General > Gear

Roof rack

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nick:
i've got the thule t2 behind the jeep.  has the wheel wratchet type system like the picture above.  love that thing, very secure.  But if i was to put one on top of the car i would stay away from the ones that strap to the down tube and keep both wheels on.  i got behind a racer coming home on the parkway and his bike was vibrating like crazy on the roof of his car.  maybe it wasn't installed right but i can't imagine this guy not putting it on right.  the wind with that mount setup made it dance around like crazy up on top.  personally i'd probably go with one that the front wheel came off until i saw another one in person that didn't move around or vibrate so much.  those rocky mounts look nice and mount to many different types of bars.  i mean who wouldn't want a bright green rack uptop???

bentcrank,  you ever had anyone following you say anything about your bike moving/vibrating alot?  I would think the tire pressure may help secure it where as that clamp jaw thing to the downtube may move more as you wouldn't want to clamp it as hard.

chuckc1971:
Like Eric, I've had many roof-mounted racks. For most intents, I don't see a tremendous difference between Yakima and Thule. The retention straps are marginally better over time on the Thule. The newer tray-type racks' mounts allow the use of either brand's rack on round or square load bars. On my old Jeep, I had Yakima bars and rail mounts, one Thule T2 tray rack, one Yakima Fork mount rack, one Yakima downtube mount rack and a Thule fairing. They all worked fine. The downtube mount rack would allow some bike shaking side-side, but I drove from OCP to East end of Louisville during Hurricane Ike with three bikes overhead and no issues.

I just bought an Element a few months back and haven enjoyed putting my bike inside. Despite having all the gear to mount my rack system overhead, I will probably purchase a Kuat hitch mount tray-type NV rack. It is all Aluminum (read: lighter), has an integral cable locking system, a built-in repair stand, and capacity to add 2 trays. I will keep it permanently mounted and folded up when not in use. It has a nice lock system.

bentcrank:
Yes I have had bikes move side to side some on this rack. It all depends on your tire/air pressure and where the clamp locks in to place. The thing is, it can come way loose and it would still not fall off the rack.

Actually my cross rails flex and cause more movement then the wheel mount usually does.

I have had the fork mounted racks, but then you have to mess with a dirty wheel. I have had 3 wheels come off of the fork mount that goes on the rack too, so I quit using them.

I also have had some racks cause issues with the front fork. I have blown several oil dampeners and some air forks because the spacing of the mount was not exactly correct and put my fork in a stressful position for the ride. I no longer put my bike on that rack once I figure out the issue. I would think any new Yakima or Thule would not cause that issue, but in a windy situation it still puts quite a force on there.

bentcrank:

--- Quote from: raybob4321 on March 01, 2011, 12:40:46 PM ---I'm looking to have a single rack on the roof for the quick run across town or a solo trip to Waverly instead of removing/replacing the hitch rack all the time. Security is also an important factor that the sidewinder might not provide parked downtown.

--- End quote ---

The arm and/or tray has an optional lock. You can also run a cable to the rails.

Flanderflop:
If you have stock cross bars,  go with the Rocky Mountains Noose.  They mount on anything and I have had great luck with them.  If you use a Yakima or Thule system you will have to use their loadbars which gets pricy real quick.  On my old Yukon what would have been a $400 system cost me $80/tray with Rocky mounts and the rack system lasted longer than the truck.

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