[mlchang]

Does anyone have a bikerack for their 330CI? Has anyone ever had any problems having a bikerack on the back such as paint scratch, indentations, or "bruises" left by a bikerack? Are there any brands that any of you would recommend?

 

[Alex Baumann]

Does anyone have a bikerack for their 330CI?

Yes.

Has anyone ever had any problems having a bikerack on the back such as paint scratch, indentations, or "bruises" left by a bikerack?

Not a rack problem directly, but something related
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83664

Are there any brands that any of you would recommend?

Thule

That said, all your questions could be answered by using the search.

Welcome to the Bimmerfest

 

[michelito]

Yes.

Not a rack problem directly, but something related
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83664

Had a similar accident back when my car was about 1 month old: I had the BMW road bike attachment and the quick release *bent* and dropped the bike on my new car :tsk: BMW would never admit that it was a defective unit so it cost me $$$ to have the roof repaired.

So, my best advice for transporting your bike: if you have fold-down rear seats, remove the front wheel and put the bike in your trunk. Now lucky me when my wife and I go cycling, I remove both wheels from both bikes: 1 bike goes in the trunk, and the other goes in the backseat - it's a pain in the ass, but I will *never* put a bike (especially my new CF Kuota) on the outside of my car ever again...

 

[Cliff]

Does anyone have a bikerack for their 330CI?

http://www.coates3.com/modules/gallery/Thule

 

[xemo]

I have a Yakima and it works fine for long trips. For quick trips I put the back seat down and remove the front wheel. I have 60cm, which is larger than average, road bike and a mountain bike and I am amazed that it fits ( I don't even need to adjust the seat and i am 6' 2").

 

[ktc]

Did a general search...

.. but I couldn't really find previous discussions by 3-series owners weighing roof vs. hitch racks. I have a roof Yakima system on my Integra, and after enough car washes, years, the door frame and the roof is quite scratched up. I've never had a hitch installed on my car before, but I'd imagine that bringing the BMW to a UHaul and having it installed is asking for trouble.

Any experience or thoughts on this?

Thanks.

 

[cityscapex5]

I had my mountain bike fall off my yakima rack system sideways onto the passenger side. Put 1 large dent, 2 smaller ones and scratched the paint as well - pretty major damage. It wasn't a fork mount which might be more stable - but frankly i woudn't put a bike on top of an expensive car due to the risk of damage.

 

[CJsCar]

Personally I prefer the BMW rack system as it mounts on the car with out straps or clamps to hurt the vehicle. I use their holder that clamps to the bike frame so it is very sturdy and have yet to have any problems with it. I purchased it at www.yourbmwpartsstore.com for a decent price. Good luck in your search.

 

[Raffi]

That said, all your questions could be answered by using the search.

Yup, the search engine is your best friend!

 

[teamdfl]

Hitch and hitch rack:
http://e46touring.com/installs/hitch

 

[mjt]

Had this exact problem with a steelhead bike attachment for my Yakima rack of mine many years ago- bike fell onto the roof- caused no damage since i was in the mountains but think about potential damage to my own (as well as others)? Never mounted a bike on top again.... Just bought a 325i about 4 months ago and it didn't come equiped w/ a fold-down seat so it looks like i'll either buy a unicycle or give up biking!!!

Sounds like the BMW racks are Thules so it probably wouldn't be a problem- although my buds typically prefer Yaks to Thules so i'm not sure what's really up.

 

[Cliff]

Profil (BMW OEM)

Thule

Thule accessories will clearly not fit on Profil racks, and vice versa. Thule and Profil racks both make use of the BMW rack mounting points, while Yakima rack towers sit on paint.

 

[moonridur]

Vertical receiver hitch is the way to go!

.. but I couldn't really find previous discussions by 3-series owners weighing roof vs. hitch racks. I have a roof Yakima system on my Integra, and after enough car washes, years, the door frame and the roof is quite scratched up. I've never had a hitch installed on my car before, but I'd imagine that bringing the BMW to a UHaul and having it installed is asking for trouble.

Any experience or thoughts on this?

Thanks.

I recently had a hitch installed on my Z4 that solved problems discussed in this thread. Even though the topic here is bike rack on a 3-series, I believe the same type of rack can be used. It was a bit pricey but it is an awesome bike rack! I provided pictures and details in another thread. Search for bike racks on Z4.

 

[obmd1]

Yes.

Not a rack problem directly, but something related
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83664

Thule

That said, all your questions could be answered by using the search.

