Bike Rack Ed

Gas prices climb along with bicycle satisfaction

BikeRacked.com (NC) — Riders of new bicycles agree that they are more satisfied with their bicycles this year for another year running. Some argue that this is because of climbing gas prices but cyclists report that it is also because of other added benefits.

The survey by the A.N.O.N Internet Research Group saw the industry average soar by twelve points to 780 this year from 768 in 2007. The survey measures owner satisfaction with the design, layout and performance of new bicycles along with the fitness and health of their riders.

It was another climbing victory this year, said Ed, Bike Rack Ed’s director of product research and analysis. Gas prices rose almost 30% percent in the period between the 2007 and 2008 and the latest survey found that more people are riding their bicycles as other means of transportation.

“The number of riders and fitness levels has greatly increased” Ed said. “There has to be a reason fueling this phenomenon.”

Foreign cyclists again dominated the survey, but U.S.-based cyclists continued to show improvement.

The survey is designed to complement A.N.O.N’s annual initial quality rankings, which were released last month. Those rankings showed the number and type of cyclists improved all around this year, with commuters among the cyclists leading the pack in satisfaction.

Spin off from article: Gas prices fuel drop in car owner satisfaction

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Saab Bike Rack

I had a hard time choosing which photo to post today until I saw the thumbnail of this Saab. When I saw this car It screamed cool. I think the car is a 2000 93, 2.0 Turbo, but please correct me if I’m wrong. The roof rack on this Saab is made by Yakima and holds two bikes. The picture was actually taken at CLT airport, I was surprised how many parked cars had bike racks. Out of all of them I have to say this one looks the best. I don’t think that I would feel right if I said that a trunk mount bike rack would be best and there is no way that any one should put a hitch on one of these. Great choice with the roof rack, the car sits low and it screams performance rider. So, if you are looking for a bike rack for a Saab Turbo I’d go with this. Check out the auctions page for the best deals on bike racks and bike rack accessories.

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Roof Mount, bike rack pictures |
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Bike Racks on Buses

Bike Racks on buses are becoming more and more popular. It seems that almost every bus I see in the Charlotte Metro area (excluding specialty buses) have bike racks on them. It is very rare that I see a bike on the rack but apparently they do actually get used. I remember riding trains and having a special cage where you could lock your bikes up in them and sit down but I don’t know if I would leave my bike unlocked on a bus bike rack. Anyway, here is a picture of one, try to see if your bus companies have them, if they don’t they should install them just because they don’t have a place where you can put your bike.

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Debt Cosolidation Book

This is a guest post by Garry Conn, he has some great information on debt consolidation and how to get out of debt. If you want to buy a nice bike rack but have too much debt, use this information, lower your debt and then buy the bike rack of your dreams. I know that I’m going to be using some of these techniques to lower my debt. Maybe I can save up for a second bike rack to use on my friends vehicles so I don’t have to drive all the time. Hmm. Here’s the post:

Hey everyone, this is Garry Conn here and you have probably heard the news that John Cow and I are going head to head in a make money online competition to see who can build a blog and sell it for the most money in SitePoint after 30 days. I just unveiled my niche blog titled, Debt Consolidation Book and I want to briefly tell you about the blog and how you can win some really amazing prizes by contributing and telling people about it.

Debt Consolidation Book is a web site where you can read articles written by people who provide their opinions and tips on how to get out of debt. Additionally, you can get 13 high quality debt consolidation books for free. These 13 free debt consolidation books will teach you some amazing debt consolidation, debt elimination and debt reduction strategies. Many people have all kinds of debts and one of the most common is credit card debt. Debt Consolidation Book is geared towards helping people who have credit card debt as well as most all forms of debt.

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Honda Pilot Roof Mounted Bike Rack

The Honda Pilot really is a versatile car. Its personally not for me but this picture goes to show the capabilities of this car. The roof rack system on this Honda Pilot has easily enough room for four bikes. In my opinion the bars hang over the edge just a little too far and could be moved in. By getting a shorter cross bar you don’t really lose anything and there will still be plenty of space. Bikes will also be easier to load since they won’t have to be lifted so far away from the car. One thing about the Honda Pilot that would make me consider purchasing a different type of rack would be the height. Without opening the door and standing on the door sill I don’t think that I would be able to get the bikes down. Especially the middle one, and I’m not a short guy. I would probably recommend a hitch mount bike rack for the Honda Pilot exactly for this reason. It will be able to carry four bikes just like this roof rack would but would save a lot of lifting.

