Need advice on roof rack

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
First off, I hope I am posting this in the right area. If not I apologize.



So my trunk mounted rack has been limiting the distance I am willing to travel with my bike.
I know I have to get a roof rack; I just need to convince the wife how necessary it really is.
One obstacle is the price. It seems like the minimum I would need to spend is $550 ish.
(I need to mount 2 bikes)

Maybe I’m wrong but it seems like the Thule’s are a little pricier then the Yakima’s.
Are they really close enough in quality where it just becomes personal preference?

What factors do I need to take into consideration before I lay down the cash?
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Maybe I’m wrong but it seems like the Thule’s are a little pricier then the Yakima’s.
Are they really close enough in quality where it just becomes personal preference?

Personal preference, I had a yakima for a few years and now Spencer the Kalmyk has it. I didn't have any problems with it on a 98 civic. The thule stuff tneds to look more streamlined and has more of a modern look per se. I did buy the yakima because of price and was always happy with it, even when I drove into the garage with the bike on, the rack didn't bend or anything (can't say the same for the car or bike)....
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
I personally feel that while the Thule stuff has sex appeal, the Yakima stuff has much higher quality. I have owned racks from both companies and have run into problems with the Thule stuff falling apart on me...
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
i have a yakima. i think i got it because it was on sale at one of the "rackandroad.com, rackattack.com" sites or something. whats nice about thule and yakima is that they are pretty much interchangeable now...

for example, i have the yakima towers and bars, a yakima bike holder (cobra), but i have a thule surfboard rack mounted on it - it went on without issue. i didn't like yakima's 'strapthang', so i got the thule 'hang 2' - works awesome, and i didn't have to get any weird parts to fit it on the yakima round bars.
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
oh yeah - if you get one, get the wind fairing - it will seriously cut down on noise - its worth it. i didnt get one at first and my rack would literally sing - i think it was a c sharp - and it was LOUD.
 

Engignar

New Member
Be sure to periodically check the mounting points between the bike holder and the cross bars. My Thule rack seems to loosen itself and I have seen my bikes leaning in the turns through the sunroof. I had an issue with my Thule snowboard carrier as well...as in 4 snowboards being ejected from my roof at 80 mph on I 87 this winter. The channel in the cross bar which retains the snowboard carrier actually bent, allowing the T Nut to come up out of the channel. Once that wind got under the boards they ripped right off the roof. We got very lucky as it did not cause an accident or damage the boards.

My stuff has been going in the trunk ever since....

Also...a roof rack will hurt your mpg a bit, probably about 2-3.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
what kind of car do you have? i have a thule roof rack that i don't use anymore. it's old but works just fine. no idea what model it is but it's yours for $100 if it fits. i'll try to get you a picture and/or figure out a model number.

edit: i have to make sure i still have this. the wife thinks she just "gave that rack thing" to her sister. for a garage sale.
 
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VelocityBoy

"Sleeveless Joe"
Although I can't compare it to a Yakima, I can say my Thule roof rack is one of the best bike-related purchases I've ever made. Over the past 8 years and 4 cars (I'm in sales) the rack has been worry-free and reliable. At the time about $450 in total but worth every penny. When changing car models, I had to get another "fit kit" from Thule (around $50); changed the legs/brackets and I was good to go in about 15 minutes.
 

lawndart

Shop: Campmor
Shop Keep
we have both

come on into Campmor. We carry Thule and Yakima. There might be a chance that one company may fit your car and the other may not. I myself have Thule but it's because i had some spare crossbars leftover from my GTI. One way to justify is that they are modular, you can carry ladders, bikes, lumber, skis, boats.....just make sure you dont excede your load limit.
 
B

Btown29r

Guest
I always had Yakima's on my Honda and opted for a Thule on my Audi....all just a matter of what you want, but I think the quality is similar. Regardless, they are both good rawcks. We transport our bikes and kayaks on ours... -mJ
 

TonyC

Active Member
No hitch on my car, so I opted for the roof mount.... -mJ

Does your car have factory drilled holes so you can add a hitch? That's the way to go. You're bikes will be secure (hence you don't get rear ended) and rack can be removed easily.

I'm rolling Square bars.. going on 14+ yrs on 3 diff cars.. Yes the plastic on the bars are all cracked now, but it's nothing black duct tape didn't fix.

yes, wind noise is a little annoying at Highway speed and I don't use the sunroof. Big deal!
I never tried a wind fairing. Could help.

And MPG suffers a little, but losing 2-4mpg's isn't a big deal for the sense of security with roof racks. If you use the car daily I guess it could add up.


btw, to answer your orig question it's totally up to you. Yak or Thule are both great racks.
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Thanks for all the feed back.

I drive an 07 Civic Si 4dr.

I dont think I have a hitch on it.

So from all the advice I guess Ill just go to a shop and see what fits and what costs what.

Thanks again everybody!
 
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Btown29r

Guest
For me a roof mount was the way to go regardless of if I have a hitch or not...it does say though in my manual that the car is not recommended for towing, so there's no reason I would put a hitch on the car anyway...plus I needed the roof mount for the kayaks, so it makes perfect sense. -mJ
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
do I need to take into consideration that I have disc brakes? Or do most racks accomodate this?
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
In the last 3 years our roof rack sales have dropped while the hitch mount racks are booming.

I use a Thule t2 on both my Subaru and My Tundra.

In my eyes there is no better way to move any style of bike around.

j-
 
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