getting a bike rack installed

[Frugle]

I have no choice, I have to be able to carry my bike around, and it has already scratched the inside of my car significantly

does anyone else have one on their car (roof rack)?

does it damage the paint or car?

what do I need to do to keep the car safe?

it is a thule roof mounted bike carrier...

thanks!

[jsab9191]

They work very well you shouldn't have any problem. When you remove them you may see some slight marring where the rubber contacts the paint but its very easy to correct.
Follow the fit instructions very carefully to insure proper placement .Thule does a great job engineering thier custom fits.

[velobard]

Check out the product reviews here:
Mountain bike product reviews forums classifieds trails

I just installed a trailer hitch yesterday so I can get a hitch-mount bike rack. I wanted a rack that won't touch the paint. Also, with roof racks I'd be nervous about eventually slipping and banging the bike into the roof. Also, the hitch rack causes less wind-resistance on the highway.

[Frugle]

how much wind resistance would a roof rack cause? doesn't seem like it would be enough to make a difference, especially with a fairing..

but I don't think a hitch rack would work with my car.... and my bike only weighs 15.8lb with the front wheels... so If I drop that, I'm pretty much a ............ politically correct "nin-com-poop"....

[Danase]

We have one that attaches to our roof rack rails. Works great but it whistles like crazy and I can not stand to drive the car with it on unless we are hauling the bikes somewhere. We ended up with a Saris.

[velobard]

Even with the trunk rack I used with my old car, if I was hauling bikes on the highway I could count on it knocking of a couple MPG. I recall posts from folks hauling bikes on roof racks that were more significant than that, especially with small cars, but I can't cite specifics. Maybe try searching or asking on the forum at the site I linked above.

[the other pc]

Most of my friends have hitch racks these days. Besides being easy and fast to access there’s no chance of wedging your bike into your garage (a very large percentage of people I know with roof racks have done that).

That said, I’m old school and still use roof racks on both of our bike haulers. I love the look of a car bristling with bikes and wheels. It’s the whole Director Sportif vibe. Shouting Allez, Allez! out the window when your bikes are hanging off the tail just ain’t right. I also like the fact that I can get stuff in and out of the back of the car easily when the bikes are on the roof.

Plus I prefer fork clamps to hold the bikes. Some hitch racks do have fork clamps but most have frame clamps or hangers. The bikes tend to flop around and/or you’re clamping onto the bike’s paint (on those bikes that have paint anyway). If you have an unusual frame they may not work at all. We used to have three Y-bikes in our crowd, frame clamps weren't useable. Fork clamps are nice and stable and work for everything.

We have factory rails on our cars so mounting the racks without touching the paint was easy. If I hade a car that needed to use towers sitting on the paint I would put down some protective film where the bases rest on the car.

I’ve never noticed any difference in gas mileage with bikes but I haven’t looked closely.


PC.

[Frugle]

where can I get protective film?

[duffman]

http://forums.mtbr.com/<-------------click here

[Frugle]

now is there something I am looking for specially there?

[the other pc]

Originally Posted by Frugle

where can I get protective film?

Some online vendors that sell clear bras sell smaller pieces that you can cut up. Maybe somebody that does clear bra installs would have scraps.

I got a small roll from TOL (though it’s not clear who the original manufacturer of the film is).


PC.

[BoxsterCharlie]

I just bought a Thule system a couple weeks ago. I spent a lot of time debating roof vs. rear but when I saw my BMW had a set of threaded bolt holes in the roof specifically for a rack I went with that.

Overall it is very tough and well designed package, and it is very protective of the bikes and the car which is obviously important to anyone on this forum. I spent nearly $500 on everything but now I'm glad I did. I got the 599 "Criterium" bike racks which hold the downtube and no wheels need to be removed. Very easy on/off operation.

Noise isn't too bad, and I still get about 27mpg in steady cruise, down about 3mpg...but much better than my van which I sold!

Let me know if you have any other questions. It was annoying having to learn all this stuff and I'd be happy if I could help someone else out!