# Best Bike Carrier



## OneWay (Dec 8, 2012)

Looking for a bike carrier for my 2012 Cruze


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## pgthe1 (Mar 14, 2016)

I have a Thule 9001 Raceway 2... No issues with it.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Best in my opinion is to add a trailer hitch, bike racks are available practically anywhere that can carry up to four bikes.

Hey pgthe1, the rear of your Cruze looks like the paint is all mess up, had a rack like yours, did the same thing to my different car, I would call this a problem. 

Hitches are available in either 1 or 2 inch receptacles, most racks I have seen are 2 inch, just make sure they match.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

I have a Saris Bones 2 bike rack. *Make sure you bungee cord your wheels straight*, otherwise you'll make the same mistake I did and scratch the **** out of your rear bumper. (Right before Lordstown too...arrrggggh)

You can check it out by clicking this link: Bones 2-Bike Car Rack | Saris

They are a little pricey but you can't beat the lifetime warranty...


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## pgthe1 (Mar 14, 2016)

NickD said:


> Best in my opinion is to add a trailer hitch, bike racks are available practically anywhere that can carry up to four bikes.
> 
> Hey pgthe1, the rear of your Cruze looks like the paint is all mess up, had a rack like yours, did the same thing to my different car, I would call this a problem.
> 
> Hitches are available in either 1 or 2 inch receptacles, most racks I have seen are 2 inch, just make sure they match.


Nope, i don't have one scratch on the rear of my car. It's rain drops and dirt... Iv'e never had an issue with trunk racks if used the right way.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

pgthe1 said:


> Nope, i don't have one scratch on the rear of my car. It's rain drops and dirt... Iv'e never had an issue with trunk racks if used the right way.



Is that a Giant 29er?


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## pgthe1 (Mar 14, 2016)

sparkman said:


> Is that a Giant 29er?


Giant Trance...650b with a bunch of upgrades... only thing stock is the frame lol.


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## rcman973 (Oct 28, 2013)

I put a hitch on my Cruze and got a Thule Vertex 2 bike rack. The best thing about hitch racks is you can still get into the trunk with the bikes on the back. :th_dblthumb2:


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Lot has changed over the years, pulling a boat with an eight foot beam, plenty of space to put bikes inside of the boat. Saw a Schwinn roof rack for four bikes, actually was made in Madison,WI and quite a bit cheaper to buy it from them as opposed to a Schwinn dealer. But the trunk was so huge on my 73 Fleetwood, could put it on there. Before this, attached two vertical 2 by 4's on my utility trailer with a cross beam on top so I could strap the bikes to that.

As the family grew, got a motorhome with real bumpers, remember real bumpers? Attached bumper type bike racks to that and could carry up to eight bikes, had six kids.

Modified that strap on bike rack to fit on the spare tire of my motorhome, only carries two bikes, but when my youngest daughter came alone, plenty of space to put hers on the inside. It's hanging on two straps from the roof rack. Modified my old Schwinn roof rack to fit on top of my Supra to carry my wife's bike and my three wheeler. It does have a Curt 1 1/4" hitch on it, so could carry four more bikes on that. Since Curt is made in Eau Claire, WI, called them for a special price.

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Thule/TH934XTR.html has a four bike rack that fits either the 2 or 1 1/4" hitches, but a whole bunch of these are available, kid purchased his from Walmart.

Not only a bike rack, how many bikes do you need to carry? Ha, no fun biking by yourself, use to having a crowd with me.

Cruze? Just left that alone, ha, even prefer using my Supra for hauling my grandkids, a heck of a lot easier to put baby car seats back there. Just purchased the Cruze to save on gas, that is the most of our driving.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

rcman973 said:


> I put a hitch on my Cruze and got a Thule Vertex 2 bike rack. The best thing about hitch racks is you can still get into the trunk with the bikes on the back. :th_dblthumb2:


Was going to mention this, you beat me to it. Also the easiest on the body.


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## johnniewalk (May 13, 2016)

Hello all, myself johnniewalk i am a newbie to this forum, i think posting for this thread is years back late but even if your looking in to this forum to have a nice bike carrier it is better to have brunte bike.


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## jmsanti (Feb 4, 2015)

Allen Sports also has sturdy trunk mount bike carriers. If you want a more stable solution, I also recommend a hitch.


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## johnniewalk (May 13, 2016)

If it possible can you post thulle 9001 images, i am eagerly waiting to see those images.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Hitch can serve other functions as well, like if you drive into a six inch high snow bank, front tires spin like crazy, something to hook unto to pull you out. Use to have towing hooks for this.

Also a place for a tiedown for a kayak, at least for the rear, still scratching my head for the front. 

Will add a disclaimer for the following statement.

Trailer hitches are very conservatively rated, like pulling a 1,000 load, if in a front end collision or driving along at 60 mph, not only a pulling load, but one heck of a pushing load as well if you have to slam on the brakes. Can really pull quite a load at 2 mph. So should be no harm in pulling out a stuck vehicle.


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## lonewolf04 (May 6, 2016)

For as easy as it is to put a hitch on one of these cars I would highly recommended a hitch and a hitch mounted bike carrier. On my '12 LT/RS it took me only about 20 minutes to get the hitch on. And I think half of that was using the wire to thread the bolts through the holes. I did not have to pull the exhaust down or trim a heat shield like was mentioned in the instructions.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Can also buy a locking trailer hitch pin like this one for less than 20 bucks.










This way when you get back after biking, your bike carrier will still be there.

Yet another factor is how much is your bike worth to you? May want something very secure to retain it. We also use straps and or bungee cords to help keep the bikes from flopping around.


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