# Roof Racks for short people? Why can't I be taller!



## dills84 (Apr 14, 2014)

Hello folks. I drive a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek with Yakima railgrab/round bars on the roof. Recently I purchased a Yakima Front loader to mount my Diamondback Sortie full suspension MTB. My first attempt to get the bike on the roof I dropped it and the crank brothers pedal gouged a dent into my brand new car. I'm a short guy at 5'6" but I thought I'd be fully capable of roof mounting a bike... I was wrong!

Anyways... I returned the front loader and now I'm trying to figure out what route to go. Are fork mounted racks easier to load for short people? shedding 5 lb's in tire/wheel weight alone might make it easier to manage. plus the bulk of the other 29" tire/wheel.

I'm trying to avoid putting a hitch on my new car since I already blew a bunch of money on crossbars (non returnable). but it seems like I'm running out of options. Help is appreciated!


----------



## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

Blow the money on a hitch. It'd be worth it and solve every single one of your rack problems (other than cost).


----------



## Shakester (Jun 26, 2012)

My friend has a crossover (Infiniti FX35) and is 5'8. He can barely get his bike on his roof rack so he just bought a folding step and it works like a charm. Thats a cheaper way to go. If you're handy, you can purchase a hitch for like $120 and just install it yourself. Your car should already have the mounting holes on the frame but may need to be enlarged, but you're talking about another $300 for a hitch rack now. I would go with the step option.


----------



## bgkz25 (Dec 29, 2013)

Since you are trying to avoid a hitch type carrier, i'll go with having a small folding step like Shakester suggested. You only need a couple of inches anyway.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

We have one of those folding steps that we use to get skis in and out of our box on the SUV. Truthfully, it's still kind of precarious and I'd hate to do that with a bike. You'd have to stand on the step (ours fits over the wheel), turn and get the bike and then put it on top. Since you need both hands for the bike, you need to make the turn on the step with no stabilizing hand on the car. The other issue is that the step is not exactly where you would want to be if you had your choice.

Here's the deal, you've already found out how expensive it can be with the damage you can cause if you drop the bike. The hitch is probably about what the deductible is on your insurance so all you are buying is the rack. If you do the 1UpUSA rack, since it's modular you can add bike capacity as you need it. 

J.


----------



## Hurricane Jeff (Jan 1, 2006)

Although. I'm. 6' tall, I used to put our 50 lb mountain tandem on a roof rack on top of our Yukon. While it wasnt the easiest thing to do, we did use a folding step and it worked out great.


----------



## A1an (Jun 3, 2007)

Maybe this:









Seen a few people have these for roof carriers on taller vehicles.


----------



## Guest (Apr 2, 2015)

I vote for the hitch system. Some physics can't be safely overcome with cheap step ladders. Ultimately, you'll lose your balance and dent your car or worse. We have a local company that installs hitches for $100. Seems like a cheap fix when you consider the damage you're saving.


----------



## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

Stand in the door well and lean into the side of the car. I balance on the tires and lean into the side of my 4runner loading stuff onto the roof rack.


----------



## Neseth (Nov 4, 2009)

There's a reason why people hate roof racks, even the tallest people can't do it safely trying to cantelever 30lbs of bike weight over a vehicle and balancing on a step stool. There's always a risk to denting your thin gauge roof sheetmetal.

The torklift ecohitch is the best hitch for new subaru's. I have a rack, it's so much easier and very quick. Spend the money, and chalk it up to a lesson learned.


----------



## Shakester (Jun 26, 2012)

Neseth said:


> There's a reason why people hate roof racks, even the tallest people can't do it safely trying to cantelever 30lbs of bike weight over a vehicle and balancing on a step stool. There's always a risk to denting your thin gauge roof sheetmetal.


Another reason is the difference in MPG you get. On average, I get around 15 mpg with it mounted on the roof and on a full tank, it took about half a tank of gas to reach a destination. Going to the same place with a hitch race, that MPG jumped to nearly 21 mpg and I got to the exact same place with just 1/4 of my gas tank, so it does save gas with a hitch rack as well. The only problem is, its much more expensive. To the OP, check the bottom of your car frame and see if you have the holes to mount a hitch. You can probably get away with getting a Curt hitch for around $120.00 or less and if you're handy, you can install it yourself. I installed the hitch myself in about 30 minutes and thats because I had to remove the fasteners that held my exhaust on to get it under it. All you need is a jack and a socket set. The jack is to hold the rack in place since you have plenty of room to just slide under your car. Align the holes, bolt on 4 big bolts (2 on each side) and you're done.


