kikaso

Hello, all.

New poster here, longtime reader.

My wife and I are the proud owners of a 1974 Schwinn Speedster and 1970 Schwinn Suburban--both three-speeds. I've upgraded some bits over the years, (shorter gearing, upgraded brakes and pedals, rebuilt hubs, etc.) and we really love riding them around NYC. We've been wanting to transport the bikes so that we could ride out in the country but there aren't many solutions for 50lbs bikes.

I've thought about getting a hitch-mounted rack but that would be costly since I don't already have a hitch on my car and I'd have to get a 3- or 4 bike rack to hold 100lbs+ worth of bikes. We own a Subaru Impreza hatch and we do have a roof rack with crossover bars. I'm comfortable lifting the bikes that high but I haven't found roof-mounted racks with good reviews that can carry such heavy bikes so I figured I'd check on Classic & Vintage.

Although the front wheel on the Speedster is easy to remove and install, the Suburban has a front basket which eliminates roof racks that require front wheel removal. Stacking them inside is also not ideal since it takes a lot of work to get them in/out and bikes sometimes get dirty.

Any suggestions? How do folks with heavy bikes transport them?

jefnvk

Are they really 50#?

I put my mid-30# bikes on my roof rack all the time. My MTB-converted tourer is right around 35#, it goes in a Thule 599 Big Mouth with the front tire on. Not really sure that an extra 15# would make a difference, but I am not going to tell you it is good to do. Also have a fork mount Inno rack on the other side for bikes that can have the wheel removed, again no issues into the 30# range.

I will ask if you have tried lifting the bikes that high, though. Strength is not the key issue, it is the ability to balance the bike from down low, especially if you have heavy things like a basket up high. I generally have to grab low on the seat post and the bottom half of the fork to get my bikes high enough to get on the roof of my Fusion, and if there is any wind it can be a bit of a struggle to balance, lift, and place.

davester

Your bikes are not that out of the ordinary. Any Yakima or Thule rooftop rack will have a weight rating way higher than 50 lbs per bike and 100 lbs combined and both brands make several mounts that don't require removing the front wheel. Just go to their websites and plug in your car specs for information. That said, I would not want to be lifting one of those bikes up onto a roof.

cdmurphy

Like previous posters said, most any roof rack will probably handle the weight just fine, even if it's technically over the stated maximum. I haven't used the roof version personally, but I have a hitch mounted rack from 1UP. They use the same trays for the roof version, so I would be confidant in recommending them. They make a standard version that is good for maybe 40 lbs, and a heavy version up to something like 75lbs. After a nuclear war, all that will remain will be the cockroaches, and these 1up racks. (Not cheap, but you get a lot for your money.)

kikaso

Thanks, everyone for the responses.

To answer jefnvk's question, yes they really are about 50lbs. I weighed the Speedster and it weights 47lbs. The Suburban I'm sure weighs more as it has a basket in the front. I've tried lifting the bike and it works as long as my wife is helping with balance and placement.

cdmurphy, I've thought about the rack from 1UP. It seems to check all of the boxes and the weight rating covers our bikes. My only concern would be that our bikes have full fenders front and rear and that might interfere with the rack's arms. They have a fender cushion that I'm hesitant to try as it might bend the fender stays while snug.

jefnvk

FWIW, I can get my bike with full fenders on the fork mount rack.

But in either case, I like the Thule Big Mouth for keeping the wheels on my MTB tourer. It has worked well for me.