Need suggestions for a roof mounted bike rack
04-13-20, 05:40 PM
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Need suggestions for a roof mounted bike rack
Previously, I have hauled my bike using a hitch mounted bike rack. However, I just traded in my previous vehicle, which had a towing hitch. My new vehicle does not have one. I looked into adding one but it is crazy expensive (over $1000) and because of the way it has to be installed, it can't be done by a 3rd party. Since the only thing I would use the towing hitch for is the bike rack, that seems like a bad idea. My new vehicle did come with roof rails though so I'm thinking the solution is to by a roof rack. My current bike is a steel framed gravel grinder, but I may be upgrading to a carbon fiber framed road bike in the near future so I want something safe for both. I'd also like to leave it installed when not in use so I need something that folds flat when not in use. I've looked at the Thule UpRide, Yakima HighRoad and Yakima FrontLoader. What opinions do you have on these? I did read a review that said the Thule UpRide was not safe for road bikes, but that was an Amazon review so not sure how much weight to give that. What others should I be looking at? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
04-13-20, 06:45 PM
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Installing a hitch reciever for a bike rack shouldn't be that expensive. Keep in mind, all you need is the reciever, not the lighting hookup or brake control interface. (Sounds like a German car, lol)
Any of those racks are a good choice for a wheel-on carrier that doesn't grab the downtube (better for CF frames) Thule and Yakima are pretty much the standard of the business, so you can't go wrong there.
The bigger question as far as which brand will be dependent on the rack/towers/crossbars. Sometimes one brand has a better system for a particular vehicle.
Also, is this something you want to leave mounted year-round, or just mount up once in a while?
Any of those racks are a good choice for a wheel-on carrier that doesn't grab the downtube (better for CF frames) Thule and Yakima are pretty much the standard of the business, so you can't go wrong there.
The bigger question as far as which brand will be dependent on the rack/towers/crossbars. Sometimes one brand has a better system for a particular vehicle.
Also, is this something you want to leave mounted year-round, or just mount up once in a while?
04-13-20, 06:50 PM
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Do you park in a garage or really like your Starbucks/mcd's/DD drive thru? If so skip the whole idea. Personally I like Thule and was planning on getting the upside to handle the bikes with fatter frame tubes then my current thule carriers can handle. Don't know why it wouldn't work with a road bike.
odd on the hitch, does the cost include the completely unnecessary wiring that a hitch rack has no use for? Did uhaul tell you there's nothing? Cause according to Mazda there isn't one for mine but 2 hours and 400 later I pulled away with their trailer in tow. Would have been 250 but I wanted wiring.
odd on the hitch, does the cost include the completely unnecessary wiring that a hitch rack has no use for? Did uhaul tell you there's nothing? Cause according to Mazda there isn't one for mine but 2 hours and 400 later I pulled away with their trailer in tow. Would have been 250 but I wanted wiring.
04-13-20, 07:19 PM
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Do you park in a garage or really like your Starbucks/mcd's/DD drive thru? If so skip the whole idea. Personally I like Thule and was planning on getting the upside to handle the bikes with fatter frame tubes then my current thule carriers can handle. Don't know why it wouldn't work with a road bike.
odd on the hitch, does the cost include the completely unnecessary wiring that a hitch rack has no use for? Did uhaul tell you there's nothing? Cause according to Mazda there isn't one for mine but 2 hours and 400 later I pulled away with their trailer in tow. Would have been 250 but I wanted wiring.
odd on the hitch, does the cost include the completely unnecessary wiring that a hitch rack has no use for? Did uhaul tell you there's nothing? Cause according to Mazda there isn't one for mine but 2 hours and 400 later I pulled away with their trailer in tow. Would have been 250 but I wanted wiring.
Yes, this is something I plan to leave installed all year.
