Trunk Bike Rack?

HollyBee · Mar 27, 2007

I was wondering if any of you have a trunk bike rack? I was looking at the Saris Bones 3, but the bike shop said they wouldn't sell it to me, because it wouldn't fit.

I have seen all the debate about installing a hitch for a bike hitch rack, and since we have the ext warranty, I am going to hold off on a hitch.

Other than bicycle related stress, I LOVE my 5. It's a sweet ride, and since I bought mine I have seen 2 others in the Kalamazoo, MI area. But you already know how awesome the 5's are!

antlind · Mar 27, 2007

HollyBee said:
I was wondering if any of you have a trunk bike rack? I was looking at the Saris Bones 3, but the bike shop said they wouldn't sell it to me, because it wouldn't fit.

I have seen all the debate about installing a hitch for a bike hitch rack, and since we have the ext warranty, I am going to hold off on a hitch.

Other than bicycle related stress, I LOVE my 5. It's a sweet ride, and since I bought mine I have seen 2 others in the Kalamazoo, MI area. But you already know how awesome the 5's are!

The trunk/rear hatch is made of plastic and in speaking to my dealer they don't recommend using any rack that attaches directly to this rear hatch...in fact any damage caused by using the hatch attached rack will not be covered under warranty. The dealer will only recommend using a bike rack attached to the OEM roof rack. This kinda sucks given the price of these parts. I use a hitch-attached bike rack for 4 bikes myself without any problems.

HollyBee · Mar 27, 2007

antlind said:
The trunk/rear hatch is made of plastic and in speaking to my dealer they don't recommend using any rack that attaches directly to this rear hatch...in fact any damage caused by using the hatch attached rack will not be covered under warranty. The dealer will only recommend using a bike rack attached to the OEM roof rack. This kinda sucks given the price of these parts. I use a hitch-attached bike rack for 4 bikes myself without any problems.

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will be hitching up after all!

Zoom5Zoom · Mar 27, 2007

I have had my 200 lbs hitch weight since new and haul 4 mountain bikes all summer... no issues

INSTALL THE HITCH JUST DONT WIRE THE LIGHTS

mountjonas · Mar 27, 2007

we got a yakima rack for ours.

Mntnbkr · Mar 28, 2007

Anyone care to help a fellow 5-er? I'm about to get a hitch rack (as it sounds like HollyBee will be doing too) and am looking for feedback recommendations on racks people have, like, and why. I am currently eying up the Rola Triple X on etrailer.com (two arm style) as I need it to fit 3mountain bikes - 1 men's, 1 women's, and 1 kids, so the rack needs to be adaptable to different frames. Also don't want to spend a ton and the TripleX is not too bad at $150. Any success or horror stories with your hitch rack? Brands and models please. Thanks!

Zoom5Zoom · Mar 28, 2007

Mntnbkr said:
Anyone care to help a fellow 5-er? I'm about to get a hitch rack (as it sounds like HollyBee will be doing too) and am looking for feedback recommendations on racks people have, like, and why. I am currently eying up the Rola Triple X on etrailer.com (two arm style) as I need it to fit 3mountain bikes - 1 men's, 1 women's, and 1 kids, so the rack needs to be adaptable to different frames. Also don't want to spend a ton and the TripleX is not too bad at $150. Any success or horror stories with your hitch rack? Brands and models please. Thanks!

mazda rear hitch is a 200 lbs tongue weight which is enough for your bikes. You can find what ever adapter to fit in it for your 3 bikes.....

more you pay better the adapter....

Mntnbkr · Mar 30, 2007

OK - I'll try again for a more specific answer... "The more you pay the better" is only partially true - you can spend 150 and get useless cheap crap or spend 150 and get a well designed product - while I appreciate the answer, I am looking for specific feedback, not generalities. Does anyone own the (Rola or Swagman) tripleX and if so are you happy with the design and quality? I like the fully folding feature (easier for liftgate access and compact vehicle or house storage) - just want to find out if it is good stuff or is it a rikkity (sp) design? I've also looked at the sportrack single arm style, nice folding design, but there is no sway/swing (front to back) control built in to stabilize the bikes. Then of course there's Thule or Yak - I've got the full rooftop rack system from Yakima on my Jetta - great stuff, but not overly impressed with their hitch racks. Good quality, but not innovative or unique or compact for that matter. Any SPECIFIC responses, experience, or feedback are appreciated.

was98strat · Mar 30, 2007

Mntnbkr said:
OK - I'll try again for a more specific answer... "The more you pay the better" is only partially true - you can spend 150 and get useless cheap crap or spend 150 and get a well designed product - while I appreciate the answer, I am looking for specific feedback, not generalities. Does anyone own the (Rola or Swagman) tripleX and if so are you happy with the design and quality? I like the fully folding feature (easier for liftgate access and compact vehicle or house storage) - just want to find out if it is good stuff or is it a rikkity (sp) design? I've also looked at the sportrack single arm style, nice folding design, but there is no sway/swing (front to back) control built in to stabilize the bikes. Then of course there's Thule or Yak - I've got the full rooftop rack system from Yakima on my Jetta - great stuff, but not overly impressed with their hitch racks. Good quality, but not innovative or unique or compact for that matter. Any SPECIFIC responses, experience, or feedback are appreciated.

You might want to check out epinions.com for reviews on the hitch racks you are looking at. As it's a Hitch rack, it's not prticularly affected by the model of vehicle it's attached to.

Foolish · Mar 30, 2007

Well, if you've got mad money to spend, this is a very nice rack set up. I have the 2-bike 1 1/4" version from a few years ago before Thule bought the design from Sportworks. This Thule is the old sportworks design.

