Subaru B9 Tribeca SUV Forum banner

Bicycle Rack

2K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  michaelhinchey 
#1 ·
Does anyone utilize a bicycle rack on their Beca?
I have an 08 limited. Is rooftop the way to go?
I don't have the tow package. What brand is best?
Any suggestions? Thank you!
 
#4 ·
There is that ^ to consider as well.

The real question is how often will you use it and what type of security do you need?

The best racks are going to probably be made by Thule or yakima or possibly some other brand I've never heard of. Whatever you decide I would steer clear of any universal tailgate mounted rack.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I would have to go out to the garage and try and find my mount, since the kids moved out and took the mountain bikes with them, I haven't had a need for it.

That, and this is my current bike here......


This was taken this weekend at the Mt. Ashland Oregon ski area, the mountain in the background is Mt. Shasta California.
 
#14 ·
I have used three setups, currently two.
--roof mounted on car;
--roof mounted on trailer;
--hitch mounted.

The roof mounted racks are lots of work, are useless off-road, increase dramatically the height and require you to not forget this. It is also impossible to secure the bikes properly against theft since the rack locks are laughable.

Mounted on my small fiberglass trailer, the roof racks are easy to use. A chain goes from the metal frame through all the bike frames to the other end of the frame. I use a Pewag 7mm security chain for that. It looks small but it is plenty to secure the bikes (you can use Pewag 10 mm for high-end bikes, but it is much heavier, I use it for the trailer itself). These are the real deal, not your bike store chains. You will need proper locks, too, to make the package work. There are good locks that work with the 7mm and great locks that work with the 10 mm chain.

Of course, it is not always convenient to move around with a trailer qua bike rack. So, I also have a hitch mount rack. I went as cheap as I could with this one, a 47$ generic from ebay that can hold 4 (!) bikes. It blew me away. While the thing is aesthetically awful and quite wobbly, the bikes are very secure on it and in fact I even took it offroad with success. It was a short (5 miles total) and easy trail but a trail, not a dirt road. It was bumpy enough for the test. I also used it on about 50-60 miles of dirt roads without issues. This was IMPOSSIBLE with the roof racks. With this setup the locks are irrelevant. I just use my chain and lock the bikes to the hitch.

So, a high-end hitch carrier like the Yakima Swing Daddy (which I almost bought before buying a trailer), should be the best single option. Easy access to the rear is important on longer trips.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top