freedom hack

about 90% of my audience is old enough todrive, and the rest of you will be driving soon enough. even though i’d like less carson the road, they’re a big part of living in america—besides, many of us use our carsto get to the mountain bike trails. if you just started cycling, chances are yougot caught off guard the first time you needed to transport your bike somewhere. in an suvor hatchback you can usually fit a bike easy enough, but if you can’t fold the seatsdown you’re stuck taking at least one wheel off. i need to take off both wheels to fitmy hardtail in the back of my mazda, that is if i leave the seats up. if you’re doing this, watch out for thedreaded pedal to the rear window, which could

ruin your week big time. it’s no wonder that the vast majority ofcyclists choose to transport their bikes with a rack. i moved down to florida in a minicooper with a saris bones rack on it. this is one of the most common trunk racks, andit’s arguably the best one on the market, but it’s still a trunk rack. at the endof the day the only benefits of a trunk rack are cost and portability. they block the wholetrunk, they’re a pain to take on and off, they mess with your cables, and they don’twork on a good number of bikes. if you don’t mind spending a little money,you can get something way more convenient and secure.

roof racks can fit on pretty much any car,and hitch racks require a receiver, which can be installed on pretty much any car. iprefer upright hitch racks though because they keep the bike close to the ground anddon’t make contact with any part of the car’s body. for mountain bikers especially,i think they’re a great option. the day i picked up my mazda, i had a 2 inchreceiver installed for about $175. i don’t plan on towing anything, so it's fine forbike racks. there are tons of great hitch racks out there,but i’ll show you my saris superclamp, which i really like, and never remove from my car,ever. this goes against best practices, but i like being able to load my bike up on amoment’s notice.

the superclamp holds your bike in place usingonly the wheels, so at no point does it make contact with the frame or cables. it evenhas these cable locks, which aren’t quite sufficient for overnight parking, but do securethe bike during pitstops. the lock also serves other functions. in well under 30 seconds,i can load up two bikes and drive off. no scratches on my car, no setup time, and nopesky straps. i still haven’t tried putting the swingbike on it, but as far as i know it can carry anything but a recumbent. as someone who’s owned roof racks, trunkracks, and hitch racks, i can tell you my personal favorite is the hitch rack, and inthe mountain biking community i’m not alone.

sure, roof racks are nice, and they’re especiallygreat for leased cars since they don’t require a hitch, but you usually can’t take themthrough a carwash. hitch racks are bolted directly to your car’s chassis, and arethe most secure by any measurement. they don't pose a risk to your paint, and they're byfar the easiest to use. as long as you don’t get rear ended, your bike will be safe andsound. so whether you're throwing your bike in thetrunk, using a hitch rack, or sticking those crazy suction cup things on your window, it'sfair to say that you're putting your car to good use. thanks for riding with me today, and i’llsee you next time.