Racks

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I am in the process of buying a Honda Pilot and I will need a new rack for it. I am looking at either a hitch mounted rack or another roof rack. Any one have an reviews/comments of the hitch mounted racks?

I have been using a yakima roof rack for the past few years...
 

J-Dro

Well-Known Member
I am in the process of buying a Honda Pilot and I will need a new rack for it. I am looking at either a hitch mounted rack or another roof rack. Any one have an reviews/comments of the hitch mounted racks?

I have been using a yakima roof rack for the past few years...

I highly recommend the Thule T2 hitch rack. The rack grabs the front wheel and holds the bikes very secure. It works on any size wheel... 26", 29", road bikes, kids bikes, you name it. It takes seconds to load your bike and no more worries about driving your precious steed into a garage when you forget its mounted on the roof. It's pricey but worth every penny IMHO.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
saris

i picked up a bones RS for my grand cherokee and it's awesome. super easy and very well made. it adjusts so it fits a wide variety of car/suvs and literally installs in less than a minute. the only catch is that it's pretty $$.
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
I have a thule roof rack with the Big Grab/gulp bike holder. It works very well and you don't need to worry about someone rolling into your bike in traffic BUT the wind noise, even with the fairing, is still noticeable. If you like having your sunroof open then it can get pretty noisy.

And you could drive into your garage with the bike still on the roof and feel a whole new world of hurt.

I used to have a Saris that mounted to the spare wheel thing on my ex's Jeep Liberty. That was probably my fav as the whole thing rotated out when you opened the rear door - you could still get access to the boot (trunk), and you could drive into the garage without too many worries.
 

TonyC

Active Member
I am in the process of buying a Honda Pilot and I will need a new rack for it. I am looking at either a hitch mounted rack or another roof rack. Any one have an reviews/comments of the hitch mounted racks?

I have been using a yakima roof rack for the past few years...

For how many bikes? How much do you want to spend?

We have the Yakima 5 bike 2" hitch rack on the back of our Odyssey. It really extends the length of the car. Not good for parking lots. Pros:fits 5 bikes which I needed. The bikes are a Pita to load with different frame sizes, but once loaded the bikes are very stable even at Highway speeds.

If you go with a Hitch Rack go with the the Yakima Holdup or Thule T2 which loads bikes in seconds. You can add on to hold 4 bikes. Cons: Very pricey.

If not, get the Yakima roof rack attachment for your new Pilot and use what you have.

Btw, Nice pick on the Pilot..
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Btw, Nice pick on the Pilot..

FYI for anyone looking to spend more on gas...

The 2009 Pilot comes out in June with a new body style. Honda is trying to dump all of the 2008's and there are some excellent deals out there....there is either 2.9 financing or 3,500 cash off and all the quotes I am getting, the 3500 is off dealer invoice, no the msrp.
 

tonyride

Don't piss off the red guy
I have a Thule 1-1/4" 3-bike hitch mount I'm willing to sell if you want. I think it's call The Hitching Post. If you're interested I can send you pictures and better description. It is built like a brick $h!t house.
 

Nimrod

New Member
Don't listen to Ben!! Hitch Racks Rule!!!

Have the Saris Cycle on Pro on my car, Bullet Proof rack, best ever.

http://www.sicklines.com/reviews/saris-cycle-on-pro/

When I'm running late... the car will touch triple digits on the speedometer (Ben didn't see this), the bikes won't move.

(Starting to Whine) Roof racks are noisy, look like poop, affect your gas mileage.... got to lift your bike up, get the car dirty.
 

Attachments

  • taurine on rack small.jpg
    taurine on rack small.jpg
    127.1 KB · Views: 87

Shaggz

A strong 7
(Starting to Whine) Roof racks <snip>...affect your gas mileage.... got to lift your bike up, get the car dirty.

Amen to that. I have roof racks. I never paid attention to gas mileage until recently. I took my bike with me to the office for after work riding, and was floored at impact on MPG efficiency. Unfortunately, riding my bike to the office is not a viable option :mad2:.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Amen to that. I have roof racks. I never paid attention to gas mileage until recently. I took my bike with me to the office for after work riding, and was floored at impact on MPG efficiency. Unfortunately, riding my bike to the office is not a viable option :mad2:.

i never really notice the gas mileage until i drove couple hundred miles on the PA turnpike with it, then it was a killer...
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
Thule "something" here...I have the extension for 2 more bikes and also the adapter for skis/snowboards. I tilts so you can open the rear door.
PB010006sized.jpg
 

MixMastaMM

Team Bulldog Rider
Go with the hitch mount. I have the a thule hitch mount that hold 5 bikes, its similar to this:

http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=915

Pros: Dont have to lift the bike up to the roof (I have a trailblazer, so its a stretch), fits 5 bikes with ease, bikes dont move around on the rack.

Cons: Its tough to fit 5 bikes on because of different frame geometry, the frames top tube/cables/hydro hoses can get beat up from clamping the top tube on the rack.

If I was to get a new rack, I would go with one of the hitch mounts that hold the wheels. Like this one:

http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=916

You could always use the old roof mounts you have if you need to move more than 4 bikes.
 
C

Crankfire

Guest
I got a Thule T2 I put on my Element. Best thing ever, sooo easy to get bikes on and off, "folds" up down and out of the way pretty well, solid as all heck, holds bikes tight....

Only downsides are:

1) Living in fear of being rear ended - though for me I know I would pull under my deck/into my garage with a roofie, so hitch mounted is the better choice.

2) I did a couple snow rides this year and I think the snow/ice/salt from the road gunked up the little release lever for the swing arm - it stays pressed down and you kind of have to "pry it back up" to get the arm to lock onto your wheel.

Other than that, I love the thing.

I also have a 3 bike saris bones rack on my jetta. Does the job (with a frame adapter bar) well, but over the years has scratched the crap out of my paint. Though I think thats going to happen with any trunk mounted jobbie.
 
Top Bottom