Looking for a bike carrier for my car

[OC]

I need to find a bike rack like this for my Metro.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/qet1337/9a730343.jpg

I want to carry the bikes vertically like this. I don't want a roof rack - I want something hatch- or hitch-mounted. Anyone know where I can find such a thing?

tia

-OC

[cheapie]

wow. that's some contraption. i would, and have, buy a hitch-mounted rack from yakima. good heavy construction and has a decent resale value. a good way to get them is from ebay. just go to the yakima site and figure out what you need and fleabay it.

[zippyjuan]

I would be worried about going around corners or running into something with the bike sticking out like that. I would prefer something that kept it closer to the car. Somebody makes a quick cut behind you trying to make it through what they think is a gap in the traffic... There would be higher leverage putting more stress on the car and rack too.

[faither]

wow. that's some contraption. i would, and have, buy a hitch-mounted rack from yakima. good heavy construction and has a decent resale value. a good way to get them is from ebay. just go to the yakima site and figure out what you need and fleabay it.
Yakima over Thule? Any reasons in particular? I'm looking for a hitch-mounted rack for my Prius.

[johnnymk]

I would be worried about going around corners or running into something with the bike sticking out like that. I would prefer something that kept it closer to the car. Somebody makes a quick cut behind you trying to make it through what they think is a gap in the traffic... There would be higher leverage putting more stress on the car and rack too.
:stupid:

Plus it looks like it's just secured to the two wheels and some kind of tiedown in the middle of the frame.

Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

[cheapie]

Yakima over Thule? Any reasons in particular? I'm looking for a hitch-mounted rack for my Prius.


both are good. if you want readily available parts then mebbe yakima. if you want to look like you aren't just another yakima buyer...then the thule.

[OC]

I'm going to be getting one of these (http://www.xtracycle.com/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=61) for my bike. That'll make it significantly longer than my car is wide, and I don't want the bike sticking out past the sides of my car. Gotta be a vertical rack.

[cheapie]

uh....what is that and why are you building it? not cracking on you...just curious.

[OC]

It's a subframe that attaches to your existing frame to move your rear wheel back about a foot and a half. You can add various cargo-carrying gear to the subframe (check the website) or you can make your own attachments. I want more utility is all. Just the thing for a bike camping trip or large-ish grocery run.

Check out their gallery: http://xtracycle.com/gallery/

[cheapie]

why would you do that instead of just getting a BOB trailer?

http://www.bobtrailers.com/trailers/yak.php

http://www.bobtrailers.com/images/yak2.jpg