If you are good at bicycling and want to take your bike in the car for a long-distance route. You might be wondering what options you have to take one or more bikes with you in the car. You have a car, bikes, and plenty of options available for the transportation of bikes. You still are thinking about which option you should choose.
Options that might be in your mind are none other than a Bike rack. The reason behind this is you have a car. You are not the owner of pickups like trucks, but you own a car. For cars, a bike rack is a good option for shifting bikes. The other question that may come to your mind is if the bike racks damage your car, what to do? Hold on to it, do not worry. This article will briefly explain whether Bike racks damage your car or not. Let us start reading this article till the end.
Bike Rack For Car
A bike rack is a stand for parking or holding bikes along with the car or any other vehicle. It is used for transportation purposes. From its name, we can understand that we can transfer bikes from one place to another using the rack. It is helpful while traveling long distances.
There are several types of Bike racks. We will discuss these types here. Specifically, we will discuss which bike rack type is suitable for cars. These types are Roof mounted bike Racks, hitch mounted bike racks, trunk mounted bike racks. Let us discuss each type below.
Roof Mounted Bike Racks: Roof top bike racks are affordable. They are made up of good quality steel. They can easily attach to the car roof for holding the bike. Some roof racks have straps that secure the movement of bikes. They are lockable, which means they can not be theft. It is easy to use and easy to install. Roof-mounted bike rack brands are Yakima Rooftop Bike, Rocky Mounts Brass Knuckles Bike Rack, and CyclingDeal Rooftop Bicycle Rack with Lock. They all are pretty identical in function but a bit different in structure.
Hitch Mounted Bike Racks: These are pretty expensive bike racks for the car. They have arms shapes and two long stands, holding up to five bikes at a time. They are secure for the car. They can easy to use and easy to install. Some Hitch-mounted bike rack brands are Allen Sports 5-Bike Hitch Racks for 2-Inch Hitch, Saris Superclamp Hitch Car Rack, Car Dress 2-Bike Hitch Rack.
Trunk Mounted Bike Racks: These are a very affordable type of bike rack. They are placed at the back of the car. The car should be of a suitable type for using this rack. Trunk-mounted racks are heavy in size. Some trunk-mounted bike rack brands are Allen Deluxe, Allen Sports Premier, and Allen Ultra compact.
Do Bike Racks Damage Your Car
The answer to this question of whether a bike rack damages your car is yes or no. Let me explain why both with logical reasons. Yes, for those riders who do not bother about any damage or might be in a hurry and do not think before installing. So, bike racks can damage their car if not installed properly. No, for those riders who take care of the car and keep safety measurements in mind before installing a bike rack in their car. So, a bike rack can not damage their car if installed properly.
Conscious Installation
If bike racks are correctly installed in the car, it can prevent the car from being damaged. A small scratch on the car’s body leads to a big bill that a responsible car owner does not want to face repeatedly. To avoid this hassle and expense, the car owner should keep things in mind before installing a bike rack in the car. Like,
- The car owner should read the manufacturer’s instructions in the packing box.
- Car area where the bike rack is going to install should be clean, dry, and grit free, which means there should be no stains of sand or stones over the car.
- Apply protection film in the car on the specific area of concern. The protection film is basically used to protect the car’s paint from scratches.
- Now, choose which style of bike rack you are going to select for mounting along the car. Different types of bike racks are explained in the article’s bike rack part. These are roof-mounted, trunk-mounted, or hitch-mounted.
- Select the best and easy option for your car. A car owner knows the strength of the vehicle. The selection of Bike rack type depends on the kind of car. So, after mounting the rack, recheck the tightness of the rack with the car for more security.
- Follow all the steps carefully. If car owners spend some time following the above steps exactly, they will prevent their cars from any damage.
Unconscious Installation
If the bike rack is not installed properly in the car, it can damage the car. How much damage can occur? Let’s look into it. If the car owner is not spending some of the time following the steps mentioned above, there might be a risk of damage to the car and bike rack.
Sometimes, during driving, the car owner forgets that his car is carrying a bike rack. Damage can occur while passing through a tunnel or low-ceiling roof. If the bike is mounted on top of the car but is not mounted or installed correctly, there might also be a risk of damaging the car roof along with the bike rack. Scratches can appear on the car.
Damage can depend more or less on the quality of the car and bike rack. So in some cars, the scratches occur due to the unconscious installation of bike racks. There might be a risk of blowing away the car’s roof during driving. This leads to severe accidents and an increase in expenses.
Conclusion
I hope you have got your answers at the end of this article. By the end of the article, I learned what type of bike rack is required for my car. I can also select a bike rack compatible with my car design. Compatibility between car and bike rack is necessary. This idea will prevent my car from bike rack damage.
Austin Jacobs is a passionate cycling enthusiast who has over five years of experience in bike repair and maintenance. He is an avid mountain biker and loves tinkering with bikes for hours on end to make sure they are running at their optimum performance level. Leland’s blog, which focuses on bike repairs and tips to keep them in good running order, was created out of a desire to share his knowledge and help fellow cyclists stay safe while enjoying the outdoors. He covers topics such as preventive maintenance, troubleshooting common issues, basic tools and supplies needed for repairs, and more.