Good Bike Rack for my car??

[mullarks]

So I need to get a bike rack for my car (2000 Audi S4) and I am not really sure where to start. The car doesn't have a trailer hitch but I guess I could get one installed and I don't want a roof rack (too many stories of bikes getting crushed while parking in the garage.) Any suggestions for something reliable and relatively cheap??

[foofighter]

yakima...and were you on Audizine by any chance? there's a member on there w/ the same SN as yours

check on craigslist there's a lot of yakima racks on sale on there for a good price. you may have to buy the proper clips but what you get would equal just the base rack at REI etc

[Pugz]

I have a rack that attaches to the trunk and it works pretty well. I am looking to sell it, $30 and its yours.

[mullarks]

Originally Posted by foofighter

yakima...and were you on Audizine by any chance? there's a member on there w/ the same SN as yours

check on craigslist there's a lot of yakima racks on sale on there for a good price. you may have to buy the proper clips but what you get would equal just the base rack at REI etc

Yeah I used to be on there, but fell out of that scene a few years ago. I remembered your screen name but wasn't sure if it was the same person cause I didn't see any pics of your car. Do you still have that Avant? Don't really want a Yakima cause I am afraid of crushing my bike when I am parking in the garage.

[dstepper]

I see many people using racks that I would never put my bike on. Simon had his S-Works come off a roof rack on the freeway, he was lucky the only thing destroyed was the rear wheel.

The only racks I trust are hitch mounts: with the tray both wheels fit in and the arm that comes up over the front wheel...like the one on the back of Jose's truck.

[foofighter]

no avant's long gone...wished i still had it though would have been good for bike hauling but oh well.

i guess your other option is a trunk mount...

[scruffylooking]

I word of warning on some trunk mounted racks... the cheaper ones tear up your paint. I'm sure the costlier one's do a better job of protecting your trunk's finish but then the bikes will step up and do the job instead. I have a total beater so I don't care about the paint on my car.

If I got a new car I'd probably go roof rack and hang a sign on my garage door that says "STOP: BIKE CHECK!".

[Pugz]

If you can afford it definetly go with a hitch mounted rack like he said, it will feel much safer and getting the bike on and off is so easy.

[andykee]

drop the rear seat and trunk it? i'd throw a couple of nasty old sheets in there first to keep dirt out of your car though.

i had one of those trunk mount racks ($50 at target i think) and it scratched the hell out of my trunk. when the rack or clips weren't scratching my car, my pedals were digging in to the paint. no thanks!

[mntbiker12]

Yakima and Thule have pretty good rack selection guides on their websites. As others have said, I'd go hitch mount if you have the funds. I used a trunk rack for a while and never once felt comfortable with the bike on it. I was always worried that my car was going to get jacked up, and that the bike might fall off.

[b5driver]

Originally Posted by mullarks

So I need to get a bike rack for my car (2000 Audi S4) and I am not really sure where to start. The car doesn't have a trailer hitch but I guess I could get one installed and I don't want a roof rack (too many stories of bikes getting crushed while parking in the garage.) Any suggestions for something reliable and relatively cheap??

I'm kind of in the same boat, although I have the poor man's version of your car (1999 Passat). Lately, I have been dropping the rear seat, taking the front wheel off and stashing the bike in the trunk. Not sure if that will work for you b/c I don't know if you can lower the back seats with the AWD. (I know in the 4Motion B5's you can't). The roof rack makes me nervous for the same reasons you stated, in addition to the possible damage of the weather stripping. Does anyone know if the weather stripping fear is legit?

[foofighter]

not really because my bud has had his yakima's on his B6 A4 for a few years now and the weather stripping around the doors have held up just fine.

[mullarks]

Originally Posted by andykee

drop the rear seat and trunk it? i'd throw a couple of nasty old sheets in there first to keep dirt out of your car though.

i had one of those trunk mount racks ($50 at target i think) and it scratched the hell out of my trunk. when the rack or clips weren't scratching my car, my pedals were digging in to the paint. no thanks!

That's what I have been doing up until this point but I might be picking up a new bike and it doesn't have a quick release front fork so I am not sure if it will fit. And I don't want to have to undo the pinch bolts every time.

[andykee]

Originally Posted by mullarks

That's what I have been doing up until this point but I might be picking up a new bike and it doesn't have a quick release front fork so I am not sure if it will fit. And I don't want to have to undo the pinch bolts every time.

oh yeah, i've always been removing the front wheel.

i guess i'd look in to a hitch rack then...

[cru jones]

Before i got my truck(tie downs baby!) I had a 4-door sedan. I just dont trust the look or even idea of trunk racks. I would just take off my front wheel and stuff it in the car. Lay down a big towel and your good. You might get the interior slightly dirty but that sure beats a scratched and or dinged exterior.

[allroy71]

In your situation, I would go with the hitch rack too. My bro did it on a VW Golf. It works, but he has to worry about it bottoming out on steep driveways.

[SpunnOne]

If you have to go truck mount, I'd suggest the Saris Bones models. I've used mine for almost two years with no issues, and I've not had a problem with scratches.
Someday though, I hope to have a vehicle I can put a rack on using a trailer hitch.

[andykee]

Originally Posted by SpunnOne

If you have to go truck mount, I'd suggest the Saris Bones models. I've used mine for almost two years with no issues, and I've not had a problem with scratches.
Someday though, I hope to have a vehicle I can put a rack on using a trailer hitch.

how do you keep the petal of the inside bike from scraping up the back of your car? that was my biggest problem with my trunk-mounted rack.

[SpunnOne]

Originally Posted by andykee

how do you keep the petal of the inside bike from scraping up the back of your car? that was my biggest problem with my trunk-mounted rack.

When the bike is on the rack, it's far enough away so that the pedal never hits the trunk.
I've seen that issue with other trunk mounts, but the Saris has a better design it seems...

[BrewMaster]

There are downsides to everything. If you get rear ended with a trunk or hitch mount, your bike is toast.

If I had the cash I would definitely go hitch mount. That can run up to 4 bills for a hitch to be installed and a nice rack.