RedHeadTlGrrl

I know there are other riders out there, so fellow cyclists, what is the best bike rack to get for the TL?

Personally, I'm most concerned about maintaining the integrity of the my car. On my last car, I had an over-the-trunk rack, but I think this is too risky due to the high probability of scratching the paint job with either the bike or the rack.

I also don't like the idea of installing a hitch, since it would ruin the view of her backside when the bike rack was off, though this would keep the bike the farthest away from the paint job.

I like the idea of a bike rack on top of the car, but I've never had one of these. Are these easy to install? Do I risk scratching the paint or dinging the roof with one of these, similar to the trunk rack? Plus, I'm kinda short, only 5'4" so I don't know if this is going to cause more problems than it solves.

So in short, what do you think is the best bike rack for a TL? If you like yours, what do you have? Thanks for your !

Fellow triathletes, holla!

nfnsquared

Please search, asked and answered many times already.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

i'll go ahead and give my 2 cents on roof racks. i've had a roof rack on everycar i've had with my TL being the 3rd.

trunk racks... avoid at all costs. guaranteed to dent or scratch something.

hitch rack...touchless approach, but will make car handle squirrely with rack and bikes. and as you noted the obstructed view.

roof racks...if you are careful during install, then no scratches (cover the roof with a towel to in sure you won't scratch the roof, then once its on...you're good to go). be careful not to overtighten the clips as you can dent your roof line. overall the actual install, is not that bad if you know what you are doing or helping someone who has experience putting them on (i've had 3 installs on my own cars and 2 on my brother's cars (one of which was an evo). i got my car brand new and the car was naked for only 24 hours before the rack was put on. its too much of a PITA to take it on and off, so its just part of the car now. 5+ yrs and i think its only been off the car once. just don't EVER take it to a car wash. i hand wash every week.

you mentioned you are vertically challenged, i'm 5'7" and have no issues getting the bike on and off the rack. you might have to reach a bit....or use the door jam as your step stool to reach.

i have a thule roof rack (would have preferred yakima base with my thule upright mounts, but it was not available at the time) and an old school thule faring with custom mounting brackets which allows the faring to sit on the windshield molding. the new style faring sits on the sunroof (so someone messed up on the fitment over at thule).

hope this helps.

estabro

I had a Thule roof rack and absolutely hated it. Held the bike securely, but a huge pain otherwise.

Switched over to a tow hitch (very easy- took 30 minutes to install). It was also much faster to remove from the car.

Once I had one small problem with it...

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

yeah, i've been rear ended by some kid after coming home from a ride...thankfully the bikes were on the roof!!

what was the issue with your roofrack?? i would imagine it was probably the fork mounts and having to remove the wheels, but that's a guess. i have full upright bike mounts.

I hate cars

This is good info. I must not have searched well enough because 3 years ago I was looking for a roof bike rack for the TL. I ended up getting a hitch mount for the Murano but it would still be nice to have one on the TL too.

estabro

Lovely pic is courtesy of someone on their cell phone in Vienna. I would be a lot more upset if my bikes got wrecked than my car.

I did not like the roof rack for the following reasons:
1. Takes long to install
2. More expensive than hitch and rack
3. Can't take in carwash (I go to Mr. Wash in the winter and they won't let me in with it on)
4. Windnoise
5. Slight damage to rubber trim near edge of roof
6. Had to remove the wheel to use (not really a big deal)

The hitch rack can just pop out in a minute and the hitch itself is not really noticeable unless you look for it. Just much easier overall.

I thought I was going to be happy with the roof system, but really did not like it once I had it on. If the car had factory racks (i.e. Subaru), I might have kept it on the roof.

