Spring break next week and I'm planning to take the kids' bikes on a few day trips. Haven't done this with the LR3 before and just realized that I don't have a hitch for bike rack. Did some reading and it looks like my rack may not work either. The LR3 hitch seems to more recessed than most cars and some bike racks won't clear the back of the truck.

So I need a the LR3 hit receiver. This looks like $5-600 if I can even get one one time. And maybe a new bike rack.

Any other options? Has anybody here done a roof bike rack? I need to figure something out quickly.

 

I'd check this out! Land Rover LR3 (Discovery III) Parts & Accessories From Atlantic British

As for racks, check out Amazon.com They range in price from under $100 and up. How many bikes do you want to fit?

 

Funny - already had that AB page open. Any opinion here on the bolt-on vs the OEM hitch? The OEM Rover hitch has an advantage of being easily removable. Disadvantage is the price.

I've looked a tons of racks. The issue is I can't tell which ones will fit on the LR3. Maybe I just need to plan on getting an extension.

I need to hold at least 4 bikes. 5 would be better. I may end up with 3 on the back and 2 on the top.

I'm going to go by a rack place this afternoon and see if they have anything that will fit on the LR crossbars. May also go by REI. Their prices aren't great but they'll take anything back.

 

Update: got the Rover hitch for $450. This makes a lot more sense to me vs. the bolt-on. Figure when I get rid of my LR3 it may have some resale value.

Looking at racks I likely want a swing-away. Not sure which one. They all seem to be on the $3-400 range. They all seem to have issues with odd bike geometries and require a horizontal bar to be added to some bikes. I have large to small bikes (kids) and need more flexibility.

The Hollywood Sportrider rack is an interesting. Hold 4 bikes by the tires. Seem to be solid and is easier to get bikes on and off. It tilts down for rear door access. Not sure how that will work with 4 bikes on it. A swing-away rack is likely better for door access. This looks better for hauling bikes.

Edit: Took the hitch attachment out of the box. It's nicely implemented. I know some people have had issues where it came out. Mine seems to lock in very solidly. My only concern is with somebody stealing it if I ever leave it on the truck. I'm sure how how much protection that little lock provides.

Still trying to decide on a bike carrier.

 

Snickers..... OK

 

Why the snark? I'm here to learn. If there's a better option of you disagree with something I said please elaborate.

 

To carry my bikes, I opted for the Kuat NV-2. It's an extremely nice rack and very high quality, but not the best for off road use. Also, it's fairly pricey, but I got it during REI's 20% off sale. It will only carry two bikes, but you can buy the extension to add two more bikes if you want. Comes with an adapter for children' bikes, but since it holds them by the wheels, you don't need to worry about tube adapters for women's bikes.

 

The rover hitch adapter is hard to steal since it has a key lock, look for a thread on hitch storage, there is actually a foam mount u can buy goes in left cubby in cargo area if u have 7 seat model

 

That is a very nice rack..... I may have to check that one out.

 

The Kuat is an awesome rack. Saw one at Rack Attack. Out the door it would be ~$900 for the 4 bike version. I opted for the Yakima which was about $650 after a 20% discount from REI. I just couldn't spend the extra for the Kuat. The first time I have to do a repair and am cursing not having a stand I'll wish I had bought it (the Kuat comes with a repair stand).

I tried very hard to not get a Yakima or Thule rack - wanted to give Hollywood or one of the smaller guys my business. The problem was that I couldn't find any locally to see and didn't want to buy sight unseen. Bike shops near me seem to not carry racks any longer.