talk to me about roof racks...

[crownjewelwl]

there seems to be a consensus that the 1up rack is the one to get for hitch mounts...

is there a similar consensus for the roof rack variety??

turns out a car that i'm considering doesn't have an OEM hitch (at least not in the u.s.)

[Nooch]

I've never had an issue with my Thule racks, have one on my Jetta and one on the wife's CR-V...

[AngryScientist]

it kinda depends.

i know the type of cars you drive Mr Jewel, so it really depends.

BMW for example has the little doors in the roofline that the OEM BMW racks screw into. they are by far the best option for BMW use, though i suspect they are made by thule.

generally, for euro cars, the OEM racks are the cleanest solution. though wisper bar is making some nice stuff.

i like rocky mount trays the best myself.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9TTpAfvmwY/UAduwggWSHI/AAAAAAAAAh0/WmvL5mlHkYM/s640/IMG_0057.JPG

[crownjewelwl]

thanks nick...actually considering a whip with rails so i think i have more options

it kinda depends.

i know the type of cars you drive Mr Jewel, so it really depends.

BMW for example has the little doors in the roofline that the OEM BMW racks screw into. they are by far the best option for BMW use, though i suspect they are made by thule.

generally, for euro cars, the OEM racks are the cleanest solution. though wisper bar is making some nice stuff.

i like rocky mount trays the best myself.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9TTpAfvmwY/UAduwggWSHI/AAAAAAAAAh0/WmvL5mlHkYM/s640/IMG_0057.JPG

[oldpotatoe]

there seems to be a consensus that the 1up rack is the one to get for hitch mounts...

is there a similar consensus for the roof rack variety??

turns out a car that i'm considering doesn't have an OEM hitch (at least not in the u.s.)

Ask these guys..it's what they do.

http://www.rockymounts.com/

[William]

I should be able to give you a first hand account of the Seasucker roof racks soon...stay tuned.;)





William

[Gummee]

I've used both Thule and Yakima racks. Both work very well.

Right now, I've got a Yak rack on the car. Don't wanna haul dirty cross bikes in the back of a Benz ya know.

M

[MattTuck]

As someone who has had two roof racks, a Yakima system and now Rocky Mounts, I'd suggest going the hitch mounted route. If you're interested, I can give you my reasons.

That said, the rocky mounts have worked very well for me, mounted to my Subaru Outback's factory cross bars. This is a fork mount system and is pretty basic.

The Yakima system (which was a round cross bar) howled at speeds above 35 mph. It was mounted on a subaru impreza, a compact, and didn't have great sound insulation, so it may not have been as bad on a nicer car.

I have Thule wheel holders also. They are nice to have when the car is filled with stuff. But most of the time I just throw the front wheel in the cargo area.

[Nooch]

i like rocky mount trays the best myself.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9TTpAfvmwY/UAduwggWSHI/AAAAAAAAAh0/WmvL5mlHkYM/s640/IMG_0057.JPG

I've wanted to try the rocky mounts trays as well.. they seem nice and low profiled and oooh, all the colors!!

[crownjewelwl]

Ask these guys..it's what they do.

http://www.rockymounts.com/

this looks like the ticket...thanks OP

[LegendRider]

I should be able to give you a first hand account of the Seasucker roof racks soon...stay tuned.;)

William

A guy showed up to a group ride this summer in a bright yellow Lotus carrying a Litespeed with Seasucker racks. He had nothing but praise - secure, easy to mount/remove, safe on the car's finish, etc. Seems like a great solution for unique cases - like driving a Lotus!

I've used Yakimas for years and have always been happy.

[ofcounsel]

I've been really happy with my Thule Criterium set up. Originally I had these on my Volvo, then just bought new base feet to mount on my BMW. The bike goes up very quick and easy. No worries about having to take the front wheel off. Works for any size/type of bike (ok, maybe not tandems).
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo47.jpg

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo46.jpg

[William]

A guy showed up to a group ride this summer in a bright yellow Lotus carrying a Litespeed with Seasucker racks. He had nothing but praise - secure, easy to mount/remove, safe on the car's finish, etc. Seems like a great solution for unique cases - like driving a Lotus!



....Or some Volvos. Ours has no rails so it's an option worth checking out.





William

[MattTuck]

A guy showed up to a group ride this summer in a bright yellow Lotus carrying a Litespeed with Seasucker racks. He had nothing but praise - secure, easy to mount/remove, safe on the car's finish, etc. Seems like a great solution for unique cases - like driving a Lotus!

I've used Yakimas for years and have always been happy.


Be honest with us, was it Dave Kirk?


ha!! Seriously, what kind of bike do you carry on a lotus? Seems incongruous to me.

