Bike Rack: Trailer Hitch or Roof Rack?

"Deputy Kovacs" (grandbudapest) 08/04/2015 at 09:46 • Filed to: None

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Got myself a road bike (Bianchi Impulso 105 Disc, for fellow cyclists) after contemplating the idea for a year now. Going back to school for senior year and need to bring the bike with me. Driving 2012 RR Sport, currently do not have cross bars or roof rails on it, so it leaves two options:

1) Buy cross bars and Yakima single rack and throw the bike on there? I worry about the bike on the roof for obvious reasons (read: speed) but love the look of cross bars on a Range.

2) Trailer hitch mounted rack. The simple idea but I somehow view every car I see with these racks as dorky.

Have a potential option for your time.

Michael > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 09:54

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Hitch rack. Easier to load, and when your arms are worn out you don’t drop a pedal all the way down the RR.

Firewrx234 > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 09:54

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I was debating between a couple roof mounted ones for my car (I don’t know why but they fascinate me)

Either way, if I were in your shoes, I'd honestly prob go with the trailer one. We got one for my dads Jeep and it was easy to install without the worries of marking up the vehicle with the bike...also less drag.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 09:54

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I like roof racks on wagons, but it’s kind of a pain in the ass to pull things off of the roof of taller cars.

Eberle-Hills-Cop > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 09:56

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I’ve never road biked so take this with a grain of salt, but I mountain bike a lot and switched from a roof setup on an 2005 sti to a hitch rig on my Xterra. I hated lifting 50lbs of downhill bike onto the roof after a long day of riding, though im sure a modern road bike weighs like 10lbs or something. But also consider how much of a pain it is to lift a bike up on top of a big SUV like that (unless you’re apache chief)

I also very much disliked the Thule stuff I had on the subaru because the plastic bits are shitty, I now use a full steel rack from north shore racks out of BC.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 10:04

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I’ve used both. Your decision should be based on the vehicle height and what other things you might want to load at the same time. Think about both daily and long-term uses. Do you want to lift the bike(s) up to a roof rack? If we were talking about my wife’s Explorer, my answer would be NO! On my WRX, I would be less concerned. On the other hand, I have lost control and dropped a bike while trying to wrestle it onto a roof rack. I’m glad it wasn’t on my new car.

Do you want to go camping and take along the bikes as well as a kayak? Get a hitch mounted rack for the bikes and save the roof for longer items like the kayak and a roof box for some of your gear.

Hitch-mounted racks are easier to load, create less wind drag, and present less risk of an overhead impact (bicycle, meet garage). On the down side, they can wobble, turn the bikes into a dusty mess, and there is a risk of smashing a bike when backing.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 10:05

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When I got mine this is what I discovered:

roof mounted - probably more expensive - you need the cross members and then whatever mounts you want. whatever is stuck to your bike will fall off onto your roof and/or into your sunroof. harder to get bikes on and off

hitch mount - you now have a hitch for other stuff, the rack can be used as a stand for maintenance. probably less expensive. easier to use. safer for the car

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 10:18

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I prefer roof for the aesthetics, buttrailer hitch is more practical. There’s less chance of hitting it on something and alsoo f hitting your car with the bike while loading. We’re tryingt make the same choice for our X3.

Deputy Kovacs > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 08/04/2015 at 10:25

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Family has an E63 Wagon that I’m dying to put a roof rack on.

PowderHound > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 10:27

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I'm looking at racks recently as well but either the roof top or rear hatch style one since 1) my car isn't super tall. 2) I don't have a hitch but already have crossbars. There is an absurd amount of racks out there. Good luck

Amoore100 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 08/04/2015 at 11:05

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I have a roof rack that came with my V50...

boxrocket > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 12:45

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Fold the rear seats down, put a cargo blanket down if you don’t have a rubber/Weather Tech cargo mat, and put it inside. Less likely to get damaged and dirty, safer, and doesn’t obstruct visibility.

Deputy Kovacs > boxrocket 08/04/2015 at 14:09

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Need the trunk space, going back to school in the fall.

boxrocket > Deputy Kovacs 08/04/2015 at 18:38

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Ah, I didn’t have the full context there. I’d say trailer hitch. I’ve seen too many folks hit drive-thru awnings and drop bikes on their cars trying to mount them on the roof of their crossover/SUV. Just get one that uses the wiring harness and has brake lights (and turn signals, if possible), since the bike can obstruct the view of the normal tail lights.