Hey I'm looking for a good aftermarket roof rack for the MINI that'll allow me to carry a snowboard, surfboard, or possibly a bike. There's no way in hell I'm drilling holes in my roof so the factory rack is out of the question.
Can anyone rcommend a good "removable" roof rack? Pics would be great if you've got 'em.

Oh, and YES I did do a search first...

 

very riskee title calvin :smile:

 

Here is my RACK !!!!......55"...63"...50"....425 lbs,82 years young,single,male, but I'll date anything,...oh,and no $...so please send me an email...

 

just so happened i stopped by yesterday at the local kayak shop and asked them about racks for mini's. yakima, my #1 choice, has one out now. but...there are precautions. 1) may cause the plastic rainguard/molding to bend or warp
2) weight limit of 75 lbs.
3) they recommend taking off if not in use for a prolonged time
4) supposedly, the spacing between racks is only 18"

i'm not sure if it hooks onto the inside of the window though. and the black plastic rainguard trim is not all that sturdily attached. and if i intend to carry 9+ ft. longboards and kayaks, i'm not sure if that'll hold my gear well when i'm driving at highway speeds into the wind, especially with that puny spacing between bars. so, i'm gonna write them and thule also to see if they're gonna come out with something better without drilling in the roof. i'm hoping they will as mini's become increasingly more popular.

right now, i'm in no rush as i got my p/u still yet to carry my boards, kayak, etc. but i will be on the lookout.

 

hahaahha that title got me

 

Do you have a nice rack??

No, but I have a clear bra...

 

>>hahaahha that title got me


ur not the only one

 

>>very riskee title calvin or maybe its just my dirty mind

I thought you might enjoy that one, Red..

By the way thanks for the info! (everyone)

 

:smile:

Cheers!
Clover

 

^ Thanks Clo! The only reason I wouldn't want the OEM rack is because really wouldn't be able to bring myself to drill holes in my shiny white roof!
I get all teary eyed just thinking about it!

 

I've seen the roof rack (dealer installed) on kbseto's MC which is used for surfboards.
Looks good. I would be worried about the fragile black plastic molding. I heard it can have problems and come
off just from daily use so if you used an aftermarket rack and there was trouble then it might not be covered under warranty. I guess you can just remove the rack and claim it was the wind that did the damage.

 

yep...the OEM rack is solid, but drilled thru the roof. right now i'm looking for alternatives for my MCS coming later in the year. and i don't wanna drill if possible. the other threads are talking about yakima, saris, mont-blanc, etc. i sent for info from saris which on paper looks good. yakima, not so sure about, as i stated the precautions earlier.

otherwise, if all else fails, i'm going with stock racks.

 

Do any of these roof racks have a basket as an option, in which one can place a duffle bag or something? Besides the OEM.

_________________
I'm the boss, not you!
Get over here!
Gimme a kiss!

 

youscared me

 

I've been lookign for one similiar.. there a place called eycorack, that is developing racks for teh mini, but I've yet to see a product... I'm goign to build my own I think.. using the yakima as a base.

 

I recently took the family (2 adults, 2 kids) on vacation and needed somewhere to store the gear, so I purchased the Yakima rack and was very pleased with the performance.

Installing the rack took about 45 minutes, but after ther initial install it is easily taken off or put back on in a matter of minutes (if you are slow). The rain gutters showed no visible damage or deformation and there is no interference with the windows or doors. Since I didn't haul any bikes with it, I can't vouch for it in that capacity, but as a good old fashioned luggage rack it seems to do a great job.

The only real draw back is, when rack is on, the sunroof is not able to be opened.
Kind of a drag but I can live with it.

Price was $345. That included the rack, wire basket and basket bungie net.

Hope this helps,

Lobo

 

I love my saris rack....take a look at my signature. feel free to PM me, and I'll send you more pics.

 

I got the Yakima Q-towers with the Q78 clips and the 48" load bars today. I cut down the load bars so that with the caps on they are flush with the towers. This makes for no overhang to get your head hit on.

The only fit issue I had is that there is very slight contact with the sunroof when the roof is at full cant. Otherwise, the roof retracts fine.

Here are some pics of the rack on my MINI. I'm using the THULE velovice bike attachments as they fit both Yakima and Thule (I had a Thule rack before this). I like them a lot.

 

Dave,

Great pics :smile:

Are you using the recommended 18" between the load bars?

 

Nice set up there Dave. I did a fair bit of research on this subject last nite and yours looks like a very good set up. I want to see the Saris rack up close, but one of my first tests will be to try the Saris Bones boot rack that I already have. It's very versatile and supposedly fits on the Cooper and S. Also the design never puts metal in contact with the paint. I used it when I took my bike to Miami from DC on the back of a Civic. It did great.

 

Yes, I installed the rack with all measurements per Yakima's recommendations - including the 18" load bar spread.

 

Dave,

A few other questions:

1. Do the clips slip in above the rubber door seal?

2. Do the windows contact the clips?

3. Do you think you could get perhaps 2-3" more spread between the bars?

Thanks

 

1) the clips slip in between the plastic molding and the rubber window seal.

2) no window contact with the clips

3) I think we could get another couple inches of load bar spread.

 

 

Thanks for the pics!
Both the saris and yakima look like good choices. Yesterday a saw a MINI on the street with a Thule rack and it also looked pretty good, does anyone have one of these?