What rack for bicycles?

Jngrbrdman

Jngrbrdman

New member
I'm looking for a trunk/SUV mounted bike rack for my two mountain bikes. This is going to go on the back of a Honda Pilot and not the Corolla due to the spoiler potentially getting in the way. I don't have a trailer hitch, so it has to be mounted to the hatch. Any good suggestions? I'm reading a lot of reviews, and it seems that every product out there has good reviews and poor ones. It seems that a lot of the poor reviews would indicate that the user didn't attach it properly because they lifted or fell off. I've had trunk racks before and have seen the same one fall off, lift up, and remain secure depending on how I attached it. I just need something that won't pound my paint and won't drop my bikes. Any suggestions?
 
Jngrbrdman said:
I'm looking for a trunk/SUV mounted bike rack for my two mountain bikes. This is going to go on the back of a Honda Pilot and not the Corolla due to the spoiler potentially getting in the way. I don't have a trailer hitch, so it has to be mounted to the hatch. Any good suggestions? I'm reading a lot of reviews, and it seems that every product out there has good reviews and poor ones. It seems that a lot of the poor reviews would indicate that the user didn't attach it properly because they lifted or fell off. I've had trunk racks before and have seen the same one fall off, lift up, and remain secure depending on how I attached it. I just need something that won't pound my paint and won't drop my bikes. Any suggestions?
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Yakima has a line for about any applications you can come up with...I had one that was mounted to my trailer hitch that I liked, it was built very well and held-up for years...here is the link to the site.

Yakima Racks, Bike Racks, Roof Racks for Skis, Cargo & Kayaks - Yakima

EDIT

This is a shock just checked your car and they do not make a model for yours...I would have bet on them..sorry
 
Stephan said:
I guy I work with also works at a bike shop he told me of a few, Yakima which Dave said they don't make for your car the others...

Thule

Saris Cycling Group
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I forgot about Saris...very high end racks and stylish to boot nice looking on some of the higher end cars.

I have looked at 4 sites and compaines and it appears the only ones that I can see for the Honda Pilot are roof mounts there is nothing for the hatch that I have seen
 
Hmmm... I'm not having much luck with my research. I don't really want to do a roof mounted setup. Isn't there a 'one size fits all' option for hatch backs? It wouldn't seem that it would have to be too specific. I'm all for getting a quality rack, but I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on it. I just simply won't be using it enough to warrant that kind of expense. If it gets used two or three times a month then that will be a lot.

There is a bike shop near my house. Maybe I'll check out what options they have. They are fairly high end. I don't think any of their bikes are less than $800 bucks. I'm sure people in the market for titanium frames are going to be looking for racks to carry them on.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
Hmmm... I'm not having much luck with my research. I don't really want to do a roof mounted setup. Isn't there a 'one size fits all' option for hatch backs? It wouldn't seem that it would have to be too specific. I'm all for getting a quality rack, but I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on it. I just simply won't be using it enough to warrant that kind of expense. If it gets used two or three times a month then that will be a lot.

There is a bike shop near my house. Maybe I'll check out what options they have. They are fairly high end. I don't think any of their bikes are less than $800 bucks. I'm sure people in the market for titanium frames are going to be looking for racks to carry them on.
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That's what I would suggest as they can put it on the car and make adjustments to fit...I had one that I used on two SUV's that attached to the window and was strapped down by the bumper and two hooks that anchored to the upper part of the door....if yours is glass at the top of the back door that might be the problem...mine was a metal framed
 
I've seen a couple of setups where they mount the rack to a trailer ball. I've often wondered how secure they are but I have seen some big dollar bikes hanging on them. Too bad you don't have a truck, I have just the Thule you need.
 
I don't have anything to pull with the Pilot, so I opted not to get a towing package on it. I've seen those racks too and wondered how secure they would be. I've seen issues with them just like with all racks, but I would rather have it all firmly attached the the vehicle.

I think I have identified part of the problem with getting a rack on the Pilot. It has this funky little lip on the top that has a brake light in it. This is just the way Pilots come, so it isn't a factory option or anything. Something like this as part of the design of the truck could definitely cause problems with mounting a bike rack.

17-28-200710-00-16AM.jpg
 
That's what I said about the window mount is you need that top lip to hook onto and that should be metal looks like yours is not
 
I'll have to see what that part actually is. There may still be a way to mount a rack to it depending on what is behind that lip thing. Worst case scenario is to get a trailer hitch installed and get one of those. :) I'll need a trailer hitch on this thing eventually anyway, so it will just save me from having to worry about it later.
 
I did a little more research on HondaPilot.org (I don't know why I didn't think of going there first). Other than being a really really boring owners forum (not nearly as fun as an owner forum where the cars are all different) they did have some good threads on bike racks. Nobody has one for the hatch, so the only option is the hitch. If I don't plan on towing anything then I can just put the hitch on and not have to worry about other coolers and things, so that should be ok. I guess until we get that part figured out I'll just keep the family close to home. :) I just bought one of those bike trailer things for my daughter and soon to be born son, so I have been thinking of places to go. My oldest son has his own little bike and he wants to hit the road too. The back of the pilot isn't big enough for more than just my bike and the little bike, so a hitch mounted rack seems to be the only solution for now. Maybe I'll look into something for the Corolla and we'll just have to take two cars if we plan to go riding somewhere far away. The extra cost of fuel will take a few trips before it outweighs the cost for the hitch install and rack, so it might work out for this summer anyway.

Thanks for the feedback guys!
 
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