School of Rack | Car Roof Mount Bike Carriers Information Article - Upright & Fork Bike Racks

There are two types of roof mounted bike carriers: fork mounted and upright. Fork mounted carriers require the removal of the front wheel whereas upright carriers do not. This distinction will perhaps steer you towards one or the other.

Fork Mount Bike Racks secure the bike at the fork dropouts, which are attached to a fork block with skewer. The rear wheel is secured into a tray with a ratchet strap.

Pros:

• Security: The bike doesn’t rely on a lock cable for security. Instead, the fork is locked with a locking skewer or a locking forkblock. (Many current models of upright mount bike carriers now use security locking mechanisms that don't rely of a cable lock either.)
• Stability: Because the front wheel has been removed, the bike is lower to the vehicle and generates less torque on the rack resulting virtually no possible bike sway.
• Affordability: Fork mounted bike racks tend to be less expensive than upright carriers.

Cons:

• Front Wheel Dilemma: Some folks aren’t super mechanical, and would have a hard time fussing with the removal and installation of the front wheel. (If 'wrench' is your middle name, or loosening the front wheel skewer to remove the wheel poses no problem for you then a fork mount bike rack is a very good option for you.) You often times have a dirty front wheel to worry about. You can go ahead and put the wheel in the back seat and soil your upholstery, or you can use a wheel fork holder, which attaches to your crossbars and carries the wheel on your roof. The disadvantage of this is that the wheel fork is a separate purchase, and often rely on a cable lock for security capability.
• Funky Axles, etc: Thru-axles, Cannondale Lefty’s, and even disc brake calipers can sometimes prevent you from mounting a bike to fork mounted bike carriers. Fork adapters are available to solve this problem (ORS Racks Direct offers a large selection of thru-axle fork adapters), but unless you are in possession of one of these devices, they can do you absolutely no good. Many fork mount bike racks are now engineered to accommodate bike forks with disc brakes.

Upright Mount Bike Racks allow you to leave both wheels on and secure the bicycle in a number of different ways. Some use an arm that clamps to the downtube of the frame, others grab the front wheel with a hoop-like bracket or put tension on the wheel with a padded hook, and there was even one for a while that held onto the crank arm (the LockJaw from Yakima Racks which has been discontinued).

Pros:

• Convenience: Without needing to remove the front wheel, loading a bike is a faster and easier job. Without needing to install the front wheel after unloading your bike, you can get riding sooner.
• No Front Wheel Dilemma: No need to worry about what to do with the front wheel.

Cons:

• Cost: Upright carriers tend to be more expensive.
• Incompatibility: Some bikes with elaborately shaped bike frame tubes will not fit into carriers that use jaws that clamp to the bike frame downtube. However, upright mount bike racks that secure the bike using a clamping arm on the front wheel or bike frame top tube are a great solution for these styles of bikes.
• Bikes are Taller: Because bikes are upright, you’re more likely to have issues when driving into spaces with low roofs and over-hangs.

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