Not sure if it will fit, but I have the Kuat bike rack. They are very light and easy to operate. You should check them out.

I have a Clubman and have the Minidomore trailer hidden hitch.

If Minidomore has a hidden hitch to fit your car (cost about 200.00), then you could use any bike rack without having to have the bike rack sitting on the bumper, rear panel or deck of your car. I think this would me more preferable in the long run, much easier to remove when not using.

 

Saris Bones 805 2 Bike Carrier On the R58 Coupe, With Rear Deck Spoiler Fully Deployed

 

Wish I didn't see this thread, now I have an economical reason not to get the MiniFini sport link installed on my Roadster.

I was blissfully under the impression that trunk racks would not work, now they might.

I prefer the look of the MiniFini, and the convenience of a hitch rack, but not the price.

I have a Saris rack I use on my R53, and it did mare the paint; but there is Spineys recommendation about the cell phone screen protectors...

Thanks for making the decision that much harder ;-)

 

From all the research I've made, unfortunately there isn't a great solution for the roadster.
Personally I don't like those bike rack that touches the paint. That's kind of a no no for me. Just my personal preference.

This is what I'm looking for:

- Light weight - kind of a must for the roadster imo. By the time you load two persons, two bikes, the rack, and stuff in the trunk for a small trip, you're getting close to the maximum weight. But ultimately handling suffers. So the lighter the better.

- Does not hurt the car or the bikes - For this reason I prefer the platform style since bikes the bikes are completely secure and have no chance to hit the car or each other. Though due to height issues I may have to dig a little more in that arena unfortunately.

- Possibility to adjust it to a lower position from the ground - I know all about the ground clearance and the need to be careful with that. But most racks accounts for the hitch receiver to be below the bumper. That's not the case with the one I have installed and thus most racks perch them up which really isn't great for road noise and wind turbulence on the roadster.

- Compact - For one I don't want the rack to be wider than the MINI which is 66" wide from the side plastic fenders to the other. Also I wouldn't mind if it does not overly extend too far away from the trunk. That's more to protect myself from forgetting I have something long behind the car and hit something while maneuvering. Sometime we can easily forget something we aren't use too and I know it can happen to anyone.

- Resist corrosion - One of the few ones that have met my list is the swagman XC-2 which is light weight, simple, small, I can modify it to fit a lower height. But I was talking to someone else on NAM and it seems it tends to rust, which is normal for a steel frame unfortunately. It's still in my list but I hate rust

I'm still looking but I have to pickup something soon so we'll see...
Cost is important but not at the expense of the car being damage or at the expense of all my other criteria.

 

TG. Based upon your wish list you should look at a Mini Fini / Softride Rack combo.

The MiniFini sport link is installed behind the bumper with two stainless steel mounting ports showing through the mesh grill below the bumper. Clean look, MiniFini was the dealer installable option back in the Gen1 days. There are also black plugs available to hide the ports if desired. Use the MiniFini hitch adapter that attaches to the mounting ports. There is a thread in the R59 forum that shows the MiniFini installed on a Roadster.

Even a road bike is longer than the Roadster is wide, at least mine is; if you don't want that then you need to go vertical. Softride makes a vertical hanging hitch mounted bike rack.

Amazon link below
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EP1OHLS

 

Thanks for the extra info but for good or bad I already install a hitch receiver so MINIfini is kind of out of the question. Part of me has some regrets due to how more stable 2 points are (less wobble) but what I have installed is completely hidden, and I do mean completely (see pictures below) , when the hitch is not in use so that's nice too.

I'll check out the other one... Thanks!


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