As the popularity of e bikes continues to grow, many riders are looking or finding ways to transport their electric bikes with them when they go out for any adventurous place. Finding the best ways to carry or transport your e-bike can be challenging whether you are heading for a road trip or just wanted to ride your bike at some scenic route far from your home. One question that often arises among riders and which I’ve had also been asked many times by my rider friends is that can you put ebike on roof rack?
In short, the answer to this question is yes! but it comes with certain considerations. As e-bikes differ a lot from traditional bicycles in both size and weight. These differences will affect the type of roof rack that you’ll need for transporting your electric bike. So, read this article to understand the key points from choosing correct roof rack, weight concerns, alternatives to safety.
Understand the weight of your ebike
When transporting an ebike, one of the most important factor to consider is its weight. As mentioned above, e bikes are significantly heavier than the traditional bikes(or bicycles) dues to the inclusion of a battery and motor. An ebike can easily weigh between 40-70 pounds or more depending on the design and model while a standard bicycle may weigh around 20-30 pounds.
This extra weight can create several challenges when loading your ebike on roof rack.
Check your Vehicle’s Roof load Capacity
Every vehicle has a specific recommended roof loading capacity which includes the weight of the roof rack and items placed on top of it like your ebike. So, it’s essential to check the user manual of your vehicle to know the maximum weight that you can safely carry on the roof. As overloading the roof of your car or vehicle can compromise the safety and may lead to any damage or even accident.
TIP: If the weight limit of your vehicle’s roof came out to be just 5-10 pounds lesser than your ebike’s weight. Then, you can also reduce some weight of your ebike by removing its battery before loading it onto the roof. Depending on the battery size, this can easily reduce anywhere from 5-10 pounds of the ebike’s weight.
Choosing the right roof rack for your vehicle
After determining that your vehicle and roof rack can handle the weight of your ebike, the next step is to choose a right roof rack that is specifically designed for the size and shape of an e bike. Look for these features while finding a suitable roof rack:
- Wider Trays: Electric bikes have larger tires as compared to traditional standard bikes, especially if you have a mountain or a fat-tire ebike. Make sure that the roof rack has wide enough trays that can support your ebike’s tires without any instability or wobbling issue.
- Secure Clamps: Ensure the roof rack has sturdy and adjustable clamps that can securely grip the ebike’s tires. Because a loose fit could cause the e bike to shift while driving leading to damage or unsafe conditions.
You can find many roof rack brands which offer racks which are designed specifically for ebikes or heavier bikes. And make sure to select a rack that is compatible with both your vehicle as well as your ebike.
Lifting and Loading your ebike onto a Roof Rack
One of the biggest and main challenge when transporting an ebike on a roof rack is physically lifting the e bike onto the roof. Unlike standard bikes, which are light enough for most people to lift without much effort, an ebike makes this task difficult due to its extra weight.
Some strategies that can make your lifting and loading process easier:
- Two-Person Lift: If possible, get someone’s help or assistance when loading the ebike onto the roof. This will make the lifting process much easier as one person can lift the front end while the other lifts the rear end of the bike.
- Use a Loading Ramp: Some roof racks come with or are compatible with the loading ramps that allow the user to roll the ebike onto the roof rather than lifting it. This option significantly reduces the strain and effort, especially for heavier bikes such as mountain ebikes.
- Wheel-Off Loading: Before lifting the ebike onto the roof, just remove its front wheel to reduce the weight which make it much easier to handle. Some roof racks are designed specifically for this method which allows you to directly secure the bike’s fork to the rack.
Secure the ebike for safe transport
It is crucial to properly secure the e bike, after it got loaded onto the roof. As we already know that ebikes are heavier and have larger frames so, a wobbling or improperly secured bike can cause accident or damage to both the bike and your vehicle.
Double Check Everything
Make sure that all straps, clamps and locks are properly secured and tightened before driving the vehicle. Also, ensure the bike is firmly held in place and not wobbling.
Use Additional Safety Measures
Many roof racks have built-in locks to prevent any theft but you can add extra layer of security with additional cables or locks. These extra locks will prevent the ebike from loosening during transporting.
Driving with an ebike on the roof
The vehicle’s handling and fuel efficiency will be affected when transporting an ebike on the roof rack. Especially at higher speeds, the fuel economy will get slightly decreased due to the wind resistance and extra weight on the vehicle. Also, the height of your vehicle will also be now more because of the bike on the roof. So, an extra precautions should be taken when passing under any bridges or parking in garages.
Safety Tips to keep in mind when driving with an ebike on the roof
- Drive at low speed: Driving at moderate speed when transporting a bike on the roof of your vehicle will reduce the wind resistance and ensures that the bike stays on the rack unmoving.
- Be aware of Clearance: Keep in mind the additional height of your vehicle die to ebike on the roof, especially when passing under any low clearance area like bridges or parking garages. So, remember this extra height of your vehicle while driving to avoid any damage to the bike or vehicle.
- Take Turn Slowly: The center of gravity of the vehicle will be shifted due to the added weight on its roof. So, take any turn while driving slowly to avoid any stability issue.
Alternative Transportation Options
While transporting your ebike using a roof rack is possible but it is not the only option available and it also may not be the best practical way if you don’t have any help or you want to load any heavier ebike. Fortunately, there are some alternative methods available for transporting your ebike that may be easier and safer.
Given below are some of the alternative of loading and transporting your e bike:
Hitch-mounted racks
The most common and popular choice for ebike riders are hitch-mounted racks. As these racks get attached to the rear end of the vehicle and offer many advantages over those roof racks. Such as:
- You can easily load your ebike onto these racks as you only need to lift your ebike just few feets above the ground.
- They are also designed to carry heavy bikes and have higher weight capacity than most roof racks.
- Some hitch-mounted racks also come with a loading ramp using which you can easily load your ebike without lifting at all.
Trunk-mounted Racks
Trunk-mounted racks are another option to carry your ebike but they may not be as suitable for heavier ebikes. These racks are best used for lighter bikes and they just get strapped onto the trunk of the car.
Conclusion
While you can transport an ebike on a roof rack but it requires careful consideration of the rack’s compatibility, bike’s weight and then,, the physical challenge of lifting the bike onto the roof. If you have a light-weighted ebike or roof rack that is specifically designed for heavier loads or you have another person to assist for lifting the bike then, you can definitely carry your bike using roof rack on your vehicle. But for many people, a hitch-mounted rack or other alternatives mentioned above may be more practical and convenient.
Whichever method you choose, always make sure to prioritize the safety of the bike by properly securing it to the rack and double checking everything before starting to drive. Transporting an ebike may take some efforts but it’s worth the freedom to explore new biking routes and adventures.