makiii

I have never transported a bike on the roof, have always used a hitch or trunk rack. There is no Platform trunk rack that works on a 2017 E wagon, I won't suspend the bike, won't put hitch on that is visible. Talked to the folks at Stealth, closest recommended in staller is over 2 hours away, quoted price to install $550 to $850, plus, the hitch so I figure about $1500. add the rack & I'm at 2 grand or more. - too steep for the amount of use.
I'm left with roof top - have cross bars figured out but roof rack leaves me baffled. Have 2 bikes, both carbon frame. 1 standard quick release road other thru wheel gravel. the Bikes are pricey so not looking to have them fall off let alone the damage to the car
Questions:
1. wheel off or upright - which is better?
2 looking at Thule, Kuat trio, Yakima, OMAC & Swagman, - which is better? review 's for all of them have at least 1 horror story.

Currently taking wheels off and putting in the car, but sooner or later it's going to trash the interior.

Welcome opinions - good bad or indifferent,

JTK44

First love your Colnago: Is it Campy and if so Super Record?

I too, have had several high end bikes, an Olmo, custom built Bianchi, Trek 5000 and my present bike Trek Madone 9.

Like you, when I travel I remove both wheels, place a sheet in the back seat and put my bike in the back seat. I do a thorough cleaning, especially the chain and drive train to minimize the chances of staining my interior which is light beige.

I looked into several ways to carry my bike and like you with the bars and bike attachment for two bikes you can be way north of $500. I do not like the hitch system: always concerned about backing up and they get very dirty back there.

After extensive research I found that suction mounts make the most sense, especially for occasional use. There are many on the market and there a quite a few YouTube video on each brand.

See:
Good Luck!

makiii

Thanks for advice
love Olmo’s if Colnago’s are rare Olmo’s are almost non existent.
The Colnago was originally built with Campy super record everything & Campy Shamal wheels
have changed to Ultegra 11-32 cassette & compact cranks from an 11-27 campy and standard crank hills in the Shenandoah valley we’re killing me. Also went to Deda 35 mm bars much more comfortable

will The suction racks handle 85mph on the highway for 200 miles?

Janster

Hi, for carrying bikes on the roof, I would recommend the Yakima FrontLoader or the HighRoad. No need to remove the wheels, they are adjustable to handle multiple wheel sizes and they are holding the bike by the wheels so no need to worry about the frame.
I moved mountain bikes on the roof for about a year and then decided to go with the Stealth hitch and a Thule Helium. Much better than bikes on the roof. Driving fast(er) with the bikes on the roof always worries me, and then you have to remember them when entering low clearance. Noise and drag are also pain on the roof. Had a couple of close calls taking the bikes on and off and decided to go with the tray rack rather than having a pedal dent in the roof or a bike inside the car driving behind me (here is your ROI for getting the hitch installed...&#128521.
The instructions from Stealth to install the hitch on a S213 are pretty good and managed to get it done with my son's help. If you have the tools, space and help it is possible without making a mess of it.

saltydog66

If you have room inside the car, that's always the safest place, especially for nice high end bikes like those. Get some 80"x72" furniture moving blankets to wrap them in, and your babies will be safe:
If you need to take one or both wheels off, get some zippered wheel bags:

rey_winslow

I slide our bikes inside with the front wheels off, way safer when stopped for lunch. You can get covers for the drive train to protect the inside and moving blankets as saltydog66 mentioned keep everything hidden. Wheel bags are handy as well. I've got a weathertech cargo liner and a vinyl bed liner that goes up the sides of the cargo area. For our long trips we'll put a roof rack and box up top to carry clothes.

vchander

I use a Thule UpRide roof carrier. It fits perfectly into the rails on top of the OEM Mercedes carrier bars. Really easy to install and remove, as well as really easy and quick to mount or remove the bike. I also like that it doesn’t touch the frame of the bike, since a couple of my bikes are carbon fiber. Fits my 29er Full Suspension Trail Bike as well. It does have a the option of a pretty basic lock, so not the best for leaving your bike unattended for a long time. Have actually had a friend get his bike stolen from inside their car, so no option is 100% theftproof. Main downside is that there is a little bit of road noise at high speeds. But overall happy with it.

makiii

vchandler
thanks looks good, will probably go this route.
Not overly concerned with theft - as I wouldn’t leave the bikes unattended- if any of you have done RAGBRAI you’d know that there are thousands of dollars worth of bikes just laying around in the route towns. I can fit 2 road bike in the car with wheels off - both have Campagnolo wheels that come with wheel bags

I find putting them in the car to be a Royal pain so have to something soon

PGH E450

Does the wagon come with a hitch? Or did you have to install it and if so what was the model number?

makiii

In USA wagons for not come with a hitch.

PGH E450

thanks just reread your post #1, reconsidering. I probably wait I bit as we’ve just started riding and will stay local.

Janster

Stealth Hitch - https://stealthhitches.com/products/...hitch-shr32013