[Closed] Why no E-bike roof carriers?

Nothing to stop it engineering wise, rating wise either, as 20kg with a factor of safety will more than likely be tested to 30kg or more, it'll mainly be about warranty and liability.

I don't think many people could lift 25kg onto the roof without a fairly high risk of dropping the bike on the car.

I've got an ebike I wouldn't even think of trying to lift it onto the roof of the car. I could probably do it, but it would be high risk and a proper struggle

Any thoughts?

The average eBike rider simply cannot lift a 20kg bike to head height. Even me, a relative adonis, would struggle.

It's bad enough lifting the things into a workstand. LBS needs one of those electric Park stands

I do a fair bit of weightlifting in the gym, but struggle to put an ebike on an SUV roof, saloon/estate ok. Because you have to hold it with one hand while getting the wheel straps or downtube clamp on.

Taking the battery off helps (about 3kg?) but some bikes don't allow that.

The average eBike rider simply cannot lift a 20kg bike to head height. Even me, a relative adonis, would struggle.

Do you even lift bro?

It's far more likely that the "average" ebike rider is simply too lazy to lift the bike onto the roof. I know I am.

Can't you just pedal up the bonnet and park on the roof?

Mate used to get a Kenevo on the roof using one of those ProRide racks with the arm that grabs the downtube. Helped as it would stand up by itself while you did the wheels. Over the 20 kilo rating though. There's one roof rack that grabs both wheels rated to 23kg I think.

And then you've got the issue of electrics and water. Mine goes in the boot or on a towbar.

I have got the thule 599 for my rail 5 the bike only weighs around 20kg when I remove the battery, the only issue is I would need to get something to cover the space in the frame where the battery goes ( was thinking neoprene sheet with velcro like a chainstay protector)

The weird conundrum of electrically powered vehicles - most electric cars cannot be fitted with tow bars because of no type approval and a towbar mounted bike rack is probably the only, and certainly the easiest, way to carry an electric bike. 😳☹️🙄

Simple mechanics init, even with a light bike, once you stretch over the roof and away from a straight lift you soon feel it.🦾
Best of luck trying that with an Ebike
Towball rack FTW

Why would you spend £200 on roof bars, and then only be able to put 1 ebike up there and not 2 (two taking you over the permitted weight of most car roofs.

Other thing is that there is such huge variation in downtube size and shape, probably wouldn’t get a universal bracket to fit all.

Finally most people don’t have a portable crane to lift the bike on and off

Would there be an issue with crushing the battery? Most roof carriers clamp onto the down tube where the battery is. If  the battery was removed to make getting the bike on the roof easier then you have an off structure to clamp to

Several issues I suspect, but the rack would need to be heavily engineered to support the weight - bikes on roofs waggle around a lot and being that high from contact point of vehicle to ground, I suspect the extra weight will have a bigger affect.

No doubt there will be motorised/hydraulic ones at some point. You roll ebike in to the carrier at ground-level, then it hoists your motored bike up on the car-roof and stores it flat with a reassuring *click* and then the sound of the anti-theft alarm being primed *doik!*. 🤣

Self-driving ecars with self-mounting ebike roof-racks are the future

Why would you spend £200 on roof bars, and then only be able to put 1 ebike up there and not 2 (two taking you over the permitted weight of most car roofs.

Other thing is that there is such huge variation in downtube size and shape, probably wouldn’t get a universal bracket to fit all.

Finally most people don’t have a portable crane to lift the bike on and off

1 Car roof is 75 kg, bike and rack less than 30 kg (battery removed) roof bars were free from mate, thule 599 £340 for 2 (2 bikes)

2 Thule 599 clamps front wheel to hold bike upright

3 if going with mate then 2 people to put bike on roof or could take van, if going on holiday with wife the I will need to build myself up (not actually used them yet)

It's not an ebike specific challenge, it is just weight. I've got a Fazua drive emtb and without the quick-release drive pack it weighs around 15kgs so it goes on a normal Thule Outride.

Main problem I also notice is roof carriers haven't kept up with ever increasing wheelbase of mtbs and many are too short! Basically the main carrier manufacturers seem slow to produce updates to products to reflect especially mtb trends. But I suspect at a certain weight limit fear of injury/legal consequence kicks in.

Even with the battery removed they're a real handful to loaf. Bikes on roof bars also wobble side-to-side so you'd be putting extra strain on the bit of the rack holding it upright. That bit of the rack (and where it joins to the wheel tray) would need to be beefier up, making the rack heavier too.

The bars themselves also flex so heavier bars would be needed.

All of that might just be too much.

(FWIW I used to regularly carry 6 bikes on top of a Tourneo. I've seen how much flexing goes on. Even with a good loading ladder, getting heavy bikes up there ain't an easy job. Given the age and infirmity of Ebike owners I'm not sure they should be risking it)

So, why is there no ebike rated carriers? I know it’d be physically difficult for some, but people who are tall/fit would still be able to manage to lift an ebike over their head onto the roof.

You've answered your owm question there.... tall /fit ( and indeed good looking) people are unlikely to be using an e- bike in the first place.

😘

No doubt there will be motorised/hydraulic ones at some point.

Rather like the ones used to hoist a wheelchair into a roof box.

