Hey all - my MCS is due in port in 2 weeks! Time to get cracking.

I've read through many postings on bike carrier options. I need some input now:
1) Occasisonal use - inside with front wheel off seems ok.
2) Roof or rear - I'm planning to go roof for the utility it offers for a box and other 'oversized' items on occasion.

So then, Mini crossbars seem the way to go. These are essentially Thule Rapid Aero bars (slot in top).

Mini fork mount tray - anyone have this? Will it accept a Thule lock core on the jaws? How solid is it?

I have Thule 589 Vise Grip on my other car. OK, though locking mech is plastic. I was going to get the 590 V2 for the steel. Only I found out both models are discontinued and being replaced by the 517 Peloton (now available) and 518 Echelon (July date est.).

OK, but both of these require the 'xadapt9' to attach to the Aero bars. Previous models took the 'xadapt1'. OK, but the xadapt9 is not available yet and scheduled for July (if not futher delayed).

Anyone go down this path recently? Does Yakima have fitment for the Thule Aero Bar? I didn't see anything on their website that looked promising.

Any help is appreciated - cheers

 

Yes - it accepts the Thule slot thinghy (I have/had a basket mounted that way - Xpedition small). Now - I also have the King Cobra from Yakima (bike rack) that was a no-go (accepts only round bars). Therefore - I bought the Bike Rack from MINI (the one with the pivoting arm - I think the name is Touring Cycle Holder - my cycle is pretty big and heavy, and the price between the Touring Cycle Holder and the Fork Mounted was just 4$ (Classic MINI from OH has a 20% discount for teh parts for NAM members). Nevertheless... About other parts: for skiing I am using the Powehound from Yakima (accepts round and rectangular bars) - so thatw as an ok thing.

Now - and that is my advice to you: unless YOU HAVE the parts (Yakima or Thule) and they already accept rectangular parts (or slot parts - like Thule) - buy the MINI ones. They are more expensive (MSRP) but you can find them with the 20% discount from Classic MINI or Morristown MINI (the later - slower shipping and not as nice as the Classic guys - IMHO) and they match or are better deals than the Thule ones.

Oh - I read the post mroe carefully - you already HAVE the Thule system on ofe of your other cars. Hmmm... My advice - wait for the crossbars from MINI to come first - and then try your other parts - don't jump on buying the parts yet. On the other side - all teh MINI componets are slot-based so they might fit your other Thule system (that I am not familiar with).

the Thule item taht I hhave - the Xpedition rack - an absolutely fabulous roof basket (albeit expensive) that matches MINI perfectly - works with Thule slots and works quite nice.

PM me if you need mroe info/pictures etc.

Cheers, MMM

(I am still waiting for my new r56 - my old R56 is in a better place - so I will have pictures at the end of this week).

 

Minimaximini

Do you know if the Mini racks come with locks or accept lock cores?

 

Four of them - on each pillar. Two keys. Have no clue if they are compatible with the Thule locks (they ar enot compatible with the Yakima ones).

MMM

 

...Heck, I'm here to see if I can learn something.

IMO, do not get MINI Roof Rack System (RRS) unless you plan to use it for things other than bikes. I bought my MCS with the RRS and the Fork Mounted Bike Rack (FMBR). Incidentally I just called Thule today, and they confirmed that the FMBR is their product, minus their logo. It is the 590 V2 with a modified slot attachment specifically for the MINI RRS. Anyway, I knew I wanted the FMBR because it would be more stable than the arm system with both wheels on that MINI refers to simply as the "Bike Rack" (BR). The BIG problem is that the tray extends too far back. When I open my hatchback, the spoiler hits the rear end of the tray. For reference, anything that extends further than the antenna is in danger of hitting the spoiler. Although I am not sure if it will hit the hatchback with no spoiler.

So, I return the FMBR and exchange it for the regular BR. Simply put, it is more versatile than the FMBR. but it is not stable enough for my liking. I tried locating the arm on different parts of the frame, but never felt it was that secure. What may be the reason for its instability is that the 2 chocks that hold the wheels are very wide and more suited for mountain bike tires. I have a hybrid and a road bike (tried them both) and I could not get the nylon straps tight enough around the wheels. Some pushing and pulling on the RRS showed that it swayed about 1.5" at best as much as 3" at its worst.

Having tried both of MINI's roof mount bike systems, and not finding satisfaction with either, I have decided to abandon putting my bikes on the roof altogether. My dealer offered to buy back the RRS, "if" they could find an interested buyer. Yeah, GOOD LUCK! BUT...the dealer did volunteer some information, he may want back. If I do take the RRS off, there are four plastic caps that cover the holes in the roof. He advised that I should buy extra sets because they tend to fly off. GREAT!!!

