How many bikes can you load on Subaru factory crossbars?

[Dan]

Does anyone have experience using tray-type bike racks mounted to Subaru factory crossbars? (I have an '01 Outback wagon -- the factory bars are aero/elliptical in cross section rather than square or round.)

There's a sticker on the crossbars that says the load limit is 100 pounds, and I'd like to load 3 bikes. I figure 3 road bikes plus 3 tray-type racks is about 100 pounds, or a bit under, so no problem there.

However, one of the racks I'm planning to use (Rocky Mounts Noose SL) recommends no more than 2 racks on factory crossbars.

Can I get away with 3 racks, or is the whole crossbar setup going to get pulled off the top of the car when I get up to highway speed? :AR15firin:AR15firin

[shawndoggy]

Does anyone have experience using tray-type bike racks mounted to Subaru factory crossbars? (I have an '01 Outback wagon -- the factory bars are aero/elliptical in cross section rather than square or round.)

There's a sticker on the crossbars that says the load limit is 100 pounds, and I'd like to load 3 bikes. I figure 3 road bikes plus 3 tray-type racks is about 100 pounds, or a bit under, so no problem there.

However, one of the racks I'm planning to use (Rocky Mounts Noose SL) recommends no more than 2 racks on factory crossbars.

Can I get away with 3 racks, or is the whole crossbar setup going to get pulled off the top of the car when I get up to highway speed? :AR15firin:AR15firin

I believe the answer is "you'll probably be OK, but don't cry to us if the whole thing fails." Note that most racks say not to exceed 65mph either. and air resistance becomes exponentially greater the faster you go, so that's probably the bigger issue than weight (in my mind). I.e. strap a 250lb lead weight to the bars, no prob; strap a 25lb sheet of plywood... issues.

Oh yeah, even though you didn't ask... have you considered a hitch rack instead? Hitches are dirt cheap from etrailer.com (and easy to install... I've done 3), and are way better for mileage because the bikes are "in the draft" on the highway. Depending on the direction of lift of your hatch, they can make it more difficult to get stuff out, tho (my wrx wagon with a two bike hitch-based fork mount tray rack was perfect, though... the hatch would completely open with bikes in the racks).

[Dan]

air resistance becomes exponentially greater the faster you go, so that's probably the bigger issue than weight (in my mind).

Oh, in that case, no problem: they're tri bikes!

:lol: :smashfrea:smashfrea

Just kidding. Thanks for the reminder to keep speeds slow - I'll keep that in mind. I would consider a hitch mount rack except that my car doesn't have a tow hitch and 99% of the time if I need to drive anywhere with the bike I just put it inside the car (I can fit two bikes in the back with the seat down). It's just one time per year that I need to accommodate 4 passengers and 3 or 4 bikes. (shuttling people home from Hood River after <a href="http://www.bikesnbrew.com">Bikes 'n' Brew</a>).

That being the case, shelling out for the hitch, installing it, and buying the rack starts to look kind of expensive on a cost/usage frequency basis.

I think I'll probably try 3 on the roof, drive slow, cross my fingers, and carry a shamrock. I'll also see if I can fit 2 on the roof, 1 inside, and still fit 4 people in the car.

Tragic stories and pictures, if any, will be posted here, but I promise: no crying.

[patmoore]

I don't know the limit but we do have a Thule Fit Guide on our site that may give you some guidance for your car.

[GeoffV]

Dan,

I've been using the Rocky Mounts Noose SL all summer on my wifes VUE OEM rack. I've got the largest Yakima Skybox 21 on there plus 2 bikes. With the box fully loaded I have easily had over 150 pounds on there plus the bikes. If I remove the box I could easliy get 4 bikes on there.

I wouldn't be to concerned with 3 bikes. Regarding speeds, I've done 3 long trips now at speeds around 75mph for 250 miles with 2 bikes and the roof box with no problems.

[shawndoggy]

Tragic stories and pictures, if any, will be posted here, but I promise: no crying.

LOL, well since you asked ;)... I once had a ti schwinn paramount (which was really made by serotta). I was down in Las Vegas doing a three day stage race. The first stage went well and I was in third place. The second stage was only 35 miles but had nearly 4000 feet of climbing and I wasn't a climber. Nonetheless, I made the break and ended up winning the race, getting nearly a minute on the guy who was in the lead. All I had to do was place reasonably well in the crit the next day and I was golden. So I race the crit and make a minor miscalculation because of the heavy crosswinds and end up getting second on GC. Still, I was way stoked for my performance in my first stage race ever.

Pack up the car and start driving to my in-laws (who live in LV) to get my family and start heading home to Reno. As I'm daydreaming on the freeway at 75mph in the fastlane about what I should have done differently, I hear this weird screeeetch from the back of the car and I look in the rearview to my horror to see my paramount, still clipped in to my fork-mount yakima tray, spinning through the air behind the car like a frisbee. It his the ground and luckily the next car is a huge monster truck which rolls right over it. I'm in the fast lane so I can't get to the shoulder and stop immediately so I instead get off at the next exit and circle back to relcaim my now smashed bike.

