Help with info on roof racks

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9 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

Any experience with roof racks? We have an Audi and looking for a bike rike for our road bikes. Would appreciate input on their own brand over Thule?
Thanks

Anonymous's picture
Bill (not verified)
Roof rack

I highly recommend the Saris roof rack over yakima and thule. It's really easy to put on and take off. Go see www.mtbr.com for reviews.

I bought mine from aardvark cycles online.

Anonymous's picture
Diane Goodwin (not verified)
First ....

Lynn,

Before you can consider any rack manufacturer, check to see what's available or NOT suggested for your vehicle.

For example, I have a Mits Eclipse and wanted to buy a rack for the trunk. I already have a roof rack - just wanted something extra. To my surprise, no trunk rack is recommended. Preiously, I owned and used a trunk rack on this car!

Check which rack is best for your car and then choose (if you're lucky enough to have a choice) the manufacturer.

I have a Barrecrafter rack and trays. They are GREAT - quite strong, and I've had a few mishaps (leaving the garage with the bike mounted, accident hitting a tree, forgetting to fasten the back wheel down). The bicycle always stayed attached.

Locks were the main reason for my choice of Barrecrafter. The rack itself locks. I don't mind that the bike isn't locked to the rack because I use a Kryponite NY Lock (thick chain). Previously I had a frame locking rack. There was no fork mount. The bicycle was stolen. The thief turned the lock and it broke easily.

Keeping the bike inside the car whenever possible is what I do usually.

Anonymous's picture
Herb (not verified)

I have a Thule. It's also easy to put the bike on. I have the one where the front wheel is removed. Don't know how Thule's prices compare with other racks. Just make sure you get the correct feet to fit your roof.

Anonymous's picture
Art (not verified)
Re: Car Roof Racks

"I would avoid any Thule rack that uses the ""Velo Vise"" fork attachment. These reportedly don't grab the two fork dropouts equally, allowing the bike to bike to rock. Some folks have reported broken dropouts as a result.

I personally favor Yakima racks. Their round crossbars also give you more flexibility.

Art"

Anonymous's picture
Robin (not verified)
thule velo vise

"I have never had any difficulty with the Velo vise feature of my Thule roof rack. I've had the rack over 2 years and use it almost weekly during the summer. When tightened properly (and the bike is seated properly), it grabs the fork dropouts just fine and the bike is completely stable. I've never heard reports of broken dropouts.

I made the mistake of backing into a low overhead with my bike on top--and while the back wheel separated from the frame, the fork stayed mounted nice and tight! (do not attempt this ""test"" yourself!)

As for round crossbars, I'm not sure why these would be more flexible. I would think the flat top of the square bars would be more stable, personally."

Anonymous's picture
Art (not verified)
Thule Velo Vise

"Do a google groups search at:

http://groups.google.com/

And enter:

""Thule rack broke fork""

This has happened more than once.

As for the round vs. square crossbars, if the roof of the car is curved, the round bars allow you to adjust the attachments to the front and rear crossbars to get them parallel.

Art

"

Anonymous's picture
Robin (not verified)
google search

Art, As I said, I was speaking only from personal experience. I'm completely satisfied with my Thule and that's what I wanted to express in order to give balance to your anti-Thule opinion -- especially since you aren't a Thule owner yourself ;-) However, Google searches are indeed helpful when trying to make informed decisions.

For the original poster of this thread, one thing I did want to add about Thule is they have excellent customer service and can replace even the tiniest of parts if needed with just a phone call to them directly.

Anonymous's picture
Herb (not verified)

I must agree with Robin. I have 4 trays on one car and have never experienced any problems. I use it for both road and mountain bikes. I once made the mistake of not clamping down the rear wheel, it swung off the roof but the fork was held in at the mount. This occured at 60mph.
One problem with using racks where the whole bike is mounted is height. A short person might experience some difficulty loading the bike on the roof. Both Thule and Yakima sell both types of racks. I'm sure other manufacturers do also.
Best of luck on your choice.

Anonymous's picture
Tom Laskey (not verified)
Another vote for Yakima

I use a Yakima roof rack where the whole bike is mounted with an attachment that grabs the downtube. It is a snap to get the bikes on and off and I've never detected even a hint that the bikes are in danger of coming off even at high speeds. Such a setup is not recommended for carbon frames, Yakima makes a different rack that attaches to one of the cranks (Anklebiter). And of course for the vertically challenged, there is a model that attaches to the front wheel dropouts like those described in the previous posts.

- Tom

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