Tell me about roof-mounted bike racks

I had a poorly-fitting Yakima roof system that was stolen.  I replaced it with another poorly-fitting Yakima system.  I have a brand new Thule system waiting to be installed - Yakima is going back to REI.  One upside to the Thule system is that is has "aero" bars that makes a fairing unecessary (supposedly).  Rocky Mounts for the racks.  They're solid.

x2 what the bear said...it is WAY too easy to forget that you have (pricy) bikes on the roof.

We had a Thule system (for an old Camry) that worked really well until I drove it into the garage with the bikes on-top. Now we have a Thule system for the back of the car - it holds two adult and two kidsized bikes just fine.

Thanks, guys.

I don't park in a garage at either end of this trip, so that's not an issue.  No overpasses, tunnels, low-hanging branches, low-flying aircraft, etc..  Yes windy mountain roads.

Traveling with these bikes is going to be a regular occurrence (roughly twice a month during the summers), so as fun as driving a U-Haul might be, not a realistic option.

BooTri - 2012-06-12 9:56 AM they are not garage friendly....

i leave my garage door opener at home when i put the bike on top of the car.  all it took was one bad experience...

I have always used Thule so I am bias when it comes to brand.

I have the Thule 594xt sidearm and love it. Quick and very easy to load the bike and I don't need to remove the front wheel. (the arm clap down on your tire just in front of your brake and not to your frame) I also bought an extra WS2 strap and installed it on the front of the bike tray to secure the front wheel. (the bike rack only comes with one for the back wheel)

I haven't done long distance traveling using the rack yet but front my experience with short distance (46-60 miles on highways), it is pretty solid. Not sure how it will handle a long road trip. Some folks will say that the bike is not stable but I haven't had any issues. Also heard good thing about the 518 Echelon which I am thinking about buying for long distance traveling.

For the garage issue.. never had any problem since during summer time, I don't park my car in the garage.

Good luck.

Cheers!

I use a hitch-mounted rack that can hold 3 bikes, but they make ones that can carry 4.  I've had no problems backing up, etc. into anything that could hurt the bikes, btw.  I've never considered a roof system, as I've heard way too many horror stories.  Even if you don't have a garage, it's way too easy to forget they're there and you might have to unexpectedly go into a parking garage or an area w/ low-hanging branches, etc......  Esp. early in the morning before the coffee kicks in.

Another reason I like my rack is b/c it grips the bike by the top tube and this makes for a pretty darn good bike repair/maintenance stand for me to use "on location," so I don't have to haul my stand w/ me.

I have been running Thule roof racks for 12 years. Never a problem that I can fault the system for. User error however is another thing although for me I have never hit the garage or gone through the drive through.

I am on my 3rd car and 2nd set of racks with the original bike carrieirs although I did update i bike rack for the MTB that had disc brakes many years ago.

Some things to consider

Aero cross bars or not, get the wind fairing. helps with the noise and aeridynamic which you can feel on windy day

Get the largest lock kit available (I think 8). you will find a use for them and you dont want to go buy new things for your rack and realise you need to buy either more locks which will require a different set of keys or trade everything out when you finally do buy the 8 lock set

Check you bike manufacturer warranty regarding fork mounted bike racks. Some will void warranty if it is fork mounted. Usually with the full carbon forks (steering tube and wheel mounts). Personal experience has never been a problem with this so you may want the DT clip on frame bike rack which is more expensive

How many you fit will depend on how wide your crossbars are. If you ever plan on carrying more than 2 bike (kayaks, canoes 2+ bikes) get the wider ones but you might occasionally bang your head getting into car ....Ive heard

It wont be cheap but like you said you got bikes worth more than your car sometimes. Its worth making sure they dont fall off.

Lastly, I have only had Thule and no experience with Yakima or rocky mounts

I've had Yakima roof racks for 3 years now atop a Honda Pilot.  I have no complaints, they work as they should.  I have the fork-mount racks and the bikes aren't going anywhere when they are clamped down.  Downside is you have to find somewhere to store the front wheels. I am pretty sure I could get 4 bikes on top of my SUV (most I've tried is 3), but I don't know about 6. 

Being on top of an SUV puts them up high enough to (in my mind, anyway) discourage people from messing with them, but still don't have issues with overpasses, etc. on the roads.  It is a bit of a job to get my heavier hybrid bike up and down because of the height of my vehicle, but my lighter road bike isn't too bad. 

I also use the Yakima lock cores on both the racks where they attach to the car and on the bike mounts themselves.  I don't really know how effective they are against a determined thief, though.  Just don't try to go through any drive-through restaurant windows, parking garages, etc.  

what kind of car do you have?

My wife's car (Rav4) has a roof rack on it already, so we bought a Thule Domestique that mounts directly to the existing rack.  It is a fork mount, which I've read is the strongest mounting option for a roof.  We've taken it for a 6 hr trip on I-95, so 80+ mph speeds.

