Bicycle carriers and racks are very helpful when transporting bikes with a car or truck. There are several types of bicycle racks available, such as hitch mounted, trunk mounted and roof mounted. The type that works best depends on the vehicle you will use to transport your bikes.

Having bike carriers is not enough to transport a bicycle safely, there are several different supplies for bicycle carriers and racks that you should consider. You might want to consider the following bike carrier supplies:

1. Hitch adapters for hitch-mounted bicycle carriers for cars.

2. Frame adapters to attach bicycles without a horizontal crossbar to bike carriers.

3. Locks to keep bicycles secured to bike carriers during transit.

Action Steps
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Purchase hitch adapters to make your hitch compatible with the bicycle rack

Vehicle hitches are not always compatible with hitch-mounted bicycle racks. When this is the case, you need to use a hitch adapter. A hitch adapter hooks onto your vehicle hitch, providing you with the correct size hitch for the carrier. When using a hitch adapter, it is critical to understand that this does not increase the load the vehicle can bear.

I recommend: Hitches4Less has important safety information on using a trailer hitch adapter/extender on bike carriers for cars or trucks. It is helpful to have your vehicle owner's manual available when reviewing this information. For a large variety of hitch adapters for bike carriers and racks, visit Draw Tite.

Use a bicycle frame adapter for carrying bikes on hitch-mounted bike racks

Bicycle frame adapters are necessary for women's, children's, BMX and other specialty bikes that do not have horizontal cross beams on them. A frame adapter attaches between the bicycle seat post and handle bar post, making a level place to hang the bicycle on the carrier. Most adapters are adjustable to fit any size bike, including children's.

I recommend: To see a picture of a lady's bike mounted on a car bike rack using a frame adapter, visit etrailer.com. This site also provides valuable information on using a frame adapter. Rack Outfitters demonstrates how to use a bicycle frame adapter on its helpful video.

Secure bikes on bicycle storage racks with a lock

Securing your bike with a lock is important whether the bike is on outdoor bike racks or on the back of your vehicle on a bicycle rack. You will want to choose a bike lock that will be versatile enough to use in various situations. For the best results, choose a lock that is long, so you can secure your bike anywhere you go.

I recommend: REI is an outdoor sporting good specialist. It has an in-depth article on choosing the right lock, as well as instructions for doing so. For more information on choosing a lock for bicycle carriers and racks, visit WiseGEEK.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you will be transporting several bicycles, look into purchasing commercial bike racks that will hold between 4 and 12 bicycles.

Commercial bike racks and household racks are made in many shapes, sizes and designs. Narrow down the design that will meet your needs by considering the number of bikes you are transporting or storing. Next, consider the space limitations of the area or vehicle; and lastly think about the aesthetics of the bicycle rack.

If you own your own bicycle shop or business, give your customers options when it comes to bike carriers and racks. Provide options for small, mid-size and large vehicles. Offer bicycle storage racks for household or commercial use.

1. Help customers find the bicycle carrier that will work best for them by having options available for viewing them in your shop.

2. Provide at least a few commercial carrier or storage options for your business customers.

3. Find manufacturers that specialize in commercial-grade racks and carriers for non-household uses.

Action Steps
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Find household bicycle storage racks

Whether you're looking to stock a few home storage systems in your bicycle shop, or you're in need of a storage system yourself, you'll want to find a manufacturer that specializes in quality home-based storage. Provide your customers with options when it comes to bike storage.

I recommend: The Bike Rack Shops has a ceiling-mounted rack system available in several sizes to fit the needs of the largest bicycle enthusiast to the single home owners that just need more floor space. Loft It Storage Systems offers a similar storage solution with quality design and easy to operate controls. For the smaller racking needs, look at options from Rack Attack.

Stock bicycle carriers and racks for cars, trucks and more

Give your customers options like bike carriers for trucks, sports utility vehicles and other types of cars. The best bike carrier is one that is designed to fit snugly while protecting the bikes. Not all bicycle carriers fit all makes and models of cars, so find a bicycle carrier manufacturer that offers options for many types of vehicles.

I recommend: Get bike carriers for cars from Raxter. The company offers several options including a wheel-mounted hitch rack. The truck bed rack from Saris Cycling Group is a great option for pickup truck owners in need of a safe way to transport their bicycles. Find roof mount bike racks at A1 Auto Racks, or recumbent bicycle carriers at Alpaca Carriers.

Look for commercial bike racks for large-scale needs

Commercial bicycle racks come in many shapes, sizes and colors. Many of these outdoor bike racks can be custom designed to fit the needs of the customer.

