Advice On Bike Roof Racks

I've got a Thule roof rack for one bike where I take off the front wheel and lock down the fork on the rack. Love it. It's easy to get my bike on it and it feels really secure with the fork locked down.

I have seasuckers and love them. I know its not what you asked for, but I love being able to move them in between cars.

x3. I've seen some pics that just make you want to cry. Bikes destroyed, major damage to the car, damage to the garage door, etc. Literally thousands of dollars worth. 

I've used a simple trunk rack for years that cost me less than $50 and have been all over covering thousands of miles. If I had a vehicle that it wouldn't work with I'd invest in installing a hitch and going with a hitch mount rack. 

Edited by zed707 2015-06-24 7:02 PM

I guess I will be the person who loves roof racks. I have had numerous roof racks on 5 different cars and have never had an issue. I can carry up to 4 bikes on my roof plus the family in the car. Yes there are those who have driven into the garage with a bike on top but this is easily avoided by simply not doing that. No worries about putting filthy mountain bikes in the car either. I also can carry kayaks, skis, snowboards and 2x4s on my roof rack which is a must for me.

As far as the fork mount verses tube mount I personally like the fork mount. It is very secure and I dont know if a down tube mount would be an issue with my gradient tubed mountain bike, aero tubed tri bike or triangular tubed road bike. The minus to the fork mount is you either need wheel holders of throw the front wheel in the car.

I have used rear mounted bike racks (I have had 3) but once almost lost the whole rack when the straps slipped and I also almost lost a bike off of another rear rack.

I have had 2 hitch mounts and they were okay but the ones I had blocked the rear hatch so wernt very good in my eyes. I do know that there are more expensive hinged racks that do swing out of the way. I also notice that some bikes partially block the tail lights of the car which to me seems to be a safety issue.

Like anything else its hard to say that one method is the "best" and is a matter of opinion and different people will have different ideas of what is best based on what they want to do. For me I couldnt go without the roof rack.

I had the "ankle bitter" roof rack. it was great. no need to take any wheels off, just hoist the bike up. when I had the roof rack, I put my mt bike up there and drove across the country. zero stability issues. I also had the lock and key system so I could leave it up top without fear of theft. the two cons I did have where, 1. when you get a different car, you have to buy new parts because the dimensions of the roof change unless you stick with the same brand and model. 2. they hum a lot because of wind resistance (this really did not bother me, but for some it does), 3. I went into an open air parking lot that had a frame hanging over only the entrance - exit area. as I entered the parking lot, I was slow and careful to watch and make sure the bike cleared. on my way out, it never occurred to me that the exit, right next to the entrance, was in fact, less clearance. ripped the brakes off the bike, the bike bent back and put a dent in my roof, but the carrier itself, no damage. the rack is really, really sturdy.

I switched to the rear rack not because of the uneven clearance surprise, but rather, when I bought a new car, I took the rack off, put it on the floor in the garage, went to the dealer four miles down the road to swap cars, and when I came back .... someone had walked off with the rack! so when I bought a new rack, I was starting over and decided the extra costs of new parts if I switched cars was not something I wanted to do again. went with the rear rack that requires you have a hitch. that has been great in terms of super easy to load, and I can clean my bike with it on the rack. the down side, it's harder to access the back of my vehicle. a new surprise with the rear rack. one of my fears of having a rack on the rear is someone rear ending me and wrecking the bike. someone did rear end me, and because the rack is sturdy and attached to the hitch, which is attached to the frame of your car, the rear ending car wrecked the front of his car because the only place his front hit my rear was on the part of the rack that attaches directly to the frame of the car. my car, and bike, were completely undamaged. That said, I have a Thule. There is a very cheap version of a hitch bike rack I see more and more now. You get what you pay for.

Edited by Dutchcrush 2015-06-24 9:05 PM

I have a roof rack- used to have a take the tire off kind but when we got mtn bikes with disk brakes switched to the kind you don't have to. It's so much easier. I do have to bring a step stool though as lifting my 29er in is a challenge without it (I'm 5'6").

I have 1 Thule and 2 yakimas (all leave the tire on) and if it's just me I will always choose the Thule. I find it a lot easier to load and unload. It feels plenty stable to me. We regularly drive two hours each way to our favorite mountain biking.

If you are planning on putting a bunch of bikes up- we actually found mixing brands helps with spacing. Where the bike is is different on each brand so there is staggering of handle bars etc.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Did more reading online and it seems that as far as roof racks are concerned (we don't have a hitch and have too much luggage to but the bikes in the trunk), fork mounts do seem to be viewed as more stable than wheel/frame mounts.

I got a Thule (aerobars, fit kits and two 569s off of Craigslist -- all components were barely used and looked brand new)
I love it... paid $600 instead of $1500 from the store or web site...

shop around... get a good deal...

Edited by mrlister 2015-06-25 12:06 PM