I love the idea of a MINI with handles.

I really like the look, too. And while I'll likely rarely use the rack, I'd really like to have it for those times when I do. I'm not interested in putting it on and taking it off...it will stay in its happy home on the roof of the car.

 

The roof racks take all of about 5 to 10 minutes to install and they are removeable assuming you have an R56. They have a key so that you can lock them and keep people from stealing them. I got mine from the person who owned it before me for like 80 bux. I shouldnt have had to pay for them he should have traded it in with the car but whatev. I just really want to see someone with the surfboard racks so that I can see what it looks like. The straps and pads are not enough.

 

I leave mine on -- didn't have any problems during the winter with leaks during the rains (as much rain as we get on the Left Coast, which is not enough). If you leave the top strips off the channels, it does tend to whistle, but other than that, no problems.

 

the first time i installed it took me and my dad about 2 hours. Now i can do it by myself in about 20-30 minutes start to finish.

 

Roof rack base support system ordered from Morristown MINI.

 

Delivered this morning. Now, for the weekend to come...

 

Mmm. I dont know about 5-10 minutes. Maybe b/c they were used. It took me 2-3 hrs to install them. The front bar was incredibly difficult to get to latch. I had to pull, pull, pull to get it to notch in to the spot on the roof. It could vary from car to car since it I literally needed about 1mm extra to get it to snug in.

Overall, not a great experience but not horrible. I'll say it does keep me from pulling them off ***** nilly.

AN INTERESTING +:
Having the roof rack and a glass sunroof has REALLY opened up the versatility of the MINI. I have since hauled a Christmas tree, boards & wall trim, baby strollers, & bikes without concern. The glass sunroof takes the stress off of having whatever you are hauling ding and chip the roof. I never thought of that as a + for the sunroof option. Of course, you cant open it when you are doing this but it's a positive!

 

Wandrur...you'll have to post pics. and a Write-up once you get it installed!!

 

I hope to! The weekend is busy, but luckily it's a holiday weekend, so maybe...hmmm...outlook might be good.

 

heres mine racked up and ready to roll

 

Niiiiice.

Mine's still in the box it shipped in. I need more hours in my days.

 

What carrier are you using?

 

Inno 383 fork mount. Matches REAL nice w/ the stock rack.

http://www.rv-inno.com/html_pages/bike_forklock2.html

 

Roof racks? Why not just put the rear seat backs down?????

At least to my eye, roof racks belong on SUVs.

 

New to the MINI scene, I just bought a 09 Clubman and tried to install the racks myself. I messed up the Jam Nuts that hold down the butterfly clamps. Does anyone know where to get replacements? The dealer here in Hawaii does not know if there are any replacements. Aloha!!

 

Smallkinealoha, I'm not sure, but I would think that you could find replacements for most hardware at a store like Lowe's or Home Depot. I say that not knowing exactly what you're looking for, but that would be worth a try. And welcome!

I guess because some of us might want to use the rear seats as...seats.

 

Been there, don't want to keep doing that. Obvious reasons include:

1. It scuffs - everywhere except the roof...so far. I started putting in a pad and pulling that up around the edges (esp the forks), but it can still scuff everywhere unless you have a thick pad and wrap carefully (hassle...).
2. If you have much in the boot = space problems.
3. If you get the bike muddy = mess.
4. I can't imagine putting 2 bikes in.

To add to this, I pulled my back badly when putting my road bike inside my Mini. I couldn't believe that was the cause, because that didn't seem likely and the bike is lightweight, but it was the only thing unusual I did that day (the pain appeared later so cause & effect is just my best guess after long painful days trying to understand what I did). You have to really extend yourself and tilt the bike to get it in, maybe jerk it a bit to place it correctly, so it's not hard to pull a back muscle. Up until that very painful incident I had put my bike inside the car maybe a couple dozen times, so it's very possible, and very inconvenient.

 

Most people seem to be talking about mounting the OEM rack but a few have mentioned mounting a Yakima rack.

I was just given a Yakima rack system as a gift and would like to do a proper mount that won't damage my rain gutters. I'm also a little concerned that mounting both the front and the rear bars on the door leaves them quite close together.

Has anyone used the perforated cut-outs for the built-in crossbar attachment sites to install the Yakima rack?

Pictures, and experience, and pointers are most welcome.

I have an '09 Cooper S.

 

Not going to work, the gutters are made for the OEM rack only.

 

If you read earlier in the thread here, you'll see I had a similar problem and rigged something that works from extremely cheap parts from Home Depot. Here is what I wrote:
Been working onwards of 1 year now.

 

I did something similar with washers



This was way easier than trying to get the two plates to get caught in the ridge on the nut.

 

I read the instructions yesterday and it said to back off the nut till it stops. Well it did not stop and ended up striping out. This is also not a service part. Your rack looks different, mine had a slot on the end of the stud that was used to damage the thread to make a stop. I would not be able to remove the nuts on mine without striping them out.

Just something to watch out for with people doing this out there.

I ended up getting stainless steel parts to replace the brass.

 

Hello,
Here is a picture of a mini cooper with a rack and RockyMounts bike racks. Hopefully, these links will give you an idea of what a rack system could look like on your mini!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockymounts/4332859219/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockymounts/4332859363/

 

Yea, mine had a stop in the bolt thread that ended up stripping the brass nut as well. We found the thread on mine to be M6x1.0

So for those that ever run into this problem a stainless steel M6x1.0 Nut and Washer combo should be perfect. Make sure you re-thread or file the bolt thread so that you dont strip the new nut!

 

I jut layed everything out to begin and can not detect the dimples in the gutter. I used a flash light. does anyone have measurments to find the locations. I tried using the card to find the slots, but the card enter muliple indentions. Help!!!!