I recommend: Cora Bike Rack provides a customized commercial bike rack system that is architecturally appealing for many outdoor uses. ORS Racks Direct sells the Allen Bike Racks made to fit four to 12 bicycles at a time.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before you sell a bicycle rack to a customer, make sure they either try the fit on their vehicle or are fully aware of the size specifications the carrier has. The best sales will come from those who are able to actually put the rack on their vehicle and test it out first.

For most avid bicycle riders, there comes a time when the bike has to take a break and be carried by a vehicle, and bicycle carriers and racks provide the solution for much of a bicycle's high-speed transit. But what about learning about bicycle carriers and racks, education and training for those who have not used or installed one of these neat tools before?

You can often get training from the shop that sells the bike carriers, but you can also check out the Internet for education, not only on the safety tips for these tools, but on pricing, quality and more. The Internet is a great resource for learning about bike carriers and racks. Readers can choose from:

1. Sites offering info on purchasing or product details, with overall recommendations on how to go about selecting a bicycle rack.

2. Safety guides and instructions online from bike racks makers or other groups interested in bicycle safety.

3. Good first-hand info from forums where bike riders talk about bicycle storage racks.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use consumer websites before purchasing bike carriers

Your web search can begin before you put money down for a bike rack or bike carriers for cars. Take a look and answer the questions that these helpful info sites set up, taking advantage of the general product ratings and other tips on the sites.

I recommend: The Consumer Reports website helps to answer questions about your bike rack or carrier needs and how to evaluate a purchase from a safety perspective. Get more purchasing details at sites like Lab Safety Supply, with bike rack product info and pricing.

Locate safety and install guides for bike carriers and racks

Another web option for using bike carriers is online instructions that help show how car bike rack models are generally used. If the guide doesn't cover your specific model, keep looking, but sometimes the ideas in the guide will apply to different types of bike carriers and racks and provide more general education about how to make sure they are safely connected to a vehicle.

I recommend: The site at Hollywood Racks includes specific instructions on installing and using its rack models. Thule makes available bike rack installation instructions for nearly all its models. Get bike rack installation instructions for any rack. Check out the guides at similar sites for instructions on any given bike rack model. Get more bike carrier safety info at HowStuffWorks.

Look at bike forums for learning about bike carriers and racks

Don't overlook public web forums when thinking about bicycle carriers for cars: this is where others like yourself have posted their experiences and thoughts. Forums help individuals to avoid the mistakes that others have made before them, and can be extremely valuable for selecting products and for using them safely.

I recommend: At BikeForums, bikers dish about their experiences with bike carriers and racks. Another forum for bicycle carrier info comes from an unlikely place: the PriusChat forums, where those interested in hybrid cars and bicycling combine the two topics.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  One of your best resources is always your user's manual: keep it handy when you have selected bike carriers and racks to make sure you don't end up trying to get the same info from the web, where articles and guides are not as specialized as the guide that comes with a specific model.

When it comes to bicycle racks, the popularity of street and mountain biking has led makers to offer more and more new technologies for carrying these human-powered vehicles on gas-powered ones. Any business that is considering selling, buying, or otherwise using bicycle racks can get some good info from studying these basic key terms for types of bike racks available on the market, and looking for more details on how each one fits with a specific kind of vehicle.

Action Steps
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Hitch mount bike racks

Hitch mount bike racks are designs that connect to the hitch of a large vehicle for easy and convenient bike transportation. Hitch mount designs are popular for those carrying multiple bikes on the back of an SUV or truck.

I recommend: See a lot more on hitch mount bike carrier designs at Lakeland Gear.

Roof mount racks

Roof mount racks are bike racks that attach to the roof of a vehicle. Though these are popular with some, others don't like the fact that the bike sticks up above the roof.

I recommend: See examples of roof mount bike racks at Bike Rack Shops online, or get more info with their Bike Rack Selection page.

Fold down and swing away bike racks

The fold down and swing away bike rack models are two styles that offer different directional movement for different vehicles. Hatchback and upswing doors generally use a fold down rack, and trucks with tailgates use the swing away.

I recommend: Read up on fold down and swing away bike racks and much more for bicycle carriers at Auto Anything.

Car trunk bike rack

A car trunk bike rack or trunk type rack is one that attaches to the trunk of the vehicle. When the trunk is closed, the rack is upright and ready to handle bikes.

I recommend: See more on car trunk type bike racks at Rack Solid.

Specialty racks

Specialty bike racks are racks that are designed specifically for a vehicle such as an SUV or van. These often have convenient features for both safety and security.

I recommend: Read more on specialty bike racks as well as pros and cons for common bike rack types at Consumer Reports.

Hitch locks

Hitch locks and hitch pins are specific security gar on bike carriers that go along with hitch mount design. These can provide very easy and effective protection for bikes against theft.

I recommend: See more on hitch locks and other gear at Hitch Source.