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The family that bikes together, stays together.

Whether you're going on a trip by yourself or with your family, there's no reason why you shouldn't bring your bicycles along with you, and every reason why you should.

Why should I bring my bike when I could probably rent one wherever I go, you'll be asking yourself.

Because bicycles that are offered for rent are often not of the best quality. They're usually 'beaters' - just something on two wheels for people to get around. And if you're used to your own bike you won't enjoy tooling around on something of lesser quality.

There's no room for a bike in my car with all my luggage, you'll say next.

This is not a problem either. Invest in a roof bike rack. No need to worry that there's no room for your bikes - just put them on top of your car in the rack. It may look odd to drive around with bikes standing on top of your car, but it's aerodynamic, and the bikes are safer than they would be if they were in a rack at the back of your car, where a careless motorist could bump into them.

Another reason to bring your bikes with you on any trip is you'll save the cost of renting bikes at your destination. Not only will these rental bikes not be very good, but they'll cost everyone a daily fee, which you could better use to spend on food or souvenirs.

Roof Bike Racks Are Suitable for Near Trips as Well as Far

Even if you don't plan on taking trips to distant places, a roof bike rack is still the way to go. No more having to take off the wheels to get the bike to fit in your trunk. No more worrying whether grease or dirt will stain the car's interior. Just put the bike on the roof and away you go.

There are several brands of roof bike racks. Each one does require the installation of a multi-purpose roof rack "base system" which remains on top of your car even when you take the bikes off. However, since the rack base system is multi-purpose, you'll also be able to carry not only bikes but skis, snowboards, canoes, and even cargo boxes.

Every bike rack system has issues that you need to be aware of. For the roof rack, the important thing to remember that you actually have something tall strapped to the top of your car. You'll have no problem going through tunnels, but if you have access to a garage, make sure the garage door is fully open before you try to drive in!