[Bialy]

Could anyone give a primer on the different types of car roof racks? Advantages, disadvantages? Informative links are welcomed. Thanks.

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[andrelam]

There are a few main ftypes out there:

1. Front wheel off - These types are racks are good if your bike as quick release wheels. This will cause your bike to be a bit lower to the car and should be more stable that the other kinds. I personly find it a pain to take the wheel on and off. I do have quick disconnects on both the road bike and hybrid, but the hybrid also has a generator hub, I don't want to connect and disconnect that too often and risk damaging the electrical connector.

2. Whole bike on the car - This is a somewhat never catagory and it comes in a few different version:

2a. Both Thule and Yakima make a unit that clamps on the down tube. There is also a strap at each wheel to hold them in place. I have two Thule units like this and like them a lot. It works with a wide range of bike, and you just lift it in place and pull it off. The bike will be fully ready to do.

2b. This is similar to 2a, except the there is a spring loaded clamp that either attaches to the front wheel (this doesn't work well if you have fenders on all your bikes), or attaches to the top tube. Like 2a. The nice thing is that the bike just goes one and off without needing to do any adjustments.

There may be other types out there, but these are the main ones am aware of. I bought both my Thule bike holders off ebay. The first one was Volvo branded (but made by Thule) and bought it along with the Volvo crossbars I needed for my specific car. The second one was a slightly older style Thule. Both work fine. I paid about $50 for each. You can buy this type new for around $100 per bike (not including any cross bars).

Here is what I like about roof top racks - I keep having access to the rear of my station wagon. With either a trailer hitch or direct mount, getting to the rear of the car is nearly impossible. There are some racks that can tilt, but they are expensive. The bikes also remain appart from eachother. With the rear racks they tend to push up against eachother and I've see some derailers get bent a little if the bikes were not lines up just right.

Here is what I don't like about a roof top rack: Wind resistance. My highway mileage definitey takes a hit. With $4 per gallon fuel cost this is noticeable if you take the bikes somewhere farther away.

Happy riding,
André

[masiman]

+1 to what Andrelam posted. I would add these points to his writeup.

- There is extra expense with the fold away rear hitch racks, however I think the cost is still less than a complete roof top system.
- An additional disadvantage to roof systems is that the bikes can be forgotten about, and then you drive into the garage and (typically) ripping off the rack and totaling the bike(s).
- An advantage of the wheel off roof mounts is that the bike is easier to hoist into position.
- An advantage of the rooftop systems is the flexibility to mount many different things (kayaks, boxes, bags, skids, snowboard, hanglider, canoe, etc.)
- Rear hitch mounts are pretty much limited to bike racks and cargo boxes. You could make an argument that the hitch mount tables and bbq's are options, but I think I have seen one or two in the thousands of hitches I have seen, but I don't hang out a tailgate parties much either.

[Zephyr11]

Both Yakima and Thule make good racks...those things last a long time and work just fine for bikes. If you're carrying snowboard/ski gear, you might want to consider Thule over Yakima, since the crossbars are rectangular rather than round, and since the snowboard holders only clamp to one crossbar they may rotate on a round bar. And the trays are interchangeable now, so if you buy a Thule rack, you can still buy Yakima trays.

Consider Rocky Mounts for the trays themselves. They make a little more noise than Yakima and Thule trays, but they're typically half the price, and it's not like the bike is going to fall off of them. And they'll fit on both Yakima and Thule racks.

I really prefer fork mounts. I think the bike is a lot more stable up there. The downside to a fork mount is you have to store the front wheel in the car (though you CAN buy roof mounted wheel holders, but I really don't trust them for highway speeds). Also, if you have disc breaks, you *might* need a fork adapter (some do, some don't...depends on the fork...I think I remember hearing some Manitous have problems, for example). You'll also need an adapter if you have a Cannondale lefty.

Uprights have the advantage of not having to take off the front wheel, though the bike looks less stable to me (it's doubtful it's actually going anywhere though). Also, the fork/breaks don't matter. Additionally, I think I remember reading that you shouldn't use a downtube clamp on a carbon bike.

A fairing will help with road noise and gas mileage. Your mileage will still take a hit though.

Before you get in the car and drive home, put your garage door opener in your bike glove. Good reminder so you don't garage your bike. Still have to be careful with parking garages and the like though.

[Floyd]

Was in the bike shop just this morning and a couple was looking for rack...guy said get a "trailer hitch" mount for all the above reasons. More expensive though, if you do not have the 'trailer hitch' already.