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Roof Rack Q

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Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
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borcester rhymes
Sorry, bike related.

I'm looking at getting a roof rack for my car, as no trailer hitches are currently available.

I can get the factory article for about $250, or the Thule high-end fancy thing for $550. Some people have reported that the factory deal creates a whistling noise, while others with the thule setup say it's quiet.

Is it worthwhile springing for the more expensive rack? Should I cheap out and cross my fingers that a hitch will become available? I have no experience with roof racks so anything helps.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
22,002
7,886
Colorado
Look at what all etrailer.com says is available for the car. There are more than just the 2 brands.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,796
5,627
Ottawa, Canada
This is for your purdy new car, yes? I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you like your cars to stay purdy. If that's the case, I wouldn't suggest you wait for a hitch mount solution to become available. Roof racks and mountain bikes lead to debris on the paint, dropped bikes, and dented cars IME.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
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May 23, 2002
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slyfink said:
This is for your purdy new car, yes? I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you like your cars to stay purdy. If that's the case, I wouldn't suggest you wait for a hitch mount solution to become available. Roof racks and mountain bikes lead to debris on the paint, dropped bikes, and dented cars IME.
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Yeah but I mean let's get real- cars are a depreciating asset and I'm never going to keep it spotless, certainly not for the 4+ years I intend on keeping it for. The other options are taking the wheels off every time and trying to cram it in the trunk, taking one wheel off and removing the car seats to fold the back seats down, putting a trunk rack on with straps flapping in the wind and poorly secured bikes, waiting x number of years for a commercial hitch (which may never happen in the case of most BMWs) or getting a custom hitch of unknown security and cost.
 
StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
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Sandwich said:
Yeah but I mean let's get real- cars are a depreciating asset and I'm never going to keep it spotless, certainly not for the 4+ years I intend on keeping it for. The other options are taking the wheels off every time and trying to cram it in the trunk, taking one wheel off and removing the car seats to fold the back seats down, putting a trunk rack on with straps flapping in the wind and poorly secured bikes, waiting x number of years for a commercial hitch (which may never happen in the case of most BMWs) or getting a custom hitch of unknown security and cost.
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How about seasucker?
 
KenW449

KenW449

Thanos did nothing wrong
Jun 13, 2017
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Floating down the whiskey river...
StiHacka said:
How about seasucker?
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They are still $300-400 dollars, a one trick pony and pretty easy for someone to steal off your roof.

I got a Rola aero rack for my car for my kayaks. I haven't noticed a whistling noise or other such sounds. It had the heaviest capacity of all the other racks available at 165#s. I paid $400 for it. Uses 8 barrel locks, sold separately.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
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May 23, 2002
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StiHacka said:
How about seasucker?
Click to expand...
hmmm....hadn't really considered them as I had thought about taking the GT downhilling, thus needing a more sturdy setup. That being said, the capacity is 44lb, and with the wheel off, the GT might fit. I also would probably just take the wife's subaru with the hitch rack if I actually went anywhere.

I guess I really need a single bike solution, something for getting to the trailhead and back for rides in the summertime. The seasucker looks even more flexible than a roof rack in that aspect. Does anybody have real world experience? My trailbike probably hovers under 30lb.
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
22,002
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Colorado
Sandwich said:
hmmm....hadn't really considered them as I had thought about taking the GT downhilling, thus needing a more sturdy setup. That being said, the capacity is 44lb, and with the wheel off, the GT might fit. I also would probably just take the wife's subaru with the hitch rack if I actually went anywhere.

I guess I really need a single bike solution, something for getting to the trailhead and back for rides in the summertime. The seasucker looks even more flexible than a roof rack in that aspect. Does anybody have real world experience? My trailbike probably hovers under 30lb.
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Just do a car swap with the wife for bike days. Probably your best option, given you bought a baller car.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

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May 23, 2002
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stoney said:
Just do a car swap with the wife for bike days. Probably your best option, given you bought a baller car.
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certainly for days away (downhilling) but I'd like to take up evening rides now that I'm a few miles from a trailhead again. Would like a solution for both cars, in case she needs hers...
 
KenW449

KenW449

Thanos did nothing wrong
Jun 13, 2017
2,717
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Floating down the whiskey river...
Sandwich

Sandwich

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brah thanks for the 9000 posts, but if I could have three vehicles, I would have kept the SLAV4 and added a cheap sports car to thrash when I felt like it. wife wants 2 cars, so I'll suffer through commuting in the italian stallion. Now I just need a fix for adding a bike.
 
jstuhlman

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
17,343
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so much hate on teh roof rack. on a low car like yours you’re not gonna drop the bike/mess up the car unless you’re phenomenally weak/uncoordinated. i’ve used yakima king cobras for almost a decade with no issues.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,164
10,706
AK
jstuhlman said:
so much hate on teh roof rack. on a low car like yours you’re not gonna drop the bike/mess up the car unless you’re phenomenally weak/uncoordinated. i’ve used yakima king cobras for almost a decade with no issues.
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IMO, yes, you are, eventually. You will slip and mess up one day. Dirt and shit (rocks) will fall from your bike too. Maybe not so much if you have a dainty 16lb road bike, but for everyone else, hitch.

