The most common car-bike mounts are roof and ball mounts. They can be seen in all specialized cycling stores or in department stores, however, they are not the only types.
Here we present the different bike racks that you can carry in your car.
How many bikes do you want to transport?
It is a fact that you should always check, there are models that can only carry 1 or 2, and in order to mount more bicycles, you have to purchase an adapter separately that can end up being very expensive.
What is the weight and type of the bicycles?
Before buying a bike rack you have to carefully review the specifications where the maximum weight that can be carried per bicycle is detailed since if your bike is too big or heavy it will not work.
In addition, many models are not compatible with carbon frame bikes or are necessarily attached to the fork of the bike, so you will have to pay attention to the specifications.
Types of bike rack
Rooftop bike rack
Carrying the bikes on the car roof is the favorite option of many users because they do not interrupt the visibility through the rearview mirrors, and it also leaves the rear door of the car completely free, so if you carry luggage you will not have to first disassemble the bikes to be able to access inside.
The purchase price is quite inexpensive in almost all roof bike rack models, and they allow you to carry between 2 and 4 bikes on average.
It is better for small cars because if you have a tall car, it is most likely that with bikes you cannot go into basements or spaces with a low ceiling.
Bike carrier for tailgate or trunk
Perhaps it is the simplest support for you to mount the bikes because you have easy access and support, the same happens with the unhooking of the bikes , you only have to release the straps and remove the locks.
If your vehicle has the spare wheel on the boot, you will have to decide on another model, such as the roof or ball.
You will be able to carry between 2 and 4 bicycles and if you are not carrying any mounted bicycle, this type of bicycle carrier has the option of folding so that it hardly occupies space.
Ball bike rack
It is an excellent purchase option if you want to have quick access to the trunk but do not rely much on roof models, since today almost all designs are folding.
It is very safe to carry large and heavy bicycles there because they can support a lot of weight and due to the separation between each bicycle there is no risk of bumps or damage to the paint.
Unlike the gate model, this is easy to install because it only needs to be attached to the ball.
It is important that you make sure that the number of pins is compatible with that of your ball.
Price
You can’t downplay the budget you have available, so it’s no use finding a bike rack with all the specifications you need, but not being able to afford it.
You should always manage within the range of your financial limit and based on that choose the one with the best benefits.