Thule Evo Slidebars for the win. Do all the lifting faffery away from the edge of the vehicle.
Have a small folding platform at the ready to stand on whilst lifting.
Just a matter of someone making a carrier with suitable load capacity.

Have a look at the Yakima Sidewinder for tandems. I use one of these for both the tandem and single bikes. The rear wheel goes where the tandem boom tube usually does. It's not designed to do this but it works fine.Yakima

Routinely carry a couple of Levo’s with the batteries out with a pair of Yakima Frontloaders. EBike’s aren’t that much heavier than entry level MTB with the battery out.

I think its really about infrstructure.

Imagine the damage to a carpark entrance lintel if you hit it with a roof mounted ebike.

Surely they can just put them in the back of their T5?

I'm tall, fit(ish) and handsome(bastard ugly) and I can get my Vitus E-Sommet onto the roof of my Passat on a Thule 598. However, that is with battery out taking it just under 20kg and allows the clamp to fit around the downtube. I also have my technique figured out with wheel straps open and the clamp positioned so that as soon as I lift it in I can clamp it. Internal battery and/or SUV (and being a shortarse) and I would think twice

I had heard from ebikers that it's just as much effort as a non ebike, they just go further. After a decent ride on my MTB I'd not want to lift something as heavy as an ebike over my head. Anyway, why wouldn't you just ride it there?

You don’t see it because ebike riders are fat, unfit, lazy, slow, untalented etc etc. I’m sure I’ve missed some of the cliches.

I’m a proper ebiker, faster than any clockwork bike and I ride there and back to the trail centre so don’t need a car or van, but as I ride the whole trail in turbo and derestricted flying past the poor folk that can’t afford an ebike I do have to drive to the trail centre in the car to hide a spare battery and I then drive home. Of course I also have to fetch the used battery at the end of the day. But it’s worth it to claim all the KOMS from the clockwork folks 👍

Anyway, why wouldn’t you just ride it there?

Eh durrrrrr. Cos then nobody would see the Audi.

ebikers are always banging on about how ebikes let you ride further, so why would they need to carry an ebike anywhere?

My e-bike goes on the roof with the. Artery out.

It’s heavy enough to lift but it’s not a problem as long as you have the rack ready to secure it in place.

I’ve a Thule 598 so it gets clamped at the downtube as soon as I lift it up then the wheels get secured.

No issues so far.

My e-bike goes on the roof with the. Artery out.

Sounds bloody messy.

I have a Thule rack where you take the front wheel off. I can fit my Trek Rail or Orange Five or Trek Checkpoint on it. With the ebike I take the battery out and with the front wheel off too it weighs 16.8kg. at that weight it is a bit more than a full suss bike so easy to lift up. Tried lifting it on the roof with everything on and it's more than doable but not so easy if balancing it before you latch it onto place. I have a sheet of waterproof 3mm foam for wrapping around the downtube which will be held by velcro straps to protect the connectors inside.

I generally use the rack for taking the bikes to the bike shop or if going further away than normal. My local trail centre is just slightly further away than the battery could cover if I rode there and back along with having the luxury of choosing a higher mode. Could do it all in eco I expect although not tried it yet as got the bike after lockdown started last year. Another reason I drove nearer the centre was brother in law on his not E bike didn't want to ride the extra 20 miles on top of riding around the trail centre and into and back as we still park around 5 miles away.

One of these helps with lifting stuff up https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rightline-Gear-100660-Original-Shark/dp/B07JMTVP9N

Sounds like you need a trailer for these behemoths 😛

Is it just me that thinks it's all getting a bit mental with the amount of sh*t you 'need' just to go ride a bike for a bit of fun?

And then you’ve got the issue of electrics and water. Mine goes in the boot or on a towbar.

Best you don't live where it rains and the trails might have puddles...

The weird conundrum of electrically powered vehicles – most electric cars cannot be fitted with tow bars because of no type approval and a towbar mounted bike rack is probably the only, and certainly the easiest, way to carry an electric bike. 😳☹️🙄

A bike on the roof or tow ball is going to screw up the aerodynamics - wonder if the real-time range calculations take that into account?

Best you don’t live where it rains and the trails might have puddles…

If you take the battery out, likely connections need protecting. 70mph on the M4 in the rain is a bit more than puddles.

@poly I'm pondering this question myself. I'm in the process of getting my Thule 598s on top of my Model 3. Once I finish cutting the ludicrously wide Yakima bars down to length..

My assumption is that it's going to kill the range.. maybe 10-15% with the bars/carriers and up to 25% with two big enjuuuuuro bikes up top.. I'll report back after I've done a trip with the new setup and whether real-time range projections update accordingly.

It's weird since moving from ICE > EV my concern is now not the additional cost of fuel but the additional inconvenience of stopping to juice up on a longer journey! @5p/kwh for overnight charging, the Tesla must be doing an equivalent 150mpg compared to the 25mpg in my old ICE car with bikes on the roof..

Edit: Bike is non-e but still a pain in the arse to howk onto a car roof.

You just need a ramp, surely?

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Manufactures will now just put and "e" on their existing products and sell them at a premium.

Tow bar rack would be much easier. I think the tow bar I had on my old Fiat 500 was OK up to 50kg. So fine for an eBike, even if the rack itself was 20kg.