Downsides to hitch mount - Saab General Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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Downsides to hitch mount
Posted by John J [Email] (more from John J) on Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:48:14
In Reply to: Re: how about a trailer hitch mount?, t_mokes, Tue, 14 Dec 2004 09:14:14
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First, the downside to a roof-mount is the danger of driving into the garage with the bikes on the roof - know the max height (about 9' typically) - 'nuff said.
As for hitch-mounts, I've given that set-up a lot of thought as well, and here are the downsides.
1. Your bike is at ground level and so is vulnerable to lousy parkers as well as thieves. A friend had his (very expensive) rear wheel nicked, and he was parked between 2 police cars. If the bike is on the roof, the act of theft is much more obvious and time-consuming.
2. You may end up obscuring or covering your license plate, which will net you a fine most states.
3. Getting into the hatch/trunk is a tad more difficult, and your car will be 3' longer than before. Important to remember when parking or backing up.
4. You'll need the hitch, typically over $150.
I don't mean to dissuade anyone from getting a hitchmounted rack, but certainly lock the bike securely by 2 different methods (locked to rack plus a cable lock). As for lifting it overhead, an "enthusiast level" MTB, with the front wheel removed, is usually pretty light. For instance, my titanium singlespeed MTB is only 21 lb complete, so it's easily mounted with one hand. Of course, I'm 6' 2", so most bike loading is easy for me.
If you decide on a hitch mounted rack, there are a lot of very good racks available now.
Good luck - JMJ
posted by 66.255.126...
Posts in this Thread:
- Fork-mount or Upright bike rack?, Nick
, Tue, 14 Dec 2004 08:18:43- Upright for mountain, fork for road, Greg W, Tue, 14 Dec 2004 15:22:58
- I use the upright mount instead, Schu, Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:33:54
- Re: Another Fork-mount vote here..., elliott, Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:21:16
- Definitely fork-mount..., Bob Falfa, Tue, 14 Dec 2004 08:33:37
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