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Best cycle carriers for my Honda?
Search up “Bike Rack Honda CRV 2006” on Google and, at the time of writing, you get over a million results.
Now, I’m quite convinced there are a few people out in the world who have (1) the determination, (2) the patience of a saint, (3) and nothing better to do with their time than painstakingly plow through that 1M+ list to scout out the rack that’s right for them and their circumstances.
Maybe, though, you’re a little more like me? You have, different, more important things than that to tackle. You know, like wait for pans to boil, watch some paint dry, and other really exciting activities. In that case, what you’re probably after instead is a stripped-back, short shortlist of the absolute best bike racks for the 2006 Honda CRV.
Am I right?
Fully armed with that kind of short shortlist, you can then get an awesome bike rack, fit it to your trusty CRV, hook on your bicycles, and head out in the big wide world for your next amazing bike experience. After you’ve watched that paint dry, obviously…
So, I’ve done the extensive research and the tiring legwork for you in order to sniff out the top-rated bike carriers available today. I’ve picked these on the basis of two important criteria:
(1) Whether they have the features you need for your Honda CRV?
(2) Feedback from real-life purchasers
Shall we take a quick look?
Honda CRV 2006 Bike Rack Recommendations: | ||
 4 bikes? Get this SMART CHOICE |   |   BUDGET PICK |
Where can you put a bike rack on your Honda CRV?
When it comes to fitting bikes on CRVs, there are really two main places they can go:
- On the spare wheel
- On the hitch
Yes, there’s another alternative, which is to stash bikes inside the trunk itself, but it’s never going to go well. You’ll find that you’re stuck with no room whatsoever for your other luggage or you’ll finish up breaking or scratching your bike or the car. See the end of this article where I’ve added a link to a YouTube video that shows how to fit bikes into cars. NOTE! I’ve put this in as a warning NOT to do this, rather than as an option. In my opinion there are too many opportunities to go wrong with this method. I believe that it’s better to spend the money on a decent quality bike carrier that does a proper job well.
So, let’s move on! We’ll go through both bike rack positions and I’ll then give you a recommended rack for each. You can then make your mind up as to which one is best for you and your 2006 CRV.
Best bike rack for spare wheel mounting
I’m a big believer in this style of carrier as I think they’re such a brilliant and practical option for vehicles with a spare wheel on the back. Look over the reviews on Amazon and you’ll see that I’m not on my lonesome in being a fan of them.
So, what makes them so good? Firstly, they’re incredibly easy to fit onto the car. Hook the straps into position quickly and simply. NB. It’s often said that “Many hands make light work” and that’s very much true with this style of rack as a second pair of hands will make fitting that much easier.
Because these carriers are so easy to fit on, it also means that they’re easy to remove, so you’ll not have an issue with taking them off your Honda when you don’t require them. That might not seem like a big deal, but I’ve seen waaay too many crumpled rear doors where drivers have backed up close to a wall without realizing they’ve still got a carrier fitted.
All the straps can be secured nice and firmly and that makes the bike carrier super strong and locked on to the vehicle. That’s good because any wobbliness might instead lead to bicycles being knocked against each other or the car. Not a problem with this Allen rack.
A common query with this style of hanging rack and ladies’ bikes (or step-through/low-step bikes) is how to fit them on when they either have a sloped crossbar or don’t have one at all. Well, thankfully there’s a simple answer to this – known as a “crossbar adaptor”. This is a bar which substitutes for the crossbar on a rack and they’re simple to install and easy to use. Allen Sports make a great design.
Allen Sports has been designing and producing bike racks since the 60s, so they’ve got a ton of experience and know-how to make a top-quality carrier. That means that they certify all their products with a lifetime warranty – big bonus! For terms see the Amazon page by clicking the link below…Read more+
Hitch bike carrier for vehicles with spare wheels
Have you got a hitch already fitted to your Honda? Ace! Then this is a great option for you and your bikes. Let’s take a look at a couple great options.
We’ll take a look at the headline features to begin with. This rack is designed to carry four bikes – bear in mind that, for women’s/low-step bikes you will need a crossbar adaptor to hook them on – this one is perfect.
It’s useful to be aware that, in comparison to bike carriers that fit to the roof bars, hitch-style racks like this one have much better fuel-efficiency (because of the superior aerodynamics). Racks that fit to the hitch only change the car’s head-on shape a small amount vs roof racked bikes, that can almost double the car’s shape. Times that by your mileage it has a massive impact on gas consumption.
The rack fits securely to the car’s hitch and is good for 2” receivers. The extra-long hitch insert allows the rack to be fitted around rear-mounted spare tires, so it’s ideal for your CRV.
In terms of carrying weight capacity, it will accommodate 4 bikes to 140 lbs (60kg) total weight and holds them firmly in place with the main arm on the crossbar and the padded straps.
Moving now to the aspect that I love most about this rack: the low height.
If you think about lifting bikes, it’s a whole lot easier to lift and load them a short way up in the air. As opposed to hauling them way up to above your head height to load them up on a roof rack. A bike that weighs 15 kg or 35 lbs might not seem too heavy… However, when it’s hanging over your head with your hands and arms getting a little shaky and tired… Then it might just start to feel as if it’s actually quite a heavy burden indeed.
There’s a whole host of great features on the Allen Sports hitch rack, but for this one by itself, I’d recommend it for your CRV…Read more+
If the Allen Sports hitch rack is the entry-level model, then the Saris SuperClamp is the super-premium deluxe model. This has all the best bits of the first rack (in terms of ease of racking up heavy bikes, aerodynamics, etc). It also has a whole bunch other great features.
It will carry two bikes of up to 60 lbs each – so, most standard bikes come into this (road bikes, mountain bikes and hybrids). The weight capacity also means that it will be the perfect rack for many ebikes too. If you have more than two bikes to carry, take a look at the Saris SuperClamp EX 4-Bike Hitch Rack, which can take three or four bikes.
The bikes sit on top of the wheel trays so, unlike the first rack, this means that bikes aren’t hanging by their frames. That makes this rack particularly good for bikes with delicate carbon fiber frames. The tilting feature means that you can still access the rear vehicle door – even when you’ve got bikes fixed in position on the rack – and it can be folded up when you don’t need to carry bikes, keeping it out of the way…Read more+
Now for a bit of a laugh…Fitting a bike INTO a car
If you need some convincing that you’re making the best decision by buying a bike rack. Instead of just flinging your bikes in the vehicle’s trunk. Then have a watch of this video. It’s a couple of minutes and gives a quick How-to guide to fitting bikes in cars.
What’s my conclusion from the video?
I would say, yes, you can definitely do it. But, would I suggest it as the best thing to do? Absolutely not! There’s just so many chances to damage your bike, or your Honda. You might also lose really critical bike components (watch through to the end of the YouTube and you’ll see what I mean)
The best racks for your CRV
Thanks for joining me on this fine day to look at racks. I do hope that this list has provided you with a good understanding of the best options available for your CRV and bikes. Taking your bikes away on vacation or for day trips can really broaden your scope and let you see more of the world. But only if you’ve got the proper kit to carry them. Sub-standard bicycle carriers will often be (just about) okay but, if you want to use your rack for a long period of time and get the most value from it, then these options are, I think, hard to better.
Pick the one you like for your CRV and go out and ride!
Have an awesome time.
Honda CRV 2006 Bike Rack Recommendations: | ||
| 4 bikes? Get this SMART CHOICE | | BUDGET PICK |
