Roof rack opinions

[bianchi10]

Ive only had one roof rack before which was a basic yakima steelhead (front fork mount). It worked well, but it was annoying to always take the front wheel off.

What do you guys think of the roof rack styles which allows you to keep both wheels on and pull down bar over the front wheel?

Would love some feedback or pro's and cons

[peanutgallery]

Get a reciever hitch and a platform rack

Roof racks are a PIA anymore. Most vehicles have too high of a roof, wind noise etc etc. Roof rack is used during ski season only for the cargo carrier...skis

[bianchi10]

Get a reciever hitch and a platform rack

Roof racks are a PIA anymore. Most vehicles have too high of a roof, wind noise etc etc. Roof rack is used during ski season only for the cargo carrier...skis


I refuse to get a hitch mount rack. Had that and hated it. Plus, rear end accident amd not only is the car effected, but the bike is toast as well.

[steelbikerider]

Get a roof rack. Garages are for
stuff, not cars.

[Clean39T]

Ive only had one roof rack before which was a basic yakima steelhead (front fork mount). It worked well, but it was annoying to always take the front wheel off.



What do you guys think of the roof rack styles which allows you to keep both wheels on and pull down bar over the front wheel?



Would love some feedback or pro's and consJust got that setup on mine and so far so good. Comes on/off the factory roof crossbars much easier than older style, so I can put them on as needed.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190908/83a925bfce393610c2643e768540745d.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[semdoug]

We have two of the Yakima front wheel clamp style. Both are older models of the current version Front Loader and have had no problems.

[blakcloud]

I have the Thule XT Pro Ride, so it grabs the frame not the wheels because my Rivendells have front racks and baskets which get in way. It's nice not have to remove the front wheel every time you put your bike on the rack. For heavy bikes like mine it just makes life easier.

The one drawback to mine is, I use to have two water bottle cages and trying to line up the arm through the frame in between the two water bottles cages was difficult. In time I am sure I will get better but I ended up taking off one cage on each bike to make the process smoother. The reality is I never used them anyway so why have them on there.

The one down side is the bike is not as secure as a fork mount which I also own. When I open my moon roof, I can see the bikes moving around a bit which is unnerving. I don't know if it really matters as long as they are secure but it bothers me enough not to look anymore.

When driving there is lots of wind noise but you would kind of expect that.

I spent a lot of time researching the best rack for my needs and the type of car that I drive and the Thule system was the one that won out. On my second car I use Rocky Mounts fork mount racks on Thule bars and I have a nice dent in my roof because I dropped one of the Rivendells before I got it secured. Operator error for sure on this one.

If I had to replace mine, I would buy the same thing again. I like it that much.

[batman1425]

They will never be as stable as a fork mount option and there's more surface area up there for wind noise, but I wouldn't hesitate to use one from a good manuf. (thule, yakima, equivalent.) for a long distance trip.

FWIW the reason I like them to be as solid as possible is so I can squeeze more bikes up there without having to worry about rubbing or scratches.

[bianchi10]

I wouldn't want any chance of causing rubbing/friction on the frame from any sort of mount that would cause scratching on the frame. I guess I'd be more interested in the front wheel bar that locks down. But, yeah I can only imagine my nerves when looking up and seeing it wobble. I know I would be fine with the fork mount, but that thought of getting to location and pulling bike off and ready to go sounds nice instead of having to mount of the wheel.

[dustyrider]

I’ve put thousands of trouble free miles on a Yakima king cobra. Just remember there’s a bike on the roof. You only get to forget once! :)

[AngryScientist]

personally i use Rocky Mounts fork mounted racks. they are absolutely fantastic. no nonsense, easy to use.

they also make a wheels-on roof model, and if i were in the market for one, that would probably be the first one i would look at.

