Bike rack help

Spira

Good evening. I'm after a reasonable bike rack that will fit my Lexus IS200 & carry two bikes. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

nicklouse

roof or back mounted?

Spira

Rear mounted fella.

Joe_Pineapples

Roof mounts are the future.

nicklouse

Spira wrote:

Rear mounted fella.

no idea.

Roof or Towbar yes.
done the rear mounted racks and dont like.

Joe_Pineapples

nicklouse wrote:

done the rear and dont like.

Must . . . bite . . . tongue!!! AAARRRGH!!

nicklouse

Joe_Pineapples wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

done the rear and dont like.

Must . . . bite . . . tongue!!! AAARRRGH!!

done that as well

Spira

Well I don't want a towbar rack really. As the rest of the year when i'm not using the rack i'll look like someones old dad.

The rack will be used rarely as I use my bike locally generally. Any suggestions guys?

rudedog

For mounting 2 bikes my advice would be to go for a roof or towbar mounted rack as they are far more sturdy and generally will protect the bikes and your car better.

I wouldn't worry too much about looking like someones old Dad when your driving about in a Lexus :P

brandfreak

Use my rear mounted bike rack all the time. It's from Pendle - google it and you'll find what you're looking for.

I have zip tied pipe lagging to it to protect my bikes. Carrying full suss is sometimes difficult due to frame shape but pendle also do frame adaptors (an adjustable bar that goes from saet tube to stem) works beautifully.

I also pipe lag 1 fork leg and 1 chainstay on each bike and put this facing - this stops bikes rubbing together and scratching off that expensive finish.

Hope this helps

gaanrowl

i have a saris bones rear rack it is a good rack but i think all rear mounted ones are a bit of a pain ill be getting a tow bar mounted when i get my next car. my mate has on miles more secure and stable, tow bars are the future

Old Pedaller

For such infrequent use a "strap on" rack may be more suitable. There seem to be some good ones available nowadays that are more stable than the originals.

This sort of question comes up quite often but it's funny how one point is never mentioned. If you have a towbar anyway then you have the electrics to power the lights usually provided on these racks. If you use a strap on then it is unlikely that you will be legal without a lighting board thus necessitating the fitment of a socket to the car - more expense.

My point is, why has nobody ever commented on just how unreliable these boards are? I have had several over the years and they all develop faults, usually to do with earthing, that cause all sorts of misbehaviour. How come mankind can produce reliable high tech electronic devices but seems to be incapable of producing a simple lighting board that works properly for more than a few weeks?

landranger

I use an Avenir Vermont on my boot. It holds the bikes rock steady and never had a problem with anything working loose. It holds 3 bikes but I don't know if they do one for 2.

CraigXXL

If you're worried about the look of the towbar get a Westfalia detachable they are invisable when removed unless you want to get down on the floor to see it. I echo what others have said roof or towbar mounted, had the rear mounted and hated it.

popstar

Well, as mentioned before ... For casual use, rear mounted racks will perfectly fit the bill. It's just that issue which stands out of adapting rear lightboard, to comply with legal rules. I have bought pendle, 3 bike carrying solution* drove from Bristol to London at steady speed of 70-80 mph on motorway, and didn't notice any safety issue in my back mirror, also the finish of pendle racks is of high quality, which makes no chances for scratching the frame unlike Thule one' ( specially when lifting up bike onto rails, there are some unnoticable screws which will destroy your beautifull paint finish, don't do the same mistake as I did with borrowed rack )
And yes Pendle's is compatible with majority of car brands\models albeit you would have to tackle that issue of being road legal with lighting board on the back which equals additional cost. After all, it's cheaper than sexy looking roof rails, but in your case you do casual transporting around like me so rack woul be perfect fine for you. It's not that much of fiddle to install it all, maybe under 2 minutes.