libes@nbs-amrf.UUCP (01/29/84)
Summary of people's responses and my own looking around at roof-top
bicycle carriers:
I)Inverted: bike rests on seat and handlebars. Disadvantages: easy to
pinch cables and wear groves in the seat. Another concern is that
grease will be blown out of headset unless you protect it with a wrapper
of some sort.
R)Right-side-up: people seem to feel it is easiest to put a bike up
this way. Disadvantages: can't carry a tandem on a small car. There
are several types:
1)resting on wheels, also attached by a seat-tube support.
2)resting on wheels, also attached to a down-tube support.
3)resting on rear wheel and fake front axle support, front wheel
separately held in a fake front fork. Advantages are overall height
clearance and possibly more stable due to lower center of mass.
Disadvantages are that front wheel takes up extra valuable horizontal
space.
Prices in a quick check around the DC area (which I realize does not
compare to CA) for a 2-bike rack:
Atkins Bike Porter $70 (R/1) Steel. "looks" shoddy.
PreAlpina $80 (R/3,I) Steel. Hard to take bike supports off
to use as plain luggage rack. Otherwise, this was highly recommended
by respondents and seems like a best buy.
Stratos $125 (R/3) Aluminum.
Yakima $125 (R/3) Steel. Can detach rack without tools.
Thule $110 (R/2,I) Steel. A system. Each additional support
type is $50. Includes supports for canoes, skis, surfboards, wombats,
etc and locks. Lots of pieces to forget/lose. Definitely for
professionals. (In fact, all of a sudden it reminds me of UNIX!)
Don Libes {allegra!seismo}!umcp-cs!nbs-amrf!libes