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Older Toyota Corolla Roof Mounted Bike Rack

I took this picture a while back. Basically its an older Toyota Corolla with a roof mounted bike rack setup. I don’t exactly know the year of this model but my guess would be 1980’s or possibly very early 90’s. Its quite a nice rack that should be able to hold two bikes. The load limits on roofs vary depending on the car and the year. The older boxier style of this Corolla probably means that it can handle a little more load then the average Corolla these days. It just goes to show that almost any car can have a bike rack fitted to it no matter what the year.

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bike rack recall information

It is no secret that bike racks that are purchased from retail stores are made as cheaply as possible so that there is more profit involved. What happens when products are made cheaply? Well, they fail. The same reason that thousands of toys and goods from all over the world is safety. Be it the newest craze lead based paint or an issue with sharp edges bike racks are no exception.

The best way to get information about recalled bike racks is to register your bike rack with your manufacturer. You know that little piece of paper that normally gets thrown away because of the excitement of opening something new? Yes, fill that out and you will receive useful information about your product and possibly a ton of spam / junk mail.

To solve this problem I am going to try to keep up with the bike rack recalls and post them here once every so often so that you can see if you purchased a bike rack that could hurt some one.

Here is one from a while back:

http://www.wisn.com/money/5182003/detail.html
Sold by: LL Bean, Bike Nashbar and independent bike shops nationwide.

If you have one of these get it sorted. Products like bike racks don’t get better with age, they tend to fail. Personally I think that if this was purchased for more than $20 then it was a waste since you can make a bike rack for under $15.

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Jeep Cheroke Hitch Mount Bike Rack

This picture was taken in the dark. I believe I was parked at the time because of the angle it was taken at. It demonstrates what a hitch mount bike rack looks like on the Jeep Cheroke. It is possible that I am mis-spelling the word since the spell check tells me that it is in fact Cherokee. Never the less. The rack is actually a Yakima and is in the folded down position. The Yakima rack shown is quite in-expensive and since the Jeep comes with a hitch is probably a better idea than getting a trunk of roof mount rack for this vehicle. The height of this vehicle could be a problem if you were to install cross bars for a roof mount. Its hard to get pictures of Jeep Cheroke’s with loaded bike racks, but this shows what it would look like. There is room inside the Cheroke for a bike with the seats folded down but if you have kids or other bike riders then this is the way to go! Check out the products on the ebay auctions page for the best deals.

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No Recent Bike Rack Posts

It has been a while since I posted here on BikeRackEd.com I have two excuses, the first is I have recently moved. The second excuse is that I also got married and took a short vacation. Sorry that I could not have any one fill in for me while I was gone but I hope that you all understand. Anyhow I’m back and have a ton of new pictures to post and bike racks to blog about. I also have an upcoming project (see my last blog post) that I am going to be making very soon. So you can start checking this site regularly again

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Bike Storage for Apartments

Storing your bikes in an apartment can be a tricky task. The first thing to do is figure out where you want to store your bikes. If you have a balcony or storage closet then these can be good choices. If not perhaps a laundry room. Where ever you choose to store your bikes the next thing to do is figure out how you want to store them. I have a small closet that can comfortably fit three bikes and at most four. I am trying to figure out the best way to store these bikes while leaving room to store other things I own. Gear, tools, camping equipment and miscellaneous boxes are also on the list. I think I have figured out a good way to store them by using boxes and a home made bike rack. I will probably end up putting the front or back wheels on a rack which will be slightly elevated to allow to store equipment. I have thought about using a bike hoist to hoist my unused bikes up but do not yet know if the ceiling is high enough to do this. One thing that is not good to do is store your bikes vertically. As mentioned in other articles on this site using bike hooks to hang bikes by one wheel is not the best idea. It does get the bikes out of the way but if you made an investment into your bike it would probably be better to invest some money in storage for them. There are many products that can be purchased to help organize apartments for bike storage but you can save some hard earned cash by using 2×4’s and screws to construct your own. A combination of the two could be used. Once I get back from my vacation one of my first projects is to build some good storage for my closet that will allow me to store my bikes and all of my gear. I will be posting pictures along the way with a how-to for any one that is interested. Once it is complete I hope to see other people using the techniques I use to maximize their storage space. I’m always interested in seeing how people store their bikes so if any one uses tips from this website I would love to see pictures. Any one who sends me pictures will get an article written about them with a link back to their home page or blog. So what are you waiting for? Show me some commend love and send me some pictures!