When I got back I was expecting a bike in the middle of the freeway. Instead, in the four minutes it took to get back, the bike was literally smashed to unrecognizeable bits. Full dura ace, look carbon fork, thompson seatpost, ti frame... all of it just looked like the random debris you see on the side of the road. even the chain was broken into three separate pieces.

Nonetheless, I played frogger across four lanes of freeway traffic to pick up my bike's remains. When I got home to inventory the salvageable parts, only the chainring bolts were still OK.

Ouch. In hindsight, my rack's rear bar clamp (where the back of the tray clamps to the rear crossbar) must have been a bit loose. The tray was mounted outboard of the towers (wide xbars) and a strong crosswind was enough to blow the back of the bike a few inches and slide the tray off of the end of the bar and that was all she wrote.

[Dan]

LOL, well since you asked ;)... I once had a ti schwinn paramount (which was really made by serotta). I was down in Las Vegas doing a three day stage race. The first stage went well and I was in third place. The second stage was only 35 miles but had nearly 4000 feet of climbing and I wasn't a climber. Nonetheless, I made the break and ended up winning the race, getting nearly a minute on the guy who was in the lead. All I had to do was place reasonably well in the crit the next day and I was golden. So I race the crit and make a minor miscalculation because of the heavy crosswinds and end up getting second on GC. Still, I was way stoked for my performance in my first stage race ever.

Pack up the car and start driving to my in-laws (who live in LV) to get my family and start heading home to Reno. As I'm daydreaming on the freeway at 75mph in the fastlane about what I should have done differently, I hear this weird screeeetch from the back of the car and I look in the rearview to my horror to see my paramount, still clipped in to my fork-mount yakima tray, spinning through the air behind the car like a frisbee. It his the ground and luckily the next car is a huge monster truck which rolls right over it. I'm in the fast lane so I can't get to the shoulder and stop immediately so I instead get off at the next exit and circle back to relcaim my now smashed bike.

When I got back I was expecting a bike in the middle of the freeway. Instead, in the four minutes it took to get back, the bike was literally smashed to unrecognizeable bits. Full dura ace, look carbon fork, thompson seatpost, ti frame... all of it just looked like the random debris you see on the side of the road. even the chain was broken into three separate pieces.

Nonetheless, I played frogger across four lanes of freeway traffic to pick up my bike's remains. When I got home to inventory the salvageable parts, only the chainring bolts were still OK.

Ouch. In hindsight, my rack's rear bar clamp (where the back of the tray clamps to the rear crossbar) must have been a bit loose. The tray was mounted outboard of the towers (wide xbars) and a strong crosswind was enough to blow the back of the bike a few inches and slide the tray off of the end of the bar and that was all she wrote.

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. That moment when you saw your bike sailing through the air with a truck bearing down must have been about the biggest "OH ****!!!" moment of your life. Thanks for taking the time to write it up and post the picture; seeing that picture made me want to cry.

My takeaway moral of the story: take the wheels off my bike and try to squeeze it in the back of the wagon; put everyone else's bikes up top :) :) :) (just kidding, really!)

Mounting trays inside the towers is the only option with the factory crossbars, so that's a given for me. I'll probably also pull over after 20 miles or so to check the racks.

Oh yeah, and tighten the racks down like there's no tomorrow. They're already pretty tight, but I'll double-check them tonight.

[shawndoggy]

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. That moment when you saw your bike sailing through the air with a truck bearing down must have been about the biggest "OH ****!!!" moment of your life.

Really, I was glad it was the truck and that there was as much distance as there was rather than having a small car right on my bumper. It would've been like an opening scene from CHiPs in that case!

And in the end it's all good because my homeowners insurance covered it and I ended up getting a full 10 speed DA kestrel evoke out of the deal.

But yeah, since then, I try to get the bikes inside whenever possible. and I've replaced all the wing nuts with lock nuts.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Dan, I have a couple different trailer hitch bike racks, not pretty but heavy duty? If you want to borrow one or two. I can bring them to work today?

Bryan

I will give you a call now.

[refried]

The factory rack is only held on with sheet metal screws, I don't really trust it so I have one bar mounted to the rack and the other mounted with Q towers just behind the front door (so I don't whack my head on it).

My ex's sister lost her bike from the top of her car in NY traffic, She was moving to Jackson Hole and had everything she owned packed into her Mazda, When she hit the Cross Bronx (or some other major road) she saw the bike bouncing from lane to lane in the mirror with cars narrowly avoiding it. After she retrieved it (and holding up evening traffic) the only damage was some minor scrapes and scratches. It made it the rest of the trip.