I have both roof-mounted bike racks (Yakima) and a 1.25" hitch mount 'hanging' style rack (Thule). I've never tried a platform hitch rack, but I'm guessing that style would keep the bikes happier. The Thule has an anti-sway mechanism by way of a hinge-down third clamp that secures the seat tube. It prevents about 90% of the sway. However, what I don't like about the hanging racks is that unless you use some sort of rag or piece of foam between the arms and your bike's frame, it's easy to get scratching. At least that's what I've observed with the Thule. Maybe the Saris or Yakima are better, I don't know. Also keep in mind that if you have a small car, all that extra weight back there will cause stability problems driving. It creates a cantilever effect, so even though a fully loaded rack with four bikes might only weigh 150lb, it feels like a lot more because farther behind the rear axle than weight you might have in the trunk. With a larger car, this might not have as much of an impact, but with my current car (Mazda5) and former car (Mazda3) I definitely felt it. The platform mounts will be even heavier than the hanging mounts. Also keep in ming that having all those bikes on any hitch rack makes it difficult to access the rear hatch (if not a sedan).
Three bikes on the roof? I never feel an effect on the car's stability. But I agree it's a chore hoisting them up there. On the other hand, I also don't have to finagle around with rags and bungee cords to make sure the bikes don't get scratched up. Anton -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
