What should I do to get fit?

What type of bike rack should I get for my 2008 Honda Fit?

• I have never owned a bike rack, which has put me at a disadvantage of searching for one for the fit. I have seen some things online in forums, but nothing really thorough that lets me know it will fit okay on the honda fit.

• Answer:

  There are lots of choices of bike rack types and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. You really need to figure out what type of rack you want first, then find the rack that provides the best fit for your car. The basic choices are: roof top, trunk and hitch mounted. A roof top rack is great if you are going to be carrying your bike around a lot. The great things about a roof rack is you install it and largely forget about it and it doesn't get in your way like a trunk or hitch mounted rack. Roof rack companies make a wide variety of mounts that can hold nearly any type of bike quite securely. As well, they make boxes, mounts for boats, unruly relatives etc. A roof top rack gives you lots of flexibility, but is the most expensive option, may need a fairing to reduce wind noise, and will reduce your gas mileage. A trunk rack is inexpensive and great for occasional use. Just pull it out of the garage (or trunk), unfold, mount it, load your bikes and go. Impact on gas mileage will be less than a roof rack. On the downside, the straps and clips that affix the rack to your car are a real pain and will scratch your car's paint. Trunk racks are also prone to scratching and/or rubbing the paint on your bike. The straps will make a tremendous racket in the wind if they are slightly loose. Forget access to your trunk when bikes are loaded. Furthermore, it may be nearly impossible to mount certain types of bikes on some trunk racks, so be sure your bike fits on the rack before leaving the store. A hitch rack is easy to mount and dismount. They can hold bikes quite securely, as well. Cost is between a roof rack and a trunk rack. Your car will have to have a receiver hitch. Most hitch racks fold down, somewhat out of your way, to give access to your trunk. Because the bikes are held low and largely out of the wind stream, impact on mileage is usually minimal. My recommendation is to think about the type of rack you want first and study the literature at the websites of Thule, Yakima, and Saris. All three of these companies also provide fit information for a variety of vehicles. For your information, I had great luck at our local REI. They really knew racks there. Hope this helps you out. Good luck!