I am thinking about getting the roof top bike rack for my car. My car doesn’t have rails, just a regular passenger car. I will carry one or two roadies or mounties.
Do you have any experience with dealers and maybe specific models? It would be nice to know how much I have to expect for these things. And do any outdoor shops or bike shops (in Montreal or Ottawa) carry these things. Would they be more knowledgeable than car rack only places?
Go for a Thule roof rack system. They are by far, the best roof rack system available. And no, a shop will not have any more experience/knowledge about them than a car rack only place, although a car rack only place may charge more. But usually they offer installation + rack packages.
At my shop, for Thule roof racks, we send customers to a car rack place.
Oh, and do NOT let a bike shop install a thule roof rack. There are structural tests on the vehicle that need to be done prior to installation, and a car rack place will be the best place for that.
Also, you could have a hitch rack installed on your car, and get one of those nice folding racks. They are really amazing. Those can be purchased at any bike shop.
I have had way too much experience with racks on cars. I currently sport a Thule hitch mounted T2, but I also own the roof mount system for when I stick skis on it.
there is an ongoing debate on which is better, roof or hitch. Roof racks will suck up your mileage, you’ll be peeling bugs off the bikes, and you may accidently run into a low bridge/drive thru situation that oh so many stories have spring from.
A hitch rack is less flexible, and pretty expensive. Most cars will only allow for a Class A hitch, which means 2 bikes max. That said, there is no dent in mileage, they dont get dirty and you dont have to life heavy bikes (in my case downhill bikes) above your head. Thule make the best hitch rack by far. yakima’s dont allow you to get to your trunk when bikes are loaded and others are too pricey or flimsy.
I’d stick with thule, buy it online at a place like ORSracksdirect.com and install it yourself. i’ve been doing it for two years, i even installed my own hitch. It really doesn’t take much effort or time