Anyone into cycling?

Bunyan · #1 06-14-2010, 11:28 AM

Nice bikes guys! I'm riding a Specialized Stumpy 29er and love to ride single track around the NOVA area. The dog's put on a few miles and can't keep up any more so I have to pull her along.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to get my buddies bike on my X since he's got the 20mm thru axle. I don't have a hitch and I can't lock his front fork on my Yakima bike rack since the fork is a 20mm and not the standard QR fork.
Does anyone have any experience with the BMW OEM Touring MTB rack? That way I can leave the front wheel on the bike and mount it up top.

Here's a pic of my rack and bike.
(I'll have to add the rack pic later, it's on my other laptop)

JCL · #2 06-14-2010, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunyan

Does anyone have any experience with the BMW OEM Touring MTB rack? That way I can leave the front wheel on the bike and mount it up top.

I haven't used the BMW version, but I have used a Thule version of the same style. I got rid of it because it was an earlier version, and didn't accomodate a wide enough range of frame tube diameters. Thule fixed that by moving to what they called a 599 Big Jaw version (first picture), and now they have three similar styles for roof mounted, wheels on, support arm, bike racks. If you know that you will always be carrying the same frame style of bike, any one of the styles can work. Bikes have gone to bigger frame tubes, different frame designs, etc, over the past few years and so the safest purchase is one that only contacts a wheel. Three Thule racks are shown below. The BMW rack (not sure who makes it for them, but possibly Yakima) uses a frame clamp with a side arm, similar in concept to the 598 Criterium (second picture).

I would look at Yakima or Thule before the BMW product, myself. I would also lean towards the design that contacts only the wheel (third picture). I use wheel-off roof carriers now, because I have road bikes where I don't want clamps contacting the lightweight frame tubes, but for mountain bikes but any of these styles works well.

DWill · #3 06-14-2010, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCL

I haven't used the BMW version, but I have used a Thule version of the same style. I got rid of it because it was an earlier version, and didn't accomodate a wide enough range of frame tube diameters. Thule fixed that by moving to what they called a 599 Big Jaw version (first picture), and now they have three similar styles for roof mounted, wheels on, support arm, bike racks. If you know that you will always be carrying the same frame style of bike, any one of the styles can work. Bikes have gone to bigger frame tubes, different frame designs, etc, over the past few years and so the safest purchase is one that only contacts a wheel. Three Thule racks are shown below. The BMW rack (not sure who makes it for them, but possibly Yakima) uses a frame clamp with a side arm, similar in concept to the 598 Criterium (second picture).

I would look at Yakima or Thule before the BMW product, myself. I would also lean towards the design that contacts only the wheel (third picture). I use wheel-off roof carriers now, because I have road bikes where I don't want clamps contacting the lightweight frame tubes, but for mountain bikes but any of these styles works well.

I looked at "wheel on" racks that hold the wheel/tire when I picked up the rack for the new X.

I knew I didn't want a frame clamp rack. So my choice was a fork mount rack (which I went with) and a wheel clamp rack.

My concern for the wheel clamp rack was that if I had a slow leak in the tire that was not caught when I racked the bike. The bike would get loose in the rack as the air slowly leaked out.

Not a good though when driving down the highway. Hence I chose the fork mount rack...

DWill · #4 06-14-2010, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunyan

Nice bikes guys! I'm riding a Specialized Stumpy 29er and love to ride single track around the NOVA area. The dog's put on a few miles and can't keep up any more so I have to pull her along.
I'm currently trying to figure out how to get my buddies bike on my X since he's got the 20mm thru axle. I don't have a hitch and I can't lock his front fork on my Yakima bike rack since the fork is a 20mm and not the standard QR fork.
Does anyone have any experience with the BMW OEM Touring MTB rack? That way I can leave the front wheel on the bike and mount it up top.

Here's a pic of my rack and bike.
(I'll have to add the rack pic later, it's on my other laptop)

Yakima has a thru axel adapter that'll work for you.

I use it on both my Giant bikes. Works well.
Just understand that, if you're fork mount rack has a lock on it that would lock the bike to the rack (as my Rocky Mount's rack does) the bike won't be locked to the rack. The adapter will be but not the bike.

You'll need to use a cable or "U" lock to lock the bike to the rack.