The key to buying the right bike rack is accurately determining your needs and looking at your current vehicles. Consider the following when choosing a bike rack:

• How much are you going to spend?
• How often will you use it?
• How high can you lift a bicycle by yourself, and hold it in position with one hand?
• How many bikes need to be carried on your vehicle?
• Will you need to move it between vehicles (e.g., switch the rack between wife's and husband's vehicles)?
• Is the vehicle leased or rented?
• How important is security?
• Do you have a special bike such as a tandem or one with an odd-shaped frame?
• Does your vehicle already have a tow hitch or roof-mounted utility rack?
• Does your SUV have a rear-mounted spare tire that will interfere with certain types of mounts?
• Do you engage in other sports or activities, which may make one rack type more useful or cost-effective than another?