Roof rack type?

Barney 2

Looking at a roof rack to carry my new bike when I get it, and was going for the type that
you take the front wheel off as they look for more rigid and have a lower frontal area,
but a friend said he had heard they were not a good idea as they load up carbon forks in a direction they are not designed for and could cause the forks to fail, has anyone else heard of this and what are your thoughts?

APIII

I've heard the same thing. It makes sense - clamp your forks to an immovable object and then apply lateral forces - can't be good for your forks. I've got an Atera rack for my tandem which is good quality. They do a single carrier that clamps the down tube. Probably not ideal for a lightweight carbon frame, but I saw someone with a mountainbike strapped to one today, and it seemed pretty secure.

dennisn

I have a front fork clamp roof rack. For the last 5 years some friends and myself have
loaded up the bikes(steel, carbon, titanium, you name it, I've hauled it) and made the 24 hour, each way, drive to Colorado for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. High winds and
80 MPH driving have resulted in Zero problems. Carbon forks included.

Dennis Noward

pieinthesky

The Thule racks on which your bike sits in a channel and is clamped by the downtube are very simple to use and secure. If you put a titanium frame on one of these however, the clamp will rub off the brushed finish leaving an ugly shiney patch. Painted finishes seem to survive OK, dont know about carbon.

I opted for the type which clamps your front fork with the wheel removed and have had no problem though I have not had it long. I cant imagine the forces these racks put on your fork are significant unless you drive like a nutter. Accelerating and braking forces act in the direction the forks are designed for and cornering forces are fairly low if you drive carefully.

scapaslow

I have the Thule rack as described by PIEINTHESKY and find it very easy to get the bike on and off. My bike is carbon with a painted finish and have had no blemishes from the clamp.

The only problem with these or any other roof racks could be the height of your car. If you have a tall vehicle and are not 6 feet or over you may need to carry steps to help you get the bike up and down. Much easier with a extra pair of hands.

Barney 2

My thinking is that it would be hard to "load" the forks sufficently to do any damage after all they only have the weight of the frame and sideways G which shouldnt add up to much, should it?

Kléber

Leave the front wheel in and when the wheel is locked, the fork is effectively further from the fulcrum point (the car's wheels). So it effectively puts more stress on the forks, no? :?