I hate cars

Good to hear the negatives. I don't like removing the wheel with disk brakes since it always seems to go back in just a little different than it came out and I get some rubbing of the pads.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

-i agree the initial instal is a real PITA, but once its on...its on.
-yes it is more expensive than the other two options, but it does give you other toy carrying abilities for the future (ie ski/snowbaord mounts, kayak mounts, cargo, etc).
-can't help you there with the automated car wash, i hand wash even in winter.
-the wind noise...its loud with sunroof open at highway speeds. if you have a faring the noise is reduced quite a bit. i usually listen to my stereo too loud to really notice the wind noise with or without the bikes on the roof.
-the roof damage...i have not had any issues.
-and the fork mount...i dont' like them...the upright mounts are the way to go so you don't have to hassle with the front wheel every time.

anyway to each his own. i just didn't like the way the car would handle with all the weight hanging off the back end of the car. i've loaded my car up with boxes and stuff in the trunk and backseat...OMG. the car handles horribly.

my rearender had minimal damage to the bumper only. you had some pretty extensive damage to yours. OUCH. and yes if my bikes got wrecked...i'd be really upset. the car is insured...the bikes...not so much.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

full upright mounts...that's the way to go if you go with the roof system. they have frameless full mounts and frame clamp mounts. i have the thule big mouth mounts on my car. no problems. i've carried my tri bike and my F/S MTB with disc brakes no issues for years.

estabro

My guess is that the bikes would probably get covered (my rack and hitch were convered when I got hit). I just don't know how happy the insurance adjuster will be when they find out what it will cost to replace them...

estabro

What brakes do you have? Most will hydros will re-center by themselves if they get thrown off a little bit.

I hate cars

BB7s. I had to have the simplicity because we tend to go very deep into the mountains and failure is not an option. I know most modern hydros are trouble free but I tend to wreck a lot lol. In fact, I've thought about downgrading from 203 f/r to 185 just so the disk is less likely to get bend when I wreck but I'm 235lbs with full gear and there's lots of downhill. Going to buy a FS next summer anyway.

Boogsephine

I'm looking to get a bike rack this weekend when REI has their sale but not sure which I want to get. I've seen a few pictures of the Thule and Yakima ones with and without the visor.



I don't see the brackets that go into the door jamb on that kit and I want to go with the flush style bars. Did he drill the rack through the roof?

I'm looking at the Yakima Whispbar flush bar system pictured below:



On the TL pictured at the top, I don't see the brackets like this:



I'm just trying to get something nice that doesn't add a whole lot to the roof of the car and something that I can easily take off in the winter.

Thanks for any information that someone can provide! I'm putting two mountain bikes on the car and only driving them 20ish miles so it won't be a whole lot of drag when driving.

MarcDavidoff

I would go with the rear hitch mount. I have had roof racks on numerous different cars to carry my bikes but between wind noise and loss in mpg I use the hitch setup now. I have this on my 2nd TL and it works great with a Thule hitch rack. Once removed, you can hardly see the hitch under the bumper. Actually, this place has them for $75 for the 3G TL On Craigslist. I've been thinking of picking one up.
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/ptd/4923740757.html
Their website:
Trailer Hitches | Towing Hitch | Drawtite, Reese & Curt Hitches

Boogsephine

I thought about doing the hitch but does it clear the ASPEC kit? I might get the rack for my snow skis and snowboard as well so I'm leaning more towards the roof. I don't mind the look of the roof rack but really don't want the visor like some of the cars have. Like I said I won't be driving too far with the bikes / boards so the wind resistance isn't a huge factor for me. I am just trying to make it look as subtle as it can be.

MarcDavidoff

Ohh..didn't know you had the Aspec. Not sure about that then for the hitch

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

There is nothing subtle about a roof rack. I like the look personally. I had a roof rack on my TL. It will eat MPGs and it makes noise with the sunroof open. The deflector helps with the noise and MPGs. Mine was on my car full time for 6 years.

Not sure about the hitch and aspec lip. If you don't like the roof rack look, go hitch, as long as it fits with the lip.

I believe the TL in the picture above...the rack was drilled into the roof.

I hate cars

I'm in the process of getting a hitch for the car. Now that I mountain bike at least twice a week I need a way of transporting the bike the 20 minutes to 2 hours of driving each way. Right now I'm at the mercy of my friends. It's worked so far because one of them just got a new Remedy 9 that he's in love with buy once the newness wears off he'll probably get sick of driving everywhere.


I thought about putting a roof rack on the BMW. After all it's a factory option and it bolts solidly to the roof with no modification. The only thing that stops me is my bad memory. I can see myself smashing my $6k bike into the house.

Sfinlen

I use a Yakima king joe 2 trunk rack. Been using it for a long while and no complaints! Hasn't left any marks on my car and holds my mountain bike securely!