Bike Racks for Your Car

Bike riders maintain their bicycles in good condition at all times. This entails regularly checking their vehicle, getting the right metal parts in the Philippines for repairs, and using the bike with care. By doing all of these things, riders like you will be able to maintain your bicycle in good working condition at all times.

Normally, bikers fall into two categories: those who ride as a hobby and those who use it as a mode of transportation. If you fall under the first category, it’s important that you have a bike rack in your car. This will help you transport your bicycle in ideal places where you and your friends can ride your bikes. The proper bike rack would fit your vehicle securely and should be within your budget range. The wrong ones may damage your vehicle and might not secure the bike well enough, resulting to damage. Which bike rack will suit your car?

Strap-on Trunk-mounted Carrier

Known as the most affordable bike carrier with a price range of around P2,000-P8,500+, the strap-on carrier is attached to the trunk of the car with plastic-coated arms and might carry around 1 to 2 bikes. Unfortunately, having this carrier may damage your car and other vehicles physically, may block the driver’s view, and possibly have weak straps.

Roof-mounted Carrier

Roof-mounted carriers are convenient when you’re using SUV or wagon cars. Installing this on your vehicle requires a roof rack or crossbar that would support the bike mount which may cost you around PHP 7,000. The roof-mounted carrier costs separately from the roof rack, and will help you easily manage your bike. However, in some instances, you have to remove the wheels of your bicycle in order to strap it on the carrier. Despite all of these, this type of carrier is perfect for carrying uniquely shaped frames – an advantage that you will not find in other types of carriers.

Hitch-mounted Carrier

Racks that are hitch-mounted differ in sizes in order to match the class of the vehicle. Class I are for the common cars and small SUVs with 1.25 inches openings which may only be able to carry around 2 bikes. Meanwhile, class III is usually found on pickups and bigger SUVs; it hitches with 2-inch openings but, unfortunately, it is not compatible with most cars. The price of hitch-mounted carriers ranges from  PHP 4,500 to PHP 18,000.

Installing this type of carrier in your car will also require drilling holes in your car. It might also block your vehicle’s liftgate, taillights, and rear view mirror. In spite of this, it has plenty of advantages too; for one, hitch-mounted carriers contain trays to place your bikes on and they are easy to install which means that you can secure your bike here effortlessly. In addition, this carrier would not scratch or damage your vehicle as well as other cars on the road.

Getting a bike rack that you can install in your car is necessary, especially if cycling is a hobby of yours. From the types of carriers listed above, choose one that suits your needs best!