+L0ne.R Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 This Spring I want to get back on my bike (it's been a few years), cycle some of our rail-to-trails and find a few favourite caches along the way. I'm going to need a bike rack that attaches to the back hatch door of my Subaru Forester 2008. My forester doesn't have a hitch. I'm not strong and I'm short so I don't want roof racks. Any recommendations or what-not-to-buy information would be welcome. And any Ontario Golden Horseshoe sources would be great. Quote Link to comment
+Landsharkz Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I've seen swing arm racks that fold down to ground level to easily load your kayak, bike, whatever. They're designed to be used by one person and require no 'strength' or 'height'. They were at a place in Victoria, BC called All Season Auto Racks. If you look for an 'auto rack' store in your area, they'll likely have a selection. /Helen Quote Link to comment
+Semper Questio Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Maybe you can find something here, or at least learn about options available to you. Quote Link to comment
+chris-mouse Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Mountain equipment Coop carries bike racks. There are stores in Toronto, Burlington, and Barrie, so you should be able to get to one of them. Quote Link to comment
+northernpenguin Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 This Spring I want to get back on my bike (it's been a few years), cycle some of our rail-to-trails and find a few favourite caches along the way. I'm going to need a bike rack that attaches to the back hatch door of my Subaru Forester 2008. My forester doesn't have a hitch. I'm not strong and I'm short so I don't want roof racks. Any recommendations or what-not-to-buy information would be welcome. And any Ontario Golden Horseshoe sources would be great. Are you opposed to putting a hitch on your car? Changes the recommendations - my father had a trunk mount carrier, but we soured on those when his carrier lost a strap then detached on the 403 taking two bikes with it to oblivion. I added a hitch/bike carrier to my Corolla at Hitch City in Mississauga, and can put three bikes on there with minimun effort ... added bonus I can tow a canoe trailer for those other trips too. Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 This Spring I want to get back on my bike (it's been a few years), cycle some of our rail-to-trails and find a few favourite caches along the way. I'm going to need a bike rack that attaches to the back hatch door of my Subaru Forester 2008. My forester doesn't have a hitch. I'm not strong and I'm short so I don't want roof racks. Any recommendations or what-not-to-buy information would be welcome. And any Ontario Golden Horseshoe sources would be great. Are you opposed to putting a hitch on your car? Changes the recommendations - my father had a trunk mount carrier, but we soured on those when his carrier lost a strap then detached on the 403 taking two bikes with it to oblivion. I added a hitch/bike carrier to my Corolla at Hitch City in Mississauga, and can put three bikes on there with minimun effort ... added bonus I can tow a canoe trailer for those other trips too. My husband tells me that if I put a hitch on the car I won't be able to get the car in the garage (not long enough). Quote Link to comment
+Fiver1 Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 If you put a receiver on the car, then when you remove the bike rack, there won't be anything sticking out. It will still fit where it fit before. Quote Link to comment
+northernpenguin Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 This Spring I want to get back on my bike (it's been a few years), cycle some of our rail-to-trails and find a few favourite caches along the way. I'm going to need a bike rack that attaches to the back hatch door of my Subaru Forester 2008. My forester doesn't have a hitch. I'm not strong and I'm short so I don't want roof racks. Any recommendations or what-not-to-buy information would be welcome. And any Ontario Golden Horseshoe sources would be great. Are you opposed to putting a hitch on your car? Changes the recommendations - my father had a trunk mount carrier, but we soured on those when his carrier lost a strap then detached on the 403 taking two bikes with it to oblivion. I added a hitch/bike carrier to my Corolla at Hitch City in Mississauga, and can put three bikes on there with minimun effort ... added bonus I can tow a canoe trailer for those other trips too. My husband tells me that if I put a hitch on the car I won't be able to get the car in the garage (not long enough). Maybe with the tongue on. My hitch ends before my bumper when nothing is on it. You might want to check into it. I never leave the tongue/ball in place if I'm not actively using it. That does mean you're taking the bike rack off before going in the garage though. Quote Link to comment
