Bike Racks - I Love Bicycling

4 Ways To Protect Your Bike While Traveling

July 31, 2019 by Sarah Lauzé

Strapping your bike on your car and heading out on an adventure can be a great way to expand your cycling experience. You can find quiet roads or some new new single track and get away from your go-to routes. The only issue can be figuring out how to best protect your bike while travelling from one place to another.

There are quite a few options when it comes to transporting your bike, and you have to find what will work best for you. This will also be determined by what kind of vehicle you have. Here are some of the best ways to protect your bike and ensure your adventure isn’t tainted by a damaged or stolen bike.

Pick the Right Carrier

Rear Mounted Carriers

Rear mounted carried are easy to use, but can have some drawbacks to consider. In most cases they limit access to the trunk or back of the vehicle, which can become an issue when it comes to gear. They are also more susceptible to damage, whether it be from dirt and rocks or an accident. You also need to ensure your plates and lights remain visible, as this can be cause for a road fine in many countries.

Roof Racks

Not only does a roof rack tell the world that you are a fun outdoorsy person, but the it is a great option when it comes to transporting your bike. You can either keep your front wheel on, or some require you remove the front wheel and include a fork grabber that can be locked for extra security. Although roof racks generally keep your bike a lot cleaner, it increases your wind resistance and can affect how your car handles. It can also be difficult to get your bike on and off the roof depending on the height. Plus, there is the added risk of forgetting it’s up there and driving under something (like a garage) and hearing that sickening crunch.

In your car

Some choose to remove the front wheel and transport their bike in the vehicle for piece of mind. Yes, this is the cheapest and perhaps the most secure method, but it does have its drawbacks. Not only can it be awkward to get your bike in and out, but it can damage your vehicle through catching material or bike grease and dirt. Also, it doesn’t leave much room for anything else if you are heading out with some friends or need other gear.

Position the Bike Correctly

Almost all bike carriers will hold the bike frame somewhere for stability. You’ll want to make sure to place the clamp as close as possible to the frame joint as that’s where the frame will be strongest. This is particularly important for carbon frame bikes.

Lock it up

If you are going to leave your bike unsupervised on your car for any amount of time then you’re going to want to lock it up. Many bike racks include a locking mechanism, but an additional lock is always a good idea. Not only does it make thieft more difficult, but it a visual deterrent to bike thieves in the first place. Whenever possible be sure to leave your car and bike in a well lit and populated area.

Keep it clean

To help avoid scratches while transporting your bike, give it a wipe down before popping it on or in your car. This is especially important for carbon bikes. Likewise, you’ll want to keep your bike rack nice and clean to keep dirt from getting trapped between your bike and the rack. If you’re using a rear mounted bike you can also use a bike cover to keep your bike clean and protect it from incoming rocks and dust.

No matter how far you are transporting it, make sure you take the necessary things with you to protect your bike. Always take a bike lock, at rag or wipe to give your bike a quick clean, and a bike cover if you are going to be leaving your bike out in the elements for any period of time.

A Simple Bike Rack Review – The Allen Sports Premier Two Bike Trunk Carrier

March 31, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

There are a number of things that need checked off the list when you are trying to find a way to transport your bike or bikes from point A to point B. A few of those might be:

A bike rack for the rear of your vehicle.
Securely carries your bike/s without worry.
Small enough to easily handle and place on your vehicle as well as to store.
Is at a price point that leaves you with money to spend on bikes.

The Allen Sports Premier Two Bike Trunk Carrier accomplishes all of these and more. We put the rack through its paces where we found its quality, durability, functionality, and its flaws.

What is the Allen Sports Premier Two Bike Trunk Carrier?

The Allen Sports Premier Two Bike Trunk Carrier is designed to fit on the rear of your vehicle and carry up to two bikes. The rack easily fits on the back of compact cars with trunks and hatchbacks or SUV’s with a vertical rear trunk and window. The rack attaches via five adjustable straps and two “feet” with rubber protectors that rest against the rear of the vehicle. The bikes attaches to the rack via rubber mounts in which the bike rests on and then two rubber straps hold each bike securely to the mounts.

Features

Small, lightweight construction.
Folds up into a small, easily storeable rack. (An issue with many racks of this nature.)
The rack opens up and easily snaps into place with two large, spring loaded clips.
Rubber mounts on the rack (not the strap clips) to protect the finish and/or glass on your vehicle.
Visible red ends on the mounts to avoid having someone run into it while on the back of your vehicle without bikes on it.
5 durable straps to securily attach to your vehicle.

