When I was a teenager, my dad affixed our road bikes to a bike rack on top of my mom's 1987 Nissan Maxima for a biking excursion. It was a nifty setup – until he forgot that the bikes were still on the roof when he returned to our house, that is. As he pulled into the garage, the bikes and rack sheared off, leaving the mangled bikes on the driveway and some nice dents in the Maxima's roof.
Maybe because of this experience, I've rarely found myself in want of a roof rack...
But this past weekend a friend asked if I could help move a mattress and box spring. I thought that our Audi Q7 might come in handy. Alas, the Q7's roof rack doesn't come with any cross rails as standard, and its curving, flush design doesn't allow one to lash anything down. As such, I had to tell the friend I couldn't be of any help. Where was Lead Senior Editor Ed Hellwig and the Silverado when I needed him?
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 15,967 miles
thebigal says:
06:26 PM, 08/27/07
that when you do it old school and roll the windows down and loop rope through the doors and the inside of the vehicle.... Didn't you ever move a matress in your dad's old Firebird? :D
actualsize says:
08:54 PM, 08/27/07
I especially like it when aerodynamic forces make them taco back on themselves. Good times.
altimadude00 says:
07:47 AM, 08/28/07
That's when you stick your hand out the window in a futile attempt to hold it down before it achieves take-off velocity (which I've seen).