes can be tilted away from the boot allowing easier access to boot storage.
