Bike Carriers

[beemer4me]

Hi,

I am in the market for a 3 series and trying to figure out how to carry my bike around. My current car has drop down rear seats and I can put my bike through the opening. Although it works for my 9 year old car, this is a bit of a hassle and I don't want to damage the interior of my new car.

Therefore I have come up with the following options:

1. Buy BMW roof rack by Thule and mount the bike on the roof (being careful I don't go into any garages)

2. Install a trailer hitch and use one of those trailer hitch racks. I have heard that there have been some issues with this option on 3 series cars.

Regardless, I am debating the fold down rear seats just for the convenience (but let's face it, I can use the extra $$ towards a more useful upgrade).

I would love to hear from anyone with experience on any of the above listed issues. Thanks.

[palooka666]

I got my 325i with the fold down seats for that very reason. the ski pass through doesn't quite cut it for my snowboard either. i basically take my front wheel off and slide my bike in. If you have a relatively light bike it's pretty easy. my trek weighs in around 25lbs and it's pretty easy to get in without banging it around too much. the only more worrisome than scratching up the interior of my car is worrying about scratching the roof/trunk... that's why i haven't put the $$ towards the trailer hitch idea.... i have looked at da'lan's hitch and the thule 1/4" post hitch. but i worry about the wheels being free and doing some paint damage putting it on/taking it off.

the roof rack.. i can't bring myself to ruin the sleek line of my car with the roof rack. I had the thule big mouth set up on my maxima and it worked well but i don't want that on my bimmer.

i got the CWP, and the washer nozzles i'm not thrilled about. but the heated seats and the fold down rears are worth IMO. unless you are really tracking your car i don't think you'll notice the extra chassis flex. In retrospect I'd probably get the heatedseats/fold downs separate not part of the package.

I'd recommend the plastic black trunk liner for the trunk and i got a think 4x4 blanket type mat that i tuck under the liner so when i fold the seats down the mat just folds out to the interior and covers the backs of the seats and is long enough to protect the backs of the drivers/passengers seats. i thorw my front wheel and a (milk) crate with all my riding gear (tools/shoes/pump/etc) in the trunk as well.

I'll take pics tomorrow and show you what i mean.

sanjay

ps: are we talking mountain bike or road bike? i have Medium Trek Fuel90 (i believe thats the equiv of a cannondale 17.5" frame) and that fits pretty well. i think a 19" would fit as well, though you have less floor space to put stuff in the trunk and I'd need to put the crate on the back of the back seat.

[3seriesbimmer]

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32832&highlight=andrea+bikes

check this out.

[Steve G]

I am getting a CiC and was wondering about the truck racks.. I remember reading a post, but can't find it.
steve

[beemer4me]

Hey Guys,

Thanks a lot! I have a Trek Mountain Bike. I usually remove the front wheel for transport and slip it through the seats of my Accord. Besides potential damage, I was afraid it would not fit through the backseat opening.

I also have a Thule Big Mouth setup. I only use it when I am going on long trips or when more than 2 people are in the car.

I think I will go ahead and just order the folding seats (no need for CWP in CA!). Since the Thule BMW kit is only $175, I can spring for that when I really need it.

Thanks for all of the help!

[Steve G]

I mean "trunk"... sorry

[LmtdSlip]

Iam going the hitch route as I have a convertible.

I used to use a bike carrier on the Intrepid and never had a problem with the wheels or frame banging into the bumper. I made sure the bikes, tires and cranks were well positioned and securily fastened.

I am pretty confident that I wont have a problem as the hitch and carrier move the bikes a bit farther out from the rear of the car than my old carrier did. :thumbup:

Anyone have any problems with a hitch mounted carrier handling about 50#s worth of bikes?

[Tanning machine]

I think I will go ahead and just order the folding seats (no need for CWP in CA!).

Don't underestimate the value of the heated seats on cold mornings or trips to Tahoe.

