Bike racks

[cperlin]

Has anyone found a bike rack that works well with the Bolt?

 

[boltage]

* Fold the seats down and put inside.

* With roof rails, Yakima roof rack can be used. Thule racks for with and without rails exist, but are not yet available.

* Yakima has a trunk rack.

* There are hitches that can be bolted on so that hitch mounted bike racks can be used.

 

[cperlin]

I haven't tried putting my bike inside the Bolt, but my last car was a Subaru Outback and my bike barely fit in it with the wheels on, and the cargo space in the Bolt with seats down looks much smaller. Have you fit a bike in your Bolt? I'm only 5"2" and I believe my bike is a 19" frame.

 

[boltage]

Haven't tried it in the Bolt yet, though from what I remember in similar size cars, the front wheel may have to come off to fit inside.

Here is the roof rack thread: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6036

 

[tk1971]

So far, I've tried 3 different hitch mounted racks. Here's s summary:

1) Thule T2 916XTR - Easiest rack I own to use in terms of mounting bikes. One wheel strap and one ratcheting wheel arm. The problem with this rack is that it is too heavy. The rack itself is nearly 60lbs and lugging it from the garage to the car and back before/after each ride is really a pain. I had this on my Curt hitch and I actually bent something on the car (60lbs + 22 lbs bike #1 + 24 lbs bike #2 = 106 lbs, which is over the 100lbs limit of the sticker on the Curt hitch). Good thing I was able to bend it back. I suspect it was the plates that the hitch is secured to that got bent.

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

Something got bent:
Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

I was able to bend it back by pulling up on the rack:
Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

2) Highland SportWing with riser Shank accessory (shank # 1370800) - This is the lightest rack that I own (around 20lbs and also the least expensive rack). It also breaks down into 3 really easy to store pieces. In fact, this rack is always in my cargo / trunk. For the Curt hitch, this would be my recommended bike rack. It's not a wheel tray design, but rather the steel "V" has cushioned hooks that the wheels rest on. I replaced the cheap rubber straps with ball bungee cords and I use more ball bungee cords to tie the bikes to the rack so they don't sway around. One more mod to make it more user friendly, I needed more foam to protect my bike frame because the ones that came with the rack is too short for me. I got a piece of 1.5" internal diameter trampoline pole foam and cut it to my liking. It takes more effort to load up this rack than the T2, especially to tie the bike frames down to the rack because I have to work around the wheels of the bikes to get in that area. But the ultimate plus of this rack is that I can store it in my trunk when I'm not using it.

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

Here's the shank: https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Highland/1370800.html

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

3) Saris Thelma 3 - This rack is also light (around 33 lbs) and has trays to hold the bike wheels, but it uses two plastic straps to hold each bike in the trays. No easy-to-use wheel arm like the T2. The Thelma 3 holds 3 bikes, which is unique for Class I hitch racks (none that I've seen can carry more than 2). There is a Thelma 2 which is lighter and less costly than the 3. With the Curt hitch, this rack cannot be folded upwards when not in use. The trays will hit the bumper before it can be locked in the up position. I've since replaced my Curt hitch with the Draw-tite hitch and I've confirmed that the Saris can fold up using the Draw-tite hitch. I still need to lug this rack to/from the garage before/after each ride but at 33 lbs, it's much more manageable.

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

None of these 3 rack have ground clearance issues, as my Curt hitch was modified by a welder to give it at least 9" of ground clearance. The extra $20 for the Highland Sportwing riser shank also helped.

I will give the Thule T2 another try now that I've replaced the Curt hitch with the Draw-tite. The Draw-tite has 2 supports bolting to the frame under the car and helps prevent (IMO) the tilting action experienced when the bike racks bounce around from bending anything. Although I am happy with both the Saris and the much cheaper Highland Sportwing, I'm leaning toward the Sportwing simply because I can store it in my cargo/trunk.

Still not done: I have since ordered a Saris Freedom Superclamp 2 which uses two wheel ratcheting arms to hold the bikes (eliminating straps altogether). The only thing going against it will be the fact that I still have to lug it in and out of the garage whenever I use it. I'll post a review once I receive it.

 

[SeanNelson]

So far, I've tried 3 different hitch mounted racks. Here's s summary:

Terrific description and great photos - thanks for taking the time to post it!

 

[cperlin]

tk1971, thanks for all the information and taking the time to post it. I have never used a hitch before. Do they have to stay on the car all the time?

 

[tk1971]

tk1971, thanks for all the information and taking the time to post it. I have never used a hitch before. Do they have to stay on the car all the time?

I prefer to remove my racks when not in use. Some people leave them on. They will fool the backup sensors giving you the red warning all the time.

That's why as convenient as the T2 is for biking, lugging a bulky 60 lbs rack from/to the garage makes it too inconvenient to actually use.

 

[SeanNelson]

tk1971, thanks for all the information and taking the time to post it. I have never used a hitch before. Do they have to stay on the car all the time?

I take mine off when I'm not using it. I was careful to get one that wasn't difficult to install and remove.

 

[jjr]

Are we talking about the hitch, or the hitch mounted bike rack?

The original question asked if the hitch was easy to remove - but I assume the answers talk about the hitch-mounted bike racks being removed!

The hitch bolts on underneath the car and isn't conducive to easy install/removal where as the hitch mounted bike rack can be removed by pulling the hitch pin and lifting the rack out of the hitch receiver.

 

[SeanNelson]

Are we talking about the hitch, or the hitch mounted bike rack?

The original question asked if the hitch was easy to remove - but I assume the answers talk about the hitch-mounted bike racks being removed!

Yes, I'm talking about the bike rack. I'm not sure why one would want to remove the hitch itself...?

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The SportWing has the bikes sitting below the airflow off the roof, so it might have a bit less of an effect on the range? Though you do need to stabilize the bikes a bit, I guess.

 

[tk1971]

Here's a 4 second video showing my bike bouncing after hitting a dip in the road.

Hitch: Draw-Tite 24956
Rack: Reese Sportwing (older one, not the current one) with riser shank
Bikes: 2014 Lynskey Pro 29 singlespeed, 2013 Giant XTC carbon 29er

https://youtu.be/vLUNydpYtDw

 

[tk1971]

Here's a small clip of my Thule T2 bouncing around on the Curt hitch.

https://youtu.be/IENoMQXRf1U

This or any number of bumps like this likely caused this:

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

I was able to bend it back by pulling up on the rack.

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

 

[tk1971]

Another video.

Draw-Tite hitch with Thelma 3 rack sporting 2 bikes running over some railroad tracks.

https://youtu.be/n_xuBoEMt_Q

 

[tk1971]

Final video:

This is my final configuration. Draw-Tite hitch with a Saris Freedom Superclamp 2 hitch bike rack. IMO, this rack is the quickest/easiest to use in terms of loading and unloading bikes. Two arms hold down the bike wheels and no straps.

https://youtu.be/IYZTMfdv7m0

 

[Anonymous]

I put my 29er mountain bike inside, with the wheels on. Try throwing the front first, with the front wheel occupying the place for the passenger feet and legs. So your bike goes in first class, A/C, almost invisible and dry.

 

[BrianAnderson]

How about trunk mount? Anybody have experience with these? Here's one I'm looking at: https://www.carid.com/reese/reese-trunk-mount-bike-rack-79472678.html

Thanks!

 

[Zoomit]

I think the strap type racks will require it to be attached above the wing at the top of the window. Pulling it tight may damage the wing.

 

[BrianAnderson]

Noted. Hopefully as solid on the Bolt as our RAV4 and Subaru WRX on which this solution worked well.