Roof rack choices?

I have Thule roof-rack system and I love it.  I started with a standard cargo box to use when hauling camping equipment and youth from the church at the same time.  That expanded into replacing the standard roof rack on my Explorer with a Thule rack system.  I like the Thule system A LOT, but haven't tried Yakima.

I have the full mount system, which Thule calls it's "Big Mouth."  It doesn't come with a lock for the rack, but Thule sells interchangeable locks for about $10 or so.  I went with the full mount over the fork mount because I didn't want to mess with taking the wheel off.  One thing to be wary of: the Big Mouth did mar the decals on my mountain bike.  I have a feeling that it was more of a fault in the decal rather than the rack because I didn't have any problems putting my Trek road bike up there, that is, no marring of any kind.

I would also encourage you to look at some of the rear mount racks by Thule and or Yakima.  A friend of mine likes the Yak systems because they secure the bike a little better.

we have a yakima rack, but a thule hard top. we've been very happy with both. when i worked at a local outdoor store (camping, climbing, kayaking, etc.) the general consensus was that for racks yakima were are hair better; for hard tops, thule was better.

Anyone know if the rear wheel tray holder thing works with deep dish wheels (e.g. Zipp 404's) or discs? Do you have to use your training wheel instead?

I don't know if it works or not, but I NEVER put my bike on a roof race with my carbon race wheels on it.  One rock flying off a truck going 75mph on the expwy and you can kiss your $1,200 wheels goodbye.

I ALWAYS put my bike on top with my trng wheels and put my race wheels inside.

Along these lines, anybody have suggestions around a bike carrier that you can insert into your trailer hitch. I have one but it is a pain in the rear to take on and off (complete bolt and nut and wrenches required). I need one with the same system a trailer hitch ball uses to be put on/taken off the vehicle....single skewer with a pin or lock

Yakima, hands down when it comes to racks.

My husband and I have a combination of Yakima pieces and Thule pieces. Both brands were purchased around the same time and there is a clear difference in how the Yakima has held up better. The Thule pieces are showing their wear and are beginning to rust. And the Thule rack gets taken down in the winter whereas the Yakima stays up year round.

Good luck with your purchase. A good place to buy them is REI.com, especially when you can catch their sales.

I have a Yakima as well and have been very happy with it. My bike has traveled thousands of miles on my roof and I haven't had any problems! As someone mentioned, they do sell interchangeable locks. If you buy enough you can lock up everything...bike, bug splatter thing on front (for the life of me I can't remember what it's called right now), etc. One thing about the Yakima's is that the cross rods are generally round vs. Thule's rectangular. I have the fork mount kind of holders but also bought front wheel holder things too. I like to move the wheel holder out of the windstream when I am not riding around with the bike on the roof and you can just push it down with the Yakima bars but the Thule ones you'd have to completely remove it to move it...if that makes any sense.

Also, check into Rocky Mounts. I don't remember the website, but that's where I got the actual bike holders from. Company based in Colorado. They are cheaper than the Yakima ones and are exactly the same. Have to purchase their locks, but I don't find that to be a problem at all.

As for locking...locking the bike up discourages the honest people. Mine has never been stolen, but I am very convinced that you could easily turn the non-locking side of my fork mount and get the bike off the roof. One of these days when I stop being a lazy butt I will actually see if my theory is correct. If you were really worried about it though you could probably throw a chain lock on for extra security.

If some of that doesn't make any sense, PM me and I can try to explain it better....

Yakima all the way, I have a Yac rack on the roof of our car. five years without ever being removed in seattle weather and it still shows no signs of rust! My rack does lock, and no you can not use a full dish wheel becaus of how the strap thingy connects it to the track. :-)

i have a draw-tite receiver hitch rack and like it. very easy to mount/dismount with the locking pin and it folds down nicely, too.

i have a draw-tite receiver hitch rack and like it. very easy to mount/dismount with the locking pin and it folds down nicely, too.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Sounds like Yakima it is. Now off to REI...

When I have my race wheels (Zipp 404) on I have to use a velcro strap to secure the rear wheels, the strap that comes with the rack isn't long enough. I have the Thule rack and love it but I'm I have friend who are happy with Yakima.

My dad had a Yakima rack on his '88 Accord. When it hit 250k and rust through he finally decided to trade it in. The dealer offered him $100 for the car and $150 for the rack. I have a Yakima on my car (Steelhead fork mounts) and love it.