Roof Rack Poll

[Squirrel Girl]

Tuesday night at Wakefield we got to chatting about roof racks (which I'm thinking of getting). It was thought by JoeR that everyone who owns a roof rack has either driven into a parking garage, or knows someone who has, or has come within inches (or feet of doing it).

Edit>> I can't seem to edit the poll answers, just this message. Please select "Two or more are true" if you know two or more people who have crashed their bikes.

[cloughja]

I've never done it and don't know anybody who has (outside of the horror stories read online), but in all fairness... I haven't lived anywhere with a garage for 7 years.

[Buddylee]

well, i've had a roof rack for 3 years and thought i would never run into anything. But, recently my routine changed, and to make a long story short i did run my bike into the garage at work. :( Out of all the people i know who ride, which is most of the people i know, most have had some sort of run in with a obstacle and a roof racked bike.

[drevil]

Tuesday night at Wakefield we got to chatting about roof racks (which I'm thinking of getting). It was thought by JoeR that everyone who owns a roof rack has either driven into a parking garage, or knows someone who has, or has come within inches (or feet of doing it).

Edit>> I can't seem to edit the poll answers, just this message. Please select "Two or more are true" if you know two or more people who have crashed their bikes.
On the first day I owned a Yakima roof rack, I discovered that a mountain bike mounted on top of an Audi 4000 is taller than a Volkswagen Vanagon. I figured that since I can get into a parking garage fine with the tall Vanagon, I should be able to get into it just as easily with the roof rack and bike. Not so. I heard the top of the saddle scraping, so I backed up, and BANG! The whole rack, w/ bike still in its mount, landed on the hood of my car. That was 14 years ago, and I learned my lesson.


JoeP has a really cool bike!

{edited out: JoeP has run into garages twice. The second time was so bad he had to replace the integrated railings on his Passat.}

[Buddylee]

BTW, JoeP has run into garages twice. The second time was so bad he had to replace the integrated railings on his Passat.

Way to throw Joe under the bus, i love it! :D

[drevil]

Way to throw Joe under the bus, i love it! :D

Er, oops! Sorry Joe. :o

Uhhh, JoeP is an amazing rider, much smarter than me, and more handsomer, to boot! Does that make up for it? :D

[Dirt]

17 years ago I peeled my bike off the roof of my Subaru. No dammage to the rack or car. It bent a bar end on the bike.

I've heard so many more problems with back racks than roof mounted racks. I see people with scorched tires from being placed immediately behind the exhaust pipe, people dragging bikes, bikes being dislodged when going over a speedbump, etc.

I much prefer a roof rack. You do tend to notice the clearance signs a bit more. I don't even try anything with clearance less than 9'.

Pete

[pgendell]

I have a friend who has a rack on top of his Ford Explorer. He ran into a tree branch when he took a wrong turn leaving Susquehanna last summer. He had to have his fork repaired, which cost him somewhere near $400.

[piperj]

OK, for the poll I just picked that I haven't had any trouble with my roof rack, but I did have one close call. Technically I didn't screech to a halt, so I couldn't pick that one.

Lets just put it this way... A 2002 Outback with a Yakima King Cobra rack carrying a 2003 Rocky Mountain ETSX-30 makes it under the ceiling of the drive-thru lane at the Flower Hill McDonald's in Gaithersburg with about 2-3 mm to spare. :eek:

And, for the record, I am not going to repeat that experiment at any other McDonald's (or other drive-thrus, for that matter). :rolleyes:

[bigbadbrad]

I've heard so many more problems with back racks than roof mounted racks. I see people with scorched tires from being placed immediately behind the exhaust pipe, people dragging bikes, bikes being dislodged when going over a speedbump, etc.

I much prefer a roof rack. You do tend to notice the clearance signs a bit more. I don't even try anything with clearance less than 9'.

Pete

Right on, Pete! I second that.

1) I personally have scorched a tire from an exhaust pip, and had a bike dislodge a couple times (not completely, but it was swinging by one rack arm; once locally at low speed, once on the interstate--YIKES! :eek: )

2) I tend to agree; there are signs (or you can make your own, of course) to put on the dash to remind yourself; I've never run into anything, but I keep it in mind that my clearance is 9' when bikes are on.

Here's the deal, general guidelines/my two cents' worth: I still use both, depending on which car I've got that day. I find the rear rack to be more convenient in terms of popping it off & on, loading/unloading bike. Generally for short distances, these are fine. (Incidentally, I've got a Graber, one of the few that holds 3 bikes, and holds them higher, so they tend to avoid exhaust pipes. Great rack; hard to find in stores, but I think still available on-line. Excellent customer support, too; I've had mine for years, and needed a few replacement parts; contacted the company, they sent 'em out right away, no charge).

For any kind of road trip, i.e. more than ~100 miles, I much prefer roof rack; much more secure. On a long trip, it's a little nerve-racking to keep checking the rearview over every bump, and then sometimes it gets jostled enough that you need to stop & re-secure the load, tighten straps, etc.

Cheers,
--Brad

P.S.-- I have to make fun of my brother real quick; he's run his bike into an overhead obstacle TWICE! Once at a drive-through fast food place, and another time into his own garage-- D'OH! Busted up a Rock Shox one time. ;)

[MTBeers]

drove to a park in FL while i was in college and parked my car with bike on top underneath some trees...no problem.

went for my ride, came back, put the bike back on the roof. when i began to back out (the same way i came in) my seat caught a branch and pulled the firmly affixed bike upwards. since it was from the back end and the rear wheel was strapped down, it bent the tray pretty badly, twisted it moreso. it also bent the skewer things on my thule velovise head and the right dropout on my sweet manitou magnum. bummer.

i did manage to sorta bend everything back into place and use that rack for a few more years.

the tricky part was when i'd put that bike back into that sled and take sharp corners the matching bent skewer and fork would slide apart and my bike would only be holding on by one side of the fork. scary.
picture me drive around an on-ramp with one hand out the sunroof desperately trying to hold a bike down by the fork. :eek:

i've been pretty cautious since.

[mtbmore]

1. Those that have run the bike on a rack into an obstacle
2. Those that will run the bike on a rack into an obstacle.

I am #1 but was #2 for over 5 years