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| *Vultures Knob>>>Bicycle Shop |
Bike rack for Alero.? |
My boyfriend and I just bought some mountain bikes; well mine's a hybrid. When we were at the store last night getting his we told the salesperson we needed a bike rack. He looked up my car info., 2000 Olds Alero, and told us that since Aleros have plastic bumper they cannot hold the weight of the rack. Now this was at an actual bike shop, I know if I go to a place like Dick's Sporting Goods I can buy a rack no problem. Has anyone had this experience or put a rack on a car that is not supposed to have one? I appreciate the salesperson's honesty and he told me I could have a hitch welded onto my car and get a rack that way. A roof rack won't work w/my car either appartently (plus they are more expensive than my bike). The bike shop may be correct. The better rack manufacturers test every car for each of there products and produce a fit guide. The salesman at the bike shop probably looked up your car and the fit guide indicated that there was no secure position for the weight bearing portion of the rack. Now these rating are usually a little conservation since they are careful about liability. You could go to a shop with another brand of rack and see if others fit. Check out the online fit selectors for Thule, Yakima, and Rhode Gear. The racks at Dick's are often 'one-size-fits-all.' It may work, but you take more of a risk. If you are going to be keeping that 2000 Alero for the foreseeable future, then you probably want to go with a trailer hitch.. You can take your car to an automotive shop like Auto-Zone and they can order and install the hitch for you. It can be done for around $250 or so. Put a hitch-mounted bike rack on it, and you are good to go. If you are going to be getting rid of that car soon, then you can buy one of those flimsy strap-retained trunk racks at places like Dick's to tide you over. Somehow I have a feeling when you buy a new car, you will be looking closely whether it has a trailer hitch or not. :-D I have a car with a hitch as standard equipment for the past 3 years, and I love going places with my bike on it.. I don't know how ever I got along without one. they are right. that model is a toughy. if you want a rack might have to consider a roof rack like a thule or yakima. Check out companies like Yakima and Thule. They have easy to follow sites for you to input your car's make and model. Then it's just a matter of picking out your options. |
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