Roof Rack in a New Flavor

WHAT: Rocky Mounts Lariat SL Camouflage WHERE: www.rockymounts.com HOW MUCH: $74.95 (locking QR option runs an extra ($7.95)

For years, the rack market has been dominated by two names: Yakima and Thule. While those companies still have the corner on most of the market, a slew of smaller companies have been steadily inching into the market. Rocky Mounts is one such rack supplier. The Boulder-based company doesn’t offer complete rack systems (towers, cross bars and attachments). Instead, they offer a range of trays and fork mounts that can be bolted onto your existing bar and tower set-up. That’s where the Lariat SL fits in.

The Lariat Sl attaches to both round (Yakima) or square (Thule) cross bars. It features a durable, cast-metal head, a locking, long-throw quick release lever (which allows you to take your bike on and off the rack without having to constantly readjust the quick release tension), and a full-length tray that is said to accommodate tires as wide as 2.3-inches.

The base price for the Lariat SL is $59.95. The lock core (for the quick release) runs an extra $7.95 and, no, you can’t use Yakima or Thule locking cores on this rack. They’re just not compatible. The Lariat SL pictured here features Rocky Mounts’ new urban camouflage graphic package. This pimpier paint graphic option increases cost by about $15. Rocky Mounts does, however, offer their tray in eight other colors (black, silver, red, orange, yellow, gold, baby blue, green, etc.) at the normal $59.95 price point.

So, here’s how it worked. First, installation is pretty much a no-brainer. I ignored the directions completely (I’m not proud of that, it’s just the way I operate) and finished bolting it onto my Yakima crossbars in under 5 minutes.

While simple, installation is a bit more tool-intensive than the Yakima products I’ve purchased in the past, it’s still pretty easy—all you need is a crescent wrench or 13-millimeter box end wrench to tighten the rear end of the tray to the cross bar. On one hand, that’s sort of a pain in the ass, as it requires that you carry a wrench with you whenever you want to reconfigure your roof rack. On the other hand, you could argue that having a bolt for the rear portion of the tray is a sort of theft-deterrent. Either way, it’s a fairly minor detail…I just thought I’d should mention it.

Once installed, I had no problems operating the rack. I’m currently running a Fox Talas fork with an IRD disc brake and I expected that the disc brake caliper might rub against the tray, yet I found I had ample clearance between the two. Rocky Mounts does, however, offer an option disc brake adapter ($14.95) which will guarantee that you never run into that annoying “I can’t bolt my fork to this @$#% rack because my disc brake caliper keeps hanging up on then #@$*% tray!” problem.

Rocky Mounts also claims that the tray on the Lariat SL will accept tires up to 2.3-inches in diameter, but I found my tray struggling a bit with a WTB 2.1 ExiWolf rear tire. If you run big rear tires, you should probably get the Lariat SLX—basically the same system, but with a wider tray for meatier treads.

Many quick release levers are made of steel, but this is not the case with the Lariat SL.

The only component on the rack that had me frowning was the nylon (or plastic or graphite some type of composite material…I honestly don’t know what the lever is made of) lever. I’m used to steel quick release levers and am not sure how well the nylon lever will hold up to the elements. I haven’t run into any problems with the lever to date, but I also haven’t subjected it to a harsh winter. I’ll run an update in another six months or so and let you know how it fares.

All in all, the Lariat SL is a quality rack attachment at a very reasonable price. If you’d be content with the 8 normal Lariat SL tray colors, you’re looking at a $60 price tag, and that’s a good $20 cheaper than the comparable Yakima and Thule models (the Copperhead and Long Tray Classic, respectively). It’s an impressive price for a sound and versatile product.