With a trunk bike rack, often times you don’t need to lift the bike very high at all; maybe chest high. Plus, you are usually simply straddling the frame on two outwardly protruding carry arms. This is a much bigger target and requires much less finesse. This is especially true when you’re talking about mounting three or four bytes at a time. Again, the roof rack option, I’ll totally viable, just takes more of an effort. For the casual weekend rider, more often than not, a trunk bike rack is a great solution.

(One thing worth noting however, is that roof racks do have some advantages when it comes to versatility. For example, if you look at Thule or Yakima roof racks, they come with an abundant array of optional attachments were things beyond bikes including canoe or kayak carriers, surfboard or windsurf carriers, ski and snowboard carriers, in general cargo carriers, and the list most certainly goes on. Of course if you are only ever going to need to transport bicycles, this is of no use to you. We just know we would mention it).

Another reason many people choose to go with a truck mounted bike rack is that they are only transporting their bikes on occasion, and therefore prefer not to have a permanently mounted bike rack on their car. Most of today’s trunk mounted bike racks are very quick and easy to attach and detach from your vehicle, so it will never get in your way in your regular, day-to-day driving circumstances. To be fair though, one DIS-advantage to this kind of setup is the security (regarding theft) is not as great as with a more permanent rack carrier. All this means is that when you get to your riding destination, you might want to consider detaching the rack and storing it safely inside your vehicle while you are away. This is something you don’t have to worry about when your bike rack is permanently mounted to your car. Just something to think about.

While all the major bike rack companies offer trunk mounted bike rack options (i.e. Thule, Yakima, Bell, Schwinn, Allen etc), one that stands out among the crowd has got to be Saris, and in particular the Saris Bones Trunk Mount Rack. Not only is it one of the more versatile racks, adapting to all kinds of vehicles from your standard family sedan with a trunk to flat back minivans and SUVs to being able to adapt and work equally well on cars with spoilers which can sometimes “spoil” efforts to use a trunk mount bike rack, but it is also one of the best looking, most fun designs you will find.

Yes, it might seem odd to talk about a cool, fun design when it comes to bicycle racks. None the less, when you look at the Saris Bones Trunk Mount Rack System, you’ll know what I mean. It was created and designed by renowned Italian designer Fabio Pedrini. Leave it to Italian designers to take something as boring and functional as a bike rack and turn it into a piece of art.

The Saris bike rack is made of 100% recyclable, non-rusting, injection molded material which is the strongest on the market. He uses ratcheting anti-sway straps to stabilize the bikes and keep them secure while also separating bikes onto different levels when carrying more than one at a time. And you have your choice of racks that can handle two, three or even four bikes at a time. Add to that the fact that you can choose from a multitude of colors, and you soon realize why Saris Bones bike racks are unique in the marketplace for trunk bike racks.

Before you even begin to look at price, you need to know what exactly you are looking to buy. You want to be able to compare apples to apples across multiple brands and manufacturers and there are many variables when it comes to purchasing a bike rack. For example, depending on what kind of vehicle you drive, you might be limited in your options. If you drive a convertible, you won’t be shopping for a permanently a fixed roof rack. Instead, you might be looking at a trunk mounted bike rack if you drive a car, or a spare tire mounted bike rack if you drive something like a Jeep. Alternatively, almost any car can be fitted with your standard 2 inch hitch and there is a tremendous array of bike racks, including Thule bike racks, that are made to fit into the standard 2 inch hitch set up.

If you have all options available to you, such as an SUV with a hitch mount and the rear, externally mounted spare tire, you’ll still want to decide what suits your needs best. Some people prefer to have a roof mounted bike rack because bikes aren’t the only thing they carry. Maybe they also carry surfboards, windsurfers or kayaks and need to be roof rack option to accommodate that kind of gear. On the other hand, if someone is only transporting bikes they may not want to have to wrestle with getting their bike on the roof of their vehicle and therefore would prefer a more comfortable loading height such as the trunk mounted rack, a spare tire rack or the hitch rack. Because in all fairness, it can be tricky at times to load a bicycle onto the roof of your vehicle especially if you have a taller vehicle and are not a particularly tall person.

Once you decide on a position on your vehicle where you want your bike rack mounted, you will also need to decide whether you want one that is permanently affixed or one that is quickly and easily mounted and dismounted from the vehicle itself. Like so many other things, there are pros and cons to each. If you don’t expect to be using your bike rack all that often, it may not make sense to have it permanently mounted to your car.

For the occasional weekend trip here or there, you might just want to quickly slip on your rack over the spare tire or hook it onto the truck of your car. The downside to this kind of rack is that there is a higher risk of the rack being stolen from your vehicle. Your bikes will be just as secure while transporting them, but it is when you are away from your vehicle is a bit more of a concern. Some people choose to simply remove the rack all together and stored inside the vehicle while they are off riding, but that is a choice you have to make yourself.

Might be a hitch mount bike rack. With this kind of setup is fairly easy to remove the entire rack system from your vehicle when not in use, but at the same time it can be secured (ie locked) to your vehicle for peace of mind. Many of these hitmen and bike racks are also able to easily swing away from the rear of the vehicle even with bikes mounted to it so that you don’t lose access to your trunk or liftgate.

