I need a bike rack. Im driving a mercury sable. Is it better to get a roof one or something that just clips onto the back? What does everyone use…thanks in advance!
Simple equation…
Roof = More money, but more secure
Trunk = Less mony, but less secure.
BOb
how unsecure are we talking…do they fall off often?? What are the best brands
If only it was that simple…
Roof–Garage…
Back–Rear ended…
Roof–Hit by road debris (think your windshield)
Back–Covered with junk kicked up by your vehicle
Roof–can be hard to mount, which can also make it hard to steal
Back–Easy to mount so maybe easy to steal
Roof–windshear forces on fork and or frame
Back-- not so much force from crosswind
etc etc It is almost breaching religion: You either believe in the church of the roof rack or the church of therear rack or even the church of never outside the car…
I used a trunk rack for years, never had a problem. One of the nice things is that the bike is protected from bug splatter, and I have seen bikes go flying off roof racks before (probably because the driver forgot to clamp the fork or something).
Now I just throw the bike in the trunk, because my current car won’t accept a trunk rack.
Secure as in siz straps holding the bike on and only two need to be cut so the bike can be removed…Basically if you’re going from point a to point b with no stops, you’re find on the trunk. If you want to leave your bike on your car, you pretty much have to go to the roof or a hitch where the bike can be locked on.
Bob
I recently purchased the Yakima Mega Joe 3 trunk mount carrier for use with my Ford Explorer. It is very easy to install securely and does a wonderful job in keeping the bike stable and still on the road. After a 3 hour road trip, which included interstate speeds, twisty two lane roads and even some dirt roads with potholes, both the rack and bike were just as secure as when I started.
The one problem I have is the rack is just a touch too big for my frame to fit normally. However, with a bit of creativity, it worked great. (I ride a Trek 1600 47")
I debated between this rack and adding the bike rack to my Thule roof rack system. I picked the trunk rack for two reasons. One, with the trunk rack, I can still carry two kayaks on the roof, two dogs in the back and up to three bikes on the rear. With the roof rack system, I would have limited myself to one kayak and one bike.
The second reason relates to the limitations of my brain. Last fall, there was an unfortunate incident where I attempted to pull into my garage having forgotten that the kayaks were on the roof… needless to say, I did not want to have a similar stupidity attack with the bike.