[eddief]

It actually looks like an interesting product. But the way in which you release the cups makes it seem you could steal someone's bikes off the car with an instant flick of the release buttons. What up with that?

[LegendRider]

Be honest with us, was it Dave Kirk?


ha!! Seriously, what kind of bike do you carry on a lotus? Seems incongruous to me.

Dave Kirk is too smart to come across the country to ride his bike in metro Atlanta during the summer...

[tannhauser]

Zip ties.

[Chance]

It actually looks like an interesting product. But the way in which you release the cups makes it seem you could steal someone's bikes off the car with an instant flick of the release buttons. What up with that?

They provide a security cable as an option but you must be able to tie it down to the car somehow. Not easy if all windows are rolled up.

Without a cable, release of any suction cup is only an icepick of knife point away. Just slide it between paint and cup. Any sharp tool should do the trick, so locking devices would seem a little superfluous anyway. Seems like it may be a good product to haul a bike locally. Not sure about long trips.

Losing suction and having the bike fall off the car is probably an obvious concern that will limit initial acceptance, but also of concern to me would be if the car’s sheetmetal can take the twisting loads of a bike in crosswinds. Pictures posted here before (by William if my memory serves me right) showed the suction cups close together at the fork mount. If the car happens to have a fairly flat surface at that point it would be easy to see the sheetmetal flex excessively. That may even affect vacuum integrity. By comparison we should keep in mind most roof racks are attached to car at points of roof that are reinforced from within.

[eddief]

maybe a safer application is the one they show for mounting your tablet computer.

They provide a security cable as an option but you must be able to tie it down to the car somehow. Not easy if all windows are rolled up.

Without a cable, release of any suction cup is only an icepick of knife point away. Just slide it between paint and cup. Any sharp tool should do the trick, so locking devices would seem a little superfluous anyway. Seems like it may be a good product to haul a bike locally. Not sure about long trips.

Losing suction and having the bike fall off the car is probably an obvious concern that will limit initial acceptance, but also of concern to me would be if the car’s sheetmetal can take the twisting loads of a bike in crosswinds. Pictures posted here before (by William if my memory serves me right) showed the suction cups close together at the fork mount. If the car happens to have a fairly flat surface at that point it would be easy to see the sheetmetal flex excessively. That may even affect vacuum integrity. By comparison we should keep in mind most roof racks are attached to car at points of roof that are reinforced from within.

[William]

I'm neither pro nor con on the Seasucker at this point. I'm very familiar with the vacuum cup technology and how well they hold. On that point I'm very optimistic about how they will work. I also like how easily they pack up when not in use. No extra drag sucking down fuel unnecessarily if you have to leave the rack when not in use.

As far as security, I don't leave my rides unattended, or where I can't see them. so that's not an issue for me. If you look at their website you will see a number of security devices for locking it up if needed. In that sense maybe for short periods but I wouldn't leave my bikes on a standard rack for any length of time unattended either.

As far as the sheet metal on a car? I don't know but it didn't do any damage (or release) on that stock car when they released all but one cup and were racing around the track at 140 mph with a bike on top.

Apparently they've got at least two pro teams using them right now. That's neither here nor there I guess.

Bottom line for me is I'm just interested in checking it out.






William

[Chance]

As far as the sheet metal on a car? I don't know but it didn't do any damage (or release) on that stock car when they released all but one cup and were racing around the track at 140 mph with a bike on top.



Sounds like an interesting real-world test. Is there a link to it?

[William]

Sounds like an interesting real-world test. Is there a link to it?

Here you go...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_41Ujjv6WUw






William

[Mikej]

Sea sucker stock car is cool - however, it needs to be driven over a change in elevation or a speed bump to see if it can withstand the G's that will most likely cause a roof rack to fail - or let go.

[MattTuck]

Sea sucker stock car is cool - however, it needs to be driven over a change in elevation or a speed bump to see if it can withstand the G's that will most likely cause a roof rack to fail - or let go.

or driven in to a garage.

[Mikej]

or driven in to a garage.

knock on wood, spin 3x to the left -El Camino....Ah $h#t

[azrider]

No hitch...........no problem :cool:

[Chance]

Here you go...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_41Ujjv6WUw






William

Thanks William. Cool video.

Agree with above that it may not be a true real-world test in that car doesn't see any big bumps. Also track is banked to offset side loads. My bikes now ride inside, but back when they were sometimes on roof the greatest load seemed to be when big trucks passed going in the opposite direction. That's when the trucks' turbulence could be felt the most on the bike(s).

Look forward to your independent reviews. The system could be useful for small cars, particularly on small convertibles like Miata.