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Standalone Racks |
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Nissan Altima Roof Mounted Bike Rack

I’ve had this picture of a Nissan Altima with a roof mounted bike rack for a little while. This is your basic roof mount bike rack setup. I can’t tell you the year of this Altima because I don’t exactly know but my guess would be 90’s to 2000’s. I believe the setup is Yakima Q-Towers or Low rider roof set with no wind shield and two Yakima Copper Head bike carriers. Adding a roof rack to a Nissan Altima is actually relatively inexpensive. I would actually recommend one of these over adding a hitch. If you are a casual rider I would recommend the Saris Bones 2 Bike Carrier or the Saris Bones 3 Bike Carrier. These are the best trunk mounted bike racks out there.

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Dirt Bike Truck Bed Mount

This rack is a picture I took of a dirt bike in a truck bed. You can’t tell by the picture but this truck has a mount in the back for the dirt bike. If you want you can click on the picture to get a better view but since this was taken at night on a bad camera it doesn’t really help a whole lot. The dirt bike mount just sits in the truck bed and the bike was tied down by standard ties that you can find at Walmart. Check out the auctions on this page to find a similar mount so that you can start transporting your dirt bike with ease, just like these people are.

If you consider your self handy, you can actually make one of these for your truck bed out of 2×4’s. I’ll post my dirt bike truck bed mount plans some time soon so book mark this site and come back to check the plans out.

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Toyota Camry Trunk Mount Bike Rack

This bike rack was taken at my local super market. I believe the owner works there because it seems like it is always there. Why any one would leave their bike rack on their car all the time makes no sense to me unless they go for a ride after they get off work and don’t want to be bothered with the hassel of mounting the bike rack. This one I think is a 90’s model Camry and the bike rack appears to be some sort of cheap one. Notice again how the mounting bars appear to be going upwards. This some times changes when you put bikes on it but some times it doesn’t. It is not good when your bike rack is loaded and the bars are pointing up. When this happens the bikes are more likely to swing and hit each other or damage your car. Check out the Saris Bones bike rack if you don’t want this to happen.

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Toyota Matrix Trunk Mount Bike Rack

Click on the image for a larger picture of the Toyota Matrix with a Trunk Mount Bike Rack on it. This picture was taken whilst leaving from a ride in Raleigh. The model of this Matrix is actually an XR which gives you some upgrades from the standard Matrix. I know this because I almost purchased one. One thing it gives you other than a nicer look is a functional rear window wiper. As you can see the rear window wiper is behind the bike rack and you can still see the license plate when no bikes are on the rack. I think that this is the Bell Bike Rack sold at Walmart. It looks decent but like other examples on this site it seems to be pointing upwards some what. If your looking at transporting bikes in your Matrix you can actually lay the seats down and fit up to three bikes inside. I know this because I have done it before. Just make sure that you put blankets between the bikes to protect them. You may also have to turn handle bars and take of saddles, but thats ok because you can store them in many of the storage compartments that you have. I have not seen a roof rack on the Toyota Matrix yet but want to see what it looks like. This is really a car where it would make more sense to get a roof box and just store your bikes in the car. This should save you some money. Check out the deals on this site if your looking for a bike rack for your Toyota Matrix. If you want even more storage for your Toyota Matrix, get a roof box, a tow hitch and a hitch mount bicycle rack. If you purchase the correct hitch type for the Matrix then you will be able to load four bikes. You can use the trunk space and the roof box to store gear and carry four people, four bikes and all of your gear. That would be one great bike trip!

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Toyota Corolla Roof Mount Bike Rack

Here are two pictures of the same Toyota Corolla with a roof mounted bike rack. I’ve always liked the Toyota Corolla and this model looks really nice. Good color too. Anyway back to the point of this post. This is what a roof mounted bike rack on a Toyota Corolla will look like. As you can see from the close up picture the rack is kind of large. I would shop around to see if you can find a more slim line model since this one is kind of bulky. Alternatively if you have the Corolla a trunk mount bike rack will fit nicely or if you have a hitch for hauling you can get a hitch mount bike rack. Personally I like the way the roof mount for the Corolla looks but they are not always the most practical. Two heavy mountain bikes should be ok on this after market rack but I would not try to put a third bike on it. This picture was taken when I was riding but I took a break and got the closeup picture so that you could see how large the Yakima Rack on the Toyota Corolla looks.

