I have a hitch rack that swings down nicely when I want to get into the hatch, no interference. Ever since the spouse drove into the garage with bikes attached to the roof racks, I try to avoid them.... The roof noise on cross country travel gets to be annoying. Anyone else hauling bikes on the roof run into a low overhang?
Sadly, I did that once. Granted I was 16 years old, but I did it! I also drove into a drive thru with them on once 1/2 way home from a long trip! That sucked. And I was married with a kid then - so youth was not the excuse! lol I still hate the hitch rack though and avoid using mine unless I need to carry more bikes than the 2 on top!
I have been living in fear of this - my last ride, I was about 6 inches from grinding my bike into the garage roof when I remembered. So I have put a reminder note with my bike gear to drag a stand fan I keep in the garage out into the open floor where I park so that I will see the fan and remember.
First thing I did when I got my bike on the roof was see if it would fit in the garage. After eyeballing it I decided it would work. I didn't take into account the extra height of the garage apron, but luckily I had about 1/2" clearance with the garage door in the retracted position. Super lucky I don't have to worry about forgetting.
I have not specifically tracked the drive to the trail without my bike, so I am not sure how it impacts efficiency. I'll take note if I drive that route again without the bike in place. But this morning my manually calculated efficiency was 3.41 m/kwh with an estimated range of 98 miles. It was at 5:30 AM, so regen braking barely kicked in at all for most of the drive with no stopping at lights or slowing down for traffic! Probably would have fared better in normal stop and go action.
Thanks for all the info on this thread. I ordered mine with roof rails to have the option of adding the crossbars. I don't want to keep them on there all the time. Are they easy to put on and take off?
Super easy. They are the same one’s I have on my 328i Wagon, although different lengths. As you can see above they grab around the rails and you turn a knob until it clicks. Prevents over tightening and no guessing. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I think my next video will be on the crossbars. Probably this weekend. But, yes, like mikeg said, they have pretty user-friendly turn knobs.
I have discovered a number of ways to transport the bike without a rack. The first method is to transport the bicycle on top of the car. You need to disassemble some components of the bike, especially its front wheel, and place the bike in the middle of the roof to avoid the rear windshield of the car. Then use the straps to tie the bike to the roof. The second method is to transport the bike in the car. You can store it in the trunk.
this first option sounds like about the least secure way to ever carry a bike! Bikes (well, good bikes) are $$$ and it is a small investment to carry them the right way IMHO. (this is the kiddo's bike on the top, I don't think I am trusting a $5K+ USD bike to a few straps, nor do I want the scratches on the $40K car!)
If you have time to assemble and disassemble a bike, you also have a choice of putting it in your car’s trunk. You have to disengage all the bike components and place them in a box. Choose the correct size of the box that fits well in the car’s trunk. It is also one of the safest ways to carry your bike during your long trip. It will keep your bike safer with foam and cloth surrounding them inside the box.
In every picture I've seen with the roof mount, only one bike is shown. Is there room enough for two?
The one in the photo isn't electric, but I thought it was funny next to a MINI. From the link about the electric model (but buried kind of deep): When it does become ready in mid-2023, it will carry a tall price to match its tall wheels: something in the neighborhood of US $8,000.
The one in the image IS an e-MTB. Look at the cranks, you can see the motor. $8000 for an e-MTB is pretty middle of the road actually. Granted this is not really a MTB, but a good e-MTB is 13-15K.
