Cartop bike racks are very popular, but there is a risk that your bike will collide with overhanging obstacles such as garage doors. The KTOP Bike Rack addresses this issue by carrying your bike horizontally.
Currently being the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the KTOP can reportedly be attached to almost any type of vehicle and used to carry almost any type of bike.
Each bike wheel is held in two separate holders with a ratchet strap that slides along the aluminum rails and then aligns with the bike’s wheelbase and locks into place. A third height-adjustable holder on another parallel rail grips the bike’s top tube.
According to the designers, placing the bike this way lowers it by about 3 feet (0.9 m), making it much less likely to hit things like garage doors. In addition, even when driving on rough roads or sharp curves, it does not sway back and forth like a vertical installation.
K-top
Both wheel holders (and their straps) can be locked with a key when the bike is left in the rack. You can also pull the cable lock out of the wheel holder rail and thread it through the bike frame.
Note that the bike’s handlebars must be loosened and turned sideways (relative to the forks) before attaching the bike to the rack. I also noticed that the side pedals on the car appear to be covered with some kind of padded sock to keep them from scratching the roof of the car.
Needless to say, the rack can only carry one bike at a time in its basic configuration. However, if the buyer chooses some fork mount adapters, it can carry two bikes in a more traditional vertical orientation.
Assuming the KTOP bike rack reaches production, you can buy one for a US$599 pledge. Planned retail price is $985. The video below shows it.
Prospective buyers who don’t want their bike on top of their car to bump into things may also want to check out the HeadsUp and Veloroof warning systems.
KTOP BIKE RACK | NEW HORIZONTAL ROOF RACK FOR ALL BIKES
Source: Kickstarter, KTOP
