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TECH NEWS
IMG_7399-1024x576.jpgKickstarter: Upside Racks is a new roof rack that fits any bike to any car with roof bars
Are you looking to purchase a car roof rack to transport your bicycles to events, holidays or new ride locations? Just launched on Kickstarter is the novel Upside Racks which promises to be able to mount any bicycle to regular roof bars in just seconds, and because it’s small and portable, it can easily be removed from your car when you’re not transporting a bicycle.
"The ease of installation and removal takes this bike rack to another level,” says company founder Sean Stoney. “If you have more than one car, you no longer need multiple racks installed. Meeting a friend, just transfer your bike and rack to their car in seconds, all while protecting your carbon.”
The Upside Rack first attaches to your bicycle, clamping at the handlebars and saddle, and then the bike is flipped upside down and the rack is secured onto the horizontal roof bars already installed on your car. The company says it is compatible with any bike regardless of the shape of the frame or size of the tyres, and is compatible with road bikes, mountain bikes, fat bikes, city bikes and kids bikes, with no need for any special adapters.
Because it’s not fixed permanently to the car like a Thule or similar bike rack it’s not going to impact your fuel economy quite as much when you’re not transporting a bicycle. When it’s not in use, the Upside Rack is light and compact as it can be folded away. It can also be switched between different cars easily, provided they have the requisite horizontal roof bars.
The company is looking for AU$25,000 of funding to put the Upside Rack into production, and at the time of writing it’s halfway there. It’ll currently cost you AU$165 to pledge your support for an Early Bird discount with delivery estimated for April 2017. Check it out at www.kickstarter.com/projects/upsideracks/upside-racks-want-to-ride-more-...
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- Geordiepeddeler 10 sec ago
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
- chrisonabike 12 min 44 sec ago
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
- ktache 2 hours 2 min ago
But getting paid for it is the very definition of professional....
- ktache 2 hours 11 min ago
Never had a Shimano QR fail on me. They just work. And the top end ones look good too....
- Backladder 2 hours 57 min ago
If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate...
- jaysa 3 hours 23 min ago
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
- andystow 4 hours 14 min ago
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
- chrisonabike 6 hours 11 min ago
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
- mike the bike 7 hours 42 min ago
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...
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8 comments
I used something similar for many years. Although webbing straps never seemed quite as secure as leather ones.
prety cool. Added advantage that if you whip off the wheels, I'm guess long distance economy would improve (especially with aero front forks), and you might even be able to drive under parking restriction bars unlike stand-upy racks.
Under no circumstances is it acceptable to raise one’s machine above your head. The only exception is when placing it onto a car’s roof-rack.
I fully expected the wheel to be reinvented on Kickstarter soon.
- yes - I used something very similar to this some years ago - a plastic 'scoop' for the saddle attached to one roof-bar and 2 simple clamps to hold the handle bars on the other roof bar. It was very minimal, but it worked, and cost not very much. Remember it being black metal with yellow plastic fittings.
Great idea, but a clear breach of Rule #49.
...which states, for those not familiar,
"It is completely unacceptable to intentionally turn one’s steed upside down for any reason under any circumstances. Besides the risk of scratching the saddle, levers and stem, it is unprofessional and a disgrace to your loyal steed. The risk of the bike falling over is increased, wheel removal/replacement is made more difficult and your bidons will leak. The only reason a bicycle should ever be in an upside down position is during mid-rotation while crashing. This Rule also applies to upside down saddle-mount roof bars."
And maybe #95