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Triangle Bike Rack Plans

Here are the bike rack plans for the standalone homemade triangle bike rack that I wrote about. Its actually quite simple to build if you know how to weld. These can be made for as many or few bikes as you need. Just adjust the length of the poles. Once your done with the rack be sure to paint it so that it looks good. You can bolt these to the ground. They are really good bike racks for the garage since they can be moved around if you don’t attach them. The other post that shows the finished product is actually being used at a school and has been in the same location bolted to the ground for years. It has held up well and cost a fraction to build then the expensive bike racks that you will be quoted for from bike rack companies.

If you don’t know how to weld then ask your friends. Maybe they know some one that does. There is actually minimal welding. If you drill all of the holes to that the vertical poles fit in you only have to make 18 joints. Just make sure that you put all of them in before you weld the horizontal bars in place.

These triangle bike racks are also very secure. When you park your front wheel in them you can lock your weel and fork around two of the bars and over the top. If you have a good bike lock a thief would have to cut or bend two bars and then the top bar. Combine this with a saddle and rear wheel lock for safety.

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Bike Rack Plans, Bike Racks, Curb Racks, DIY Bike Racks, Homemade, Homemade Bike Racks, Standalone Racks, Stationary Mount |
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Free Standing Bike Rack Store

The other day I posted about the Racor Free Standing Bike Racks that are available at a great price from Amazon. I have assembled a list of great gravity bike racks that can be purchased. Go to the free standing bike rack store to look at the available racks and see detailed descriptions. The store has some of the best freestanding bike racks available there from top name manufacturers. They are perfect for the garage, hallway (to show case your bikes.) or even storage units. My favorites are the gravity stands but the floor stands are also pretty cool.

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Racor Free Standing Bike Racks

Racor make some really great bicycle storage solutions. Featured in this post is a great free standing bike rack.

The Racor Freestanding Bike Stand is an affordable garage bike rack, or actually anywhere. I could see any one using this rack anywhere in their house. I think the price is reasonable for what you get. You can make bike racks like this but the difference between a homemade bike rack and the Racor Freestanding Bike Stand is that you don’t have to use trial and error to get this thing to work. It comes in a box, you set it up and you are good to go. No need to plan, weld measure and re-weld after your rack tips over. No need to secure it “Just to be safe”. It just works. If you are in the market for a garage bike stand this is for you!

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Decorative Bike Racks

If you are in the market for a stand alone bike rack then you have options. There are lots of companies out there that make custom bike racks. These types of bike racks can be anything from your standard bollard bike rack or U shaped rack to custom sculpture bike racks. The one pictured on the left is from Arlington and is described as a circle bike rack. It is quite decorative and I like the way that the bike is in the middle of the circle. This lets people know that this is not a parking meeter and is in fact a bike rack.

I think that bike racks should be readily available in every town or city to promote the use of bicycles. So if your a business owner consider a custom bike rack for your business. There are some companies who will even design a bike rack custom to your business. Maybe you are a fishing tackle store, why not get a bike rack designed in the shape of a fish? If you want a custom bike rack built, I can pretty much make any thing. Contact me if your interested.

- Ed

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Bike Rack Picture Gallery

Hey Everyone!

I’ve collected quite a lot of information and pictures on bike racks. What I’m wanting to do now is create a place where people can post pictures of their bike rack setups. The concept is simple. Firstly all you have to do is e-mail me with a picture of your bike rack, a description and a URL to more pictures or to your website if you have one. Once I receive the pictures I’ll go ahead and post them in my bike rack gallery

Any types of bike racks will be accepted standalone, homemade bike racks, trunk mount, loaded bike rack pictures. You name it I’ll post it. I will even touch up the pictures to remove personal information such as license plates.

So, if you have a bike rack take some snaps and I will post them in my gallery!

Thanks in advance to every one that participates,
Ed.

