Bike Racks and Car Bike Racks http://bikecycles.org/ Bike Racks and Car Bike Racks Car Bike Racks can mount onto the trunk, the roof, a trailer hitch or truck bed. Trunk bike racks are made of metal tubing for hanging your bike and mounting straps that secure the rack. Average trunk bike rack prices range between $ 40 – $ 60. Roof racks require more parts. The base system is comprised of towers that mount to the roof gutter or factory roof rack. The towers mount via clips or fit kits, which are usually an additional price. Crossbars are added to the towers that extend across the roof. The bike rack then mounts onto the crossbar. Each piece plus locks (optional) adds to the total cost of your rack. Thule and Yakima are the top consumer choices. Total base system not including the actual bike mount itself range between $ 250 – $ 350. There is a variety of bike mounts available depending upon how you want to mount them. There are fork mounts that require you to remove your front bike tire, frame mounts that clamp to your bike frame, and tire mounts that grab the tires. Prices range from $ 119 to $ 199 bringing your total price to over $ 450. Hitch mount bike racks are just that, bike racks that mount to your car or trucks trailer hitch. There are several different manufactures including Thule and Yakima. They are usually made of steel construction that can make them heavy and awkward to mount. The bikes hang on hangers making them easy to reach and load from the rear of the vehicle. There are two types: one is stationary and the other can flip down to allow you to open your hatch or trunk. Prices vary depending upon weather you opt for the flip down or stationary. Average prices are between $ 200 and $ 350. Lastly, there are truck bike mounts. Truck Bike Racks can include any or all of the previously mentioned rack setups with the exception of one, Bed Racks. Bed Racks can mount inside or on top of the truck bed, which includes a few different types as well. There are floor mounts and bed rail mounts as well as some above bed space saver options. The floor mounting type bolts directly onto the truck bed floor so removing it requires some time. The fork mount bed rail option takes up less room but again removing the front bike tire is required. The above bed option provides added space in the truck bed for other gear and utilizes the tower and crossbar system that we previously mentioned. There two types of above bed systems. One is stationary that requires some disassembly to access your truck bed and the others attach to factory bed cleats or mounts to a top of the truck bed rail which allow them to slide out of the way to utilize the truck bed. The bed cleat version can be installed inside a truck shell and acts as an organizer by mounting a basket to the crossbars. This is a great space saving option for those whom have shells. There are also Truck Racks that mount on top of a shell. As you can imagine, some of these are low profile and others high profile. The top consumer choice again is Thule and Yakima. There are some low profile versions from Love 2 Surf that adapt Thule and Yakima crossbars to your
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