[shorerunner]

I need a trailer hitch and bicycle carrier for my 1998 ES with traction control.

I don't want to make the rear end of my gorgeous car turn ugly.

Some hitches have only a flat thing sticking out under the license plate.

The question is wether I can find one of those bicycle adapters.

Anyone already been down this trail?

 

[Big Los]

Good question! I am looking for a good bike rack also. The problem is I don't want a ugly hitch sticking out the back and I don't want those straps pulling on my trunk lid.

 

[shorerunner]

I started surfing the net for hitches last night.

Found www.hitch-web.com that has a few hitches and many bicycle attachments.

I like the ones on which the bicycle thing-y hooks onto one of those convert-a-balls.
On my last car, I had a bike hitch that went into the receiver. It seems every time I tried to change from boat trailer to bike, I had a sludge hammer and WD-40 scene.

Some of the bike attachments are aluiminum.

Have to take a work break now.

shorerunner

 

[Warlord187]

What kind of bike are you talking about?

 

[shorerunner]

Warlord,
In this case, I am talking about a Cannondale pedaling;human powered) bike.
3.8 pound aluminum frame, 21 speeds.
Made in USA, as are the best "serious" bikes.
I have gone 110 miles on this in a single day.
I am not all that fast, but I can go far.
shorerunner

 

[Warlord187]

So why do you need a hitch? Why not get a top mounted bike rack?

You have a road bike I take it, or a mountain bike?

 

[Warlord187]

I asked a friend of mine who is a big time mountain biker. This is what he had to say:

--------------------
If they are looking for quality there are only two choices:
Yakima and Thule.
Go to a bike shop. This is an expensive way to go but it is the better way to go. Much higher quality and no risk. Most shops will also help you install it if you ask them too. Also, if there are problems they can service it. But with those two brands there are never problems. I would go with Thule but that is just my favorite. They are both pretty much the same.

The cheap way to go is to purchase a rack off www.performancebike.com. The prices are dirt cheap. The quality is lower though. That is what I originally did. They sell the big brands but the cheap one is called xsport. Nothing wrong with that rack I suppose. But it is not nearly as nice as the other ones.
And I did have problems with mine. Road salt
corroded the locks and I really did not like the way it fit on top of my car. The Thule racks fit much better.

Best bet is to check out both options. Check out the website and go to a bike shop. Then make the decision. If you go with the xsport rack you lose some quality and of course all service because it is available on the website only. But you save a lot of money. If you go with Thule you get a guaranteed winner but can expect to pay around $400 dollars for a rack to carry two bikes with a wind fairing and a locking rack.
--------------------

Hope this helps.

 

[Big Los]

Warlord, thanks for the information!!

 

[Warlord187]

Originally posted by BigLos:
Warlord, thanks for the information!!

Not a problem.

 

[shorerunner]

Final report on hitches and bike attachments:

After spending an embarrasing amount of time studying this, and sending back the first hitch that the hitch store brought in on my behalf, I have finally made the best decision.

(Drum roll...the envelope please)
The best hitch; most strength (class2), least ugly junk sticking out below the rear facia: Is either Reese "shadow mount" or Hidden Hitch.

The booby prize is shared by the Dodge accessory catalog and the identical Draw Tite which have a huge piece of iron with ugly white decals on it.

The best bicycle carrier is by Trailex; it is aluminum, light weight, small size, and mounts on the convert-a-ball so it comes off easily and is not subject to getting corroded into the hitch receiver receptacle.

Now I have to take some boats out of the water!

Shorerunner