Added the rear bike rack, and with smaller (kid-sized) bikes, it works great. Solid connection to the car, easy to use, and easy on-and-off.

Here's one pic and a link to the set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bentyyc/7469692044/
/

 

that is awesome. can you fit a roof box between the two bikes on the roof?

 

Yea, thats one awesome looking CM, doubt the OEM roof box would fit, its huge.

 

Not so fast now...

The MINI-branded box is about 24" wide and does fit between two well-placed bike trays...



I don't do this often, but it is doable. The in-board pedal on either side has to be oriented to overlap the top of the box.

 

Wow , you got that to fit.... well done, bravo

Looks like the rockymounts are out on the ends.

 

Ya, pretty close. The Rockymounts are about 1.5" - 2" in from the ends of the bars.

Since we got new bikes, we've been putting the adult bikes on the back (see photo), and kids bikes on the top, and have a little more wiggle room with the roof box use case (when required).

 

Nice. Thanks for the info and photos!

 

No problem - happy to help.

My neighbour has a Paceman with the rear bike rack, and some of the attachments and fittings have changed (read: improved) since I got mine.

It's the way that it attaches to the subframe thru the bumper that makes it solid - way better than a hitch mount, IMHO.

MINI has also updated their roof box, so I don't know if the newer ones are the same width or not? ECSTuning, do you know the new box dimensions or if they have changed significantly?

 

Now that there is a good times vehicle.

 

They are about the same, the graphic did change.

 

Yep, it sure is

Thanks Helix!

 

I liked that MINIUSA posted your CM up on there IG a while back. Congrats.

 

Hey thanks for that, and your continued enthusiasm!! MINIUSA reached out quite a while ago originally for release to use pics for two campaigns. One was for "loaded" cars, and the other was for "winter".

Both made their Top 9 of 2015 Instagram retrospective:

Top-centre and bottom-left...

 

Yes, your MINI is famous You should send it to us to post up on IG or just tag us #ECSTuning or #ECSnation . Would love to post it up. And share it.

Did you enter our car show ? You should.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-parts-3.html

 

Anybody have a solution to get 4 bikes on the back? I am going back and forth between just sucking it up and getting the OEM rack and resigning myself to 2 bikes or holding out hope for some other solution. It seem most of the hitch options can't promise to handle the tongue weight of four bikes.

I have 2 roof racks as well, but I often have a big Thule box up there that takes up all the space. In a perfect world, I'd like to be able to use the box in order for a group of 4 to head out for a long weekend with bikes, etc. But if the OEM thing is really the best way to go, I may just go ahead and do that.

I suppose I could sell my Thule box and get something narrower that would allow me to use the roof rack for 2 bikes as well.

 

I think others on the board have discussed 4-bike solutions. Typically 3rd party and hitch-mounted. There are some recent pics of someone who has a rack from 1UpUSA that seems to use the factory mounts however.

As shown above, I can do 4 bikes (2 on the roof, 2 on the back) with the "standard" MINI-branded (made by Thule) roofbox.

Good luck!

 

You can find some good articles on rear and top mounted racks here!

http://new.minimania.com/Search_Resu...l&setCarType=4

 

Thanks. It looks like the 1Up person is using a regular hitch rack with something like the Cooper Crap hitch that goes into the threads. I had that setup previously and the hitch failed while on the road. Scary!

I contacted Mini Fini and that seemed like a no-go. Mini Do More might do it, though I'd have to switch to a 1.25" setup and sell my current 2" 4-bike rack.

 

Hey bentyyc, or anyone who has the MINI OEM roof box: Any problems? How do you like it? Any rattles or wind noise? I'm happy to see the picture that shows the narrow size fits with two bikes astride. Now I will feel comfortable getting that box if you all are good with its' performance.
Thanks.

 

Hey Bluebrat, the MINI-branded box is made by Thule, so good stuff! Wind noise is minimal, but I have mine pushed further back such that I needed a shorty antenna. The only rattles are from the internal tie down straps when they have little-to-no tension on them. When the box has "stuff" inside, then it's dead-quiet.

The connection to the crossbars is using the "Euro T-channel", so as long as you torque the retaining nut down, it is squeak-free...

I can't speak to the newer MINI boxes but suspect they are largely the same.

 

Shot from the side to show crossbar/box placement. Basically, the front of the box is in line with the top of the windshield, and the back of the box just covers the antenna, but still does NOT interfere with the hatch when open...