----------



## A1an (Jun 3, 2007)

Neseth said:


> There's a reason why people hate roof racks, even the tallest people can't do it safely trying to cantelever 30lbs of bike weight over a vehicle and balancing on a step stool.


Each to their own, but it isn't hard to throw a 30lb bike up on the roof of a car.


----------



## iSlowpoke (Feb 24, 2009)

I would never do a roof rack again. Took a hard spill and bruised my ribs. Trying putting on and taking off a bike on the roof rack with that.


----------



## ilikecereal (Jan 8, 2015)

You should be able to ride your bike up the front of your car and just park it in the roof rack. Isn't that how everyone does it?


----------



## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

Jumping onto the car and riding into the rack would be cool. I am a long way from doing that. In spite of the slight hassle, I still prefer the bikes on the roof. I have been known to haul a 3 step stepstool along and frequently park where I can get a vertical foot or two advantage for loading up. 
Over the years I have acquired various mounts to work with different frame designs. Having the right mount on the roof is the challenge. Too many bikes! Never. They all get ridden.


----------



## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

If the issue is the extra 5 lbs of tires and wheels, I'd suggest a few military presses or clean and jerks!

But yeah, Subarus are kinda tall already, and the rack is up there. I had to reach to put my bikes on my Outback and I'm nearly 6'. For my Suburban, I usually step up on the door and/or back tire and then haul it up. But hitch racks are much more convenient for these purposes, yes. There are lots of aftermarket hitch options that bolt right on to a Suburu (Outback at least, not sure about Crosstrek).

If you don't like putting the bike up there, wait and see what kind of mileage you get with bikes on the roof! Isn't pretty (hint -- on freeway trips, I get better mpg in my F150 than I got in my Outback w/ 2 bikes on the roof, by about a 3 mpg margin!).


----------



## dills84 (Apr 14, 2014)

Tystevens said:


> If the issue is the extra 5 lbs of tires and wheels, I'd suggest a few military presses or clean and jerks!
> 
> But yeah, Subarus are kinda tall already, and the rack is up there. I had to reach to put my bikes on my Outback and I'm nearly 6'. For my Suburban, I usually step up on the door and/or back tire and then haul it up. But hitch racks are much more convenient for these purposes, yes. There are lots of aftermarket hitch options that bolt right on to a Suburu (Outback at least, not sure about Crosstrek).
> 
> If you don't like putting the bike up there, wait and see what kind of mileage you get with bikes on the roof! Isn't pretty (hint -- on freeway trips, I get better mpg in my F150 than I got in my Outback w/ 2 bikes on the roof, by about a 3 mpg margin!).


It's not a weight thing... its more about the bulk of an extra 29" tire flopping around. I'm only 5'6" or so.

I've heard stories about the MPG loss... Maybe a hitch aint such a bad idea!


----------



## ApolloMike (Nov 5, 2014)

I just installed a Curt on my wife's Terrain. $130 delivered, installed in 20 minutes. Found a Yakima rack on Woot for $100. She is 5 foot nothin and has no problem loading her roadie or mtb now. There is no way I would try to have her load a bike on a roof rack.

Or, buy a truck with a six foot bed, and roll them in. That is my solution. Home built pvc rack in the bed, and one strap. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

dills84 said:


> It's not a weight thing... its more about the bulk of an extra 29" tire flopping around. I'm only 5'6" or so.
> 
> I've heard stories about the MPG loss... Maybe a hitch aint such a bad idea!


Yeah, I was just joking about the weight.

But yeah, MPG takes a hit. 2 bikes on the roof doing 75 on the freeway, I was always under 20 mpg in my Outback.

The hitch rack also lowers mpg, but not as much. With bikes on my hitch rack, I'd be in the 23-24 mpg range on a long freeway trip. Of course, my Subaru only got 26 w/ nothing on it, (one reason I never liked it much), so ...


