While car-top bike racks are quite popular, they do leave bikes vulnerable to collisions with overhanging obstacles such as garage doors. The KTOP Bike Rack addresses that problem by carrying the bicycle horizontally.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the KTOP can reportedly be installed on just about any type of vehicle, and used to carry just about any type of bike.
The bicycle's wheels are each ratchet-strapped into two separate holders, which are slid along an aluminum rail and then locked into place to match the bike's wheelbase. A third adjustable-height holder on a separate parallel rail grasps the bike's top tube.
According to the designers, laying the bicycle down in this fashion lowers its height by about three feet (0.9 m), making it much less likely to hit garage doors and whatnot. Additionally, when traversing rough roads or taking sharp corners, the bike won't sway back and forth as it would if mounted vertically.
When leaving the bike unattended on the rack, both wheel holders (and their straps) can be locked up with a key. A cable lock can also be pulled out of the wheel-holder rail and looped through the bike's frame.
It's definitely worth noting that the bicycle's handlebars have to be loosened off and turned sideways (relative to the fork) before mounting it on the rack. We additionally noticed that the car-side pedal appears to be covered in some sort of padded sock, to keep it from scratching the vehicle's roof.
And needless to say, the rack can only carry one bike at a time in its base configuration. If buyers opt for a couple of fork-mount adapters, however, they can carry two bikes in a more traditional vertical orientation.
Assuming the KTOP Bike Rack reaches production, a pledge of US$599 will get you one – the planned retail price is $985. It's demonstrated in the video below.
Prospective buyers who don't want their car-top-carried bike running into things may also want to check out the HeadsUp and Veloroof warning systems.
Sources: Kickstarter, KTOP
Nice concept, but would be interesting to see someone attempt a rack design where you initially load two bikes vertically, nested tightly… on a hinged base that then folds down horizontally. Would still require loosening both handle bars and some clever pedal/crank management. But seems like the two horizontal bikes would be lower than both mounted vertical… and as importantly, better supported and more rigid, especially in cross-winds.