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Best roof bike racks for cars 2022


The best roof bike racks are one of the three options in the wider spectrum of mounting your bike on the outside of your car, alongside trunk-mounted and hitch-mounted racks. To get more news about ebike car rack, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

Here at Cyclingnews, we already have an overarching list covering the best bike racks for cars but we also wanted to dive a little deeper into the specific sub-types. We've previously covered the best trunk bike racks, and now it's the turn of rooftop bike racks. As cars have grown in size, the popularity of rooftop bike racks has dropped a bit but they continue to be a quality option for some. With that in mind, we've taken the time to understand which systems work best in which situations.
In our opinion, rooftop bike racks for cars have some specific advantages over their counterparts. One of those is just how integrated they feel. Some cars have front-to-back luggage rails and require only cross bars, some have channels that work in the same way, some have a slick roof, and some come with everything you need to add a rack. In all those situations, once you have everything installed, it will never be in your way. The bars and racks sit out of your line of sight and don’t interfere with opening the hatch or trunk. If you want to remove the rooftop bike rack, they are light and easy to store.

There are a few downsides to rooftop bike racks too though. The first is that they are comparatively more difficult to mount your bike onto, especially if it's heavy, as you'll need to lift it above your head. The second is the risk of entering multistorey car parks - we've all heard of someone getting that wrong and totalling their pride and joy. Another downside is that there are some initial setup hurdles to get the parts you need on top of your car. Don’t despair though, Thule and Yakima make it an easy affair and you don’t need to have anything installed from the factory. It does add to the initial expense but both brands have expansive options and they make it easy to get started. Adding the base bars will also add value to your car and it also opens up the whole system to whatever brand of rack, or other accessories, you decide you want in the years to follow.
Does it make sense to describe a rooftop bike rack as beautiful? If so, then it's certainly going to come from Kuat. They are a brand with a reputation for making high-end racks and the Piston SR is yet another one.

To secure the bike to the rack, a pair of arms comes from either side and squeezes against the tyres. Kuat didn't invent this style but when it brought it to market with its Piston Pro X hitch-mounted rack, it brought its own spin on it. Instead of manual operation, there's an integrated Kashima coated Piston that operates with a OneTap system, in which unloading your bike is as easy as hitting the button and giving the arms time to open before removing your fully assembled bike.

This Piston SR rack takes the same function and moves it from the hitch to the roof. If you have fenders, you can still make use of the Piston SR with the purchase of the Fender Kit accessory. The downside to the whole system is that it's expensive, so expect to pay about double the price of other options for the ease of use. You might also want to choose something else if your plan is to add and remove the rack regularly, as it's heavier too.
Yakima is one of two options for adding crossbars to your car's roof. The brand will walk you through getting what you need for your car and make it ready to accept a rack. From there it has a wide range of products and multiple options that could just as easily be on this list of the best rooftop bike racks.

If you are purchasing Yakima base bar pieces then the HighRoad is a great wheel-on option and if you plan to unmount your rack regularly, Yakima is by far the easiest. There is one specific challenge that racks of all kinds experience though, and that is fenders/mudguards. If you ride in rainy climates then you know that fenders are a necessity, but it can be hard to find a rack solution. Kuat has an accessory to make the Piston SR work but it feels a little bit like a band-aid. If you transport a bike with fenders often, then something different might be the best choice. Like myself, Yakima calls the Pacific Northwest home, and much like our British friends across the pond, anyone from around here knows what it means to ride in the rain. When Yakima's employees need a solution for transporting a bike with fenders, they turn to the HighSpeed.

The Yakima HighSpeed is a fork-mounted rooftop bike rack. That means you'll need to remove the front wheel. With the wheel removed, there is a clamp that grabs the front axle and tightens down until it clicks. It works with thru-axles and there's an adapter for quick-release bikes that essentially turns the quick release into a thru-axle. One detail about that is you will need a thru-axle with a consistent width from side to side that easily stays with the frame. Some systems, such as those from Mavic might have you buying an extra thru-axle. With that sorted, the rear wheel stays on and there's a strap that holds it tight to the rack. That strap could use a bit of extra padding for fancy carbon wheels but it keeps things secure and while removing the front wheel is extra work, it keeps the bike lower when installed and means fenders aren't an issue.