[crownjewelwl]

No hitch...........no problem :cool:

wouldnt do that to my p-car...

lookin at the relaunched audi allroad

[timto]

I've been really happy with my Thule Criterium set up. Originally I had these on my Volvo, then just bought new base feet to mount on my BMW. The bike goes up very quick and easy. No worries about having to take the front wheel off. Works for any size/type of bike (ok, maybe not tandems).
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo47.jpg

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo46.jpg

This type of mount also excellent for bike with fenders. NICE!!

[William]

Guys, speed bumps? These aren't suction cups, they're vacuum cups...big difference. As I said, I've used vacuum cups extensively trusting them to limb and possibly life. A speed bump won't do squat. I'm sure the buffeting from 140 mph winds running over the car is more than a passing semi is going to create.

All I'm saying is in my experience the technology has merit and I'm interested in checking out.






William

[DHallerman]

Ask these guys..it's what they do.

http://www.rockymounts.com/

Can't say yet how good it is -- since I just ordered them the other day -- but I'm going with Whispbars and Rocky Mounts racks for their simplicity, quiet and elegance.

Like what Gavin has here, in the recent station wagon thread (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=1228908&postcount=106).

All my research pointed to how quiet Whispbars are relative to other crossbars. And part of the elegance is how the Euro racks from Rocky Mounts use the channels in the Whispbars to attach, so there are no parts below the crossbars.

Plus, I like the Rocky Mounts Euro racks because I prefer the method of taking off the front wheel and clamping the fork in a high-quality quick release.

Dave, who is supposed to receive the Whispbars tomorrow and the Rocky Mounts on Saturday and got them from an online retailer new to him that has low prices, free shipping and an additional 10% off discount coupon

[happycampyer]

I replaced a Thule square-bar rack with Whispbars, and the difference is night and day. The Whispbars are super quiet—with the sunroof open, I don't even hear them until 40 mph or so. I have Yakima fork mount trays, which I don't like because it's hard to adjust for different fork widths—but if you don't have multiple bikes with different forks, it's not so bad.

I got a 1-Up roof rack that is an amazing piece of craftsmanship, but I haven't been able to install it because the mounting hardware that came with it requires more clearance than I have, and I haven't had time to figure out an alternative. If you want to stop by some time to check it out, you're welcome.

Also, the folks at Rack 'n' Go in White Plains are awesome. They will even bring the rack to you and install it at your home.

[crownjewelwl]

thanks happy...

i didnt realize 1up made a roof tray as well

I replaced a Thule square-bar rack with Whispbars, and the difference is night and day. The Whispbars are super quiet—with the sunroof open, I don't even hear them until 40 mph or so. I have Yakima fork mount trays, which I don't like because it's hard to adjust for different fork widths—but if you don't have multiple bikes with different forks, it's not so bad.

I got a 1-Up roof rack that is an amazing piece of craftsmanship, but I haven't been able to install it because the mounting hardware that came with it requires more clearance than I have, and I haven't had time to figure out an alternative. If you want to stop by some time to check it out, you're welcome.

Also, the folks at Rack 'n' Go in White Plains are awesome. They will even bring the rack to you and install it at your home.

[Mikej]

Guys, speed bumps? These aren't suction cups, they're vacuum cups...big difference. As I said, I've used vacuum cups extensively trusting them to limb and possibly life. A speed bump won't do squat. I'm sure the buffeting from 140 mph winds running over the car is more than a passing semi is going to create.

All I'm saying is in my experience the technology has merit and I'm interested in checking out.






William

I agree, it is just such a "different" application. I would be on board if the front had a safety strap that clamped like a regular foot kit -some type of fabric strip.

[William]

I agree, it is just such a "different" application. I would be on board if the front had a safety strap that clamped like a regular foot kit -some type of fabric strip.

What do you mean by "a regular foot kit"?




William

[Greenlikeme]

Reviving this thread to talk about the sea sucker

Got one a few weeks back and decided to do some "local testing" Parking lots making hard turns and speed bumps and what not. That way, A bike won't be falling off in the middle of the highway..


These cups are strong. I mean strong. and with 4 of them it made me feel secure .

I drive a '95 honda wagon that doesn't have rack mounts and a yakima or anything else would of required drilling into the roof. a total of $900 for a rack that I would be to lazy to take off!


+100 for the sea Sucker.

[gavingould]

i like Rocky Mounts Pitchfork trays on Yakima Whispbars - my setup was mentioned by DHallerman above. having used older Thule and Rocky Mounts trays side by side on a previous vehicle, i liked the Rockys more.

plus i visited the Rocky Mounts shop in Boulder when they had a party for cx nats a couple years back, swell folks there.