Roof Racks: The Good and the Bad
The Good: As Families continue to downsize their cars, roof mounted bike yakima racks are becoming more and more popular. Another reason why the roof is becoming a great option is because we live in a multi-sport society and it is not uncommon to use your trailer hitch for pulling your ski boat or travel trailer while your bikes ride the top of your vehicle with a bike yakima rack.
The Bad: If your vehicle is too tall, this might not be the best option for you.
The Good: You finally get to take advantage of that factory roof rack you bought from the car manufacturer. These bike yakima racks attach directly to your factory crossbars and include everything you need right out of the box.
The Bad: You will be limited to a maximum of 2 bikes due to the limitations of your factory crossbars.
The Bottom Line: With gas prices on the rise and people constantly downsizing their vehicles, multi-sport racks on bare roofs are becoming more popular. Adding a bike yakima rack attachment to a base rack just plain makes sense. Price Range $30 – $285
This Quote comes From Consumer Reports
Reduce unnecessary drag. At highway speeds, more than 50 percent of engine power goes to overcoming aerodynamic drag. So don’t carry things on top of your vehicle when you don’t have to. Installing a large Thule Cascade 1700 car-top carrier on our Camry dropped its gas mileage from 35 mpg to 29 at 65 mph. Even driving with empty racks on the car reduces its fuel economy.
This also goes for Roof Top Bike Racks….
Hi,
Ugh, I liked! So clear and positively.
Have a nice day
Hi, Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.
Have a nice day
Not sure that this is true:), but thanks for a post.
Thank you
Jinny
Dangerous place keep up your good work.
I deliberate on the dispatch is gifted and on the point. This brief extraordinarily helped me in my assignment.
Thanks so much for writing this good information! I am looking forward to reading more posts!
Thank you very much for sharing a lot of this awesome information! Looking forward to reading more.
This was a great post, and certainly roof mounted racks are a good choice for those who wish to tow and carry bikes at the same time, or for carrying kayaks, canoes, etc. I can see the other side of the coin as well. If you are an older occasional rider with your family, the heavier family bikes can be a bit cumbersome to lift onto the roof of your vehicle, and unless you get it right the first time, you can cause damage to your vehicle if you miss the rack and hit your vehicle. Also, I can imagine after driving for awhile, forgetting your bikes are up there, and not paying close enough attention to lower hanging obstacles, like fast food drive throughs, or parking garages. OUCH! Roof mounted racks also create a lot of drag on your vehicle and reduce gas mileage, not to mention the bug factor. YUCK! Bottom line is that we need to consider our individual riding habits and towing needs before settling on a roof mounted, hitch mounted or trunk mounted bike rack. If you are interested in a great choice of hitch or trunk mounted bike racks, please check out my website, http://www.beyoungbikeracksplus.com. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find there in many price ranges and styles to fit any vehicle, built by Yakima, Thule, Softride and Saris. Again, thanks for the great post!