Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
ndwgolf
Posts: 168
Joined: 2 Sep 2018, 2:50am

Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by ndwgolf »

Nigel wrote:
ndwgolf wrote:I planning on taking my new Trek Madone 7 from my home in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to Phuket Thailand...... It's pretty much highway all the way with a maximum speedimit of 110 kh (70 mph). I will be using a Thule roof rack on the back of my pick up truck so half of the bike is protected from the wind due to the cab.
My feelings is I should be okay at 110 to 120 kph.....but wondered if anyone has any other ideas.
Neil


No idea about your roads. ..
Roads in Malaysia are massive 3 &4 lane highways, once you cross the border into Thailand the roads are more A1 like.

I currently take my Mountain bike 60 kilometres (round trip) 3 times a week here in Phuket Thailand on the back of my truck to get away from the crazy driving in Phuket (seriously crazy driving) so that I can ride my bike in Phang-Nga where the roads are very quite and very scenic..........

Neil
simonhill
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by simonhill »

I don't understand. You say that half your bike is protected. Where are you fixing the roof rack? Is it on the cab top or on the sides of the cargo section. If the latter then there might even be extra turbulence.

If you have a pick up, can't you put it flat in the back, maybe take the front wheel off if space is tight. As someone said above, better inside for long distance, use roof for shorter trips.

I'm sure you know about driving on Thai roads better than me, but I cycle there a lot and reckon few vehicles get up to the max speeds. Slow down, take a few days and enjoy the trip.

Of course, you could ride it. I've done this route a few times (albeit missing KL).
ndwgolf
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by ndwgolf »

View from the top....when I go for my ride on Sunday I will get a picture with the bike on the back
Neil
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ndwgolf
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by ndwgolf »

simonhill wrote:I don't understand. You say that half your bike is protected. Where are you fixing the roof rack? Is it on the cab top or on the sides of the cargo section. If the latter then there might even be extra turbulence.

If you have a pick up, can't you put it flat in the back, maybe take the front wheel off if space is tight. As someone said above, better inside for long distance, use roof for shorter trips.

I'm sure you know about driving on Thai roads better than me, but I cycle there a lot and reckon few vehicles get up to the max speeds. Slow down, take a few days and enjoy the trip.

Of course, you could ride it. I've done this route a few times (albeit missing KL).
The long ride from KL to Phuket (~1000 kilometres) is a one off ride just so that I can take my new bike from my home in Malaysia to my home in Phuket, once in Phuket you can barley get over 80 KPH and most of the time its 30 to 40 mph

Neil
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Long "ride" from kl to p, do you mean "drive"? :?
I would put the bike in the cab, on the back seats
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simonhill
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by simonhill »

Thanks for photo Neil, now I understand.

As I said, you may have extra turbulence there, nonetheless,I'd go with the manufacturers recommendations. I regularly put my beloved Surly on the back rack of my VW Camper at up to 100 kph with no problems. Just make sure everything is tight and stop to check after a few kms and then at reasonable intervals. You could also probably put an extra heavy duty strap around it to be sure.

The bottom line is Thule products are good quality and if used properly, I wouldn't worry.

All that said, inside is still best.

Wasn't being too serious about riding it, cos you would then have to ride back to get your truck.
landsurfer
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by landsurfer »

In case i missed a previous post; The Thule website quotes 130kph as the maximum speed with their roof products.
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simonhill
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by simonhill »

You could do a test run with ribbons tied to the bike to see what the turbulence is like.
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TrevA
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by TrevA »

On Friday, I drove from Nottingham to Somerset with 2 bikes on the roof rack, in a Vauxhall Corsa. Dual carraigeway and motorway all the way, Average MPG was 44.7. This compares favourably to to my normal mixed urban/rural driving average of around 43 MPG. The only thing that I did notice was that the car doesn't accelerate as well with 2 bikes on the roof. I had my foot right down on the accelerator to get from 60 to 70 on the motorway, but motorway cruising at the same speed seems unaffected by the bikes.

No problems with driving along at 70 mph with bikes on.
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PT1029
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by PT1029 »

I wonder how much difference it makes according to what you actually put on the rack. A low profile time trial or track bike would be less loading than what I saw this summer being loaded up on a roof rack, an adults bike complete with a Hamax rear child seat (with head protecting bit fitted just for good measure). I dread to think what the loading and fuel consumption was.
I also wonder what Skoda thought of the TdF team cars being driven with 10 - 12 bikes on the roof (or indeed, the bike manufacturers thought, with probably £100k or so of bikes on the roof of a car!)
When I worked in our local bike shop, Thule racks were good because the packaging listed the car models/years it could safely be fitted to (models not listed often having aluminium or fibreglass tail gates that didn't have the strength to take such things).
Mentioned here previously, a neighbours bikes fell off on the M25 - 2 following truck drivers blocked the motorway to allow clearing, 1 truck driver managing to get one of the bikes onto the verge while standing in the middle lane!
rmurphy195
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by rmurphy195 »

Never carried one on a roof rack, but have done on a Witter rear rack (single-pole, fits into a socket on the towbar), experience is that - it depends.

70 mph in still air was fine.

Approaching trucks - the turbulence off the back off the truck from about a trucks length behind on approach, sometimes caused oscillation of the bike and rack.

Likewise crosswinds especially in extreme conditions.

Observations of bikes on roof racks on other vehicles suggests the same issues, bikes that were upside down supported at one end by the handlebars, or those with the front wheel removed and the front forks held onto mounts on the rack (presumably a dummy axle with a quik release) always look more stable than bikes held upright on the wheels, with a clamp onto the frame. Especially those seen with saddlbags/panniers etc. actually attached to the bike!

Maybe have a wizz up and down the motorway and see if you cn observe any problems for yourself.

The biiiig -ve from my viewpoint is low barriers/bridges etc. - as a colleague found to his expense, he remembered the bikes on the roof as he turned into a roadside car park - just as they got swiped off onto the boot of his nice new car ...
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ndwgolf
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by ndwgolf »

Another view
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Norman H
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by Norman H »

When I carry my bike on the roof of the car I deploy a pair of guy lines from the saddle rails to the roof rails. A trucker's hitch helps to get them tight.
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craigbroadbent
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by craigbroadbent »

I would like to point out that The Trek Madone 7 is Carbon framed.

https://www.trekchicago.com/how-to/carbon-bicycle-and-component-care-pg193.htm

Car Racks
Car racks that clamp to the frame tubes should not be used because of the enormous loads concentrated in a small area. Likewise, when using racks that clamp the fork, never pull sideways (and be careful not to lose your balance, which can cause this) when removing the bike because this can break the dropouts (fork tips). Always fully loosen the fork mount and then lift until the fork is clear of the mount before removing the bike. And with tall-section carbon wheels, you may need to use a different, longer strap. Use caution to protect the rim with pipe insulation or something that keeps the strap from compressing or chafing the rim as it gets jostled when you're driving.

Can I recommend tyre grip rear rack, save some fuel and carbon frame friendly.
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ndwgolf
Posts: 168
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Re: Maximum recommend speed with bike on roof rack

Post by ndwgolf »

Well here she is on the back of my truck.
Image
I set Cruze control to 110 kL/hr and did that most of the 900 kilometers from KL to Phuket without incident
Can’t wait to go for a ride tomorrow
Neil


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