Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bicycle and rack

Please help me find a temporary bike rack for my 1993 Saab 900 convertible.

sequential — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:00:46 -0800

Please help me find a bike rack for my 1993 Saab 900 convertible. Long term, I believe I need to have a hitch installed to avoid common pitfalls of trunk mounted bike racks. In the short term, though, I need a bike rack to transport my road bike and my mountain bike this coming Sunday. Unfortunately, I can not have a hitch installed before then. What would you suggest as a good compromise?

For a point of reference, the rear of my car looks much like this, but without the luggage rack. The luggage rack, ski rack, and bike rack intended for my car were, at some point, for sale, but I seem to be unable to find one available now. Bonus points if you can point me to where I can pick these accessories up.

Help identify cool mystery bike rack?

de void — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:53:18 -0800

Help me identify/locate the manufacturer of a cool hitch-mounted bike rack I saw last summer. I want one. The google goggles, they do nothing. Saw a really cool bicycle rack at a mountain bike trail parking lot last summer. Wanted it then, want it now, but can't find it.

As stated, the bike rack is a hitch mount (plugs into a square trailer receiver). The rack I saw carried 2 bikes. I suspect there may be other longer models that carry 3 or 4 bikes.

It had a center frame/bar that had a "stretched/flattened Z" profile when viewed from the side; the end that connects to the hitch mount is lower than the bike carrying end.

It carried the bikes in "V" channels that were mounted perpendicular to the center frame. The bikes were secured to the rack by ratcheting straps that locked the wheels down into the V channels. I seem to remember that there were no attachment points or risers for the bike frames and that all the securing was done at the wheels, but that doesn't seem feasible. Perhaps there were folding fork braces that I missed.

The whole rack had a dull silver color that suggested it was made of aluminum alloy.

It had a plate riveted to one of the channels with the manufacturer's name and the web site. It was not one that I had heard of before (Thule/Yakima etc.). I remember thinking that it sounded like a small shop, and that I should write the web site down because I would forget it. I didn't, and I did.

Hitch on a 2007 Camry

exhilaration — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:48:41 -0800

Anyone have any experience with installing a hitch for use with a hitch bike rack on a Toyota Camry? I haven't had a chance to visit the dealer, but is there an official Toyota-sanctioned hitch for a 2007 Camry? The manual says it can tow 1000 lbs, so there's gotta be something. I've been using Saris bike racks for a few years and I don't want to use to a trunk rack on my new Camry. If the dealer doesn't carry a hitch, can I buy one and take it to a mechanic for installation? Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced hitch bike rack? Are they removable? I just want to put it on when I need to transport a few bikes. Thanks in advance.

Can I buy a bike like this in the US?

FortyT-wo — Wed, 10 May 2006 08:49:25 -0800

Can a bike similar to this be purchased in america? I know absolutely nothing about bikes, so please be gentle. I'm looking at getting a bicycle to get me around my urban neighborhood to a few places that are too far to walk. My main destinations are going to probably be grocery store type places, so a basket and rear rack are really important to me. I find the bycicles I see on foreign websites much more attractive than the ones I see out and about here because they have those features built-in, and they don't seem to be covered in as much garish writing.

The bike linked to is from Bridgestone's japanese website, and they don't appear to have an english one. I've checked out major bicycle manufacturers that I can think of and google and they don't seem to be selling any similar models. Ebay and craigslist also seem to have just standard models without built-in baskets.

I defintely know I can buy a basket to put on my bike, but I love the aesthetic of a bicycle that was designed and built to include it.

I'm afraid I just don't know enough about bicycles and manufacturers to find one... Any help is appreciated!

What's the easiest-to-use, non-scratch bike rack for my new car?

sixpack — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 11:46:52 -0800

I need a bike rack that won't scratch my new car. Suggestions? I use a bike rack frequently, and the last two I owned (trunk-mounted) ultimately scratched the paint -- minor dings, many of them from the bikes themselves. Convenience is a big priority for me, so I don't want a roof rack. I'm considering a hitch-mounted rack, which looks like it'll keep the bikes from banging my car. Anyone with experience with these? I'm driving a Cadillac CTS.