Bike Racks Online is a quick and easy way to find car racks and carriers for all your sports gear. If you're into biking, skiing, kayaking, sailboarding, surfing or snowboarding, you probably need to find a way to get your gear to the place where you want to use it.

We'll tell you about the best online stores as well as help you find local shops around the U.S. We don't make or sell this stuff, but we can tell you who does. See the top online shops.


Hitch Models
You can carry bikes on your car roof, trunk, spare tire or hitch. The easy-to-use trailer hitch carriers are very handy and may be perfect for you if you are interested in hauling only a couple of bicycles at a time. Of course, you have to have an installed trailer hitch or the right size available receiver on your vehicle.

Trunk Models
If you only need to tote your bikes a relatively short distance and you don't already have a trailer hitch on your car, a handy trunk carrier may be perfect for you. Both Thule and Yakima make fully assembled trunk rack packages. You can often carry up to three bicycles. You can also find trunk applications for your ski and snowboard trips.

Roof Models
If you want to move a number of bicycles, or if you have a tandem bike to tote around, a roof carrier may be what you are looking for. A rack on the roof is also more secure than a hitch or trunk unit and is the preferred method for carrying your equipment long distances. Unfortunately, getting up on top of your van or SUV to secure your bike isn't as easy as simply unsnapping your bike from a hitch rack. Roof models are also the common method of hauling around your kayak, surfboard, sailboard, snowboard or ski equipment.

Other Options
Besides the main three rack types, you can also find models that will hold your gear in your pickup truck bed or from your rear-mounted spare tire carrier. Spare tire bike racks can be a great option for some SUVs and vans and can carry one or two bicycles.

The Manufacturers
There are only a few well-known carrier manufacturers. The two most popular are Thule and Yakima. They have both been making sports equipment carrier racks for many years and are considered the industry standard. They offer full lines of different models, hardware, locks, towers, mounts, adapters, rails, crossbars and other components and accessories. They probably make exactly what you need for your application.

The Retailers
There are several online retailers for these sports racks. There are a handful of smaller specialty shops and a slightly larger amount of big online sporting goods stores that offer a good selection of models and buying guides. The three best known stores in this group would be

• REI
• Backcountry.com
• RackAttack

Used racks can be usually be found at eBay.


Or if you like, you can take a look at the top online rack stores.

If you need to find a walk-in shop, visit our state guide.

Sports Equipment Carriers is our homepage.
Rack Retailers See the most popular online rack stores.
Manufacturers View the major gear rack manufacturers.
Thule Information on this very popular brand.
Yakima Another popular rack system maker.
Retailers by State Listings of carrier shops by state.
Bike Roof Racks Roof applications and info.
Trunk Racks Car trunk carriers.
Ski Roof Racks Ski gear applications.
Kayak Carriers Kayak and canoe carriers.
Hitch Racks Easy to use hitch systems.
Snowboard Carriers Carry your snowboards on top of your vehicle.
Site Use and Disclaimer Information on your use of this site.

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