roof vs trunk bike rack

Roof, you will likely run into something with your bike on the roof, be it a drive through sign or your garage door.

I got a hitch rack - best option but not the cheapest unless you already have a hitch.

As if looking back and seeing it bouncing down the highway makes you feel better somehow?

True funny, but not so funny, story.  My buddy and I ware headed to a trail ride many many moons ago and after getting all geared up and under way one of the straps on his trunk mount broke and the front of the bike fell off.  Luckily the other strap held strong and we didn't lose the bike, but his front wheel was destroyed and his fork got a nasty crack in it.

I personally would never use a trunk mount. A buddy of mine used one once and now his rear bumper sags like crazy. If your bumper doesn't start to sag chances are you will have places where the rack rubs the paint. Also I don't like the idea of hanging the bike from the frame as much as I like the idea of clamping the fork. Hanging it by the frame invites paint damage on the bike as well. And when my Cervelo cries, I cry.

Get on craigslist and see if you can find a used roof rack. I got mine for $100, got four bike attachments for $75.

Another possible option is to take the front wheel off and put the bike in the back seat, provided your seat isn't already occupied.

For a drive that long i would go with a roof rack.  Your bike will be a lot more secure than a trunk mount which i have never personally liked.  If hitch mount would be an option then i would go with that one.  I have both hitch and roof mount and i like both equally.

If you are not used to driving around with your bike in the roof and you think you might forget that is there just come up with some type of system to remind you the bike is there (sticky not on windshiled, something hanged from rearview mirror, etc)

I have a Thule trunk rack (Christmas gift from boyfriend) and I love it.  Roof racks aren't an option for me unless I want to carry around a stepstool, being 4'10".

Only downside I've seen so far is that it adds so much weight (even without a bike on it) that the trunk can slam itself shut instead of staying open.  Almost got a concussion that way removing groceries shortly after I got it.

I guess to some extent it depends on the vehicle it will go on. I see some trunk racks on sedans that look like accidents waiting to happen. I think there needs to be a spot to support the rack from the bottom. 

I have a Saturn Vue with a flat bumper. The feet of my Saris rack sit squarely on this bumper and I feel like the bikes are safe and secure on it.

I'd have to imagine that there's quite a bit of increased drag with bikes on top, but I wouldn't decide solely based on that.

If you go with a trunk rack remember to re-check all the straps after the bikes are on the rack.

I have a 96 crap box honda civic, and I drove 22 hours last year on a road trip to cali with the wife and I's felt bikes on the rather expensive ($250 new I believe) Yakima trunk mounted rack. The bikes bounced a lot.  Careless mounting caused my handlebar to wear a hole in her handlebar grip, I have a couple marks on my frame from where the bikes were hitting and I just didnt notice. It left marks on my trunk, and left some yellowish marks on her frame where the rubber straps secured her bike (bike is white). 

Admittedly a lot of these things can be avoided by knowing exactly what to look for when mounting. However, this makes the roof mounted ones simpler to operate without damaging, quicker to load, bikes do not move at all, does not damage your car, and lockable.

Needless to say, I now have a yakima Q tower roof rack with steelhead bike trays (fork mounts). I absolutely love them, I think they look cool, they're easy to load (civic's roof isnt very tall), and they're easy on the bikes, and pretty secure.  The downsides to this system is that they're expensive (pieced mine together with sales from orsracksdirect.com, and used stuff from craigslist), and on a long trip you get bugs on your bike unless you have a bike cover (I dont). Another downside is that you need to remember there's a bike on your roof, I've never personally forgotten about this, but there is a low tree that I have to drive through when I leave my appartment, and my bike seat always brushes through the leaves.

I recommend a fairing, otherwise the racks make some wind noise between 40-50 mph.

Oh yeah, I'm in Coeur D'Alene right now after a 9 hour drive, and it held up perfectly, other than some bugs!

Good luck!

I had a trunk mounted rack a long time ago and it was a pain to get on the car.  Once it's on the car, you can't get in or out of your trunk without removing the entire rack.  This was the biggest problem for me. 

As others have said, the trunk mount systems can also be hard on the bike.  Rubbing, bouncing, etc. can all leave you with chips in the paint, bent derailleurs, and so on.

The worst was when one of the straps broke and we didn't realize it for about an hour.  We stopped for gas and realized we had been dragging the rear end of the bikes along the highway!  Not pretty.

I'm a big fan of my Yakima roof rack.  I can get in and out of the trunk at will, the rack and bikes all lock (with the SKS locks), it's easy to get bikes on and off, and it looks pretty cool too!

The biggest thing is to remember that your bikes are up there and not drive under anything too low.

X3...i have a mid size car and the back of the bike competes with car seat sometimes. i'm not a fan of the process anymore.

don't know the brand of it, but drove 2 1/2 hours to a race a few weeks back with someone who has a trunk rack and the two bikes sat perfectly the whole time. we used bungy cords to keep them taught though, which definetely helped

I ruled out getting a roof rack, because I don't trust myself to remember that there are bikes up there before going into a drive thru etc.

I have tried a couple of different rear mounted racks, and have had good experiences with them for shorter journeys. I use a Yakima King Joe and a Saris Bones. Both work well, though I think I prefer the Saris rack. I use extra bungees to stabilize the bikes, and some small pieces of the rubber matting that you use to stop rugs from slipping - that helps with rubbing against the car bodywork. Those racks have limited capacity, though. And it does make it a pain to access the trunk.

I'm about to head off on a 2000 mile cross-country drive with a Thule hitch-mounted rack with 4 bikes on it. I splurged on the Revolver type that allows the bikes to swing out to provide access to the trunk hatch. I'll know in a week how well that works out.

For carrying 1-2 bikes, I think we in the US tend to underestimate how much can fit inside a car. Last year when I did the Dragon Ride, one of the biggest bike events in the UK, I was impressed by all the little euro cars that I saw with bikes deftly crammed into small trunk spaces. They pack 'em in really well.