v70cat

I found this post by Toeball:
Just slide the bolts into the slot on the Whispbar and drop the carrier onto them. Uses the stock hardware provided. For the rear I took the plastic off the carrier and drilled a hole to allow the bolt to pass through. Nothing hangs below the Whispbars and the roof opens fine with everything in place.


https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread...269956&page=14

I figured I could do the same.

His photo, the second post on page 14, looks like great.

kneed2wrydemore

How many bikes do you regularly carry? If the answer is one, save your money and carry it inside. Roof racks are a pain. Good luck with whatever you choose.

v70cat

The rack is to allow me to take our bikes on vacation when the car is full of baggage.

nhluhr

Ditto. Most days, the rack is off my car leaning in the garage. I only use it when I need to carry the extras for a long trip.

8Lives

I find this debate a little bizarre, but I find lot's on the 41 strange. Roof Racks = better FOR ME because:

1. Putting a 10k bike on the back just makes no sense TO ME at all. Yes, it is probably covered by insurance. But do I really want to go through that because some minivan backed into me at 5mph at Starbucks? Great way to take a minor no damage thing and make it a major problem.
2. It's nice to be able to open the rear when the bike is on the car
3. Muddy mountain bikes never go inside, if it is only me the road bike does.
4. Racks also hold other things I don't want inside - boards and skis.

I use Thule Rapid Aero bars and Echelon racks on my Volvo VC60. Works FOR ME. Emphasis added to denote a purely personal opinion and reasoning. You should do what makes you feel all warm and toasty inside :-).

kneed2wrydemore

OP mentions "the bike" in the original post. Then mentions a Cervelo later on. These 2 comments lead me to believe he wants to carry "a bike." He mentions nothing about muddy mountain bikes or other objects. In this case (FOR ME) I would put it in the trunk.

JohnJ80

Well, there are no lack of stories of people running expensive bikes on top of cars into garages.... One way another idiot wrecks your bike when you get rear ended. The other way the idiot driving (you) does it in a self inflicted way. Either way, the bike is toast. You can choose if you can be mad at someone else instead of mad at yourself.

J.

nhluhr

There's nothing more annoying than driving in a warm car to a winter trailhead, getting your skis out and sticking your nice warm skins to them, then having snow/ice collect on the skis and skins because they are warm and melting the snow, then having to carry all that icy buildup uphill with you.

8Lives

Exactly. I would much rather take responsibility for my own actions than trust someone else not to trash my bike and then blame them if they do.

kandyredcoi

lol u guys are funny, putting a bike in the car instead of a roof rack = uberfail....to me cyclist with out a proper rack are
1. broke as F**K
2. cheap skate
3. not serious about cycling
my.02

have some self respect, get a rack...and i dont mean those $30 strap ons from walmart LOL

KiuBWhy

Lookout, we've been trolled!

nhluhr

You moron. Judging how somebody transports their bicycle above how they ride it is about the fredliest thing you could possibly do. The only worse thing you could have said was "if they don't shave, they are not serious cyclists".

Half the guys that drive to the main rides I do just put it in their trunks or backseat because it's easy.

kandyredcoi

^call it what you want...to me thats just whack...i dont care what u say LOL

kandyredcoi

of course you have, u dont like what one person has to say, u get butt hurt then you call them a troll....good comeback genius

KiuBWhy

Thanks, I've always considered myself of above average mental standing. Bu-but, this is...simply amazing. I'm a confirmed GENIUS!

runningDoc

well there's two schools of thought here. its like how in southern california 100+ year old wood houses are still standing even after many many huge earthquakes: because of how wood structures + great craftsmanship enable the houses to sway and have give.

the other is how brick/stone houses are great for coastal areas with high winds.

I have no doubt that the whole bike carriers (like the thule big mouth) are great and can hold up bikes in gale winds and even in sudden braking situations.


the only time I had the fork mount mech come undone was when I tightened it too tight (thinking it was "more secure" tighter). it came undone, but the fork never actually came out it was still clamped in but the clamp was halfway undone (I probably drove about 150miles that way).

I figured out that you don't need to clamp down with the quick release mech too tight. Just clamp down with moderate torque and it will actually provide a little give (which is a good thing for the dropouts).

i'm still concerned about how the frame mount/downtube contact point on a carrier like the thule big mouth will stress a carbon downtube. Especially a thin walled large diameter carbon downtube.

sudden breaking and strong cross winds will stress the carbon in specific points that was never intended.

if it isn't carbon then the whole bike carriers with downtube supports should pose no problems at all.

v70cat,

there are a lot of questions you need to consider:

what car are you going to install the bike carrier on?
- if its a car thats lower in height (like a sedan/station wagon) then a roof rack is a great option because getting bikes on top of the car is easy. but if its a taller mini-van/suv then getting a heavy bike on top of a already 6ft+ tall car is going to be a b*tch.

where are you going to drive it?
- are you going to be in city situation with cabs and tailgaiters who will not hesitate to bump and run? (I drive mostly in brooklyn and manhattan and I like having good rear view sightlines and parallel parking ability).

if you're really concerned about pricing then consider buying a whole complete system. thule offers a system (here on amazon) which has the towers, roof rails and locks for around $250. From there just buy which bike carrier(s) you think is best. also craigslist sometimes has sellers selling off their whole system for cheap because they are switching over to a new car [for example]. I've seen NY craigslistings sell off their whole system with multiple bike racks for $200. In your case if you can buy the car dealer (re-badged) racks for cheaper then go for it. Its possible to actually figure out what the rack is just by eyeballing it (if its a thule/yakima/ect even the specific model).

elzy0000

All mounted up. Whispbar and Frontloaders.

runningDoc

There are numerous tests and reviews for the different racks. Amazon/Outside Magazine/internet will provide you with free reviews as well as the numerous user reviews right in this thread alone.

Its been mentioned a ton that car branded roof rack/rails/bike carriers are just re-branded models from the big manufacturers. A lot of the time car dealerships will have them for lower prices because they purchased them in bulk/have a contract with the rack brand, and will have discontinued rack models that need to be moved. If a re-branded rack is available for cheaper then by all means buy it -especially if its specific to your make and model car.

come on that's unfair. there's tons of R&D that goes into these racks. if you can make a simple rack go ahead and do it, but there's proof of the extensive (and expensive looking) research and testing that is implemented on these racks. with a simple google/youtube search:




Its a simple product, but clearly there's science, research, development, and innovation involved. Sure it can get expensive, but there's aformentioned ways on getting it for cheaper (craigslist/buying whole system packages/dealer rebranded rack models/stealing your neighbors kewl yakima roof rack).

patentcad

Try not to be a complete and utter friggin imbecile.

kandyredcoi

dont get all your panties in a bunch, so u dont agree with what i said...relax...too funny

kandyredcoi

looks good, hows it with a bike on top?

v70cat

Ok to review:

1)My car a 08 BMW 535XIT (wagon with roof rails) The fastest stock Wagon made.
2) The Bike a Cervelo road bike. On of the best road bikes made but given the engine it is not very fast.

3) My current choise Whipsbars cross bars because they fit flush with the roof rails and should offer the least noise. They also look better.
4) The bike rack, going with a whole wheel system not fork; because it is easier and safer.
5) The question at hand which bike rack to get? Since I will have Yakima Whipsbars I would think that I should also get Yakima bike rack. My first choise is Highroller but others are suggesting Frontloader?

v70cat

Here is a photo of the Whipsbars with Highroller:

patentcad

Roof racks are too stupid for words, and if I have to explain why, it's a problem.

v70cat

Funny but it seems that every Sag Wagon uses roof racks? Is every pro team stupid?