Bike Rack Options for 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid to Transport 46-lb Electric Bike  

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Expert Reply:

We do offer a number of 2-bike trunk-mount racks confirmed to fit your 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan, including the excellent Thule Raceway 2 carrier, part # TH9001PRO, that you referenced. It sounds like this carrier's 70-lb total loaded bike weight capacity is enough for your two bikes, but you do ask a very good question: will the car's sheet metal handle this weight?

Trunk lids and hinges are not designed to handle accessory items like bike racks. This is an especially valid concern on smaller lighter vehicles like yours, where the metalwork is deliberately kept as light as possible for fuel efficiency considerations. There is always some chance that a trunk-mount rack loaded to capacity could apply too much force on the trunk lid. The Raceway 2 weighs about 20-lbs and when this is added to the 70-lbs of bike weight we get into the weight zone where a hitch and hitch-mount carrier becomes a better option.

A trailer hitch puts the weight burden of the loaded carrier on the vehicle's frame - its strongest part - rather than on the thin sheet metal. A hitch on your car also enables you to use other hitch-mount accessories such as a cargo carrier.

We offer a light-duty Class I hitch from Draw-Tite, their part # 24763. I have linked an installation video for this item along with two helpful hitch-install articles. The hitch bolts on using included hardware.

With this hitch you can then use Thule's Doubletrack Platform-Style 2 Bike Rack # TH990XT, which offers a 50-lbs-per bike weight capacity. This excellent USA-made carrier is shown in the linked video; it includes locks for both the rack itself and for your bikes, and is covered by Thule's limited lifetime warranty.

expert reply by: Adam R

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