Hi all! Just put a deposit down for a lovely red 2015 Fit! I pick it up on Thursday and am really excited.

Here's my issue--I'm moving about 1,000 miles in about a month. I'm shipping some of my stuff and stuffing the rest into the car--it's gonna be packed to the ceiling. I need to bring my bike with me, and definitely won't have room for it within the car.

I'm a broke student, and I am having a really hard time finding a bike rack in my budget. It seems like people don't really put trunk racks on their Fits because of the spoiler--has anyone done it? I've seen a couple Allen racks that look like they work with cars with spoilers. If I'm doing a hitch rack or a roof rack I'm out $250-$1000. Trying really hard to stay under or around $100 for this.

Thanks!

 

Welcome! How exciting, a new car and a new home. I do not have a bike rack for my car, but have given it serious consideration. The Fit is a great little car -- you are going to love it. Be aware the sheet metal is thin and prone to denting. Getting a proper-fitting rack will help you avoid dents in your new car.

 

sell the bike and get a new one after you move? or have your family help you carry it.

 

Maybe if you take the wheels off the bike you'll be able to fit it in the car with the other stuff. Having the front wheel off (in particular) makes the bike able to fit into a much thinner space since the handlebars can be parallel to the frame. If needed, you could also disassemble it a bit more without too much effort (take the handlebars off, for instance).

 

If it is a really awesome bike, you could get a free box from any bike shop and ship the bike to yourself at the new location for under $100.

 

I've used a Saris Bones rear rack on occasion. As you state, you have to be careful when you're hooking the top strap buckles over the spoiler to the hatch lid, but it's doable. It helps if your bike(s) don't weigh too much because that puts less weight on the spoiler.

 

When I'm not carrying my bike inside the car, my 15 year old Allen Rack works well. I keep the top straps fairly short and let the rubber feet rest on my license plate. The lower strap goes through the rear towing loop. Goes on and off the car in about 30 seconds. My only comment is that I have a Canadian DX model which has a smaller "spoiler" (if you can call it that) than the other models. If I can remember to, I will post up a pic later.

 

Consider removing the spoiler when using the bike rack. I just looked at my spoiler and there are three large phillips-head screws under it. You can clearly see them when the hatch is lifted. If the spoiler prevented me from securing the load, I'd explore temporarily removing it.

 

Not a bad idea for a long road trip.

 

I have a Saris rack (3 bikes) that I'm looking to sell. It's solid, used it for years. Though it's scuffed up from use, it's perfectly functional. Only reason I'm selling is because I'm upgrading to a Curt hitch and a hitch-mounted rack.


Looking at maybe $60 shipped; they go for over $100 new.

 

roryc. I understand your predicament, having be a student before. Check walmart online. They have plenty of inexpensive hanging bike racks. Maybe one will fit your need. Regardless, if one doesn't work, you can always return it for a full refund.

 

Have you looked into a uhaul type hitch mount? Those aren't very expensive and you can find nice bike racks for them on craigslist for a pretty low price. The car's sheet metal is way too weak for a roof rack. I can get my road bike and mountain bike in the car (only one at a time) by turning the handle bar so that the front wheel is perpendicular to the back wheel and then pushing the bike in. Best of luck.

 

were you able to use the Saris on a fit? I just saw one in town yesterday, it seemed really good.

 

what's the longest trip you've taken with the Saris Bones on your car?

 

Haven't taken a long trip with my '16 LX and the Bones rack, but I took two round trips from Wisconsin to California in my GD3 ('08 Sport) with 3 bikes on the Bones rack. That Bones rack took me through 70mph winds on I-80 in Wyoming with no problems.

If you use the Bones rack on any car, a few tips:

1. If you're only transporting one bike, use the bike holder loops farthest away from the vehicle. Less chance of the bike damaging your vehicle that way.

2. If you're transporting more than one bike, stagger the bikes in opposite directions, otherwise the handlebars can get tangled up.

3. For the loose ends of the straps that attach the rack to the vehicle, tie off the bike wheels through the spokes so that they don't spin while the car is in motion. You especially don't want the rear wheel to spin with the car in motion, as that can start the crankset on the bike spinning, and that could damage a bumper or trunk lid.

4. If you don't have enough length on the loose ends of the straps, use a bungee cord to secure the wheels. Reason I mention this - I've attached a Bones rack to a lot of different vehicles, and there are a few - the Prius comes to mind - where the distance to the top of the hatch is so long that there isn't much strap left to tie off the wheels. Not a problem on the Fits because the distance to the top of the hatch is not that far.

5. You want the arms that attach to the car (not the bike holder arms) to be in kind of a wishbone formation to keep the bikes as far away from the vehicle as possible. I've seen people do the opposite, flattening the curve on the vehicle arms to the point where the vehicle arms are almost pointing in opposite directions. Bad idea, as this actually makes the entire rack less stable, and increases the possibility that one of the bikes will make contact with your vehicle, which you obviously don't want.

6. Each Bones rack has two bicycle holder arms with two loops for each bike. In addition, there are three auxiliary straps on the Bones rack that are meant to hold a vertical frame tube, further securing the bikes. Use them. I did for my trips in those 70mph winds on I-80 in Wyoming.

 

Sure thing, it works fine and holds up to 3 bikes. I do like the idea of removing the spoiler for extended periods of time.

 

I put a towing hitch on my 2016 Fit. It was a simple procedure. Took less than an hour. Should be able to find a rack on CL for cheap. Someone gave me mine.
There is a thread about Towing Hitches that I started. Mine was a Curt Hitch. I like being able to haul a bike outside the car. Keeps my car clean.

 

I saw that thread and actually purchased the same Curt hitch (1.25") for my Fit as well. I have no issues with the depicted Saris mount - just always liked hitches. Have used this Saris for my Saturn SL1 sedan, Chevrolet HHR, and now the Fit. Never got around to attaching a hitch on my Chevy (good intentions...).

Overall, the Saris has been the most versatile strap-mounted rack I've ever used attaching to sedans and hatchbacks.

 

Please comment about how you store the rack when not mounted on the car. Does it fold flat? Can the part that inserts into the receiver hinge up towards the long vertical bar? The Yakima Ridgeback can do that, but it also costs a lot more.

 

I typically store it as is b/c I'm lazy. It doesn't fold, rather you would have to realign the protruding pillars if space was an issue, or disassemble completely. Something to consider if storage space is limited.