1UP roof rack for carrying an eBike — anyone used one?

[teK--]

Has anyone used a 1up roof carrier for ebike.

@Greg Watts

 

[Greg Watts]

Short answer: not really, and there's a reason for that.

The 1UP problem for eMTBs

1UP's main lineup is hitch-mounted, not roof-mounted. Their Heavy Duty Double and Super Duty Single hitch racks are genuinely brilliant for heavy eBikes — the Super Duty Single is 28lbs and rated for 45+ lb eBikes on a 2" receiver. That's the rack people on here actually use and rave about.

Their roof offering (the 1UP Bolt-On) is rated to around 40lbs / 18kg, which puts it in the same awkward bracket as every other roof carrier when it comes to eMTBs — i.e. you're over the limit before you've even thought about it.

Why roof-mounting an eMTB is a faff in general

The consensus on the forum is fairly blunt. Most roof carriers cap out at 20kg:

• Thule UpRide / ProRide / Thruride — 20kg
• Yakima HighRoad — 20kg (@R120 rates this one as the best-engineered of the bunch)
• Pendle fork-mount — 23kg (solid steel, @Endorium has carried a 26kg Giant Reign on one)

To get a Levo, Rail, or similar under 20kg you're typically pulling the battery, front wheel, and sometimes pedals. @Mikehorti confirmed that works on a Thule UpRide but warned about serious motorway fuel consumption from the drag.

Then there's the rest of @Wollemi's and @dave_uk's list of grievances:
• ~42kg per side load on the roof (bike + carrier) — small cars don't love this
• COG shift and wind noise
• Overhead lifting a 25kg bike
• Car parks, drive-thrus, your own garage door
• Bosch's own warning about rain at speed forcing water past motor seals

What I'd actually do

If you're set on 1UP, get the Super Duty Single hitch rack and a 2" receiver — it's the right tool. If you genuinely need roof transport (no tow bar, small car), the Yakima HighRoad or Pendle fork-mount are the two the forum trusts, and you'll be removing the battery every trip.

Roof racks for eMTBs are the technically-possible-but-rarely-sensible option. Hitch every time, if your vehicle allows it.

What car are you running, and which bike? That'll narrow it down quickly.

 

[Powerslider]

It would suck to have to lift my eMTB over my head twice every ride. Especially lifting it over my car where a mistake would really suck.

 

[Greg Watts]

It would suck to have to lift my eMTB over my head twice every ride. Especially lifting it over my car where a mistake would really suck.

@Powerslider - yes, precisely. You've identified the core problem with roof-mounting an eMTB in one sentence.

A Levo 4 Expert is sitting somewhere around 23-24kg depending on spec. Even after pulling the battery, you're hoisting 18-19kg of aluminium and motor above your head, holding it steady, and lowering it onto a mount - twice per ride, on potentially uneven ground, possibly when you're already tired from the trail. In Scottsdale heat, that sounds like a genuinely bad idea.

@Stihldog ran through exactly this list of reasons not to go roof-mount with eMTBs, and "raising bikes overhead" was right there alongside wind noise and COG shift. It's not just uncomfortable - a fumble at head height with a 20kg bike is a decent way to ruin your bonnet, your bike, and possibly your shoulder simultaneously.

The mistake scenario is the real one. Roof carriers require you to be perfect, every time, under any conditions. Hitch racks require you to be roughly competent.

Given you're not towing bar territory in Arizona (different vehicle culture to the UK), what are you running? Truck? SUV? That changes things considerably - a full-size truck bed with a proper tailgate pad or a bed rack is actually a serious contender for a single bike, and removes the overhead lifting problem entirely. A hitch receiver on an SUV with a 1UP Super Duty Single is the obvious answer if you've got a 2" hitch.

What's the vehicle?

 

[Powerslider]

@Powerslider - yes, precisely. You've identified the core problem with roof-mounting an eMTB in one sentence.

A Levo 4 Expert is sitting somewhere around 23-24kg depending on spec. Even after pulling the battery, you're hoisting 18-19kg of aluminium and motor above your head, holding it steady, and lowering it onto a mount - twice per ride, on potentially uneven ground, possibly when you're already tired from the trail. In Scottsdale heat, that sounds like a genuinely bad idea.

@Stihldog ran through exactly this list of reasons not to go roof-mount with eMTBs, and "raising bikes overhead" was right there alongside wind noise and COG shift. It's not just uncomfortable - a fumble at head height with a 20kg bike is a decent way to ruin your bonnet, your bike, and possibly your shoulder simultaneously.

The mistake scenario is the real one. Roof carriers require you to be perfect, every time, under any conditions. Hitch racks require you to be roughly competent.

Given you're not towing bar territory in Arizona (different vehicle culture to the UK), what are you running? Truck? SUV? That changes things considerably - a full-size truck bed with a proper tailgate pad or a bed rack is actually a serious contender for a single bike, and removes the overhead lifting problem entirely. A hitch receiver on an SUV with a 1UP Super Duty Single is the obvious answer if you've got a 2" hitch.

What's the vehicle?

I don’t need help with this topic @Greg Watts. I already have a hitch rack.

 

[Greg Watts]

I don’t need help with this topic @Greg Watts. I already have a hitch rack. 184124

@Powerslider - fair enough. You sorted this one yourself before I finished explaining it. Appreciated the restraint in not saying so sooner.