how do roof bars on a car work?

[Anonymous]

I have roof bars on top of my car but don’t understand how I’d use them - do I need to buy extra accessory pieces to be able to latch onto the bars each of items like a bike, a paddle board, skis, etc.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you have to buy the arms to attach something like a bike or kayak. Now that being said, my DH uses a homemade rack to put his boat on top of ours. But we recently got a kayak and we can’t transport it until we get those parts. And they’re never in stock due to supply chain issues.

[Anonymous]

Thanks from OP. So I'd need to buy a specific attachment to latch my bike to the roof, then a different attachment to latch skis to the roof, right? As you said the attachments are likely not cheap, but once I owned them, could I move the attachments on and off myself? So when I want to transport my bike I could do that, and then on another trip transport my skis. Or do you just pick one and that's the attachment that stays?

[Anonymous]

You pick a brand of crossbar and crossbar mount, and stay within that brand for accessories.

Yakima, Thule, Malone, etc.

Accessories are mostly brand specific. So you’re buying into a rack system, with various components based on what you need to carry (bike, aero box, rack, kayak, skis, snowboard, etc.)

I went with Yakima, because they seemed to have the widest variety of accessories. But Thule is good, too. A little more $$, not as many models, but very similar.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you can take the crossbars on and off as needed.

[Anonymous]

Go to REI and you can see them and compare in person

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have roof bars on top of my car but don’t understand how I’d use them - do I need to buy extra accessory pieces to be able to latch onto the bars each of items like a bike, a paddle board, skis, etc.

If you need to be told or shown how to use them, 1. You probably shouldn’t be driving a vehicle with roof racks/bars. 2. You probably won’t properly secure your load to the roof, lose your load and destroy whatever falls off and cause an accident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have roof bars on top of my car but don’t understand how I’d use them - do I need to buy extra accessory pieces to be able to latch onto the bars each of items like a bike, a paddle board, skis, etc.

If you need to be told or shown how to use them, 1. You probably shouldn’t be driving a vehicle with roof racks/bars. 2. You probably won’t properly secure your load to the roof, lose your load and destroy whatever falls off and cause an accident.

So people are just inherently know how to use them?

OP, ignore this post - the previous replies had good advice and specific brands to look into. Have fun enjoying nature!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have roof bars on top of my car but don’t understand how I’d use them - do I need to buy extra accessory pieces to be able to latch onto the bars each of items like a bike, a paddle board, skis, etc.

If you need to be told or shown how to use them, 1. You probably shouldn’t be driving a vehicle with roof racks/bars. 2. You probably won’t properly secure your load to the roof, lose your load and destroy whatever falls off and cause an accident.

So people are just inherently know how to use them?

OP, ignore this post - the previous replies had good advice and specific brands to look into. Have fun enjoying nature!

Common sense…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Common sense…

not in the last few years around here. common sense is lacking anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You pick a brand of crossbar and crossbar mount, and stay within that brand for accessories.

Yakima, Thule, Malone, etc.

Accessories are mostly brand specific. So you’re buying into a rack system, with various components based on what you need to carry (bike, aero box, rack, kayak, skis, snowboard, etc.)

I went with Yakima, because they seemed to have the widest variety of accessories. But Thule is good, too. A little more $$, not as many models, but very similar.

But didn’t the OP say he/she already has something on their roof? I was assuming something like cross bars (more generic for tying down luggage say).

To the OP, it would be helpful to know what kind of vehicle you have. A tall roofline such as with SUVs can make it tough for some people to mount bicycles that high.