As you can see, there are a lot of things you should work out first before starting to price compare bike racks. The good news is that totally bike racks cover all the above mentioned options plus many more. And if you’re looking for the best prices on to a bike racks have highly recommend you take a look on Amazon.com. Not only is Amazon a highly respected online vendor, but you can often find truly bike racks on sale for anywhere between 5% – 25% off suggested retail or even more. Another benefit to purchasing through Amazon is that very often you will be able to get free shipping with your order.

For example, at the time of this writing you can get the Thule 961XT Speedway 2-Bike Trunk Rack for $98.80. This saves you 24% off the suggested list price of $129.95, or the Thule 962XT Speedway 3-Bike Trunk Rack at a 10% discount with free shipping.

As you can see it is possible to get the best products at the best price. When you combine the vendors such as Amazon.com with quality manufacturers, you can get your Thule bike racks on sale so you can get out and enjoy the outdoors on your bike.

Clearly the first place ‘stuff’ goes in the garage is on the floor. Because of this, many people opt to have their bike racks up and off the floor, either attached to the wall or by having their bikes hang from the ceiling in some manner. While this is a great idea as far as saving space, you’ll want to make sure you think things through completely before you start your bicycle rack installation process.

For example, getting the bikes high up and out of the way is great, but will you easily be able to get them down when you want to use them? What if someone ELSE wants to get them down who happens to be shorter (and perhaps not as strong) as you; will they have problems? With a little forethought about this, you can avoid turning a great idea (creating more usable space in your garage) into a problem and making just the thought of getting your bike down off the rack such a hassle that it reduces your (or whoever’s) inclination to want to go out riding.

If you’re setting up a wall mounted bicycle rack in your garage, you’ll also want to pay attention to where you store new ‘stuff’. Don’t let a bunch of things pile up right in front of your hanging bike. If you do, then even though it’s not too high, it will be difficult to reach out and over the ‘stuff’ to bring your bike down. Of course there is also the option of hanging your bike from the roof as a means to store it.

Here again though, you’ll want to think it through to make sure you don’t end up with the bike being out of reach of the person who wants or needs to be able to access it. One option is to install a pulley system so that not only can anyone raise or lower the bike as needed, but no one will ever be at risk of injuring themselves due to reaching awkwardly at the edges of their reasonable limits. With simple rubber hooks that you can attach to the seat and handle bars, your bike will be secured without any potential damage to it.

Regardless of whether you’re mounting your garage bike rack to the wall or ceiling, make sure you take your garage door into account. You want to make sure that not only does the rack not interfere with the door rails/runners, but that no part of the bike will either once it is put in place.

By taking the above issues into account, you should be able to find the perfect spot to store your bike to create as much additional space as possible in your garage while still keeping your bikes easily accessible. That is the beauty of well thought out garage bicycle racks!

For example, you could go for a roof rack, a trunk mounted bike rack, the hitch mount bike rack if you happen to have a standard 2 inch trailer hitch installed on your vehicle, or if you happen to have a rear, externally mounted spare tire, you might opt for a spare tire mount bike rack.

Additional variables you need to consider are whether you want a more or less permanently attached bicycle rack that will be on your vehicle whether you’re transporting bikes or not, or if you would prefer a more temporary, easy on — easy off type of system. And of course you need to plan ahead as to how many bicycles you plan to transport once. Maybe right now you’re just thinking of transporting your own bicycle; but what happens if a bunch of friends want to go with you? Or obviously if you have a family and you all like to ride together, you’ll need to find a bike rack that accommodates two, three or even four bikes at a time.

Of course price plays a factor in most people’s buying decisions, and it’s no different when it comes to a bike rack for car, truck or other vehicle. However, always remember that you get what you pay for. When you’ve already invested money in your bicycle (or bicycles), the last thing you want to do is cut corners on it teeth, poorly made bike rack that may not be up to the task. And this isn’t only about the protection of your bicycle; you also need to keep in mind the safety of other people on the road. Imagine the kind of mess that could arise from a bike coming off a bike rack, or a bike rack coming off a vehicle. Not pretty.

This is also why choosing a vendor and/or manufacturer who stands behind their product is extremely important. Sometimes certain vehicles are designed in such a way that you need a very special mounting system. Even though the sales material might say “Works on almost all vehicles!”, you don’t care about that… you need to make sure it works on YOUR vehicle or it’s worthless to you. Especially if you’re ordering your bike rack online as opposed to your local bike shop, make sure there is a very clear, very straightforward return policy in place. Free shipping is something else you might want to shop around for when you have made a decision on a specific make and model bike rack.

For what it’s worth, ordering items through Amazon.com is often an excellent option. Not only do they offer top-notch customer support, but you can shop for, and across compare many different manufacturers, makes and models all in one place. On top of that, customer reviews allow you to get objective, real-world feedback about how the product works for people just like you.

Yes, these are a lot of variables to consider. However, it will be well worth your time to think it through carefully before making a decision. However, if you use the points mentioned above to narrow down the type of bike rack you want, and if you stick to the more reputable brands mentioned above such as Thule, Yakima, Saris, Bell, Schwinn, Allen or Hollywood bike racks, you should be in good shape. And again, if you’re looking to purchase your bike rack for car, truck or other vehicle online, make sure you inquire about free shipping and return policies.