rimpainter.com

Guys and gals -

My wife and I really like primitive camping. We also like to bring our mountain bikes. Normally we squeeze them into the 4Runner, but that gets old. I am considering some RockyMounts long tray bike carriers for my factory rack.

Here is my question:

Since we do some mild off-roading to get to our "secret" camping spots, will off-camber (mild) situations pose a problem to the bikes on the roof? How about rough roads and sudden rocking from left to right?

I dont want to buy these things only to find out the hard way that our bikes are going to fall off and/or my factory rack is going to get bent.

Any experience with this?

I also have a Thule rack, but I need to buy the adapters to make it fit in the factory rails. Is that a better option?

Thanks!

timber725

I find that my hitch rack handles offroading really well. The rocking and swaying is limited to the bikes, but it doesn't damage anything.

My buddy dented the roof of his accord while turning to hard with his bike on top with a yakima rack.

rimpainter.com

Well a hitch-mount rack is out of the question. I leave my towing package off because it weighs too much and it gets hung up on certain obstacles. Sounds like your friend didn't have very good luck - in an Accord. Hmmm.

Anybody else?

Jonathan

I have a complete Yakima setup and have never had a problem with my bikes up there. I have a Viper bike rack and a steelhead rack, both made by Yakima and even off-road, I have never experienced any problems.

Fahrenheit 451

Years ago while driving up the end of Lion's Loop on the Kokopelli trail I got into a rougher spot and heard the sickening sound of my Cannondale breaking free of the rack and smashing into the sliding windows on the shell. Luckily, the bike was ok and the window only suffered a nice big scratch in it. The quick release on the front fork mount wasn't up to the load of the bike being flung side to side and failed.
Keep in mind the bikes make for big vibrating levers sitting on top of your truck and they will do their best to pry off the rack and various parts of themselves as well. I've seen the dropouts on the forks get bent from not being set in properly as well as gutters been ripped from the long term vibration.
Personally, I would go with Yakima or Thule with the adapters that fit into the door recesses at the top (assuming 2nd gen). They are somewhat hard on the weatherstripping and can dimple the sheetmetal, but are much more stable and less likely to wind up tearing sheetmetal somewhere.
Fuel economy and performance do suffer though. Bikes and racks make for huge amounts of drag and you will discover crosswinds you never knew of before. I was riding up by Entrada Bluffs (near Dewey Bridge in Utah) years ago and a storm came up that night while I was sleeping in the back of the truck. The buffeting was so strong and was rocking the truck so much that I finally pulled the bike off the top and cabled it to the bumper. I was surprised how much difference it made to have the bike off.
As far as being offroad with them, I would even suggest getting creative and finding a way to lay the bikes down. It could be well worth the minor frustration of having to mess with the stem bolt and twisting the bars. I had a group of 4 bikes on top of my '85 and after only going down Land's End Road and taking the highway back to town a bike next to mine had used its brake lever to pound a dent into my top tube. Luckily, the frame had a crack already and Cannondale was really good about replacing frames back then.
Currently, I'm just an old fat guy with a 9 month old and I never get on the bike anymore which I suppose is good since my rack won't work on my "new" '93 4Runner without getting new towers

p.s. When you get them up on top, remember: TREES and drive-thrus with low rooflines

Bennito

Don't get the adapter to use the factory rack. I get sway with my Thule fork mounts on the road. If you don't have downhill bikes, you're probably fine. But I wouldn't chance it.

dbikeman

My downhill bike wieghs 47lbs so I always keep it on the hitch lol

4RUNR

I've had a tray carrier once. Thule. Had to do a serious emergency stop once (sport sedan). The car stopped. The rack fell apart. Every possible part was bent. It was amazing it didn't detach completely. Make sure RockyMounts is more solid, though I doubt anything affordable would last off-roading. Root top racks are made well enough to handle most stopping and acceleration, but not side to side swaying. I'd would never dare to take a hard turn with the bike on the top. It was guaranteed to break the first time. I don't see off-roading exerting less forces.

ChickenLover

I bent the hell out of my Thule roof rack during some very mild offroading with a bike on it.

saletel

my road bike weighs 15

mike_d

well, i have a thule and yakima system, neither gave me any problems in those kind of situations. i've see rocky mounts and they look even better built than the yak, and definately better then the thule, so i'd trust them even more.

remember, that the forces felt by the bikes while being off camber is identical to any forces from turning on a flat road. so if you're not turning fast and sharp enough to roll the truck, and your tilting isn't enough to roll the truck, you should be fine.

just make sure that everything is tightened down good. you don't want things coming out of the clamps and bending stuff.

as far as bouncing off road, you need to watch. my rack is on the gutters of my 1st gen truck, and i just take it slow. the bouncing really magnifies the forces and being spread over such a small area, it could break the gutter. on my subaru i have the kind that mounts to the door seal, that spreads the force over a bigger area, but i don't take my subie off roading, so i really don't need it

User 051420

I have a Yakima Steelhead on my Yak bars. I have never had a problem with the bikes coming off or racks breaking or anything.

The only problem I've had is when I had my bike on my roof (GMC Jimmy tho), and drove into the garage. The tray bent, but I still use it to this day.

rimpainter.com

Well, this doesn't look too good. Keep the stories coming! I am all ears.