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Best Bike Racks: Things to Consider
Buying a bike rack can be difficult. There are a lot of options when it comes to what kind of rack you choose, depending on what type of vehicle you own, what type of bicycle you’ve got, and how often you’ll be using it. We love bike racks that are sturdy (ie they won’t fall off), won’t damage our vehicles, lock (so that our bikes aren’t stolen, like our friend’s was at a cover band for the Grateful Dead), and are simple to affix the bikes to. If you're involved in a triathlon, you may need a specific triathlon bike rack. We also like a good affordable rack, though some of us who will be using them a lot and who have heavy mountain bikes prefer to pay top dollar for something that will last. Another consideration is how far you’ll be traveling with your bike. If you’re on a cross-country road trip, you might want a sturdier option than if someone simply drives an hour out of town to bike a few trails on the weekend. We’ve invested in a few awful bike racks over time, and we want to make sure you don’t do the same.
When you’re starting to think about making the commitment and finally purchasing that rack you’ve been eyeing for months now, we recommend you do some research online first. If you’re reading this, you’re likely already on the right path. We also advise you go into your neighborhood bike shop so that you can look at a few bike racks in person and develop a relationship with the shop. Even if you do decide to purchase the rack online, it never hurts to talk to someone face-to-face, and you can always stock up on your gels and other accessories in the store, or purchase a few maps of the local biking trails. There are also often great community bike rides as well as bike tuning clinics, where they teach you everything you need to know about that wheeled thing you’ve been cruising around on. Or, perhaps you already know all the trails and how to keep your bike in top shape, and you just want to meet a few new friends to tackle all the gnarliest trails within a five-hour radius. Either way, it’s good to support a local business and to make an in-person connection for bike gear. For big purchases, online, is often the most convenient way to get the best deal and to make sure you’re getting the exact model you want.
Here are a few different options:
1. The Durability
You’ll want a rack that keeps working for years to come. Some cheaper models can be flimsy, or can do some serious damage to your car. Others have straps that tend to break after a year or two, or may end up holding your bike in such a way that it bumps around a lot as you’re driving. Certain bike racks are best for the city, while others are made for being jostled as you drive down those rough roads in search of the most epic trails.
2. The Materials
How sturdy are they? How heavy?
3. The Positioning on Your Car
A roof rack can work well if you want to be able to open your hatch, or if you want to be able to carry the whole crew’s bikes on the roof. A bike storage rack might be exactly what you need. However, some of us (ahem, the short ones), may find it a little tough to always be hauling your bike overhead to place it on the car rack. And if you’re road tripping out of your car from track to track, you might want to consider that you won’t want to remove your bike from your hatch every time you want to open it (though, some of us have been known to remove the rack with the bikes still on it from our cars out of sheer laziness).
4. The Price
Your budget will dictate what kind of bike racks you’ll be comparing. We’d recommend you consider how much you spent on your bike, and that you buy a rack commensurate with this purchase. If you have a bike you’d hate to see destroyed or stolen, it would be well worth your time to shell out a little extra cash to make sure it arrives at your destination safely.
5. The Style
Roof rack, storage rack, car rack, hitch mount, tray style, arm style…there are a few different types to choose from. And who doesn’t want a sweet-looking rack that makes us look like a badass? Some racks look better than others, and so this is an important component of the buying process for some. For others, a cheap, bomber thrift store purchase that’s scratched and has, in a previous life, been spray-painted bright pink, may just do the trick. We don’t judge.
In the end, there’s no specific brand of bike rack that’s best. It all depends on what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to spend. For the record, though, we’d recommend you spend a little more than you’d planned to make sure that your precious bike stays safe and unharmed. There’s nothing worse than returning to your vehicle after a long night of enjoying a Grateful Dead cover band, as our dear friend did, and seeing an empty, sawed-through rack on his car.
Our picks for the top bike storage bike racks out there are:
1. Saris Bones
2. Inno Velo Gripper
3. The Kuat Trio
In the end, a bike rack changes your life. No more stuffing your bike into your car, or taking the wheel off, or asking that one friend with a truck to drive. Those days are over!
