5 Tips to Choose the Best Bike Racks for Your Car
Being able to carry your bike with you safely opens many possibilities where and when you want to ride your bike. For that reason alone, having a bike rack will be proved very handy. The rack provides a stable framework to hold the gear on the bike. In bad weather, a good rack can hold loose things together.
By HAROLD CAMAYA
You can attach bags like trunk bags or panniers to the bike rack, and it helps you keep things safe while traveling, even in foul weather. A proper bike rack is worth it, even if it only gives you peace of mind. In the long run, a bicycle rack will work out wonderfully both for you and your bike. Here are five tips to find the bike rack that suits you the best.
1. Think about What You Want to carry
Thinking about what you want to carry on the rack should be clear in your mind. For example, if you are looking for bike racks that are only for carrying a bike, it will be useful for you to choose a bike rack that especially keeps your bike behind the car safely.
When you choose bike-specific rakes, it tends to be more economical and has easy-to-lose parts compared to an entire system that can integrate various sporting equipment. But don’t get confused; bike-only racks provide the same abilities as the entire system racks; the only difference is that the bike-only racks cannot support multiple sports equipment together.
Therefore, it is essential to know what you want to carry before choosing the ideal bike carrier for car.
2. Select the bike You Want to Transport
You need to understand the factors about the bike that could affect the traveling experience. For example, bike weight, wheel size, or frame material can dictate which type of bike rack will meet your best requirements. If you are an electronic Bike Enthusiast, then you will need a car rack that could support the weight of your e-bike.
On the other hand, if you are a fat biker owner, you will need a bike rack to carry big wheels properly. If you have a family bikes collection, you might need a rack that can support all the bikes, but usually, these types of family racks need external support to fit the bike correctly.
3. Considering Security Is a Must
Cycling as a passion is no cheap sport. It has many expensive tags that keep on adding up. Therefore, once you have decided to buy the bike or the biker carrier for a car, make sure those purchases are for a long time. Make sure that you check all the security measures involved in purchasing the equipment. It may financially stab you in the back if you did not review all the legalities and securities about your investments in the equipment.
4. Finalize Your Budget Before Choosing the Rack
Budget certainly plays a significant role while deciding which bike rack to buy. It is essential to know how much you are willing to pay for the equipment, how many compromises you are ready to make to get the product within your budget.
If you think more about the cost of the rack, it will suit you better. It is not like that; just because the frame costs higher doesn’t mean that it will fulfill your needs better. You should look around the market and see which bike rack will suit your car and your needs perfectly.
5. Knowing about Advantages and Types of Racks
Indeed, your bike and bike rack choice that you want to carry around on the trip would help you save your gas on big miles. It may also help you to make fewer stops and give you higher bike riding time on the trip. You must decide your bike racks carefully to make sure that your rack would not recreate any disadvantages.
For example, some roof racks loaded with or without any bikes might add a lot of drag to your trip and can also decrease your car’s efficacy. Besides the advantages, there are types of racks available for you in the market. Choose the one that suits your requirements.
Hitch Rack: It can also be locked to the car and keeps the bike on the back of the vehicle, saving gas in the long run.
Rooftop bike rack: it can haul more than a bike and keeps the bikes out of the traffic height. It makes sure that the license plate is visible.
Trunk Rack: It is easy to store as it is lightweight and ideal for bikes with a straight top bar.
Platform racks: If you have more than one bike, then platform racks will be ideal as they can easily carry 2-4 bikes. Loading and unloading of bikes are effortless. You can easily detach it and keep it within the car after use.
Conclusion
Be it a one-day trip or a 3-day tour, carrying your bike along is a great idea. So, it is wise to attach bike racks to your car. There are many ways that the markets would want to sell their product to you, but you should always remember your needs. Thus, keep all the five tips in your mind mentioned above, and find the best deal for your purchase.