----------



## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

dills84 said:


> Hello folks. I drive a 2015 Subaru Crosstrek with Yakima railgrab/round bars on the roof. Recently I purchased a Yakima Front loader to mount my Diamondback Sortie full suspension MTB. My first attempt to get the bike on the roof I dropped it and the crank brothers pedal gouged a dent into my brand new car. I'm a short guy at 5'6" but I thought I'd be fully capable of roof mounting a bike... I was wrong!
> 
> Anyways... I returned the front loader and now I'm trying to figure out what route to go. Are fork mounted racks easier to load for short people? shedding 5 lb's in tire/wheel weight alone might make it easier to manage. plus the bulk of the other 29" tire/wheel.
> 
> I'm trying to avoid putting a hitch on my new car since I already blew a bunch of money on crossbars (non returnable). but it seems like I'm running out of options. Help is appreciated!


I bought a mini scaffold/folding bench from costco maybe 10+ years ago. It is aluminum, legs/steps fold out and it has a very wide flat surface for walking on. Probably about 2 feet high, maybe slightl less?

It is great for loading the fibre glass cargo boxes or bikeson the roof of my outback. Also used it many times for loading bikes on top of a friend's Element. These were all upright wheel based yakimas, King Cobras. I don't know if Costco or sams club sells them anymore, but they are ideal for high profile vehicles. I would look for something like that if you don't want ahitch rack.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

The other thought is a rack that does not require precision movements or that allows you to manipulate the bike while holding it very low on the frame.

If you look at it this way, the fork mount style of racks are more difficult and something like the RockyMounts Brass Knuckles is a lot easier.

J.


----------



## Joules (Oct 12, 2005)

Neseth said:


> There's a reason why people hate roof racks, even the tallest people can't do it safely trying to cantelever 30lbs of bike weight over a vehicle and balancing on a step stool. There's always a risk to denting your thin gauge roof sheetmetal.


are you seriously saying you are so feeble that you can't lift 30# over your head, and believe everyone else is as weak as you?
I wonder how I ever managed to get a 50# boat on a roof rack...


----------



## dills84 (Apr 14, 2014)

To follow up... I traded in my Front Loader for a Thule SideArm... the fact that you dont need to "roll into" the rack helps a lot. I'm able to load/unload without even climbing on the car by holding it low on the fork and seat tube. Only a little sketchy on my stock OEM crossbars wobbling a bit... but im sure its not going anywere.

Thanks for everyones opinions.


----------



## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

Same car, Crosstrek. I was sold on this car because it could easily conquer dirt roads... yet didn't have a high roofline. It's just a slightly raised impreza.

I have a pair of fork lifts, and one fork-thruaxle adapter.

I would imagine having old of rigid stable fork is easier than a spinning wheel.
I know fork + rear wheel is wonky.

I grab and heave it up fork in one hand, chainstay in the other. But have done this for years and years with road bikes and such on my previous cars as well without issue. So I'm used to it.

I've installed an ecohitch, and plan a hitch rack in the near future for 4 bikes + 4 people.


----------



## Guest (Apr 10, 2015)

Joules said:


> are you seriously saying you are so feeble that you can't lift 30# over your head, and believe everyone else is as weak as you?
> I wonder how I ever managed to get a 50# boat on a roof rack...


 Yup, after a Gravel Century I can't get my #30 pound bike on a roof rack without risk to the car. Can I lift the bike? Sure. Do things get sketchy when I'm tired? Bet yer arse. Do I consider myself "feeble"? Nope. At age 52, 6'1" and 207# I can still kick out 50 push-ups in a minute and hold a handstand long enough to see stars, but not after a long ride and not if it means I could scratch/dent my Honda Ridgeline. Ever load your boat on a step stool (or didn't you read that part of the original post)?


----------



## bgkz25 (Dec 29, 2013)

I like roof type bike rack as well and have no issue lifting it on my 1er. The only reason I switch to hitch type bike rack is to avoid having a risk of my bikes getting caught up with something which has a very low vertical clearance like our garage door. It would be a very ugly sight.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

dills84 said:


> I'm a short guy at 5'6" but I thought I'd be fully capable of roof mounting a bike... I was wrong!


So basically you are saying you gave up after one try?

Firstly, you're not that short. Sure, you're shorter than average but consider that a 5'10'' person putting a bike onto the centre rack of a three-rack carrier is having to stretch further than you.

