Bike rack: Roof?Hitch?Thule?Yakima
Heh, that's very clever, nice ingenuity. However, WOW -- that doesn't look safe.
Either loosen the stem clamp, then rotate the bars down about 90 degrees so they don't protrude that far or take the bars out of the stem clamp and let them hang. As it stands right now, that's just begging for a head injury in an accident.
Either loosen the stem clamp, then rotate the bars down about 90 degrees so they don't protrude that far or take the bars out of the stem clamp and let them hang. As it stands right now, that's just begging for a head injury in an accident.
I just got this done. It was a weekend project that costs around $50-60 total, less if you know some people with wood lying around! 
I bought two Yakima Blockheads and mounted them to a few pieces of wood.
The base is a strip of 2x10, cut to 42.5 inches long. The vertical piece is a little less than two inches high and about two inches thick. The Blockheads are mounted to another thin piece of wood and countersunk the bolts used to attach the Blockheads to each side. The vertical piece is attached with 2.25 screws. Then, I wrapped the mount in black felt to match the interior, using staples to hold the felt.
I used the elevation to clear the back of the headrest on the front seats. The bikes inside are a 51cm Look 55 and a 53 cm Raleigh Prestige. There is about 2 full inches behind the tires when the hatch is closed.
The bikes don't move and as you can see in the last photo, there is plenty of room in the middle for extra gear.
I bought two Yakima Blockheads and mounted them to a few pieces of wood.
The base is a strip of 2x10, cut to 42.5 inches long. The vertical piece is a little less than two inches high and about two inches thick. The Blockheads are mounted to another thin piece of wood and countersunk the bolts used to attach the Blockheads to each side. The vertical piece is attached with 2.25 screws. Then, I wrapped the mount in black felt to match the interior, using staples to hold the felt.
I used the elevation to clear the back of the headrest on the front seats. The bikes inside are a 51cm Look 55 and a 53 cm Raleigh Prestige. There is about 2 full inches behind the tires when the hatch is closed.
The bikes don't move and as you can see in the last photo, there is plenty of room in the middle for extra gear.
props
i got a thule roof rack... its a full bike mount, it may not be as sturdy as a fork mount but as long as you dont go driving crazy in the roads, it will hold the bike... its quite inconvenient using a bike rack especially if you're less than 5'6", luckily, i stand around 5'9" so its a bit easy mounting the bike... the problem with hitch mounts is that if you need to get something in the trunk, you would have to dismount the bike/s... unless you could go through your things from the inside...
one more thing about the roof rack, it looks way cooler and nicer than a hitch rack...
one more thing about the roof rack, it looks way cooler and nicer than a hitch rack...
New Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 18
From: Quebec
Oh, and those fork mounts are nice but I use hydraulic disc brakes and it seems like I can never fit the rotor right between the calipers. I'm not a very good bike mechanic though, so that's why I was looking for an alternative. If i want to fit 2 bikes in I have to take off both wheels anyway and I'd rather spend on a rack than having to disassemble my bike every weekend. The keyword here is convenience.
Last edited by PL7; Apr 6, 2010 at 10:46 PM.
Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 69
From: Virginia
I use this:
etrailer.com | Trailer Hitch for 2008 Honda Fit - Draw-Tite 24776
and this:
2 Bike Hitch Mounted Folding Rack w Frame Mount Cradles for 1-1/4" Hitch Tow Ready Hitch Bike Racks 63120
For my purposes it works really well and was easy to install. I also want to get a small trailer to haul stuff around so this was a good option for me. Oh yeah, and free shipping if you spend over $150 which was not insignificant.
etrailer.com | Trailer Hitch for 2008 Honda Fit - Draw-Tite 24776
and this:
2 Bike Hitch Mounted Folding Rack w Frame Mount Cradles for 1-1/4" Hitch Tow Ready Hitch Bike Racks 63120
For my purposes it works really well and was easy to install. I also want to get a small trailer to haul stuff around so this was a good option for me. Oh yeah, and free shipping if you spend over $150 which was not insignificant.
New Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15
From: Saint Louis, MO
Heh, that's very clever, nice ingenuity. However, WOW -- that doesn't look safe.
Either loosen the stem clamp, then rotate the bars down about 90 degrees so they don't protrude that far or take the bars out of the stem clamp and let them hang. As it stands right now, that's just begging for a head injury in an accident.
Either loosen the stem clamp, then rotate the bars down about 90 degrees so they don't protrude that far or take the bars out of the stem clamp and let them hang. As it stands right now, that's just begging for a head injury in an accident.
Thanks - I think the angle of the picture makes the bars look like they come forward more than they actually do.
They're pretty much even with the sides of the head rest. Also, the mount can be moved back if needed (right now the tire has a couple of inches of clearance in the back).
The bike doesn't move at all while the Fit is in motion. In fact, I brought my bike to work today so that I can just hop on and go for a ride after I'm through for the day. It made it over all of the horrible STL streets very smoothly this morning.
@Perrenoud Fit - Thanks. So far, so good on functionality. I'm sure I'll run into a situation where I want to modify what I'm doing. But for now, it's aces.
@Mr08FiT - I appreciate the kind words.
New Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5
From: united States
Hello to All,
I've been searching all over the internet and I need some advise for buying Car Roof Racks and I found this sites eCarRoofRacks.com and it gives me more information and different style in Car Roof Racks.
Can you give me some tips in how to choose a Car Roof Racks in my car.
Thanks
Steve
I've been searching all over the internet and I need some advise for buying Car Roof Racks and I found this sites eCarRoofRacks.com and it gives me more information and different style in Car Roof Racks.
Can you give me some tips in how to choose a Car Roof Racks in my car.
Thanks
Steve
New Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10
From: philadelphia, pa
I've got a drawtite hitch with a Thule 2 bike carrier. It works awesome. I'm carrying road bikes though so I'm not worried about the weight.
I used the system to move from Idaho to Houston and the bikes didn't budge and I never had to worry about running into a parking garage with my bikes(have had TONS of friends and family pull that one with roof rack).
Gotta say that I love the looks of the roof racks though.
I used the system to move from Idaho to Houston and the bikes didn't budge and I never had to worry about running into a parking garage with my bikes(have had TONS of friends and family pull that one with roof rack).
Gotta say that I love the looks of the roof racks though.
New Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5
From: Wood River, IL
I just got a complete Thule rack for $200 on CL. I just had to order the Fit Kit from Rackattack.com. Total price now is $263. I would have paid well over $500 to buy all of the parts new. So, yea if you look around you can find a deal sometimes.
New Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 6
From: Rocklin, CA
Hey everyone! this will be my first post on this site and I'd like to share my fit.
I just acquired this 07 Fit three weeks ago after about three months of looking. I didn't realize how hard a White manual fit would be to locate.
This is my Thule roof rack:
Racks Track Sytem
Aero bars
Echelon bike rack
I spent the little for the aluminum setup because I like the look of aluminum on white.
Just showing off a picture of my dog and the track rack system, for a much cleaner install and VERY easy removal and install (30 seconds I can have the thing on or off my car)
I just acquired this 07 Fit three weeks ago after about three months of looking. I didn't realize how hard a White manual fit would be to locate.
This is my Thule roof rack:
Racks Track Sytem
Aero bars
Echelon bike rack
I spent the little for the aluminum setup because I like the look of aluminum on white.
Just showing off a picture of my dog and the track rack system, for a much cleaner install and VERY easy removal and install (30 seconds I can have the thing on or off my car)
Last edited by xxraffyxx; May 5, 2010 at 11:53 PM.
