Bike Mount Suggestions

[Retrospekt]

I'm looking for the best option to mount bikes on my Gen 3. Right now I have a pretty cheaply made strap on one that goes on the trunk, but it sucks and slightly hangs on my spoiler, which I obviously don't like. It bounces over bumps also.

What is my best option for a decent price? Trailer hitch installation and a J hook?

['_']

I have the Yakima roof mount on my gen4.5. It's pretty sturdy depending on what setup you have. I originally had the rails with the arms that attach to the cranks but the bikes wobbled a little bit. I switched them out for the fork mount which better holds the bike in place. Only problem is that you have to take the front wheel off whenever you mount/dismount the bike which isn't too much of a hassle for me. Plus it's a lot lighter without the big rails and mounts. I can post pics of my setup if need be.

[Retrospekt]

I'd like to see pics if possible.

How do you mount the rack to a car that didn't come with a roof rack from the factory?

['_']

Yakima has some clamps that they call Q Towers. There are different model numbers that fit different cars. They clamp onto the upper part of the roof/door when the doors are open. The cross bars are held up by the towers and from there, you can choose what setup to install (ie. fork mount, arms, etc). The Yakima site is pretty specific and tells you which Q towers, cross bars, etc. are compatible with your vehicle.

I'll post some pics tomorrow when there's light outside so you can see how everything is attached.

[t3chnique]

^ his setup is awesome. Retro, you've been warned.....

[92Camry5sp]

I just got my Bike Rack install like an hour ago. Heres some bad quality pics for right now. It will go onto the 4dr. Now i need to get my bike mounted on there. Hopefully this is something you like. =)

[ricamryman]

I'm looking for a good trunk rack! If anybody knows of one, give a Holla!

['_']

Here are the pics of both setups. The first is when I had the rail/crank arm attachments:





The new setup (Fork Mount). Excuse the camera pics. BTW my seat hit one of the crossbeams in that parking strucutre...:

[n3rdifed]

fixie love..
man yakima must be getting a lot of sales, everybodys been slapping on bike racks like crazy..

[Retrospekt]

Anyone willing to point me to these sales? The prices I've seen are a bit too expensive for my measly salary.

['_']

Originally Posted by n3rdifed

fixie love..
man yakima must be getting a lot of sales, everybodys been slapping on bike racks like crazy..

Yeah that's true, but I had my fixie for over a year and the bike rack is really really old. I hope I don't fall in the poser category since I actually use mine for its purposes

Originally Posted by Retrospekt

Anyone willing to point me to these sales? The prices I've seen are a bit too expensive for my measly salary.

What's your budget? You can try looking on craigslist for a complete setup, but it might be difficult to find something that came right off a Camry. If you can't find the right model Q towers, you could buy those separately online or from a sporting goods store. As for the crossbars, it shouldn't be too hard to find a pair in the right length.

[BLUEMEANIE]

I got my yakima with two fork mount trays, locks and faring for $125 off scionlife.com and I got the Yakima rack on my wifes car with two fork mount trays, one down tube tray and locks for $40 off of craigslist. Deals can be found, just be patient and keep hunting.

Swagman racks are similar to Yakima and Thule sept way cheaper.

Here's a pic of the Yakima on my car ... not a Camry but but I'd argue that they look good on any car.

[ghettosled]

i have a mix of racks - yakima towers and crossbars with... um... xsport bike trays, i believe. though i think rocky mounts makes some good trays for much cheaper than yakima.

have you tried looking up used racks?