Welcome to the Bimmerfest

If I read this (and the other threads that came up with the search) right, this was the BMW rack for road bikes, which is the one you have to remove the front wheel and attach the fork to, right? Anyone have better, or other bad experiences with the other types... I know the lift-type is riDICulously expensive, but is it more secure?

I gotta travel about 800 miles with a couple of bikes on the roof in a few weeks, and REALLY don't want them to fall on my roof.

EDIT: I'll assume for the moment the e90 will have a similar system

 

[Cliff]

If I read this (and the other threads that came up with the search) right, this was the BMW rack for road bikes, which is the one you have to remove the front wheel and attach the fork to, right? Anyone have better, or other bad experiences with the other types... I know the lift-type is riDICulously expensive, but is it more secure?

I gotta travel about 800 miles with a couple of bikes on the roof in a few weeks, and REALLY don't want them to fall on my roof.

EDIT: I'll assume for the moment the e90 will have a similar system

I would guess that the E90 accessories will attach to the load bars in an identical fashion as those for the E46. Fork mount racks work for any bike that doesn't have disc brakes. The photos I posted of someone else's Profil rack showed a mountain bike mounted in the rack.

The Thule Velo Vise tray that I use has proven to be very secure for trips of up to several hundred miles. BMW's rack accessories don't appear to be quite as robust as Thule's, but in the absence of a base rack from Thule your choices are limited. From what I understand, fork mount racks are more secure than upright racks, so I'd be inclined to go that route unless your bikes are very heavy and might strain what appears to be a lightweight (and rather poorly designed) BMW fork mount rack accessory.

 

[ktc]

From what I understand, fork mount racks are more secure than upright racks, so I'd be inclined to go that route unless your bikes are very heavy and might strain what appears to be a lightweight (and rather poorly designed) BMW fork mount rack accessory.

I'm assuming most people "test" how secure their bike is before they drive off.... if it falls off in the middle of the highway there's a heck of a lot more liability problems than just a scratched roof

On my Integra with a Yakima roof system and a Rocky Mount bike tray (fork mount system), I can grab the fork of my bike and literally shake the entire car left and right; to me, that's a pretty darn solid cam grip. Plus it's locked, and it can not be uncammed without the key.

 

[Tanooki2]

Also looking to rack my 325Ci

This thread has been helpful. I currently have a Yakima system on my Integra with Steelhead fork-mounts. Never had a problem with bikes falling off or scratches; however, I feel squeemish about putting Yakima towers on my brand new 325Ci.

I think my best course of action will be to use the Thule base system that fits into the factory mounts in my roof and then use Yakima fork-mount trays for the bike. Anyone see a flaw with this set-up?

Thanks.

 

[Cliff]

I think my best course of action will be to use the Thule base system that fits into the factory mounts in my roof and then use Yakima fork mount trays for the bike. Anyone see a flaw with this set up?

Thanks.

Yakima load bars are round while Thule load bars are square. I checked the Thule site and it had a chart indicating which accessories are compatible with Yakima load bars. I was not able to find a similar reference on the Yakima site. That's the question you've got to answer.

 

[creed]

Does anyone have a bikerack for their 330CI? Has anyone ever had any problems having a bikerack on the back such as paint scratch, indentations, or "bruises" left by a bikerack? Are there any brands that any of you would recommend?

Da'Lan makes a hitch that I think will work for you. teamdfl (post #10) has a
picture that'll give you an idea of what it'll look like. You can do it yourself, but
I paid to have it installed (about $350 including the hitch). It works great. I
highly recommend it.

UPDATE: I just clicked on teamdfl's link. That's it exactly.

-C.

 

[byunts]

This thread has been helpful. I currently have a Yakima system on my Integra with Steelhead fork-mounts. Never had a problem with bikes falling off or scratches; however, I feel squeemish about putting Yakima towers on my brand new 325Ci.

I think my best course of action will be to use the Thule base system that fits into the factory mounts in my roof and then use Yakima fork-mount trays for the bike. Anyone see a flaw with this set-up?

Thanks.

I was in the same predicament. I was coming over from Yakima Q Towers and Steelhead bike mounts. There's no way I was going to use Q-Towers on my bimmer and the steeheads wouldn't fit on square thule bars. The newer yakima mounts (I think it's called viper, is compatible with square bars, but the steelhead is not) I ended up selling my whole Yakima rack and purchased a Thule rack. I think it model 753 for the 3 series. I got the Thule 590 V2 mounts which are comparable to the Steeheads.

In all honesty, I think Yakimas are better in design than Thule. The 590 mount is a paint to get on and off, the Steeheads were designed so much more simply.