[pmanliu]

Hey all,

Recently I purchased a new GT avalanche bike that i need to bring back in forth to and from college. I have done some research on different methods and racks uesrs have used and was wondering which would be better for a long distance trip. The trip to my college is about 7 hours long, mostly highway speeds. The obvious answer is that a bike rack mounted to a hitch would be safer than one mounted to the roof of my car, however I do not have a hitch installed and personally think the hitch does not look so pleasant :? I was thinking about buying a THULE roof rack system for my bike and was wondering if anyone had any personal experiences/problems/concerns with driving long distances and having their bike on top of their car

thank you all, and have a wonderful wknd
P

 

[turbocad6]

as long as it's mounted solidly up there, you can drive it forever, or as far as you need to go. the big problems with up there are :

#1, it can be a real pain to actually put the bike on & off the rack, especially heavier bike/non lowered fx
#2, MANY guys have accidents, forgetting it's up there while going through a low overpass or pulling into a garage, WAY more common than many would think
#3, bugs & slight increase in wind drag

if you can deal with those 3 things then up there is the best place...

also there are 2 types, either leave the front wheel on or take it off & mount the fork to the rack... fork mounts are better for real traveling & if you have a quick release on the seat post & pop the seat post out then that'll give you the lowest profile... quick local on& off's are easier with the wheel mounted though... I'd suggest the fork mount for traveling...

 

[pmanliu]

hey turbo,

thanks for the prompt response!

Numbers 1 and 3 i think i can deal. #2... thanks for pointing it out so now i know to watch out for it. I dont want to destroy my bike + racks on the way to college =\

I was looking at the thule racks and saw the two types you were talking about. The only problem is that i am limited in my choices since i have front disc brakes. A lot of racks dont support disc brakes but i was thinking about just taking off the front braking system and reassembling if it is necessary.

I have my eyes on this right now:
http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?d ... 22&sku=518

 

[turbocad6]

why would disc brakes make a diffference? these lock at the skewer, the caliper is higher on the fork & the rotor of course comes off with the wheel... wouldn't expect that to be much of a factor

low overpasses are more the parking type things.. on the roads you should be fine, there aren't really any super low overpasses on the roads themselves... it's parking structures & garages that usually do them in

 

[johnmax]

You don't like the OEM hitch? You can barely see the thing! Much better than putting some racks on the top which you will see. I for one would never want to lift a bike with all its ready to scratch parts up the side of my FX :shock:

 

[VitesseFX]

Mongo like inside

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9750

 

[IheartFX]

P,

I have a thule rack, with 2 peleton trays and a fairing. works great and if you are worried about bugs and stuff on long trips, I recommend getting the sci-con defender. It's like a condom for the front and does great. Here's a link.
http://www.teamcyclist.com/store/Sci-Co ... _P2816.cfm

Here's some pics of my set up, works great and without the bikes on, get normal gas mileage.

 

[socalfx35]

Thule 5401 w/ OEM hitch. The best combination. It fits ALL bikes. OEM hitch is HARDLY noticeable, I think it ADDS to the sportiness/utility look of the car, if anything.

 

[turbocad6]

wow, beautiful forma, steel mercier not to shabby either, nice rides

 

[pmanliu]

Thule 5401 w/ OEM hitch. The best combination. It fits ALL bikes. OEM hitch is HARDLY noticeable, I think it ADDS to the sportiness/utility look of the car, if anything.

the hitch is really appealing also b/c i can use it to tow a rack or jet skis also, but i can't convince myself that it looks nice stuffed inbetween the two mufflers... I think the trailer for jetskis as well as cargo trailer use a bigger sized "mouth" than the one the fx35 comes in also, but i can always just get an adapter....

thanks for the responses guys! they have been very helpful as usual

 

[Booboobaba]

Unless you're 7 feet tall and can easily reach the bikes on a roof rack, especially on an Avalanche, get a hitch bike rack.

 

[turbocad6]

gt avalanche is the bike, he's talking on the fx

 

[IheartFX]

gt avalanche is the bike, he's talking on the fx

I'm 5'8" and I have no problems getting the bikes up there. It's all about balancing the bike and doing it a few times to get to know the trays on the rack.

 

[h00kemh0rns]

Hey all,

Recently I purchased a new GT avalanche bike that i need to bring back in forth to and from college. I have done some research on different methods and racks uesrs have used and was wondering which would be better for a long distance trip. The trip to my college is about 7 hours long, mostly highway speeds. The obvious answer is that a bike rack mounted to a hitch would be safer than one mounted to the roof of my car, however I do not have a hitch installed and personally think the hitch does not look so pleasant :? I was thinking about buying a THULE roof rack system for my bike and was wondering if anyone had any personal experiences/problems/concerns with driving long distances and having their bike on top of their car

thank you all, and have a wonderful wknd
P

I have the OEM hitch and it doesn't look bad @ all. And personally you can't go wrong with either mount (roof or hitch.) IMO, I think the hitch made by Softride like I have pictured from my old FX is perfect.

 

[GixxerSteve]

Awesome bump!

 

[Programmergeek]

I didn't relise on the mercier you also had to remove the cranks along wit te F wheel