Good morning all!
First of all let me just say that I've gone legit and actually sent in my membership fee over the weekend! I am now, officially, a member in good standing. Happy New Year!

OK, now for the question: I've done a search on NAM and gotten a bit of info but I'm hoping you all can help me out. I need to be able to bring my bike with me and I'm having some confusion about the best way to carry it on my MINI. I first thought roof rack, then I've read that the gutters on the MINI roofs are not that sturdy and sometimes drilling is required? My first thought was to have a rack installed at the factory but I was told that the factory racks make a lot of noise and that I should buy a Yakima or Thule rack. Then I thought, ok, I'll put a hitch on the back and...but then there is the issue of the exhaust location... does anyone have a rack on their car right now that can tell me how that's going?

Also, I wanted to follow-up on the tire issue I had a couple of weeks ago that I posted about and asked some questions. (Thanks for all of your help btw!) Turns out that even after filling the tire with air and resetting the sensor I was still loosing air so I took it to Discount tire (it was late at night) and they "said" that they found a screw in the tread and plugged the tire. Next day, flat tire! So I take it to another DT near me and they tell me that the valve was bad so they replaced it. Have not had any issues with the tire since then but, seems weird that a valve would go within 2 months of having the car, doesn't it?

 

Bike rack -- the best option is the MINI FINI bike rack. It's a 2 piece unit where 1 unit attaches to the bumper and the other is the bike rack. The bad news is that, I think, MINI FINI is bankrupt and kaput (however, they do have an add in the new MC2 mag I received today, hmmm). I used to have a rear Yakima Mighty Joe 3 rack, but I did not like it.

Since MINI FINI is kaput, I would recommend a roof rack like Thule or Yakima. These racks no longer us the gutters; each car model has its own towers made specifically for that model to hold the cross bars. They are very sturdy, albeit pricey once you add up the cost of all the components.

 

I have a factory rack and do not have problems with the noise at all. It comes with a rubber strip that fits in the top groove. At first the rack whistled, but after removing this strip I no longer have any annoying sound and don't ever notice that it is there. . .

Only drawback to the factory rack is that it does require drilling through the roof to get to the strong attachment points. If you can handle having holes drilled, you will end up with the strongest solution for a roof rack since the factory rack can hold 165 pounds.

I bought mine because I need the ability to carry 2 sixteen foot long sea kayaks. No clip-on factory rack could handle that. But if you just need to carry a bike sometimes, you will save a lot of money getting something from yakima or thule.

It all depends on what you need and how much you are willing to spend. the mini-fini design is great for bikes if you can get it. . .

 

I have the factory installed rack on my roof. I don't seem to have a problem yet. Some times I think the interior noise is a little loud in SPOON but I'm not sure that can be attributed to the rack. I've never ridden in an MCS without the rack at highway speeds. I thought about trying to find one of those wind deflectors to put up there but I'm not sure that's going to help.

You're more than welcome to go for a ride in SPOON to check out the noise and see if there's a difference though. I live down in the Springs. Oh, I have two bike attachments for my rack as well as the snowboard and ski attachments if you need to test something else on top of the MINI. The bike racks I have are the kind that don't require you to take off the front wheel.

 

Lerzard,

I have the Yakima roof rack and have no problems. The rack is off the Mini for the winter. I think I had many of the same concerns you've had.

The factory drilled roof rack was never an option for me. And I actually started off with a Yakima hatch rack. It was find but too much of hassle to take on and off. And even thouhg it claimed it could hold three - it would be come a little shaky with 2 bikes at highy way speed. I was loading 26 lb fs hardtail mountain bikes.

Now I am quite happy with the roof rack. It is stable and the bikes feel secure at 70 miles an hour. I have to admit I do drive quite conservatively with bikes on the top. The fit is fine and I set it up so I can still pop open the sunroof.

The only drawbacks are that the gas mileage suffers a bit. ( from 32 - 29 ) I do not leave my rack on for extened periods of time (1 month plus) for fear of the clips deforming the inner rubber lining of the roof.

Other then that - it sure looks cool. Makes the Mini look a bit more utilitarian.

Good luck

 

I got the MINI Fini Bike Rack. Even though they are out of business, the dealers may still have these in stock. You can install it yourself if you've got around 4 to 5 hours of time, or pay the dealer to do it.


Here I got 2 mountain bikes on the back of my MINI. This is a great solution because there is very little turbulence back there---the bikes aren't shaking or the wheels spinning, the mud stays off your MINI, you don't have to to risk dropping the bike on the MINI, and driving into the garage won't destroy your roof---don't ask me how I know that!

 

I've noticed that Mini Fini has an ad in this month's MC2 so maybe they are not kaput?

How is it that the back rack stays up? Is it a hitch setup? Because with my MCS, the exhaust is in the way... with a bumper set up I'm assuming that I would not be able to access the hatch?

Thanks everyone for all of the good advice!

 

MINI Fini did their home work. The bike holder portion hinges down at about a 45 degree angle so you can open the boot. The Sport Link system is essentially a plate the length of your bumper that fits in addition to your bumper. It fits regardless you have an MC or MCS.

As for their ad, I saw that. I assume that's because they made the commitment long ago and prepaid? I don't know...last time I checked their website it didn't work.

Richard

 

It's true!

I spoke to the man who purchased the company and he says that they will be up and running (web site active as well) probably by the end of January!

AND, the new owner is also a MINI enthusiast! Owns, I think, a '02 MCS.

I'm very excited because now I can get a bicycle rack I can mount on the back of Sunnee and not have to ruin her race flag graphic top!

Yippee!

 

Please find out if they will be making more Towlinks!
I bought and installed the Sportlink last summer, but Outmotoring was out of Towlinks. I can't find one on ebay or any message boards. Can you ask your friend if you see him again?
Thanks,
Bill

 

this guy was not my friend, (although he was certainly likeable) he is the new OWNER of Mini Fini. You could actually call the company, the number is on their ad in MC2 (which I don't have handy or I'd put it here), and find out! :-D