I transport my bicycle, on average, 3 times per week using my 2007 MCS. I have been putting it inside the car, but that requires taking off both wheels, and after doing this for months it is becoming tedious. So I’m looking at hitch racks.

The “hidden” hitch designs like MiniDoMore seemed cool until I realized that to install or remove the bike rack from the hitch requires that I crawl under the car to secure the hitch pin, in an area with difficult access. I don’t want to leave the rack on the car all the time, and I don’t want to get down on the floor under the car every couple days to install/remove the rack.

Does anyone make a “non-hidden” MINI trailer hitch where the receiver sticks out further so that the hitch pin is easily accessible for frequent install/removal?

Do I have any other options?

I’ve considered roof racks, but am scared of how many bikes I’ve seen destroyed by drive-thrus, garages doors, etc.

Thanks,

 

You can get one of these:

1 1/4" Receiver Extender

But with two attaching points, your bike rack is going to wobble twice as much. You might have to put shims in the receiver to keep the motion down.

A word of warning... Anything that extends out from the bumper, you are probably going to smash your shin or knee into. And likely, more than once.

Just to let you know, I can mount the drawbar into my MiniDoMore receiver with little trouble. I can just crouch down, reach under the bumper, and insert the pin by feel. It took a couple of tries at first, but now it's no big deal.

 

Depending on how comfortable you are with modification to your bumper, you can check out the MINI rear mounted rack. We have done quite a few of these in house.

We offer them on our website: http://mini.sewellparts.com/accessor...2008/4812.html

I have seen a few customers with rear hitch racks but have no experience with them. A hitch extender does seem like it would offer you some more space to work with but it does not seem like it would eliminate the issue of the hitch sticking out when the bike rack is not attached.

 

There's also the MINI FINI sport link type. Mounts come threw the rear grill so no need to modify the bumper. You do modify the grill though.

http://www.minifini.com/ShopDetail.aspx?id=19

 

So you say you can install / remove something into the MiniDoMore receiver "blind", do you mind if I barrage you with questions to try and get an idea of if it is something I could see myself doing several times a week? ...

How long does the process take you (15sec, 30sec, 60, 90, etc)?
How often do you install / remove (# of times per week / month)?
How many times did you do it before you became "proficient"?
Do you use a traditional bent hitch pin with cotter pin, or something else?
Did you do any modifications to the receiver / pin / bumper to make installation easier?

Thanks,

 

The Mini Fini solution is the best one out there. I used it not for a bike carrier but for the cargo carrier which came in very handy for our trip to the dragon last year. It is pricey but I loved it. I can send you apicture of the two ports that srick out of the rear grill if you would like.

 

Wow. That is outrageously expensive! We have a hitch shop here in Houston that will fabricate a system from scratch for any car/application for less than that.

 

For me putting the hitch rack on my car 3 times a week would be a real pain. I have never really gotten proficient with it. Maybe 3 to 5 min depending on if the lube on the rack is fresh and how long it takes me to thread the damn pin . That said, with the plastic cap on I can barely see it. Very cosmetically satisfying.

 

I read someone else's comment elsewhere about "threading the pin" and was confused... Do you mean threads like on a bolt? Does it not use a simple bent pin and cotter pin like this:

 

The hardest part is getting the bumper insert out to expose the receiver (I reach under the bumper and pop it out from behind). It takes 30 seconds to a minute to get the drawbar installed. I only do it every couple of months, but it only took a couple of times to figure out a good technique. If I did it more often I would mark the drawbar with a piece of tape or something so I'd see exactly how far to insert it into the receiver to get the holes to line up. Then the process would be even faster.

One thing that does make it easy is the pin that came with my drawbar. It's the one on the far left of this picture:



It doesn't have a separate cotter pin, so ther's no fiddling to find the little hole to stick the pin through. That probably makes all the difference in the world.

 

My Thule T2 rack has a threaded pin. You've got to start it by hand, then use a ratchet to finish it. Very secure but requires more room than a traditional pin, would not be good for a behind the bumper application.

 

The one nice thing about a threaded pin is it reduces side to side wobble.