PSA: It’s bikes on roof racks season
That gut-wrenching crunch you'll never forget
If you’re like me, this is the time of year when you bolt a roof rack to your car and leave the bike up there for the season. It’s more convenient that way. Because you’re going to ride it every single day this season right? Of course, that also means it’s officially roof rack destruction season—that magical time of year when perfectly good carbon bikes meet the unforgiving top trim of a garage door.
That sound haunts me
If you know, you know. There’s no sound quite like it: a sickening crunch followed by the long, slow slide of metal scratching and scraping across your roof as you remember—too late—that your pride and joy is up there. The worst part? It’s usually at home, in your own driveway, where you should know better. Your bike’s wrecked, your car’s wrecked and your garage is wrecked. Ughh.
But there are lots of other hazards out there too; low bridges, gas station overhangs, random tree limbs—it doesn’t matter. Once your brain forgets the extra three feet of bike, you’re one bad turn from turning your $7,000 trail rig into a useless piece of modern art.
Pro tips
A quick search on Reddit will have all the tricks and tips on how to remember your bikes are up there before you drive into your garage. You could try giant yellow dash notes that scream “BIKE ON ROOF” in Sharpie. Others put an obstacle like a traffic cone in front of their garage so they have to get out of the car to remove it. Some folks even put their garage door remotes in their bike helmet. Smart.
It isn’t a terrible idea to grab a measuring tape and check just how tall your bike and car combo is; that way when you see a parking garage that says 12 feet, you’ll have some idea of whether or not you’ll fit. Of course you still need to remember you bike is there.
Ride hard, park smart
So yeah, enjoy roof rack season. But maybe take a second before you rip back into the garage. Because no KOM is worth the heartbreak of snapping your frame clean in half in front of the neighbours.
You’ll never live it down.