Pro’s to The Allen Sports Premier Two Bike Trunk Carrier

The Allen Sports Premier Two Bike Trunk Carrier accomplishes the goals of a bike rack with ease. It works like it should and the biggest fear with any bike rack is your bikes falling off. You know your bikes are secure with this rack.

The strong, durable, and adjustable straps give you the security that your bike isn’t going anywhere even down a bumpy road.
A big pro to this rack also is that when you’re not carrying your bikes on your vehicle, you can fold the rack down and easily fit it inside your car. Not an easy thing with many racks.
This rack is small meaning the mount arms are not placed excessively far apart. This means that you can easily fit smaller framed bikes on the rack whereas with some larger racks, there is not enough space on the inside of the frame.

Potential Drawbacks

We found that the clips that attach to your vehicle are metal and are not coated with rubber or another protective coating. This may not be an issue but depending on your vehicle and the angle at which the metal straps touch your car, it may rub the paint off. A rubber coating would have been a simple solution to this.
Your bike/s may flop around as the top tube is the only part secured to the rack. An additional bungy cord should be used to keep you handlebars from swinging and your bikes from bouncing into each other.

Price and Where to Buy

MSRP on the Rack is $119.99. You can purchase the rack here and at a lower price than MSRP.

SeaSucker Bike Rack Review – The Rack of Racks

March 23, 2016 by Adam Farabaugh

Taking your bike wherever you may drive can give you access to new and different roads and trails, not to mention events across the board be it multi-day mountain bike races or 100-mile charity rides. Depending upon your vehicle, putting your bike in your car isn’t always an easy option and if you have to fit more than one bike, oof, that’s going to be a challenge. You have probably seen a multitude of bike racks on top of cars, on the trunks of them, or in the bed of pick-up trucks. There are a lot of options when it comes to bike racks but they all have their pro’s and con’s as well as price points. The best bike rack is the kind that you can place on your vehicle when you need it to transport bikes and then easily remove it when it’s not needed. The SeaSucker Bike Rack does just that via industrial grade suction cups that securely attach to your vehicle to transport your bikes.

What is The SeaSucker Bike Rack?

The SeaSucker Bike Rack is a bike rack that is attached to suction cups that adhere to a vehicles roof or rear windows. It does this with multiple large 6-inch rubber suction cups that have a pumping mechanism that creates and sustains a vacuum that is immovable. A solid platform with quick releases is attached to the suction cups of which the bike is attached to. An additional suction cup and mount is then placed at the rear wheel to secure it as well.

Why It’s Different

The SeaSucker Bike Rack is radically different than other racks because it attaches to your vehicle via suction cups instead of bolts, pre-installed rails, or a form of straps. The majority of these can not be easily removed whereas the SeaSucker Bike Rack can be removed in seconds just by releasing the suction cups leaving nothing on your roof or the rear of your vehicle.

How Do You Know It Won’t Fly Off?

The SeaSucker Bike Rack won’t pull off on its own due to the strength of the vacuum created. In addition to the vacuum, there are multiple suction cups so if one did fail there are others in place to keep your bike attached to your vehicle. The rack works in any condition from dry, hot weather, to rain, to below zero temperatures.

Advantages of the SeaSucker Bike Rack

Super small compared to other bike racks and can be easily stored inside your vehicle should you ever need to put your bike on the roof in a whim.
With the small size, the racks can be flown on airlines in your bike bag and easily used on a rental car at your destination to transport your bike. No more trying to find a vehicle large enough to accommodate your groups bikes.
With being able to place the racks practically anywhere on a roof, you can position the racks and bikes in a way to accommodate many more bikes than a normal bike rack can carry.
Depending upon the type of rack, you can also place your front wheel on the roof. Not an option with many racks.

Disadvantages of the SeaSucker Bike Rack

The standard rack is not lockable but multiple styles of cable anchors are available to lock your bike/s to your roof depending upon your vehicle and personal preference.
If you have a roof that is not smooth such as one with ridges, the SeaSucker Bike Rack will not work since it requires a flat surface to adhere to. Fortunately it can also be secured to glass so depending upon your vehicle you could simply place the rack on a different part of the roof or rear of your vehicle.
The racks are more expensive than some but you definitely get what you pay for.
Over time the suction cups can lose suction but pumping them every time you stop keeps them tight.

Types of Racks

SeaSucker has a number of different styles of racks which hold anywhere from one to three bikes. Once advantage with SeaSucker racks is that you can get an one or an assortment to fit your desired number of bikes on your roof.