Hitch rack vs Roof rack

so it has come time to buy a new rack for my vehicle
its a honda element so it is pretty tall
ive narrowed it down to like 3 choices
i have roof bars and feet already so i will only need trays if i go for the roof rack.
two of these trays cost like 260 us
while the ns rack is around 500 cad

so…..
north shore racks

vs.
thule

vs.
yakima king cobra

either way i can carry 3 bikes the # of people i can take
with two on the roof and one inside

what do you guys think?

You say the element is a tall car. Are you sure you want to lift your bikes up on top of it after every ride when you are tired as hell? Seems like an open and shut case to me. Go for the hitch rack.

i dunno i dont think it will be that big of a deal.
the roof rack will end up being like half the price if i get a set of used king cobra's off ebay and it leaves me the option of getting a hitch rack later on if need be

i also might end up with a car and that would make a easier transition

lifting bikes onto a roof is not a prob. you just need to be strong enough. its not that hard. even doing it with a 50lb bike isnt that hard.

Hitch rack is a problem when driving over rough terrain or even out of steep driveways. Plus they tend to allow the bikes to shake a lot more because the hitch fitting is almost never built to good tolerances. I would recommend the roof rack option.

-m

Yep….go roof all the way. Lifting the bikes is no problem unless you are a little gurlly maahn…..or a little girl.

Id really recomend the King Cobra….its a great rack.

IMO. The NS rack might be too low to mount on your Element (issues with ground clearance). Roof racks, you are going to need a stool to mount and dismount your bikes. As for the 2 types of roof racks your are looking at, I like the new Thules better, seem faster to mount than the Cobras.

You can fit 4 DH bikes on a roof rack? I didn't know that.
And, I haven't kept up on these things…but I have never heard of a manufacturer (of the vehicle) rating the roof to carry more than 100lbs on a roof rack. 4 DH bikes is 185-200lbs, plus MAJOR wind resistance.

I could be wrong…but maybe something to check into?

man…. get a hitch rack. I believe the Saris one gives you extra clearnace. I have seen many Elemenst with em. Trust me, hitch all the way + it makes the element look so much better!

Won't bikes fit inside an element? Depending on the number of passengers of course. That's the only way to go for long trips IMO. The drag you get from bikes outside the vehicle, both on the roof and out back is huge, at highway speed this will seriously cut into your gas mileage. I've driven to Whistler from North Van with bikes inside and with bikes outside, the difference in coasting is quite noticeable.

For quick tripd and shuttles a hitch rack is the way to go. Roof racks work fine and lifting the bikes on isn't a big deal, but I would not feel comfortable with more than a couple bikes up there. As Loopie said no vehicles come with racks rated to hold over a hundred pounds. That means the roof isn't designed to support more than a 100 lbs, and the vehicle dynamics aren't deisgned to accomodate for more than 100lbs, especially when the weight is so high up.

I have a Thule hitch mount bike rack. Easily holds 4 bikes. My car only has a class 1/2 hitch, so I usually don't carry more than 120 or so pounds of bikes (tongue weight is rated at 200lbs, and I only go 60%), which means at most 3 big bikes, or 4 XC/AM bikes.

Benefits are it's super easy to use, no worries about excess weight on the roof, no worries about hitting a low ceiling. The rack mounts on in 30 seconds, and I put it in the trunk if I don't want it hanging off the car. Bikes mount in seconds.

Drawbacks are low hitch height (which means it can be hit backing down a sloped driveway), and rack sway. My car hitch is pretty low, and I doubt you'd have the same problem on an Element. For rack sway, I got a basic stabilizer, and it works.

Factory roof racks are only rated at about 80lbs.

If you have a 2" hitch, then the weight of the bikes won't be an issue.

Here are some considerations (all of which I have learned from experience):

1. My A-Line sucks to put on my hitch rack. I have to use a bar to simulate a normal top tube, and the stem is too short and fat to fit the bar under. This means I have to attach the bar to the handlebar and use an old tube to bungee it toward the front of the rack to prevent it from slipping.

2. Any bike with an odd shape (not so odd nowadays) will require a bar for most hitch racks.

3. I used to carry three or four bikes on my hitch rack until I got into heavier and heavier bikes and eventually carrying four bent my receiver. Further to what Switch says, bear in mind that when your bikes are hanging three feet off the back of your vehicle, they do not apply force straight down on the tongue-the rack acts as a lever and multiplies the weight. His suggestion of 60% is probably about right.

4. Low ground clearance for bikes with DC forks; especially if you have to use a bar.

5. If you hang a front wheel too close to your exhaust on a long trip, you'll pop it.

Bottom line: if I had to do it all again, I would probably go for a roof rack and suffer with lifting the bike at the end of the ride.

if you care about gas mileage get a hitch rack.

As Switch said, easier loading, you can work on your bike off it, don't have to worry about going into garages.

Here are some considerations (all of which I have learned from experience):

2. Any bike with an odd shape (not so odd nowadays) will require a bar for most hitch racks.

The NS Rack solves that problem, its the slickest mounting arrangment I've seen.

- A