+Landsharkz Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 My bike rack has a square protrusion that fits into the square opening which is slightly recessed under the car. There's no other components. I only put our bike rack on when we want to transport bikes, because even though it's hinged and swings down to access the back door of the vehicle, it's still a PITA to get anything in and out of the back when it's on. I'm envious that you can fit the car in the garage. Ours is full of of 'stuff' that we can only fit hubby's Valkyrie Quote Link to comment
+L0ne.R Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 I've been reading a few trunk-style rack reviews. There are enough comments about dented metal that I think a hitch is the best option. I just had a look at Subaru Canada's site, they sell a Thule for $250. Quote Link to comment
+BCandMsKitty Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 (edited) I've been reading a few trunk-style rack reviews. There are enough comments about dented metal that I think a hitch is the best option. I just had a look at Subaru Canada's site, they sell a Thule for $250. If you finally put a hitch on, do one that has a receiver (square hole)with no hitch tongue. This will not protrude past the body of the vehicle. Then, I would recommend Mountain Equipment Co-op. I recently did a lot of research into bike racks and the best ones for the price were found there (online catalog). Also, they have free shipping to your door! Much better prices that Thule, or Yakima, or Sport Rack. We got a great one that fits into the receiver, for 2 bikes for $160. It has saddles for the tire, rather than having the bikes suspended from the crossbar, much more secure, IMO. And it and folds up very compact for storage. Edited March 3, 2013 by BC & MsKitty Quote Link to comment
+Lieblweb Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I would get a hitch with a 2" receiver. Your options for bike racks opens up tremendously. The durability, strength, and peace of mind on hitch mounted racks are much better. We have a Yakima on my truck. We remove it anytime we're not using it. It swings downward so you can open the tailgate or liftgate while the rack is mounted on the vehicle. It's a great rack!! Quote Link to comment
+northernpenguin Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Another nice thing about my hitch rack is that I have a hitch lock keeping it connected to the car, and the hitch rack has a lock that keeps the bikes locked in. I still run a cable lock through the wheels though. It's nice to have the peace of mind that I can stop for a bite on the way home from an adventure day and nobody is going to remove the bikes from my car (or the rack with the bikes on it - trunk mount straps give quickly when a knife is applied to them). Quote Link to comment
+Semper Questio Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I just ordered a Saris Freedom 2-Bike Hitch Rack to replace my 4-bike hanging style. I wanted something lighter and easier to get the bikes on. The Saris gets good reviews, but it has no locking mecahanisms so I'm hoping I can make my cable lock work well enough. If it doesn't quite work out, I bought it from REI so returns are a non-issue and I can try something else. Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I've been reading a few trunk-style rack reviews. There are enough comments about dented metal that I think a hitch is the best option. I just had a look at Subaru Canada's site, they sell a Thule for $250. Good move. Now you have so many options, it'll be tough to decide which bike rack to install. My Mother borrows CJ's trailer whenever she needs to bring home bags of soil, mulch and stuff. No need to dirty up the car. Hitches are handy. Quote Link to comment
+Treknschmidt Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 We have a Swagman 2 bike platform towing hitch rack. We really like it, we both drive trucks so its interchangeable to either vehicle. Its easy to use and remove. You won't go wrong with a hitch rack, we do recommend putting extra straps on for peace of mind there is a lot of movement and rub points on these types of racks. Quote Link to comment
+ToonYogi Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 We have a Swagman 2 bike platform towing hitch rack. We really like it, we both drive trucks so its interchangeable to either vehicle. Its easy to use and remove. You won't go wrong with a hitch rack, we do recommend putting extra straps on for peace of mind there is a lot of movement and rub points on these types of racks. I use this one on my Pontiac G5 Works great http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/VehicleRacksCarriers/BikeRacks/PRD~0401070P/SportRack+Euro+Trio+3+Bike+Trunk+Mount+Bike+Rack.jsp?locale=en Quote Link to comment
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