[buddybikes]

Thousands of miles of taking wheels off and putting in trunk

Oh wait these new fangled frames/wheels are pain to do so, glad I am staying old school

[cmbicycles]

1up makes roof racks... not sure how well the design works as a roof rack but my hitch rack is great. I have a thule sidearm on the roof and its meh. It works but doesn't seem super stable and a little wonky with my lefty fork. It will likely contact the forks slightly on most bikes. I also had a thule fork mount that failed due to a piece of plastic breaking in the head, not pleased with their design or customer service so I'll look elsewhere in the future.

[peanutgallery]

Rear ender => new bike. Thank the offender for paying the deductible. Last thing I've ever considered when traveling with my bike

I refuse to get a hitch mount rack. Had that and hated it. Plus, rear end accident amd not only is the car effected, but the bike is toast as well.

[bikinchris]

I refuse to get a hitch mount rack. Had that and hated it. Plus, rear end accident amd not only is the car effected, but the bike is toast as well.

Since my bikes have all been worth more than my car in the past, making it my rear bumper made no sense,

[hokoman]

The chances of me getting rear ended is pretty low, considering I've been driving for 27 years and still have yet to get into an accident. Knock on wood. That aside, I have had multiple roof racks on various vehicles - Thule mounts on both of my old Bimmers and I currently have a Kuat Vagabond roof basket that has 2 bike racks built it. I'm a short dude and getting a bike on my roof sucks big time. I bought a 1up hitch for the rear and I will never go back to a roof rack.

That being said, I think I would stick with traditional roof rack (wheel off) for a more secure fit, and the roof rack that 1up makes for instance - I am probably too short to secure it easily.

[pdmtong]

if you get a roof rack put a ladder or 32g garbage can in the place of your car when you leave. that is the only way to guarantee you will not drive into your garage or carport when you return.

I have not done it, but I have heard the sound of a nice bike getting snapped and crunched and the roof of the car getting can opener'ed from the rack peeling it open when the driver forgot his bike was on the roof.

[YesNdeed]

Thule 591 with Aeroblade crossbars on my S4 Avant. Best setup I’ve ever used. No frame damage whatsoever, 40 mph Crosswinds @ 85 MPH consistently (ALL the way to the Chino Grinder), no problem. I prefer it to fork mounts, it’s just better.

I have also used a hitch mounted swing away on an older 4Runner I had years ago, didn’t love it. I prefer the roof mounts on my wagon.

[primov8]

Hey Nick, have you thought about a cargo basket for your ride. When I bought the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 last year, I was the only one in the family cycling. Fast forward to this summer and now everybody in our family has a bike (6 total). Since I was also looking for a roof mounted cargo basket for my QX80, the Kuat Vagabond X was the best of both worlds. Besides the obvious cargo capacity, the built-in fork mounts for two bikes was a huge plus because when we all go riding, the two road bikes go right on top.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48455065076_88f769fbb0_b.jpg

[peanutgallery]

How many stevadores does it take to load those up?

Hey Nick, have you thought about a cargo basket for your ride. When I bought the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 last year, I was the only one in the family cycling. Fast forward to this summer and now everybody in our family has a bike (6 total). Since I was also looking for a roof mounted cargo basket for my QX80, the Kuat Vagabond X was the best of both worlds. Besides the obvious cargo capacity, the built-in fork mounts for two bikes was a huge plus because when we all go riding, the two road bikes go right on top.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48455065076_88f769fbb0_b.jpg

[p nut]

I’m average height but I still kept a milk crate in the old Subaru to load bikes and cargo on the roof. Worked fairly well.

But I have since gone to a Kuat hitch rack. Loading/unloading is so much better. Not getting a hitch rack because of rear collision worries is silly. Only negative is dirt and grime gets thrown up in inclement weather.

[primov8]

How many stevadores does it take to load those up?

At the moment, just myself.:) I’m 6’ tall and all I have to do is stand on the running boards and lift the road bikes up.

[benb]

I did smush a bike back in the day.. what has worked for me ever since is when I put the bike on the roof the garage door opener gets put in the trunk of the car so it's impossible for me to open the garage without getting out of the car.

