A Cyclingnews special sponsorship feature

Rack 'em up: Saris racks by Graber Products

By Cyclingnews staff

All 40 vehicles used Saris' custom-made roof racks at the 2003 World Road Championships in Hamilton
Photo ©: John Devich/Cyclingnews.com

If you were lining the course watching the peloton and caravan fly past at the 2003 World Championships in Hamilton, you would have seen red flashes on the top of all the team cars.

Although it may not have registered at the time what the red flashes were, if you look back you would have seen that they were the flashes of the Saris roof racks holding spare bikes. Saris Innovative Rack Solutions was the official rack supplier to the 2003 World Cycling Championships, and supplied truck loads of custom-made racks especially designed to cope with demands of professional races like the World Championships.

For the week of racing, 40 vehicles were fitted with racks to fit a total of 240 bikes. The products needed included 40 pairs of 901 load bars (50"), 20 pairs of 902 load bars (59"), 160 fork mounts, 80 upright mounts, 40 custom wind fairings and 120 pairs of clips. It took three installers a day to install at 10 minutes per vehicle.

According to Graber Products' Director of Marketing, David Cathcart, "Saris' patented auto centering foot design results in rack installation time a fraction of conventional roof rack systems." The Saris roof systems feature aerodynamic load bars and a unique ergonomic adjustment dial, which integrates a one-key locking mechanism. They have a "Top Slot" accessory attachment design that allows for quick, easy installation and exchange of the bicycle fork mounts and upright mounts.

We noted that the racks have rubber pads on the feet and rubberized clips ensure that this will be a "no trace" rack job come the end of the event and that the racks fit bikes of all types, from the regular road forks to the funkiest of downhill suspension forks.

Buying the Saris racks is made pretty simple due to their online fit guide. To find out which racks fit your car, all you have to do is type in the make, year and model of your car as well as specifying if you want racks for the roof, hitch or rear, and it gives you the size of the racks you need to buy. Saris racks range from US$194.00 to US$219.99.

See Saris racks at www.rackattack.com
Visit the Graber Products website