I wish my dealer would have been more upfront with the hassles of the RRS systems and their respective bike mounts. And if they were unaware, than MINI has got to pull these products. At the Dragon, I had a chance to talk to Thomas Kurz, the head honcho of MINI accessories. He admitted the bike racks are a known problem and that they have no solutions or fixes for them. Even better, he also admitted these problems will also continue with the R56's. NICE!!! So much for progress. But the best part was when he suggested installing the FMBR backwards so that it would not hit the spoiler. I then suggested to shove the FMBR up his BUM. No, I didn't, but I sure wanted to.

Anyway, sorry this got long, but I hope it helps with your decision making. At the least you can avoid my frustrations. As for me I hope I can find a solution that best fits my needs. I am starting to look into rear hitch sytems.

Thanks.

 

The MINI rack is a custom Thule mount system that employs Thule's Aero cross bars.

Re: the previous poster's issue with the bike trays, most trays are longer than needed. Does it look like a little hacksaw work might shorten the Velo Vise enough to clear the spoiler? What about mounting it facing backwards?

I have a different concern. I've got Yakima SteelHead trays and other mounting accessories for my SUV. I'd like to re-use as much as possible. My bike trays only work by clamping onto round bars. One possible solution is to mount the LoadWarrior cargo tray and then mount the bike tray to it, but I can't tell if the SteelHeads will mount to the round bars on the LoadWarrior. Anyone know?

The LoadWarrior looks useful in general, but it seems overkill just to mount a bike or two. I'm also trying to find a cheaper solution. One thought is to figure out a way to mount a round bar to the Aero bar, then clamp my trays to the round bar. I think I can make the rear part of the tray attach to the Aero bar.
One last option is to see if a rain gutter mounted rack would work on the MINI. Has anyone tried this? Will the clamp interfere with the window? Is the R56 gutter strong enough? I absolutely don't want to go Yakima's Q-Tower route which places the towers on the roof itself.

Makes my brain hurt trying to figure this out without buying and trying.

 

Frenchy - On my old Yakima FMBR I had a plastic part that fit onto the strap clamping the rear wheel down, which I used (sometimes) when I put my road bike on the rack. Wouldn't that solve your problem with a loose wheel fit? I agree, I'd rather have an FMBR too, otherwise I'd go for the rear mount system.

Anyone know the max # of bikes that can fit on the MINI roof rack / FMBR? I'm hoping 4 would fit, likely two facing each direction.

 

I think the MightyMounts might(y?) be a solution.

I.e. they are adapters for the bars - and try to use either the Horizontal MightyMounts or the Universal MightyMounts (adapters from the eliptical profile to the Yakima bolting. I found about them too late, so now I have a King Cobra rusting on my balcony (I bought the MINI Touring Bike Rack too.

Might be worth a look?

http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=90

http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=164

http://www.yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=25

On the other side - the pricing... The Mighty Mounts would be about 45-50$ 9just the adapters) and I purchased the bike rack with 108$ from Classic MINI. So... your call. At a second thought - the King Cobra Yakima bike rack is bulkier (and rustier) than the aluminum MINI one - so... I don't know.

Unless you have more than one accessory that you want to mount - I don't know if I would go for the Mighty Mount route.

MMM

 

Has anybody loaded a road bike into the back of their mini...wheels off of course?

 

Yeah, I saw those too. The concern I have with that approach is lateral stability once the bike is on. With the SteelHead, the front clamps across about 2 inches of crossbar and the rear uses a slotted bolt through a round bar version of the Mighty Mount. With these MightyMounts, both front and back of the tray would be held on by a single bolt that comes down from the slotted bottom. And you have correctly noted they are hugely overpriced for 4 bits of plastic and some bolts. I could imagine a curve, a crosswind, or even a low hanging branch, that causes enough sideways force on the bike to rip the bolt heads out of the slot and away goes my bike.

 

If you cut off the end of the bike attachment by an inch no rub on the spoiler. I did this - no problem.

 

AMAZING!!! Today I actually returned the upright MINI Bike Carrier to the dealer w/out resistence or difficulty. They either got tired of me (mind you, I have always been civil throughout the ordeal), or they acknowledge that their two racks are not good offerings, maybe both. Anyway, I was ready for a fight, but I even got money back. I was totally expecting a in-house credit because I got the bike rack when I purchased my car.

Moots,
I visited a couple bike dealers today to see what type of roof racks will work with the MINI OEM Roof System. In the end nothing, at least nothing that they would recommend. One dealer actually suggested just sawing off the end of the tray on the MINI Fork Mounted Rack. He showed me on his own vehicle that he had done the same. "It's done all the time", he says. So, I am actually going to revisit the fork mount and saw off the end. The end cap ought to cover the roughness left behind from sawing. Actually, a tablesaw should make for a cleaner cut.

EENY,
I agree that extra straps around the wheels would add more stability. In the end, I hate the fact that it takes our improvisations to make their accessories work. In the end, the sawed off fork mount will be best, for me at least.

Thanks All.