How to mount a bicycle rack
Many vehicles come with factory-installed roof racks as part of a “sports package”; however, these racks are designed more for looks than function and are typically only capable of safely handling around 100 pounds. If you plan to haul heavy or irregularly shaped items, you’ll probably need an “aftermarket” bike rack. They are much more reliable when it comes to weight considerations. Plus, heavy-duty bike racks accommodate a wide range of gear, including kayaks, surfboards, snowboards, and camping gear.
Depending on the manufacturer and model selected, the installation of each kit will vary slightly. In general though, installing your new bike rack is a simple 7-step process.
STEP 1: Wash the roof of your car. Installing a roof rack on a dirty roof will make it difficult to clean in the future and may also prevent the roof rack attachment points from being flush.
STEP 2: Standard bike racks consist of two cross bars and four “foot” brackets, which attach to the vehicle’s side rails or gutters. Loosen the thumb screw on the outside of each mounting foot enough to open them.
STEP 3: Extend the openings of the foot supports wide enough to accommodate the cross bars and insert the cross bars between the four supports. You should now have two cross bars with foot supports loosely attached to each end.
STEP 4: Determine the correct width between kickstands for your vehicle by measuring from the inside edge of the kickstands. Once the crossbar distance between the mounts is the proper length, snap the adjustments into place.
STEP 5: Next, attach the pads to the supports and the caps to the cross bars. The pads prevent the rack from scratching the roof and the caps seal the ends of the crossbars to prevent water from settling inside.
STEP 6: Open your car doors and center the racks on the roof, carefully positioning the rack away from the top of the windshield following the manufacturer’s safety guidelines included with the product.
STEP 7: Lock the front leg brackets in place with the included metal clips that hook into the bottom edge of your car doors and snap into place, making sure to apply equal tension to all four. Your foot supports and crossbars are now locked into place and ready to go!
One thing to note: the bike racks are easy to remove if left unlocked. So protect your gear from thieves by investing in a bike rack or truck rack that includes locks. If they are not included, they can be purchased separately.
