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Thread: Car bike racks

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2004
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    Default Car bike racks

    Hei Folks,
    I'm not a serious rider being a revhead but I have a Malvern Star XCS1 I want to use for fitness, we're going to Bribie for xmas and I want to take the bike with me plus bring back a bike we buy for the wife.

    The rack I get needs to keep the towbar free for a trailer we're bringing back, and it needs to be strong since I generally cruise at 110-120.

    Anyone used the Mac Rac, their 3 bike rack looks pretty good. I have to buy online so I'm hoping for some advice from people who've used them.
    Cheers
    Paul

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  3. #2
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    Paul,
    Is this the one you're looking at? If it is then it will work fine but if you're going to be carrying a few bikes then the clamp down system which uses one plate to hold all bikes down can be an issue if you have different diameter bars.

    I have a Pacific 3 bike rack which has individual velcro straps for each bike. I'm guessing it's a bit more expensive than the one you're looking at but it works well for me. I have loaded it up with three heavy bikes and it travelled well from Canberra to country Victoria at 120km/h all the way.

    Corbs
    It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it.

  4. #3
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    Hi Corbs,
    I've actually found the pacific for the same price as the Mac, so it looks like that one is the way to go.
    Cheers

  5. #4
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    Make sure you can padlock the rack to your car and have a bike chain to secure your bike(s) onto the rack... there's some bar stewards out there that like to go shopping for bikes that way. Been a few go missing around Canberra off bike racks lately.
    It's only a mistake if you don't learn from it.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Melbourne Victoria
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    Wouldn't hurt to take your bike to the shop and do a test fit to make sure. My mountain bike has large top tube and teh water bottle carriers added leave only a small gap to fit over the bike carrier.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Northern Sydney
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    I have the mac rack that Corbs suggested. Works great for old style bikes, but struggles with the oversized aluminium tubing or more modern bikes. 3 bikes can also be a struggle, though the fact that the fold down to allow access to the rear hatch is a plus.

    I picked up one of these on ebay 3 Bike Boot Carrier Rack pretty cheap (something like $20...)

    You've got to be careful with how you mount it - if the bottom 'feet' are resting on your bumper they will dent it down quite badly. The top straps are designed to hold the load. I use a cable lock to go around the frame and into the rear tow mount point on the car so it's pretty secure. The rubber strap system is also fairly adjustable and secure and doesn't seem to mark the frame. The only hassle I've had is with smaller girls style bikes being somewhat difficult to fit, but I've always managed.

    I drive most of the way to work every day and ride the rest, so my bike is a pretty permanent fixture on it. I actually cut down the tubes to make it a single bike rack which works really well for my purposes. It's also light and I can still open the rear hatch on my car with it attached.

    Overall, it's a cheap rack but it is pretty useful.

    Cheers,
    Dave
    ...but together with the coffee civility flowed back into him
    Patrick O'Brian, Treason's Harbour

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