Chests

Just buying shoes does not solve the problem of going on vacation. You still need to pack for a safe and enjoyable trip.

The days of cars with baskets on the roof, luggage tied to them with ropes and protected from the rain by a film are already behind. Now we usually carry boxes or extensions with bikes on the roof.

When packing your car with a box, try to put heavier items in the trunk of the car, and pack lighter items that take up more space, such as clothing, in a box. It must be remembered that at least half of the weight of the things transported in the box must be located between the beams attached to the roof. If the trunk does not close due to the fact that the lid suddenly does not fit to the base, then it is overloaded or loaded incorrectly and begins to deform. Instead of making you load your luggage again.

When transporting bicycles on the roof, be sure to secure them with the handlebars forward. If the reverse assumption is made, other forces are at work, the resistance is greater and it is easier to damage. – When mounting the bike on the roof, it is necessary to remove some accessories, especially child seats, which are very stable. The car rides worse, higher noise and fuel consumption. When I'm going on a long journey, I even take the saddle off the bike to reduce drag and lower the car's center of gravity,” says Marek Senczek from Taurus, which has been in the roof rack business for almost 20 years. While driving, it is good to protect sensitive mechanisms such as gear levers from dust or dirt. There are special Fapa handlebar covers on the market that are breathable but trap dirt. For them you need to pay about 50 zlotys.

Car owners sometimes choose racks that are attached to the tailgate of the car. However, not all cars have flaps strong enough to withstand the additional load of several tens of kilograms (in the case of 3 bicycles), which exerts significant forces when cornering or when driving over bumps. “In the case of these types of carriers, Thule specifies which vehicles can be used,” says Marek Senczek.

It is better to use racks mounted on the tow bar. In this case, the risk of damage is much less because the hooks usually have sufficient strength. However, before assembly, it is worth checking the allowable pressure on the hook. After all, it is more used for towing trailers, and this is a different distribution of acting forces.

Bikes mounted behind the car create the same air resistance as bikes on the roof.

If we do not use the trunk, it is better to remove it. The box on the roof (and the beams themselves even more so) causes an increase in noise, more air resistance, and therefore more combustion.

Marek Senczek, co-owner of Taurus:

Nowadays roof rack manufacturers offer many, often very specialized, extensions and accessories. Almost anything can be carried on them. However, when choosing a roof rack and installing it, you must take into account the recommendations of both the manufacturer of the roof rack and the car. The strength of the trunk, tow bar or tailgate, which can also be used with some roof racks, must not be exceeded. You must install and use the racks in accordance with the instruction manual. We had many cases when people did not read the instructions at all and broke trunks and cars.

remember

When choosing a trunk, you need to take into account the make, model, body type and even the year of manufacture of the car. Each car has different places for attaching the luggage compartment. Buying the wrong base kits (going through the roof beams and the lugs that attach them to the body) can damage the paintwork or even the body sheets while driving. It can also happen that the trunk falls off the roof when turning or braking. The Thule catalog contains more than 50 pages of basic kit types.

The roof of each car has a certain load capacity. As a rule, this is 75-80 kg (including the weight of the luggage compartment). Luggage racks also have their own carrying capacity. Some of them can lift 50 kg, others only 30. You need to check how much the trunk you bought weighs and figure out how much weight you want to carry on it.

Luggage racks can be more versatile, adapted to holders for various luggage, or highly specialized, adapted to only one type of equipment. So you have to carefully consider the future use of the rack. We will use different solutions if we only use roof racks for transporting bicycles in the summer, and other solutions for transporting skis or surfboards.

Before a trip, as well as during stops, it is necessary to check the fastening of the luggage compartment and the luggage being transported.