Roof Bike Racks 101

A Guide to Transporting Bicycles on Your Car Roof Rack

Mounting your bikes on your roof can be a fantastic option for transporting your bike to your favorite spot. Roof bike racks can be mounted to most roof base racks and do not require much installation effort at all. For vehicles without a trailer hitch this is a much more secure and long-term solution than a trunk mounted rack and leaves access to your trunk wide open. These racks generally come in two styles: Fork mount and wheel mount. Here's how the two stack up against each other and some recommended racks in each category.

Fork Mount Roof Bike Racks

To mount your bike on these racks you must first remove the front tire. Once the front tire is removes you place the fork in to a quick-release clamp and secure the rear wheel in a wheel tray. This option is the most common for bikes with easily removable front wheels. For bikes with 20mm hubs or bolt-on front wheels an upright bike rack may be more appropriate because removing the front wheel might be unwieldy.
Upright Roof Bike Racks

Upright roof racks do not require you take off the front wheel before mounting the bike in the rack. They typically mount to the frame using a clamping mechanism but there are also models that utilize a wheel mount system where the clamp is placed around the wheels and not on the frame. This eliminates any scratching or scuffing to the paint or finish of your frame. These bike racks can accommodate all styles of bikes from 20" BMX bikes to large tire downhill bikes to 29ers.

Benefits of a Fork Mount Bike Rack

The main benefit of a fork mount bike rack is stability: because the fork is clamped on to the rack the bike will ride more securely on your roof. The downward angle and low profile of the bike on the rack reduces wind resistance and noise as well. Some people also find it easier to load the bike without the added weight of the front wheel and the stability of the fork mount when it is resting and not yet clamped.

Recommended Fork Mount Bike Racks

Some fork mount racks we really like are: