I just got my Saris roof racks a few weeks ago and used them for a trip to the beach last week. I had them installed on my car in less than five minutes, and they were so secure and sturdy, I had no worries the entire drive down and back. Thanks to all of you who recommended them. I can't see how any other racks can compare!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jun 7 2006, 09:41 PM) [snapback]267627[/snapback]</div> Livelychick- any chance that you could post a photo? (I mean of your car with the rack; not of you. Well, you can post one of you as well if you want ) Do you have any kind of attachment on the rack? I'm looking to put a kayak on my roof, and thinking of going with the Saris.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 7 2006, 09:44 PM) [snapback]267630[/snapback]</div> I don't have one yet...I was planning on posting shots when I finally get around to putting my sharkfin antenna on. I have a longfork bike attachment that hooks onto the towers, but I haven't used it yet. It looks pretty simple, too. I don't keep the racks on...the one complaint is that they whistle when you drive without a load on them. They're so easy to take on and off, though, that I don't mind. I think I saw some pics of them on a thread here somewhere. Darrell, maybe?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jun 7 2006, 09:49 PM) [snapback]267633[/snapback]</div> One of those deflectors that goes on the front bar should take care of the noise problem. I think I would just take the racks off when not in use, in the interest of MPG. Yes, now that you mention it, I believe that Darrell did have photos of the Saris rack.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jun 7 2006, 09:49 PM) [snapback]267633[/snapback]</div> Mine whistle too. I tried fitting the little rubber stripping they supplied but it didnt' help. I used Sharpie to mark inside the door jambs where the clips should be when I start tightening the rack down, and I marked one "front" and one "back". The Kayak doodads are nice enough, they double as gunwale brackets and I brought home a 6' bookcase on top of them. Besides whistling, my only complaint is that they fill up with water, and when I open the back door and kneel on the seat to snap my kid into the car seat, all the water starts flowing toward me! Normally not a problem but this year New England seems to be a rain forest. Darrell has pictures here: http://www.darelldd.com/ev/prius_mods.htm
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jun 7 2006, 08:44 PM) [snapback]267630[/snapback]</div> Yes please - post a pic of your rack.
From Darell's site, http://www.darelldd.com/ev/images/prius/ra...prius_kayak.jpg is a pic of my Saris racks with two kayaks on them (using saddles - really nice).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jun 7 2006, 08:41 PM) [snapback]267627[/snapback]</div> What size did you get - I se they have 50" and 59". I guess I gould go out to measure, but its nice and warm here.
I got the 59'' (it's what is recommended by the Saris fit guide)... they stick out a little over the edge of the car, but it's not a problem at all
You'll want the 59" ones for sure. You can get away with the 50" for the rear, but you need to buy them in pairs any way. Almost always better to have more bar than less! I haven't yet driven with mine on *empty* so wasn't aware that these would whistle. I know the Yak bars do! I've about to buy the Kayak saddles for mine.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(xxxlmpg @ Jun 8 2006, 12:38 AM) [snapback]267741[/snapback]</div> With my Yakima, I had the choice between 58" and 66". I am very glad I choose the longer. That extra length comes in very handy when lifting the rack off the car, since it provides a place for your hand to allow leverage that wouldn't otherwise be available. And with 2 kayaks, having more width available might prove to be a benefit.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ Jun 8 2006, 03:24 PM) [snapback]268299[/snapback]</div> Just one caution (from experience): Don't bonk your head on the ends!
I just got mine from the saris web site. Went to show someone the web site who was interested in a roof rack, and the store and most of the info on roof racks is gone! Anybody know what happened?
wow, looks like a complete redesign of the website from what i remember... i wonder if they did away with their roof racks all together? if so, i'm glad i got mine when i did!
"I cannot find roof racks on your website. Have you stopped selling them? We choose to specialize in racks for the rear of the car. However, we do have an inventory of roof rack products available. If you are an existing roof rack customer and need replacement parts, we have them available. If you need to change parts to accomodate a new car, we do offer an upgrade program. Just give us a call for more information. 1-800-783-7257" Arrrrrrgggghhhh! I was about to buy these!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Jul 7 2006, 12:03 PM) [snapback]282543[/snapback]</div> The person I was showing it to had a Corolla and even though no roof rack menu appears any more beside the rear hitch and truck bed stuff, we could plug in the car info. We got a kind of greyed out listing of different racks including 50 inch load bars. There was no info on what clips to get or anything else to click on to get real specs or better pictures.
I did talk to someone at Rack Outfitters, who siad they are not discontinued, but not being "supported anymore". I'm not sure what that means. They do still have the roof racks in stock, but I'm not sure about buying one now; I'm not sure I want to commit to a rack system that's "not supported". Does anyone know more about how the rack systems coexist (ie if I need a kayak rack in 2 years will I be able to buy a compatible one?). If I'm taking it off when not in use (and therefore not concerned so much about aesthetics), is there any reason I shouldn't just buy a yakima system?
I'm considering going yet a *third* way to get racks on my car. I have the 59" Saris, and the kayak saddles (as you can now see on my rack page). I'll likely be putting them up for sale sooner than later. Everything has been used once, for one trip. And it all worked great. I'm mostly just crazy, really. Always looking for that *perfect* solution that doesn't exist. I'm back to the "drilling through the roof" option that everybody has tried to talk me out of. I did put some light scratchs into the top of one of the cross bars when I loaded the kayak with some sand on it. But other than that, they're impossible to tell from new. I'd like to get 75% of retail plus real shipping for them. If interested please drop me an email (in my sig). I'm on the road right now, so it is tough for me to stay in contact... please be patient!
I am planning on a long trip and after having talked with Darell several times I had decided to buy the Saris roof rack. I was actually going to buy the racks from him, however since he was on the road and my time I needed them weren't going to workout I was going to have to buy them elsewhere. I also had noticed that the Saris website no longer showed the roof racks. I kept looking through their site and in the frequent asked questions, here's what I found it to say: I cannot find roof racks on your website. Have you stopped selling them? We choose to specialize in racks for the rear of the car. However, we do have an inventory of roof rack products available. If you are an existing roof rack customer and need replacement parts, we have them available. If you need to change parts to accomodate a new car, we do offer an upgrade program. Just give us a call for more information. 1-800-783-7257 So if you're planning on buying a set of these and aren't in a hurry I'd suggest talking to Darell. Otherwise there are other bike shops and such out there if you need them like yesterday that you can still buy them from before they are no longer available.