BTW - whatever you do, please get a system where you mount all 6 bikes on the top of your car.  B/c that would look awesome...like the TDF support cars

I've had roof racks on my last 2 cars over the past 15 years.  Both Yakima.  Thule and Yakima are very similar and I would trust either.  I do prefer fork mounted racks since I don't want anything grabbing my carbon frames.  Also I have driven across country with the bikes on the roof.  Except for having to clean some bugs off them, no problems.  With a roof rack, you will have to alternate direction to get all those bikes up there, and there will be a loss in milage for the car.  Not a ton, but some.

You may also want to look at wheel mounts unless you plan to stack the 6 front wheels in the car.

Good luck.  Definitely look for rebates, and if possible buy at REI so you can get the refund check at the end of the year.  This will probably cost you a pretty penny.

I have a Yakima system, which I got mostly for free from a friend.  Had to get some new parts to make it fit my car, and getting replacement keys was a bit of a challenge, but worked out in the end.  I'm in for maybe $250, for about $700 worth of bike-rack.

You start off with the basic rack, at maybe $250-$300.  Then the "add ons" like locks, fairing, etc, and you're over $500 before you know it.  This is true for either Yakima or Thule.

I installed it myself, but places offer pro installation as well.  I had some issues initially with it not fitting right; i.e. I could pull the clips right off the roof.  There was a typo in the directions on measurements, a couple dimensions conflicted.  When I straightened that out, it fit rock-solid.

These things all fit differently, since cars have different roof shapes and edges to catch the clips.

I just did the trip to Eagleman this past weekend with the bike on the roof, a bit over 100 miles each way, no issues.  I've had the rack on the car since the spring.  Also got a bike cover/bra as well, quite a few bugs on it when I got to Cambridge.

6 bikes is going to be $$$, no matter how you do it.  Depending on the size of the car/rack, I don't know if you'll be able to get them all on the roof.

My other way to transport the bike is the bed of my Explorer Sport Trac.  Think small pickup bed.  I think that will be for my longer trips.  I'm still nervous about the bike being in the wind.  All it takes is a big rock, or part of a truck tire tread flying up into the bike.  With the bed-mount, or trailer-hitch style, they're shielded from all that.

I haven't had a garage mishap yet, I keep the sunroof open as a reminder when coming home.

the bear - 2012-06-12 10:01 AM

BooTri - 2012-06-12 8:56 AMthey are not garage friendly....

Maybe you kid, but I' ve heard way too many horror stories to even consider a roof rack. If I was transporting six bikes, my first preference would be to rent a U-Haul.

Yea, I had one of them. Not exactly a "horror" story. But i did drive under an overhang(slowly) and the seat caught, busted the roof rack and put a huge dent in the roof of my car.  Bike was ok, but the rack was done.  Never liked using them since.  

I've used a Thule roof rack on my cars for the past 15 years or so, and have never had a problem with them.  That said, when I worked in various bike shops in college, almost every weekend someone would come in with a bike that was smashed as they tried to drive in their garage/carport/drive thru window at McDonalds etc.

But that's not to say that a rear mounted rack is any safer.  We had people come in where the trunk mounted rack was installed wrong and came off while driving down the highway.  We had people come in because they were rear ended and their bikes in their hitch mounted rack where crunched.

happens.  I don't think one rack system is necessarily "better" than another, but I prefer the roof mount because its so easy to use for me.

I'm another roof rack user.  I switched from a trunk mount to a fork style roof mount a month or two ago and don't regret it.  I have it mounted on a car with a sunroof, and it's definitely louder with the bars on, but not to the point that I won't keep the sunroof open or anything.  I have the Thule with the aero bars.  The deflectors will not work with the aero bars.  Thule says there isn't a need for it with the new design.  The bikes are definitely locked in there once they're in place.  You do have to be aware of the extra height of the bikes on top, but with a trunk mounted system you have to be aware of the extra length of the car.  Either way, be aware.  If something happens to the bike while it's in the rack because you didn't remember it was there...it's hardly a flawed design of the rack.

I've often wondered with a trun mounted set up, if your car were rear ended and the bikes were on it who's responsible?  At least the bikes are safe on top of the car and locked in place.

One of the big things that swayed me to the roof style was having my bike on the back of my car with Zipp 808's (it didn't happen with my regular wheels) and having them catch enough wind to pull the bike like a sail while going down the highway.

Shane

I have a roof rack. I also used to have a Yellow Cervelo. I now have experience with Cervelo's crash replacement policy, and how homeowners insurance covers bike vs garage accidents. I have a red and white Cervelo now and she only travels inside or behind my car! They work VERY well (I actually love the one I have- piece of cake to use). The risk is just a little higher.

From my understanding you are SOL. Insurance only covers permenant parts of the vehicle. So if you car was broken in to and a laptop and the car radio was stolen insurance would only cover the radio. The laptop you would be SOL.

You can try to get it through the other person's insurance if you are hit but I have heard mixed reviews as to success on this part.

You can also get your bikes covered through home insurance but it would probably require a rider to your existing policy once it hits a certain amount which pretty much 95% of bikes people riding on this site will be over

Thanks for the info.  It's good to have.  Luckily it wasn't a situation that I ever encountered where I had to see what happens.  I do feel better with the bikes on my roof.  At least if something happens to them up there I really have nobody to blame but myself.  I can live with the fact that I have to be responsible for it that way.

Shane