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Dodge Intrepid Trunk Mount Bike Rack

Took this picture while riding my bike down my local greenway. I managed to snap this while riding around the parking lot on my way home. It was quite difficult to get a good shot since I was moving about 15mph. As you can see the Dodge Intrepid is capable of having a trunk mount bike rack. I’m not sure if this would have been my choice of bike rack for the Dodge Intrepid since it looks like its not mounted correctly. Had I purchased one of these bike racks I probably would have taken it back. The Saris bones bike rack would fit better and even folds up so that you can put it in your trunk when your not using it. The Dodge Intrepid is a low car, so a roof rack would fit on it perfectly but if you don’t want to go with a roof rack because of cost or bike weight I would look for a Saris Bones 2 or 3 bike rack for this car. If you happen to have a Saris bike rack for your Dodge Intrepid please take a picture and send it over my way so that we can show every body else how good these bike racks are!

If you don’t have a bike rack for the Dodge Intrepid yet you are in the market for one browse these pages and see if you find any products on the bike rack eBay auctions that I have listed here. Some times you can find Yakima, Thule or Saris bike racks really cheap. Also I have some pages which have the best places to buy bike racks from so check them out!

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Trunk Mount, bike rack pictures |
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Do The Test!

Great Video to promote cycling awareness.

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General Biking |
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Stealing a Bike Thief’s Bike

I found this clip on YouTube of some guys stealing a Bike Thief’s Bike. This is pretty good. I mean, you have to be pretty stupid to ride your bike to steal another bike. Especially if you have to go back to get your bike from the place you stole the other one from. The persons who’s bike you stole might be there and may ask questions. Anyway this video is pretty funny but I wish that they had better footage after the bike had been moved.

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Bike Rack Security, General Biking |
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Homemade T-Mount

This was my first attempt at any type of bike storage. This is not really considered a homemade bike rack but more of a t-mount. I did not know that you could purchase units similar to these before I made it, or before I started this web site. Below are pictures of my T-Mount, it is designed to fit in Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe’s. It screws into the mount available inside the vehicle as shown in the pictures.

(Click for Larger Images)

I encountered a few problems with this homemade t-mount, firstly it was not far enough forward in the bed. Since the rails to attach this to run down the left and right of the bed I could not slide it far forward enough to mount my bike. This was not a huge problem for this t-mount since I could just put my bike in at an angle. Another problem I had was the saddle height. Since I’m taller than I thought even with the front wheel off, my bike doesn’t fit in (by about an inch) I think I flipped my bike around and it fit on the t-mount quite well. This could have been resolved by carrying the tool to adjust my saddle height and marking my saddle position. The last problem I had with the bike mount was the stability, or lack of. It was not very sturdy and kind of wobbled. I think if I were to make this again I would use both rails that are available in the bed and then make something that attached to those so that the bikes could be moved forward. This should allow me to mount two bikes in the Pontiac Vibe. Of course, If I had a smaller bike I could fit two bikes in here with no trouble at all. The total cost of this custom bike mount was about $2, it was made from scrap metal and a spare skewer that I had laying around. The washer and threaded bolt were left over from another project that I had for my Pontiac Vibe. After making this I think I might try another internal bike mount or possibly a homemade hitch mount bike rack. From looking at the quality of them in the stores it should not be difficult to make a bike rack that is better and that will last longer. The only problems I see from my bike rack plans are weight and cost of materials. The cost of materials probably will not amount to that much but I have to purchase a hitch to mount the bike rack on.

I would not recommend making an internal mount for a Pontiac vibe or Toyota Matrix. Until I come up with a method that works, I would either get a Roof Mount Bike Rack, Hitch mount bike rack or trunk mount bike rack. There are some great deals on this site that I always see while writing, some are 10%-20% off the cost of buying them in the store! If you want a new bike rack this is definitely the way to go.

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Bike Mounts, Homemade, Homemade Bike Racks, Vehicle Mount |
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Subaru Forester Trunk Mount Bike Rack

According to the Subaru dealership there Subaru has the most cars with the highest mileage on the road. Not exactly sure where he got this information on but I’m going with it. Here we have a picture of a Subaru Forester with a Trunk Mount Bike Rack. Not the most graceful solution but, without a stock hitch and a fairly high roofline this may have been the best option for this bike rider. For casual use this is fine and I would actually recommend it. But if your a serious biker consider a hitch mount for your forester or possibly a roof mount if you consider your self stout. Maybe you should keep a step stool in your car also. This is a fairly new Forester I believe, probably 2003 or so. If any one can identify what year it is, leave a comment and you will get mad props!

More pictures of bike racks on cars to come!

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bike rack pictures |
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