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Are you one of those who ride a bike in the course of summer?
Are you looking out for a way on how to put a bike on a rack?
Trust us or not, there are numerous ways to set your bike onto something to make sure it does not fall off. A bike rack is a kind of rack used for carrying bikes wherever you go.
Hatchback cars even are a good option as they are just ideal for activities linked to recreation. Also, they endow their owners with the right to install the bike rack easily. Now, as you know bike racks, how exactly would you want to put them on your hatchback car? Do not worry; we will answer it all.
The procedure of fitting a bike rack onto the Hatchback requires you to install a rack, which depends on your rack itself, the kind of bike & setup. Usually, it needs you to effectively put on the rack resting on the hatch & then secure them in a place with the upper top edge straps’ assistance, hooked to hatch alongside lower and upper side straps.
Do not fret if you get conflicted with the car’s position, height, exact procedure, and you are unsure about the side you must face upwards when you place your bike on the rack.
You require looking no further. We have covered the basic steps to install your bike rack in under 60 seconds in this article.
What Type of Bike Rack Exactly Does Best Fit?
There are three distinct kinds of bike carrier racks, which work well with the Hatchback, SUV, or 4X4’s.
It involves a roof mount rack, hitch bike rack & most popular trunk bike rack. The most common kind of bike carrier is SUV & hatchbacks are hitch & trunk-mounted bike carrier racks. We are fond of trunk-mounted carrier racks for bikes as they can get used with over one car of any size, type and are straightforward to set up.
When you look for a specific permanent solution for putting a bike on a rack, a roof-mounted bike rack caters to the highest secure option as they can keep your bike highly secure with minimum work. However, it needs a bigger hatchback to utilize them.
A regular biker who hardly wishes on using a permanent fix like roof mount rack can go for the hitch-mounted bike rack as they get detached & enable them to utilize the trunk at the same time. The best part is you can easily fit more than one bike at once with safety and ease.
The rack’s end is completely adjustable, making it simple to use with folding and stowed positions. There even exist trunk-mounted bike carrier racks. They are versatile and popular bike racks, which we recommend to average riders.
Make Step by Step Guide for Putting Bikes on Different Types of Bike Racks
In totality, there are seven steps that you require to follow. Note that these are nothing but easy to understand & simple to follow step by step.
Open Rack into Arc
The first crucial measure to take is to open the rack in an arc shape. Shapes differ based on the model. Also, it varies on what car type you have. While one hook is positioned on the rear window for the SUVs, the other hook mounts onto the trunk bottom. But for sedans and coupes, you require hooking on to ends on the car’s back.
Placing on The Clips
Such clips help split the trunk away from the rack. For installing such clops, figure out a spot where they can be placed in. Note that do not propel them in & ensure to get all the clips before you proceed.
Strengthen Straps
For doing so, pull every strap until they get tight enough. In case you do not carry out this measure properly, a rack can come out of the car along with the bike. Thus, after this process ensures to double or thrice check that the straps are tight.
Test It All Out:
Now that you have inserted the clips on & tighten on the straps, now is the time that you test it all out. You can also do the step by just moving racks side by side. In case the rack is entirely secure, it must move ahead from side to side with the car. If it is not secured & feels a little loose, go back to straps & tighten all again till it becomes secure.
Put the Bikes on The Rack
Now you can put a rack on the car. Begin pulling the bike’s arms up so that they get their lock in place. Arms are sure to hold the bike while you get on the road. Locks differ based on what type of bike you have. Bike arms must look at an upward angle just away from the car.
Fitting Them All In
Now, as you have locked the arms of the bike, you have the potential to put it on the rack. Be thoroughly wary that you do not cause any damage to your bike or car. The top part must be on the top of the rack. The bike’s weight must be even. The trick to avoiding damages/scratches is to put a completely clean rag in between the bike & bike rack.
Clamp the Bike’s Arms Down on The Frame
Note that this particular step can differ based on the model & rack you have. The strap requires it to be tightened well down on the frame to secure it on putting the bike in ultimately.
After this, fasten both the arms so that the bike does not move. Shake it a bit more only to be entirely sure about its security.
How Can You Fit the Cruiser of a Woman?
You must be completely aware that nearly 80% of the bike racks present in the market are not designed to fit women’s bikes.
They get designed so that the top tube of the bike’s frame sits on the pads of the bike’s rack. That is why if you are trying on to fit a woman’s bike to the rear-mounted trunk rack of the bike on a hatchback, you will witness a lot of challenges for sure.
But you do not require worrying as we will explain here simple tricks to get this done.
Method 1: Without Taking Help of The Frame Adapter
l Open the bike’s rack: First, open the rack. Once you do so, you will view different things. The top tube of the bike’s rack must be facing up & you will view other points where you can quickly tighten up the bike. After putting it on the rack, ensure to put it on the bike.
l Connect it to the vehicle: Do the bike’s straps once you prepare the rack of the bike. Begin with the first strap, and then you should continue along, ensure that they are incredibly tight. The best is to step with other individuals as someone can hold on the bike in position & you can easily fasten it up.
l Secure the fragile: Fragile portions of the bike are lights, fenders, baskets, and others. For preventing any damage to such parts, ensure that the straps are not very close enough to such parts. You can even use padding for protecting such bike parts.
The above are three steps you must take at the time of strapping up a woman’s cruiser.
Method 2: Using the Frame Adapter
It can be tricky sometimes to ultimately secure a woman’s bike on a bike rack if you forget to purchase the add-on frame adapter along with it. It mostly happens as most women’s bikes lack horizontal crossbars, which are required to mount up the bike securely to its rack.
For this, you need a top tube adapter. Note that there are different good options present in the market, such as Tension Bar Bike Crossbar adaptor by Allen that caters good value for money.
Even there are such bar adapters that can instantly snap on to their place and provide a completely temporary top tube. It allows you to easily mount your beach cruiser to the bike rack just like any other normal men’s bike.
Thus, once you have placed the crossbar in the correct place, follow the above seven steps, fit your bike rack to the Hatchback, & mount your bike.
Conclusion
Installing a bike rack may appear hard in the initial stage, but if you step by step follow the above seven steps mentioned, you will not require fretting about the bike getting loose & falling away.
Just be aware that you need to tighten the straps well & test it out carefully but gently shaking it to ensure that the bike is not loose.