Back in the 90s, hitch racks were terrible, roof racks were unquestionably better. The tables have turned, these days there's no reason to go roof rack except for rare situations. Execuhitch makes some awesome stuff for higher end cars for hitch racks. Unless of course you like having an erector set attached to the top of you car at all times, costing you fuel money.
 
jstuhlman

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
17,343
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Cackalacka du Nord
Jm_ said:
IMO, yes, you are, eventually. You will slip and mess up one day. Dirt and shit (rocks) will fall from your bike too. Maybe not so much if you have a dainty 16lb road bike, but for everyone else, hitch.

Back in the 90s, hitch racks were terrible, roof racks were unquestionably better. The tables have turned, these days there's no reason to go roof rack except for rare situations. Execuhitch makes some awesome stuff for higher end cars for hitch racks. Unless of course you like having an erector set attached to the top of you car at all times, costing you fuel money.
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never slipped and/or dropped my non-16# bike; don’t usually have rocks falling off it either. dirt washes off and he lives in MA-crap’s gonna get on his car over half the year anyway. as for fuel economy, it’s not like he’s trying to max it out with a prius or something. i say
upload_2019-1-9_20-56-20.jpeg
 
eric strt6

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,397
15,166
directly above the center of the earth
I've put Mt Bikes and Road bikes on my cars roof racks for close to 30 years, Never dropped a bike on the roof, never scratched the paint. I don't give a shit if the car gets mud on it, we have hoses to wash that off at the house. plus I don't drive anything that's not just basic transportation. I don't wash or wax them more than a couple of time a year. My cars get used not pampered. I drive them until they die at over 300,000 miles so its not like I give a shit about resale.
 
Toshi

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,767
8,762
I made having an available 2” hitch a key feature of my vehicle search.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
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May 23, 2002
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I am happy that you guys are happy with your cars. That's very happy, and I'm sure that you are happy.

My options are a roof rack, a trunk rack, a seasucker, removing both wheels and both car seats every time I want to ride, or having to take my wife's car every time I want to score an afterwork ride. So again, it's very nice that you have a hitch rack on your car and that hitch racks are the best and hitch racks do more gooder and elon musk uses hitch racks, that's all very nice. There's no hitch available for my car yet, so I can't use one, even though I already own a hitch rack which is the best zomg hitch racks bernie sanders. I'm trying to find out what's the best of the worst, so I can still go riding.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,106
15,187
Portland, OR
Sandwich said:
I am happy that you guys are happy with your cars. That's very happy, and I'm sure that you are happy.

My options are a roof rack, a trunk rack, a seasucker, removing both wheels and both car seats every time I want to ride, or having to take my wife's car every time I want to score an afterwork ride. So again, it's very nice that you have a hitch rack on your car and that hitch racks are the best and hitch racks do more gooder and elon musk uses hitch racks, that's all very nice. There's no hitch available for my car yet, so I can't use one, even though I already own a hitch rack which is the best zomg hitch racks bernie sanders. I'm trying to find out what's the best of the worst, so I can still go riding.
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Again, custom hitch. Maybe $500 if dentist quality, but you aren't looking to pull a 40' trailer, just a bike or 3. It isn't rocket surgery.
 
Da Peach

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,781
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North Van
Sandwich said:
I am happy that you guys are happy with your cars. That's very happy, and I'm sure that you are happy.

My options are a roof rack, a trunk rack, a seasucker, removing both wheels and both car seats every time I want to ride, or having to take my wife's car every time I want to score an afterwork ride. So again, it's very nice that you have a hitch rack on your car and that hitch racks are the best and hitch racks do more gooder and elon musk uses hitch racks, that's all very nice. There's no hitch available for my car yet, so I can't use one, even though I already own a hitch rack which is the best zomg hitch racks bernie sanders. I'm trying to find out what's the best of the worst, so I can still go riding.
Click to expand...
Lock a bike up at each of your favorite riding locations.
 
Toshi

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,767
8,762
Sandwich said:
My options are a roof rack, a trunk rack, a seasucker, removing both wheels and both car seats every time I want to ride, or having to take my wife's car every time I want to score an afterwork ride
Click to expand...
Or sell the Alfa

:D
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
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May 23, 2002
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hey @WestCoastHucker , I just bought a new car- did you see that?

Also I got a seasucker for it, for cheap, so we'll see how that experiment goes. Thanks for all the replies. I got estimates of 300-2000 for a custom hitch, and who knows if that includes installation or just fabrication. I'll wait on it and see.

Thanks for the tips @WestCoastHucker
 
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