I've got 2X of the Yakima Forklifts (front wheel comes off) on my roof + a Yakima Raptor Aero (front wheel stays on). Then I have 2x Thule "WheelOn" front wheel carriers mounted in between the rear wheels on the rear crossbar. That way I can carry 3 bikes and not have any wheels in the car as long as at least one bike has a beefy metal downtube that I'm not worried about clamping. Yakima now has a front wheel carrier, I don't think they had it when I bought the Thule. But supposedly the Yakima version has trouble carrying large MTB wheels. The Thule one is fine for 26er/29er mountain bike wheels. I am not sure if it will fit a fatbike wheel though, probably not.

My son's bike generally goes in the Raptor Aero, it's an aluminum MTB so pretty beefy, no worries about clamping. I would generally never worry about the clamp scratching a downtube. It's a downtube, it's way more likely to end up scratched from actually riding the bike since the front wheel will tend to throw stuff up on it.

I'm 6'1" I usually have no trouble loading the bikes onto my Outback. For the bike in the middle (usually my son's) I will tend to open the rear door of the car and stand on the door sill or whatever it's called.

[chiasticon]

personally i use Rocky Mounts fork mounted racks. they are absolutely fantastic. no nonsense, easy to use.same. I've owned three of 'em and experience has been excellent. I also love that they're very low profile so wind noise isn't too bad, nor do I think they're affecting my fuel economy much (when no bike mounted).

funny enough, I was discussing wheels-on roof racks with a friend at the trail head last night. he said when uses his with his wife's car, which has a sunroof, he closes the sunroof so that he can't see the bike. the bike shaking all over is too un-nerving. then driving home, I looked out of my sunroof at my bike - a 29er, on a fork-mount rack - no shaking at all.

anyway, I'd say the wheels-on ones are good enough for around town or short distances. carting around a MTB or something. I wouldn't drive a long distance with them though.

[bianchi10]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I confirmed what I was concerned about. Found some Yakima fork mount aero racks that I picked up for cheap on offer up. Wanted to entertain the idea of not needing to take the front wheel off, but the extra security the fork mount gives is more reassuring to me.

[DRZRM]

Glad you resolved the issue, I'll ansewr for next time it comes up. I am also a big supporter of the Rockymount roof racks, I have a Bareknuckles and another one that is basically the same. Very secure.

I have a Kuat four bike rack in back, but still use the roof racks on our second car. Never had a problem on a wagon, might be a pain if I had a tall SUV.

[Ozz]

Don't forget to get a bike bra to protect the front of your bike...or it will be covered in dead bugs gunk. A driveline pack is not a bad idea either.

FWIW - I've had both roof racks and hitch racks....would never to back to a roof rack

easier loading
no wheel removal
no bugs or chips from road debris (does get dirty cuz of low air pressure behind suv)
easier to install / remove from vehicle


YMMV.....

[denapista]

Hitch racks also don't affect MPG like a roof rack potentially can..

If you get rear ended, the last thing you should be worrying about is your bike, that his/her insurance will replace. In CA if you get rear ended, you most likely win that case because in court, the offender is always driving too close not allowing time to brake and avoid rear end collision.

Pretty much every single one of my friends have rear 1-up rack or Yakima, and to this date not one has been rear ended. Ask yourself how many rear ended accidents have you been involved in your lifetime..

I have a VW TDI Golf Sportwagen, and if I didn't have to add a monstrosity on the rear to allow a hitch system, that would be the way of bike transport over my Aero whisper bar setup on the roof.

[bianchi10]

All good points. However, I dont have a hitch on my vehicle and do not plan to invest the money into it at this point. So while I still have my reserves about a hitch mount, though understand it's benefits. It's not an option for me.

[rlanger]

Love my SeaSucker. I think the biggest benefit is that it can fit on any car and can be installed or removed in about a minute. So you have no worries about whether your bike rack will be compatible with your new car or not.

I've had mine for about 8 years and the only downside is that your bikes are probably not as theft-proof as some other racks. But they can still be locked to the car with a cable that has a trunk hook.