buster71

Is anyone using a Saris roof rack on their tC? I have Saris accessories and fit clips for the tC, but I'd have to get a set of 59" load bars, as the 50" ones I used on my previous car are too narrow. I love the ease of use of the Saris rack, but I'd like to hear experiences of anyone using it on the tC?

Specifically,

1) Is it stable on the tC?
2) Does it interfere with the opening of the hatch?
3) Does it interfere with sunroof operation?
4) Does it look good? (59" seems a little wide and I'm afraid it would stick out the sides too much.)

I've seen pics posted here of the yakima rack on the tC, which looks great, but since I have all the Saris accessories, I'd like to stick with Saris and save a few hundred bucks.

Any help is appreciated!

hejustlaughs

your roof is a unique design. It's really the main thing that sets it apart from other cars in this price range. I wouldn't wanna obscure the view of my roof with a rack, unless you really needed one.

buster71

I agree. I regularly carry two bikes with my car, so I need a rack, but if I'm carrying only 1 bike, I'll put the seats down and throw it in the back.

The nicest thing about Saris roof racks is that it literally takes about 1 minute to put them on or take them off the roof. I wouldn't leave it on 24/7 - probably have it on Saturday/Sunday when I go out biking, and take it off Monday-->Friday when I'm just commuting.

I'd also like to find out people's experiences with the Yakima rack, and if it is easy to take on/off the car.

Hudnut

The rack has a steel loop that holds the rear wheel now as a little bit of security. I used to have a saris rack on my old blazer. It worked great, but I think the feet would be too big to fit on the tC. I used to work at a bike shop back in the day and I installed roof racks all day long. The yakima racks are not very easy to take on and off all the time, that is where the saris shines. I'm not sure that saris makes the brackets for the tC, have you checked?

iowagary

Wow... that custom rack looks pretty good - easy to use and the hitch hides really well. My only concern would be that the exhaust would cook your fork - they look pretty close togeter. Does it affect the balance or steering at all? I have a yakima roof rack that I won't be using - I don't trust it to not scratch things. Is the Saris any different?

Hudnut

I'd never notice the bike was there if it werent for the seat stickin up in the back window. I've put quite a few miles on it and the exhaust dosent seem to effect anything. The saris rack attaches to the car in a similar way as yakimas. the feet pivot more on the saris, so I would say that it is gentler on the paint.

buster71

Wow, that's pretty nice, very interesting idea for putting on the hitch.

Yes, Saris has clips that fit the tC - I already had bought them before I realized that my current load bars were too narrow for the tC. However, I did measure up the feet of my old load bars to see if there was enough space between the door and glass roof for them to fit, and it seems to be ok. I'm now just wondering how much the sides of the load bars would stick out, since 59" seems to be quite wide. But again, since the Saris comes off in a snap, it would only be on the car for short periods.

The Saris load bars cost $190, and I have all the other accessories already.

I imagine if I went with the Yakima, I'd be set back $500 minumum.

Something to consider...

Thanks for the help!

iowagary

Well I have bars (yakima) that may or may not work on my tC and the feet that would, along with the snowboard carrier. I might have to buy new clips, but that would be about it. Unfortunately I just don't trust it that much. If push came to shove I might use it, but with less than 3 people in the car, at least for boarding, I can just fit everything inside. If it was biking it would be a different story, but luckily I haven't been doing a lot of that.