One of the things that goes with getting a new mobile trike garage is learning how to work out the different aspects of carrying the trike. Most of the time, of course, I plan on just carrying it inside. This is really the safest option in multiple ways - keeps my Expedition out of the elements and keeps it away from prying eyes and touching hands.
And while I chose the outback because it would carry the trike and a couple of people, sometimes we have to carry multiple people and their stuff.
A notable example of this occurred over thanksgiving. Apparently my wife and child want not only to be transported over the river and through the woods, but they also want to bring along other ridiculous items like, say, pajamas, toothbrushes, and changes of clothing - so demanding.
I’d dealt with this before, setting up the rack for the Pocket for the same trip last Thanksgiving, but that was on my Honda Fit. For that car I’ve used an entire separate Yakima rack that mounts to the roof (no particular allegiance to Yakima here - it’s just what I already own). The Outback comes with its own roof rails - specifically swiveling roof rails (it took me a little while to figure out what that meant) - so I’d need a bit of different equipment.
As you might expect, Yakima makes mounts for factory roof racks as well. I spent a little time on their website, and it appeared that all I would need was the Mighty Mount 23H to hook the wheel trays to the Outback’s factory rails. I ordered them up. They come in packs of four, and I needed six (two mounting points for three wheel trays), so I ordered two packs.
I was a little puzzled by the warning on the box - where exactly did they think I was going to put these?!? But then again, those silica packs look pretty tasty too...
Once they came in, installation was pretty straightforward. Of course, on the Outback the first thing you have to do is swivel your roof rails. I said before that I had read this phrase several times when I was researching the Outback, but didn’t know what it meant. When you look at the car, the roof rails run parallel to the sides:
On most vehicles this means that the rails essentially serve as a mounting point for crossbars, which you will have to purchase separately - e.g. from the manufacturer or from an aftermarket company like Yakima or Thule. That’s initially what I expected to have to use as well, but I already have two separate sets of crossbars (I’ve had to mount bikes and skis to a lot of different roofs over the years. Anyone need crossbar mounts for a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder...?).
What I learned is that when they say "swivel" what they mean is that the bars unhook from their parallel mounting and swing around (swivel) across the roof to a perpendicular position.
Why I am spending so much time writing about this aspect? Honestly, it just tickles me. I’ve spent years putting racks on cars, some of which had no factory rack, some with just side rails, and some with full racks that I just wouldn't trust. In every case part of the problem is putting on and taking off the rack, storing it, etc. You can’t just leave it on because it plays havoc with mileage and presents a noisy intrusion. Subaru has solved at least part of that problem by keeping the rack (or at least the crossbars) always on top, but out of the wind until you actually need it. It’s just elegant. Maybe other car companies have similar systems, but none of them have ever been on a car I’ve owned, and I’ve had a few. So I’m a fan of this solution. But now I’ll stop gushing and move on.
Everything else is pretty much what you’d think - line up the mounting points so they are straight, put the wheel trays on to them, and tighten everything down.
One’s (my) natural tendency might be to try and center the rails on the roof, but you want to keep in mind that you have to lift an entire Catrike Expedition up there. I try to mount it as close to the driver’s side as I can get it, since that’s where I’ll be lifting up from.
The wheel trays I’m using are Yakima Copperheads. What you see are the wheel tray part of those with the fork mount head removed. For the trike what I needed was the ratchet straps that would go around the rear wheel of an upright. This is all the same system and equipment that I used with the Pocket last year.
The trike is awkward to get up there, but it gets easier with practice.
I supplement the ratchet straps with bungees (the heavy duty black rubber ones)...
...And I always put my cable lock around the seat frame and crossbars. I think of this last part as a bit of double security. Hopefully it will keep people with wandering hands from contemplating taking my trike, and also will act as a final safety catch if other parts let go.
How did it all work? I love my Honda Fit for a lot of reasons, but you can tell that the Outback is designed with the idea that people will carry things on top. It’s relatively quiet even with the trike on the roof (the Fit was not), and where the Fit struggled to maintain speed in a headwind the Subaru (with its much larger engine) managed just fine.
I’ll still carry the trike inside most of the time. The following morning in Wisconsin illustrated the reason why quite nicely:
I love a fresh dusting of snow, but I don’t love it being on my trike... You know, unless I put in there myself.
Ok - time to ride...