Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Ehi
Posts: 50
Joined: 5 May 2020, 11:56am

Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by Ehi »

hello guys
I am looking at roof mounted bike racks. As I am told via youtube that they are better for long distance travel and less hassles. As you dont get dirt on the bikes or have hassles with your number plate or accidental scratches etc



Secondly I have been looking at reasonable affordable ones e.g. A number online are below £40. I am hoping there are not hidden charges ???

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/accessor ... lsrc=aw.ds

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-r ... 35780.html


What do you guys think ? experience ? and what do you recommend ?

I have 2 bikes (one for myself and one for my daughter) and drive 5 hours round trip to see my daughter

many thanks
Ehi
tatanab
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Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by tatanab »

Both of those are just the wheel fittings etc, you still need to buy roof bars appropriate to your car.
roubaixtuesday
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Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by roubaixtuesday »

I used to have the halfords ones, these look similar to the ones I had.

My experience:
They damage your bike's paintwork
They are fiddly to fit.
They're awkward to get your bike on.

The Thule ones are vastly better, but alas vastly more expensive too.

And as noted above, fixings and bars will be a substantial cost too.

A suggestion that if it's with just one or two people in the car, some minor dismantling (both wheels and pedals off at very worst) will probably enable you to get them inside, which is also much more fuel efficient if cost is a concern (roof mounted is the least fuel efficient way to carry).
rfryer
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Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by rfryer »

Until very recently, I've always made every effort to carry the bike inside the car, both for the health of the bike, and for fuel economy.

However, it does tend to result in done minor damage to the car trim over time.

I've recently bought a Rockbros suction cup roof rack, a cheaper version of the Seasucker, to use with a new car. I'm very happy with it; easy to attach to the car (and to remove), and holds two bikes firmly.
peetee
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Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by peetee »

San Remo Elite every time.
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igauk
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Location: Glasgow

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by igauk »

These people (https://www.roofbox.co.uk/) have always been good on range, price, delivery etc. and you can find the exact combination of bars, rack etc for your car. I've had good experiences of Atera and Thule.
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Chris56
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Joined: 3 May 2020, 9:30pm

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by Chris56 »

I would avoid the cheap steel carriers on ebay - don't last 5 minutes. I've recently bought a new car and will be choosing more carefully this time.
ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by ANTONISH »

Personally I would avoid roof racks.
!) It's possible to forget you have them on the roof :(
2) Driving on a motorway in heavy rain isn't good for the bike.
We put our bikes into bike bags and store them inside.
Oldjohnw
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Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by Oldjohnw »

ANTONISH wrote:Personally I would avoid roof racks.
!) It's possible to forget you have them on the roof :(
2) Driving on a motorway in heavy rain isn't good for the bike.
We put our bikes into bike bags and store them inside.


Possibly a challenge with children and a small car.
John
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by pwa »

Oldjohnw wrote:
ANTONISH wrote:Personally I would avoid roof racks.
!) It's possible to forget you have them on the roof :(
2) Driving on a motorway in heavy rain isn't good for the bike.
We put our bikes into bike bags and store them inside.


Possibly a challenge with children and a small car.

My wife has banned me from putting the bike inside the car because of the scuffs that have been inflicted on the car interior :roll:
I may have to look at some sort of bagging arrangement to get her to agree to bikes going into the back of the car once more. With a bit more care.

A friend of ours wrecked a bike on a tow hitch carrier by reversing into a wall, having forgotten the carrier was there, so it isn't just with roof carriers that that sort of thing happens. :lol:
Oldjohnw
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Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by Oldjohnw »

pwa wrote:
Oldjohnw wrote:
ANTONISH wrote:Personally I would avoid roof racks.
!) It's possible to forget you have them on the roof :(
2) Driving on a motorway in heavy rain isn't good for the bike.
We put our bikes into bike bags and store them inside.


Possibly a challenge with children and a small car.

My wife has banned me from putting the bike inside the car because of the scuffs that have been inflicted on the car interior :roll:
I may have to look at some sort of bagging arrangement to get her to agree to bikes going into the back of the car once more. With a bit more care.

A friend of ours wrecked a bike on a tow hitch carrier by reversing into a wall, having forgotten the carrier was there, so it isn't just with roof carriers that that sort of thing happens. :lol:


When I had a young family and we went camping and carried 3/4 bikes it was on the towbar. We were always fully loaded including a roof box so it was almost impossible to forget. But I know I wouldn't dare to carry on the roof, despite all the evidence that is safest. I couldn't get a bike up there now!
John
eileithyia
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Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by eileithyia »

I've carried on top, on the back and inside and I know what I prefer. Bearing in mind sometimes I carried both inside and on the back due to taking more than one type of bike with us...

If it's possible to get inside do so...
2nd option will always be on the back, I never thought the bikes got particularly dirty as a result of being on the back.
If roof bars consider how you will get bikes on if you have reduced strength for any reason..... when I broke my collarbone i could ride a bike and drive but while still having physio to get full mobility and strength back I could not lift my arm high enough, nor had the strength to put a bike on a roof rack.

you could also look at velosocks. https://velosock.com/?rfsn=2229678.8a9498
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ratherbeintobago
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Joined: 5 Dec 2010, 6:31pm

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by ratherbeintobago »

Depends on many factors including what your bikes are made of.

Thule used to suggest that their 591/598 weren't suitable for carbon frames. For metal, they're the ones to go for; 591s can be found substantially cheaper on the 'Bay than new 598s. We have two of each and the differences are:

* Slightly different jaw shape making it marginally easier to get the bike on
* Wheel straps are diagonal rather than than crossing at 90°
* The tightening wheel is a better shape and 'clicks' when it's tightened up to the right torque, apparently because people weren't doing 591 clamps up tight enough.

However, if you're going to be doing this a lot the fuel economy impact is sizeable and a towbar carrier might be better, not to mention the joy of lifting heavy bikes up in the air.
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by pwa »

There was a time when I would drive down to Limousin with two Thorn tandems on the roof of an estate car, and I reckon the mpg went down by about 5. The tandems and racks were just within the recommended max load for the car roof.
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TrevA
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Re: Roof mounted racks ??? - Best choice

Post by TrevA »

I’ve been using roof mounted bike racks since I bought my first car in 1980. Yes, put the bike inside the car if you can, but if you can’t then most roof mounted racks are fine, certainly better than those tailgate bike racks that strap onto the back of your car (yes, I’ve got one of those too).

I wouldn’t use the quoted Halfords bike holder. I had one similar and it “let go” of the bike whilst driving along a thankfully not busy dual carriageway. I’ve used Thule bike-upright racks for the last 15 years, but prior to that and the Halfords one, I used the “ front wheel out” type of holder - shown in your Rutland Cycling link. These are very secure, in my experience. The only problem is where to store the removed front wheel.

I’ve never forgotten that the bike was on top, and driven under a barrier, but I’ve seen it done a few times. If you are considering a tow bar mounted rack, you have to factor in the cost of a tow bar - £1000 on my VW!
Last edited by TrevA on 23 Jun 2020, 7:04pm, edited 1 time in total.
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