If you looking for bicycle car racks then is most likely that you know what a mission it is to fit your bikes into the vehicle if you have to always dismantle them. But there is such a variety of racks on the market and can you even imagine where to begin getting the right one? Read on to find simple solutions but little known secrets to finding the best bike racks for cars.

By keeping the following points in mind, you should be able to narrow down your search.

1. How many bikes you want to carry
2. Types of bikes
3. Type of car
4. Preference to where the bikes are loaded
5. Price
6. Terrain on which you will travel on
7. Needed access to the back door of vehicle

Ok then, let's go into more details...

1. How Many Bikes Do You Want to Carry?
Bicycle car racks are made to carry from 1 to 5 bikes. Simply decide how many bikes you want to be able to mount and go from there. Note that not all models will be suited to your vehicle. This is where choosing a bike rack becomes a little tricky!

2. Types of bikes
Ladies bikes are a bit more difficult to mount and might require extra bars or straps because of the angle of the cross bar. Other bikes like tandems or children's bikes might not fit your type of rack. Make sure that the bicycle carrier that you are interested in can accommodate to carry your types of bikes securely.

3. Type of Car
Not every bike rack is going to fit your vehicle. For example; there is the spare tire mount rack for SUVs with a spare; then there is a trunk mount bike rack for hatch back cars; or you can go with a hitch mounted bike carrier if your vehicle has one fitted. Most cars will be able to fit roof racks so if you don't mind the extra drag that the bikes will make, you can safely go with this option. The last option is a rack designed especially for the truck bed.

4. Preference to where the bikes are loaded
A bicycle rack can be mounted to the roof, to the tow-hitch, to the trunk, on the spare or on the back of a pick-up. There are reasons for people getting one as against the other and there are also pro's and con's with each position.

At the end of the day it depends on where you will be going with your bikes, how quickly you want to be able to get them off the vehicle, distance traveled, security of bikes, stability and ease of access. Another concern is that certain bikes, like a ladies bike might mount too low on the rear rack so the wheel will barely clear the ground.

5. Price
Obviously the best brands are more costly because they offer lifetime guarantee and excellent customer service. Many of these more expensive brands also have more accessories which you can buy to customize the bike rack to your car.

6. Terrain on which you will travel on.
If you are driving off road with a loaded bike carrier, you are going to have to do some serious thinking about the structure of the bike rack and whether it will withstand the stresses on such terrain. You will also need to consider clearance between wheels and the ground. If you are traveling long distances for example, then the roof racks might not be a good idea since there is a lot of extra drag created.

7. Needed access to the back door of vehicle
A trunk mount bike rack will prevent any access to the back. This is overcome by loading bikes on a swing away hitch mount bike rack.