Roof rack designs currently used by vehicles to transport bicycles normally position the bicycle frame in an upright position. This method is not ideal since the elevated roof of the vehicle makes it difficult to mount the bicycle to the rack.
Apart from creating greater air drag during transit and thus increases the vehicle's fuel consumption, the bicycle is also in danger of being struck by low lying tree braches and must be removed before the vehicle can be parked inside a garage.
This roof rack comprises a fixed frame mounted horizontally across the roof of a vehicle and contains a pair of articulating rails that are capable of sliding laterally beyond the edge of the roof and then pivot down into a vertical position alongside the vehicle.
The extended rails possess a set of elongated ring supports capable of retaining the wheels of two bicycle mounted side-to-side. Once the bicycles are secured, the rails and the bicycles are raised horizontally, slid back in position over the fixed frame and locked in position. The proposed roof rack forgoes the need to remove the bicycles prior to entering the home garage and being transported horizontally, less likely to be struck by low lying obstacles.
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Download patent application by inventor
(PDF - 1,178 KB)
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