Roof rack opinions

[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.

[peanutgallery]

How many stevadores does it take to load those up?

Originally Posted by 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.

[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]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

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]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

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.