There is a knack to lifting bikes onto a rack, it takes practice. Hold the bike low, chain-stay and bottom of the fork, stand in the door sill and you'll get it.

The only other thing I would say is that the rack you picked looks like you need to lift the bike higher than usual to get it into the wheel clamp? Maybe try a different rack. I have Mont Blanc Barracuda racks. They are quite simple to use, very stable and have the advantage that the trough for the front wheel holds the bike up until you get the clamp arm on.

I think with practice and the right rack you'll be fine.


----------



## ou2mame (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm 5'7 and used to have 3 racks on my audi a4 and there's no way I could get a bike into the middle rack of my volvo xc90 now so I went with a hitch rack.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

In general and for most people, if it's not a car in the strictest sense of the word (i.e. sedan or station wagon with no added height), then a hitch rack starts to be a lot easier to use. By the time you enter SUV territory, then it's pretty much hitch rack time.

J.


----------



## toulis (Apr 5, 2015)

I am 5'6" and have a 2014 Forester that is 3 or 4 inches taller then the Cross Trek and find that fork mount racks are easier to load, don't have to lift the bike as high just get need to get the fork in place, it's much easier with out the front wheel on. I bought a step stool to use but rarely need it, it does make things easier tho. If I didn't already have all the racks from my previous car I would have gone with a hitch plus hitch rack, seems much easier.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

What I don't like about the racks which clamp onto the fork dropouts is that the dropouts are then subjected to forces they were never designed to take. I think that's a bad idea.


----------



## ou2mame (Apr 23, 2010)

I used to have fork mounted racks but hated them. Removing the wheels is annoying, and oils have required adapters both my bikes, so I went with uprights and had them for years and never had any issues. I had the Thule ones that auto adjust. I bought some used ones that you had to screw the bottom to adjust the clamp diameter but going with different people I was always having to adjust the so I sold them on cl and found some of the other style that adjusts itself. But now with the suv, I had to go with a hitch... Which should be here tomorrow. I bought a Thule hitch rack for 50 bucks on cl, and sold my roof rack carriers for 250, so at least I made some money on the deal to cover the hitch cost. I still have the roof rack that I'll probably put on this for my snowboards.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

Mr Pig said:


> What I don't like about the racks which clamp onto the fork dropouts is that the dropouts are then subjected to forces they were never designed to take. I think that's a bad idea.


If forks were that fragile, they wouldn't hold up to regular usage. Furthermore, the probably hundreds of thousands of user hours on this type of rack over many decades shows that this sort of mount is just not a problem.

Furthermore, Lennard Zinn did the testing for his Tech column in VeloNews. Apparently forks are designed to a TUV (European standard) for side loading. In order to cause a problem (failure) of the fork on a rack you have to exceed this spec. Therefore, a fork is designed to handle the forces of a rack and it is not a problem. This falls under the category of cycling urban legend.

A bigger problem with fork racks is that it's easy to not get the drop outs mounted properly on the rack. I have to be very careful that I get the inside rack drop out properly mounted in the bike carrier.

J.


----------



## A1an (Jun 3, 2007)

JohnJ80 said:


> A bigger problem with fork racks is that it's easy to not get the drop outs mounted properly on the rack. I have to be very careful that I get the inside rack drop out properly mounted in the bike carrier.


What is this problem you speak of? Been using fork mount racks for about eight years and it has always been a simple job dropping the fork on the head, adjusting, and locking down...much simpler than the upright carrier I tried in the past.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

A1an said:


> What is this problem you speak of? Been using fork mount racks for about eight years and it has always been a simple job dropping the fork on the head, adjusting, and locking down...much simpler than the upright carrier I tried in the past.


I routinely get the far fork blade improperly mounted to the rack. It's not visible from the side of the car. Usually it's missed part of the drop out, or not fully engaged in the dropout. In order to make sure I've done it right, I need to walk to the front of the car and verify. I'd estimate that this happens to me maybe 30-50% of the time. Enough, at least, that I check it every time.

I'm not saying that it's a huge problem - any rack has some issue. I'm just saying that is what it is for me with fork racks and it's a bigger problem than worrying about the blades being damaged due to forces the bike will experience on the rack (which is not a problem).

J.


----------

