Okay, I'm off the MINI Fini Sport Link rack now... too much $$$. Roof rack is out. I know the Saris is also a popular unit, but I haven't had any experience with their products before (but am open to input on their's too).

So... any feedback on the Thule 965 and Yakima Mighty Joe? I have a MCS.

(All the threads on this topic are a bit dated now; hoping to get some fresh input.)

Edit: I've done more research on the Saris Bones 3 rack. This one looks pretty sweet. Maybe the nicest of the three. Comments please!

Thanks!,
A.J.

 

Good morning.

I have the Mighty Joe rack and have used it with my MCS. I bought my car at the end of May, and a week later I took it on a week long road trip (4hrs each way.. all highway) with two adult sized mountain bikes on it.

The rack held up just fine, and there was no damage or scratches on the car as a result (that was my biggest fear).

The rack is designed to hold 3 bikes, but I think more than 2 adult sized bikes would be pushing it. Also, I stopped about once every hour or so to check the rack. I noticed that after some time, some of the straps would loosen slightly and would require re-tightening. This was no problem.. you just tug on them. And just to confirm.. the didn't get loose enough to make the rack unstable or anything like that... just slightly. And since there are 6 straps holding the bike to the car, it was fine.

So overall, I am happy with the rack. It is not something that I would want to be putting on the car and taking off every day (would become a hassle... probably took me 15 - 20 minutes each time to install and put on the bikes)... but for a quick and relatively inexpensive solution, I would highly recommend it. Works as expected.

Hope this helps.

 

Thx for the input. You did mention that install time with the rack is close to 15 minutes. That's good to know... It would be nice to have a rack that installs quickly. Can anyone with the Thule comment on the install time (after initial adjustments, of course).

I should mention that our other car is a Pathfinder with a roof rack for 2 bikes, so this rack for the MINI will be just for my bike (~23 lbs, Klein hardtail).
A.J.

 

Hey there.

You know... that 15 minute install time I mentioned could probably get down to 5 minutes (plus putting the bikes on) if you really wanted it to. I was just being ultra-carefull because the car was only a week old, so I would take me sweet time putting it on. I think that any of the hatch mounted racks would take about the same amount of time, because for the most part, they all attach in a similar manner. I mean, all you really do is just hold it in place, hook two straps on the upper edge of the hatch, two on the sides, and two on the bottom. Thats it. If you really did it alot, and moved quickly... you could probably attach the thing in 2 minutes or less... but you might run the risk of scratching the car at that rate.

Again.. I was just being extremely carefull, triple-checking everything, etc. I took a lot of time securing the bikes (much more than was needed)... and if the car was not a week old.. I probably would not have been so rediculous about it

I think that this rack would install just as easily as the Thule, or any of the other rear mounts I have seen.

 

I don't know about the Thule, but I'm guessing that it's a fair bit more expensive than the Yakima. I have the "Little Joe" rack (basically the same as the Mighty Joe, but without the fixed attachments for the bikes). It was only about $50 in one of my local bike shops and holds 2 bikes perfectly.

If you aren't going to carry more than 2 bikes somewhat infrequently (i.e., once a week or less), IMO you can't go wrong with the Little Joe. Properly clinched down, it is rock solid (and remember, the strapping for the Little Joe is the same as for the Mighty Joe). I've taken it on 2 long trips (10 hour drives) on the interstate (75+ mph avg) on my MCS and it never got loose or gave me any concerns. I did check every couple of hours the first trip, but when I discovered that nothing was moving and nothing was getting loose, I stopped worrying.

I'd say that if you were going to need a rack daily, then you should try a more permanent solution (ie, roof rack), but for the once-a-month to once-a-week use...the Little Joe is great.

 

Go to any newstand, and pick up Dirt Rag, or Bicycling, and check out the ads in the back. Tons of boot rack ads.

Do you have an MC, or MCS? I ask coz of the spoiler ...

There's a great telescoping boot rack, which doesn't use straps. Works great, and looks great. I think it's a Saris.