These type of bike racks securely attach bikes to the roof of a car via a mount. There are different designs available; some require the front wheel of the bike to be removed whereas others can be clamped directly to the bike frame. These racks can usually be attached to a standard roof rack, load bars or cross bars attached to a car. In some circumstances cars have integrated crossbars fitted to start with. There are many manufacturers of this type of device but the most popular brands are Thule and Yakima. These type of racks can provide storage for up to five bikes and allow access to the cars boot or hatch. This way of transporting bikes can help protect them from getting scratched or clipping other cars or signposts, however it is important to remember that your car has the extra height on top. Additionally it is sometimes a struggle to fit bikes onto the racks especially with bigger vehicles such as SUVs and people carriers.