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bike rack

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anyone have an alternative bike rack?the price for smart rack is crazy..

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anyone have an alternative bike rack?

the price for smart rack is crazy..

You are right, although it is a very nice unit it is expensive.

After some searching here is what I found online:

Posted Image

And up close -

Posted Image

You can pick up a regular rack like that on craigslist for well under $100 and probably closer to $30 :).

Hopefully I don't need to say - be careful with a set up like that - because it doesn't seem like it was meant to be hooked up but the guy just made it work.

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After paying for repairing the damage done to your smart by the $30 rack, makes the O.E.M. rack look like a bargain.

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Posted (edited) · Report post

After paying for repairing the damage done to your smart by the $30 rack, makes the O.E.M. rack look like a bargain.

Well Fred, there is no free lunch in this world and one has to make sacrifices. The damage to your smart will likely be minimal, such as straps brushing against your paint job, but overall it is a cheap solution. If you baby your smart then you have to pay a higher price, if you don't really care for a little mark on your paint job then use the cheap rack. But it is nice to know there are options. Another option is to put a roof rack, but it will come out to be very close to if not more expensive than the factory rack. The problem with the factory rack is that it can only work on smarts, all other racks are transferable. I hope they make a price-sensitive bike rack some time in the near future... $600 + is WAYYYYYYYY too much. Edited by SmartBrabus09

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I dunno.. You can see the strain the rack is putting on the rear edge with the brake light in the second photo. If that breaks, and mine has, you can't just replace it, you have to replace the whole rear window. That's a bit more than a mark on the paint.I agree with Fred on this one. Get the OEM rack, or get a roof rack.Or a small trailer from smart car universe would work really well and be more versatile, but will also be more $$$$.

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I agree too, this bike rack looks like a disaster waiting to happen. On an all-steel hatch it's be OK if you could handle the paint chafe marks. On a smart tailgate, it is a time bomb.

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Oh and my usual complaint: taillights and license are obscured, which is illegal.

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If your smart is a 451, you could get a trailer hitch installed at U-haul, then you could consider any rack desinged to use the hitch socket.

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I don't know the dimensions, but you see them on the backs of SUVs and motorhomes, so I would think there would be lots of room. There are many different makes and models (this is main stream stuff). They easily attach to the hitch socket with one pin, just like the tube that holds the trailer ball. Some models can be lowered without being removed so you could open the tailgate.

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HelloI got a Saris rack, very light, that I put on the hitch.This way, I can carry 2 bikes at a time!MC :)

post-2700-1245714292_thumb.jpg

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Nice Kona's, flywheel or fixie? Either way, those bikes are commuting machines, they don't need a bike rack :D

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