Of course, if you're trying to carry more than 2 bikes, you need the 2" hitch version and you have to buy the $369 mount, plus the $260 add-on! So, yeah. Lots of money.

It's a great rack, though! They make the ones you see on a lot of buses. The rack only touches the front tire and the rear rim, so it's really nice to your bike.

I'm going riding this afternoon, I'll shoot a pic and post it up later.

Foolish · Mar 30, 2007

Here you go, pictures!

One bike (Old School)

Two bikes (new hotness)

From the side

Thule has kept the basic design, but changed the tray a bit and gotten rid of the really clever rear wheel attachment:

Mntnbkr · Mar 31, 2007

Thanks for the feedback folks.
Unfortunately not much info on epinions.com in general and nothing on the triple x.
Foolish - nice rack - looks really sturdy - I think a little more elaborate than what I'm looking for - as I need compactness for storage. Nice rides too... I've got a K2 Razorback Grassroots Factory Team and my wife has a K2 1000 that look nearly identical to your Proflex - only diff is hers is blue and says K2 - a good huckster bike. Hope you had a good ride friday - my first ride of the year was Wed - sweet!
Back to the racks...anyone have additional info the Triple x, or on racks they own? Any help on rack selection is appreciated.

antlind · Apr 1, 2007

Mntnbkr said:
Thanks for the feedback folks.
Unfortunately not much info on epinions.com in general and nothing on the triple x.
Foolish - nice rack - looks really sturdy - I think a little more elaborate than what I'm looking for - as I need compactness for storage. Nice rides too... I've got a K2 Razorback Grassroots Factory Team and my wife has a K2 1000 that look nearly identical to your Proflex - only diff is hers is blue and says K2 - a good huckster bike. Hope you had a good ride friday - my first ride of the year was Wed - sweet!
Back to the racks...anyone have additional info the Triple x, or on racks they own? Any help on rack selection is appreciated.

Hello,
I have the Swagman rear bike rack that hold 4 bikes. This is the rear rack that folds down to allow access to the trunk. The rack is very sturdy and to-date i have no problems with the rack.
The problem I have is bounce on the rack when it is fully loaded. You see, even though the rack comes with the tether strap that is supposed to be secured at the top of the rear hatch, beacuse the Mazda5 rear hatch is plastic it is not recommended to hook the tether strap in case it cracks the top of the rear hatch.
I have used my Sawgman with 4 bikes and no tether, however I hold my breath every time the bikes start to bounce....As i said, i haven't had any disasters to-date, but I will not use this bike rack again fully loaded.
This summer I plan to use a similar Swagman on my MPV....or if I have to use the Mazda5 I will load two bikes on top of the car and two on the Swagman.
I hope this write up helps you make a decision.....If you check on this forum you'll find some pics of my Mazda5 with the Swagman fully loaded.
Regards,
Anthony

Zoom5Zoom · Apr 3, 2007

Mntnbkr said:
Thanks for the feedback folks.
Unfortunately not much info on epinions.com in general and nothing on the triple x.
Foolish - nice rack - looks really sturdy - I think a little more elaborate than what I'm looking for - as I need compactness for storage. Nice rides too... I've got a K2 Razorback Grassroots Factory Team and my wife has a K2 1000 that look nearly identical to your Proflex - only diff is hers is blue and says K2 - a good huckster bike. Hope you had a good ride friday - my first ride of the year was Wed - sweet!
Back to the racks...anyone have additional info the Triple x, or on racks they own? Any help on rack selection is appreciated.

SportRack in canada has a 4 bike unit which I put 2 Specialized and 1 Giant mountain bike and one old school bike...

Total rack cost.... 175 CDN.

antlind · Apr 3, 2007

Zoom5Zoom said:
SportRack in canada has a 4 bike unit which I put 2 Specialized and 1 Giant mountain bike and one old school bike...

Total rack cost.... 175 CDN.

What about stability when the rack is fully loaded?
Any issues with this?
Anthony

mazdaFIVEmike · Apr 4, 2007

Mntnbkr said:
Thanks for the feedback folks.
Unfortunately not much info on epinions.com in general and nothing on the triple x.
Foolish - nice rack - looks really sturdy - I think a little more elaborate than what I'm looking for - as I need compactness for storage. Nice rides too... I've got a K2 Razorback Grassroots Factory Team and my wife has a K2 1000 that look nearly identical to your Proflex - only diff is hers is blue and says K2 - a good huckster bike. Hope you had a good ride friday - my first ride of the year was Wed - sweet!
Back to the racks...anyone have additional info the Triple x, or on racks they own? Any help on rack selection is appreciated.

I've got the Swagman XXX for 3 bikes.

Its a bit fussy to get 3 bikes on there but once you get the hang of it and figure out how your 3 bikes best fit on the thing - it'll be good.

I agree with the one comment about bounce - it seems like a lot but to date I haven't had any problems.

See attached photos.

Medicman · Apr 4, 2007

Zoom5Zoom said:
I have had my 200 lbs hitch weight since new and haul 4 mountain bikes all summer... no issues

INSTALL THE HITCH JUST DONT WIRE THE LIGHTS

Is there any system which is like a plug and play wiring for a trailer ?
What I mean is one that can be plugged in to use and disconnected when not in use..
That would be the best way !!!

Zoom5Zoom · Apr 5, 2007

Medicman said:
Is there any system which is like a plug and play wiring for a trailer ?
What I mean is one that can be plugged in to use and disconnected when not in use..
That would be the best way !!!

in the old days on airplanes we used to use "Y" cables to do the same thing and not disturb the orignal wiring on the airplane. I assume this method would work also to wire without breaking the orignal wires....

Trunk Bike Rack?

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