Roof-topping a Clem L

[Tim Rogers]

Love my Clem L, but its long and heavy for car topping. My new Volvo v60 CC has a very expensive trailer hitch option, so I'm going with a roof rack first as a trial. 

The rack is Thule's UpRide. It's very well made, stabilizes the bike very well, and has built in locks to lock the bike to the rack and the rack to the load bars. The UpRide has an adjustable (sliding) real wheel support which adapts to any wheelbase. My Clem is a 59cm.

[eddietheflay]

get this installed at uhaul:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Volvo/V60/Curt/13268.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6_vzBRCIARIsAOs54z5TgZ4v51TO51JVviSywsYgbNoWX0KvGxQqTmYq3EA2ewV6HK1wAGkaAtjKEALw_wcB

buy one of these:

https://www.1up-usa.com/product/quik-rack-single/

be happy for the rest of your life.

don't succumb to the possibility that you just completed a 60 mile bike ride, you managed to get that thing on the top of your car, you open garage door when you get home, but fatigue causes you to forget your gorgeous bike is up there. crash. ouch. shit. darn.

[Joe Bernard]

Tim's issue - referenced in "very expensive option" - may be that his car won't accept a standard U-Haul hitch. But I'm in the 'no roof' camp..maybe 20 years ago when I was a younger sharper man I would have put a reminder sticker on the dash and obeyed it, but now? No way, I'm going to forget that sucker is up there for SURE 🤦

[David Hays]

My friend crashed an Eddie Merckx. He kept it a number of years just to remind him of what he’d done.
Nowadays I just had a trailer hitch installed on my VW Alltrack as, even though I have a car top bicycle rack, I know turning 70 I won’t be getting stronger.

> On Mar 28, 2020, at 9:43 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Tim's issue - referenced in "very expensive option" - may be that his car won't accept a standard U-Haul hitch. But I'm in the 'no roof' camp..maybe 20 years ago when I was a younger sharper man I would have put a reminder sticker on the dash and obeyed it, but now? No way, I'm going to forget that sucker is up there for SURE 🤦
>

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[Tim Rogers]

I've looked at Curt and other bolt-on solutions. Unfortunately, no one can confirm fitment for my car yet ... probably too new (2020). Both Volvo and Stealth make a retractable hitch for the V60, but they're very expensive and the car is just low enough for me to manage the lift. My car lives outside day and night so there's no risk of clipping a garage door, and I'm just transporting the bike to trail heads. That said, I'm much prefer a hitch mount, just to avoid the lift. That steel frame may be comfy to ride, but its no fun to lift!

[Joe Bernard]

Dude, I've owned the 52cm version of that bike and I'd be in traction trying to put it on my also-not-tall Chevy Impala. I don't need to be injured before the ride starts!

[eddietheflay]

i never crashed my bike into the top of my garage door. instead i chose to return a video to the video store right after a long ride. there was an underground parking lot near the store. clearance for my car and most of my bike...but not quite enough. when i heard the crash i had no real clue immediately about what had happened. oh the bike. ripped the saddle off the seat post and dented the top of the car in two places from the force of the rack.

good luck.

On Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 5:21:46 PM UTC-7, Tim Rogers wrote:

[eddietheflay]

yes, and it does look like at least so far there are no inexpensive hitches for your car.

On Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 5:21:46 PM UTC-7, Tim Rogers wrote:

[Eric Floden]

I used to use a roof-mounted Thule system on my previous car (Tercel Wagon). I made it a rule to ALWAYS have the sunroof open when I had bikes above, to keep me mindful. It worked! Not ideal though as that car had no glass panel, so when the sunroof was open, any rain could come in.

Now, we use a hitch rack. The hazard there was learned to me when it was folded down and I walked into it, making a very nice ping-pong ball sized lump on my shin.

EricF

Rather be on my Bomba,

Vancouver BC

[Dave Redmon]

I'd buy a double 1-UP if I knew they could be adjusted to fit my Sam Hillborne and my wife's Clem L. Problem is--both have SKS fenders. Otherwise, what are my chances of obtaining a tilting rack for two bikes with fenders?

Dave in Kansas

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Dave, Saris makes tilting racks that support bikes with fenders. And they make a long wheelbase bar for your Clem L!

[Leah Peterson]

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 30, 2020, at 9:13 AM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dave, Saris makes tilting racks that support bikes with fenders. And they make a long wheelbase bar for your Clem L!
>
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[Dave Redmon]

I seem to remember that the Saris platform rack did not tilt. Not interested in a rack that hangs my bikes. Am I mistaken?

On Mon, Mar 30, 2020, 11:13 AM Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dave, Saris makes tilting racks that support bikes with fenders. And they make a long wheelbase bar for your Clem L!

[Leah Peterson]

You are. Good luck to you.

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 30, 2020, at 9:26 AM, Dave Redmon <ldre...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAHuE3yYynLVsOtHfyw-mP4qT_X3zmMFzMUo_RAi2-Q9WmmzVsA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Dave Redmon]

A new development! Wonderful news, Leah. Thank you!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1B6EBB95-65FB-471F-989D-0AF4CCA64AEC%40gmail.com.

[Robert Tilley]

1Up did just put out the Wheel Stop accessory for helping secure bikes with fenders. It looks like this clamps against the rear of the front wheel and helps stabilize the bike. You still need the rear arm to rest against the rear fender but it may need to be less firm? The Fender Cushion would also help there.

https://www.1up-usa.com/product/wheel-stop/

https://www.1up-usa.com/product-category/accessories/page/2/

I have been trying to figure out a rack solution for myself since I will have a tandem to carry soon. I think I'll be going for the 1Up heavy duty rack. They offer a tray extension that will allow the tandem to fit. I'd likely only carry the tandem on my camper van which is wide enough to not have the tandem stick out past the vehicle much. It would be inside the width of the mirrors.

Robert Tilley
San Diego, CA

Sent from my BlackBerry - the most secure mobile device

  Original Message  

Dave in Kansas

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[Tim Rogers]

Since starting this thread last March, I acquired a double 1Up and it works great. I have no problem mounting my 59cm Clem L and my wife's Gazelle e-bike. The the 1Up fender cushion is the answer for fendered bikes. I have one cushion installed for the rear fender of her bike ... the Gazelle's front fender is short enough that the 1Up locking arm contacts the tire. No fenders on my Clem. It's kind of a trip to mount bikes on a rack with no center arm support, but once locked in they are solid and not going anywhere. The rack is extremely well made, BTW.

[Marty Gierke, Stewartstown PA]

Ha! We just bought the same Volvo. Nice car. I roof-top my Clem H, and had to adapt a longer tray to my fork-mount Thule as the Clem is sooooo long. Have not added mounts to the XC60 yet, so it lives on an old V70, which is much lower. Agree the hitch mount is pricey on the Volvo, we did not bite the bullet on that. The pic below was an early post build shakedown, hence the coiled up brake cable.

Marty

[a spen]

I love roof top bike carriers and use a "Tandem Topper" to haul our Hubbuhubbuh tandem (soon to be listed) but, before I leave I   a) remove the remote garage door opener from the car and b) place a box/chair/large unusual object in my parking space.  The logic being that, when I return I'm forced to get out of the car before pulling in, reducing the odds of prematurely clearing the roof top, as I once did with a canoe   (:-o

al 

SW-VA