Roof racks - what should I know?

[The expat cyclist]

Right, so I need to get a roof rack for my car. Never had one before, so I am a bit clueless as to the cons side of this.

 

Now I know it increases fuel consumption...not worried about that so much since I did not buy the car for its fuel economy.

 

My biggest concern is possible damage that the rack can cause to the paint of the car...does it?

 

Once the rack is fitted, do I leave it on if I am not going to use it for say a month, do I take it off?

How much of a mission would that be?

 

Fork mount or frame mount?

 

Oh and other than forgetting that the bikes are on the roof, what else should I know about roof racks?

[BaGearA]

Take the bike off before going into the garage

[The expat cyclist]

Take the bike off before going into the garage

Ja nee ok fine. Post it note on the steering wheel?

Having a sunroof might also help not forgetting the cargo on the roof.

[The expat cyclist]

So it appears that my question has completely bamboozled the hub? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

[Jewbacca]

I dunno... I keep my bike in the car to avoid people running away with it... It isn't 100% fool proof but it seems to be a bit more reliable than locking a bike rack judging by the number of horror stories I've seen here!

[Escapee..]

Right, so I need to get a roof rack for my car. Never had one before, so I am a bit clueless as to the cons side of this.

 

Now I know it increases fuel consumption...not worried about that so much since I did not buy the car for its fuel economy.

 

My biggest concern is possible damage that the rack can cause to the paint of the car...does it?

 

Once the rack is fitted, do I leave it on if I am not going to use it for say a month, do I take it off?

How much of a mission would that be?

 

Fork mount or frame mount?

 

Oh and other than forgetting that the bikes are on the roof, what else should I know about roof racks?

 

 

I used a Thule Roof Rack for quite some time.

 

Had no issues with damage at all. Fits very well and the guys at Thule showed me how to take it off and put it back on again.

 

I kept it on the Roof 99% of the time as it was a mission to store iwithout taking it apart.

 

Never felt like I was going to forget about it, was always aware of it. 

 

Worked very well for me

[Long Wheel Base]

Right, so I need to get a roof rack for my car. Never had one before, so I am a bit clueless as to the cons side of this.

 

Now I know it increases fuel consumption...not worried about that so much since I did not buy the car for its fuel economy.

 

My biggest concern is possible damage that the rack can cause to the paint of the car...does it?

Depends what style/brand you get and what car you have.

 

Once the rack is fitted, do I leave it on if I am not going to use it for say a month, do I take it off?

How much of a mission would that be?

I fitted racks to my wife's car and just leave them on, It actually looks better IMHO

 

Fork mount or frame mount?

Personal preference but I prefer frame.

 

Oh and other than forgetting that the bikes are on the roof, what else should I know about roof racks?

My wife has a qashqai and it has rails on the roof as standard. So the thule bars I got have wide rubber straps that wrap around the rails so there is no damage to any paint/body work.

I only have thule on both cars so can't comment on quality of other brands but thule is really easy to use and I won't be changing brands any time soon.

[s14phoenix]

Your question perhaps needs to specify also exactly which kind of roof rack you are going to fit. There is many different kinds - some with suck on mounts, Some with mounts that fit existing/oem rails. some that fit specific vehicle mounts place on the car by the manufacturer and then ones that clamp on...

[s14phoenix]

And as a side note... dirt and dust gets in everywhere and micro vibrations over extended time frames cause damage. So generally speaking - yes it will cause some sort of damage and scratching - this also depends which kind you decide to fit.

[Andrew64]

I cannot comment on paintwork damage as I have rails, I do use the frame mount it is easier to load.  Drop me a pm whichever way you decide I may have a couple for sale.

[Long Wheel Base]

So it appears that my question has completely bamboozled the hub? Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Or we where all in bed doing better stuff than cruising bikehub.

[Ferro]

Bars fitted onto the prefitted rails of my car pretty much stay there. The bike rack itself however gets removed by me when not in use or it will probably be removed by others.  Only have Thule bars and roof racks but had such awesome support from Holdfast on a towbar mounted rack recently that i would look favorably at their range next time.

[TwiggzSA]

The square tubing whistles like crazy on the open road. It'll drive you crazy before you get to where you're going. Even more than that taxi that cuts through traffic in the emergency lane!

 

This is one area where you should cough up the bit extra to get the wing bars instead of the square bars.

[BaGearA]

Ja nee ok fine. Post it note on the steering wheel?

Having a sunroof might also help not forgetting the cargo on the roof.

My friend always fixed his keys to the bike , so when he gets home he HAS to get out to get them and in turn always remembers to take off the bikes

[bertusras]

Yeah I've been using roof racks for about a year now with great success. First was the clamp on type above the door arches. Just make sure everything is 100% and free of dust before fitting your footpacks. Once they are on it's fit and forget. I don't really bother with taking mine off as I use them just about every other weekend, if not every week. The only time I would take them off, is if I'm going to be driving a long distance at speed without the need for the racks, obviously.

 

Then, like another poster said, wing bars make a massive difference to the additional sound generated. 

 

Then, sticky note on the windscreen ensures that you always have that reminder in your periphery for looking up and constantly thinking about hazards above.

 

I have the FreeRide carriers, which are apparently a bit more secure than the latest ProRide, but neither are totally safe. For additional safety I put a cable lock around the bike and carrier/rack when I park for extended periods, and I always try to keep it within sight.

 

It's fairly quick to get off and on, but I have severe OCD so everything needs to be equidistant and perpendicular, so setup takes a while for me. However the convenience of quickly popping your bike onto the roof and shooting off is pure bliss, I absolutely love it, that's why my racks stay on all the time.

 

Any more specific questions, give me a shout!

[MintSauce]

My personal experience was not great, but it depends how often you'll use them. I was doing 250-300km every week at highway speeds with bikes mounted. I stopped using roof racks simply because my bikes were getting trashed.

Bug guts are not kind to bicycles. Some steel parts, like bolts, spokes and front derailleur cage for example, started rusting. Even some aluminium parts appeared to be corroding.

If I had the time to wash the bikes after every such trip, it would probably have helped, but it was simply not possible in my case.