How Does Reader Haul Nine Bicycles?

Sun., June 20, 1999

Dear Gear Guy: I need to transport nine bikes and gear in a ‘99 Suburban. Can it be done? How about a space box and bikes on top and maybe a few on the hitch? Please let me know your recommendation. Thanks.

Paul Hepfer, Albuquerque, N.M.

Gear Guy: In a Suburban? My Lord, with enough racks and a trailer hitch you can haul the state of New Mexico in a Suburban. Certainly it can be done. Of course, it’s gonna cost you. For starters, you’ll need a set of Yakima or Thule racks (you don’t say if you have a factory roof rack; the main point here concerns the crossbars) that are as wide as a Suburban will take. That’s plenty wide.

You should then be able to fit five bikes across on the roof. It’ll be a little tricky to load them, but with a ladder and some help it should be manageable. Cost depends on what you need - crossbars and towers and five sets of bike mounts should come to about $400-$450.

Then, get one of several hitch-mounted four-bike carriers. One fairly affordable model is the Backpacker ($140), a two-bike unit that accepts a two-bike add-on (another $120). It fits into a two-inch receiver, which is pretty standard. So there you go. Your Suburban will look like it gave birth to a litter of bicycles that are all hanging on for dear life, but you’ll be able to do it.

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