[palooka666]

50 lbs should be no problem. I think the tongue weight of the da'lan style hitch is about 125lbs... roughly so you could put up to 3 bikes safely. I may do the same since my SO is starting to enjoy biking and I just got her a nice new trek as well... the thought of drilling hte holes in the wheel well still maeks me cringe a little.

[palooka666]

Don't underestimate the value of the heated seats on cold mornings or trips to Tahoe.
in the fall, windows down and heated seats are a :thumbup:

[Elwood]

I use a hitch rack on my Mitsy and would love to continue when I get the 330 but I'm not crazy about the hitch options on the 3er.

My rack is a 1.25 with rails mounted sideways. Same type of rails used for roof racks but heavier duty. Since it's a fork and wheel mount their is no risk of the bikes swaying around. The absolute best part is the 5 seconds it takes to install the rack, and 10 seconds to mount the bike.

[palooka666]

I use a hitch rack on my Mitsy and would love to continue when I get the 330 but I'm not crazy about the hitch options on the 3er.

My rack is a 1.25 with rails mounted sideways. Same type of rails used for roof racks but heavier duty. Since it's a fork and wheel mount their is no risk of the bikes swaying around. The absolute best part is the 5 seconds it takes to install the rack, and 10 seconds to mount the bike.
what make is the hitch mount and the rack ?

do you have any pics or a link? i think i'm going to look in to a hitch solution b/c my g/f is starting to ride more and the only tihng worse than drving your car 20 minutes to ride your bike is driving 2 cars 20 minutes to ride 2 bikes :)

[Elwood]

what make is the hitch mount and the rack ?

do you have any pics or a link? i think i'm going to look in to a hitch solution b/c my g/f is starting to ride more and the only tihng worse than drving your car 20 minutes to ride your bike is driving 2 cars 20 minutes to ride 2 bikes :)

I'll take any excuse to "borrow" my fathers new EOS 10D digital :D (unbelievable camera)

It's marked Advent something or other. I think I got it from Colorado Cyclist.

Rearview
http://patmedia.net/mmarv/bikerack003s.jpg

mounting
http://patmedia.net/mmarv/bikerack005s.jpg

I ended up chopping about 3-4 inches off to bring the rack closer to the car. If I ever need it longer, I'll just weld a new piece on the end.

I'm NOT looking forward to packing a bike on my new car :/

[Chipster]

For what it's worth:
Thule:
Thule on Bimmer (http://www.webs4racers.com/bmw/thule)

[rwg]

If you love your bike, get the roof rack. It's the easiest installation ever and won't hurt the car.

If you decide you want it down the road, look me up. I have a barely used roof kit for the e46 that I might sell for a good price. I also might not - never know when I will buy a cpo hp 330. heh. I didn't expect to get the e36 when I bought it . . .

[LmtdSlip]

For what it's worth:
Thule:
Thule on Bimmer (http://www.webs4racers.com/bmw/thule)

Nice Mille R.

My friend has the Haga version. :bigpimp:
And I am wanting the regular Mille but dont want to get rid of my SV to do it. Just need a little more $$ :bigpimp: and my wife in the right frame of mind :tsk: to have two bikes plus all my other toys. :angel:

[Chipster]

Nice Mille R.

My friend has the Haga version. :bigpimp:
And I am wanting the regular Mille but dont want to get rid of my SV to do it. Just need a little more $$ :bigpimp: and my wife in the right frame of mind :tsk: to have two bikes plus all my other toys. :angel:

Thanks! I love that bike!

The SV is an awesome bike! I bought a CBR F4 for my wife but she really doesn't ride it. I wanted her to get the SV, but she wanted a bike that had all the plastics.

Another guy I ride with just bought the new SV650, sweet looking bike!

[CascadeTelcom]

LtmdSlip:
I have a 330cic and have been considering a hitch installation, nothing that touches the paint is acceptable, and would like to secure your feedback. Please let me know how it works and if you feel the spare tire well kit supports are acceptable?

[marcpotash]

I've been using cardboard , cut to fit from a very large cardboard box, to put on the floor of the trunk with the rear seats folded down. The cardboard folds up to fit in the trunk with the seats up when I'm not transporting my bike.