bike rack related questions

dth656 · 10-16-2007, 12:09 PM

hi all,

i've been doing some research on the forums about bike rack options for the e90 sedan, and was posting to see if there had been any new developments that might be applicable to my situation.

i plan on purchasing the BMW base rack system; my understanding is that its a rebranded Thule tower and cross bar system...that being said:

-what is the best way to mount a Thule fork mount mountain bike rack to the BMW base rack? some people in the forums have used the xadapt1, and there has been some talk abt Thule releasing an xadapt9 that will allow a Thule fork mount rack to attach relatively cleanly to the BMW base rack...has anyone tried out the xadapt9?

-what is the best way to mount a yakima fork mount mountain bike rack to the BMW base rack? one forum member used a yakima mighty mount universal adapter, but i'm wondering if there is some lower profile way to do this (i.e. keeping the mountan bike fork mount closer to the cross bar)? Are there newer yakima products that can work directly w/ the BMW/THule base rack system---i ask because the sales people at REI and other places have not been much help)..

my preference is to use a yakima or thule fork mount system; i was very happy w/ my yakima rack on my old corolla (one day i inadvertently pulled into a covered parking space, and my bike seat ripped the low hanging rain gutter off the parking space cover w/o budging an inch)

Thanks everyone for your responses!

E91AWD · 10-16-2007, 12:47 PM

I have an E91 so the base rack mounts to the car are different (they mount to the roof rack). I have the BMW front fork mounted road bike rack. It slides in from the side of the rack in a track in the base rack (this is covered with a rubber strip when you have nothing attacked to the base rack). It works great. Very secure. I don't know if that helps.

dth656 · 10-16-2007, 01:04 PM

thanks for your input e91awd, i was just afraid of the BMW fork mount rack for my mountain bike (which is quite a bit heavier than most road bikes). since i've used yakima's before, and have friends use the thule set up, i tend to trust them a bit more....

E91AWD · 10-16-2007, 01:13 PM

I have used my rack to transport a mountain bike once. It was back road and highway driving at 65 - 70 mph. It seemed plenty secure to me. It didn't move an inch and was as tight on arrival as it was on departure.

OC Guy · 10-16-2007, 01:27 PM

MagMD has a bike rack on his E90.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88010

Zeeman · 10-16-2007, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dth656

hi all,

-what is the best way to mount a yakima fork mount mountain bike rack to the BMW base rack? one forum member used a yakima mighty mount universal adapter, but i'm wondering if there is some lower profile way to do this (i.e. keeping the mountan bike fork mount closer to the cross bar)? Are there newer yakima products that can work directly w/ the BMW/THule base rack system---i ask because the sales people at REI and other places have not been much help)..

If you want to go with a Yakima carrier, I think their Universal Mighty Mounts are the only option at this time. You might want to give them a call to double check. They have a great support and product info desk.

dth656 · 10-16-2007, 05:08 PM

wow, i like that e90 in the pic...matches the bike too

i think the use of the mighty mount means that you cant use any of the fork mount racks (they only work w/ yakima round cross bars)....altho i'll call around and do some research....

Zeeman · 10-16-2007, 09:58 PM

Another thought.....if you have a heavy bike, you might want to consider using the Yakima King Cobras. The great thing with these is that you don't have to remove the front wheels to mount the bike. This frees up valuable trunk space for other gear.

Here's a pic of the KC's I used on my e46. They are sturdy as hell. I have gone up to 90 mph with a couple 40 lbs+ downhill bikes mounted. I realize they're not exactly subtle, but they are awesome from a functional standpoint.

Stinger44 · 10-16-2007, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC 335i

MagMD has a bike rack on his E90.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88010

It appears that roof rack doesn't come into contact with the actual roof. I like that since I've had past racks mark up the paint on the roof from the pads resting on the surface. It's not clear to me, is that a THULE or YAKIMA rack or a BMW factory rack? Would you mind posting the details on that bike rack? I'm very interested in buying one but I won't unless I have 100% assurance it won't mark the car up in anyway.

By the way, your car looks awesome!

Thanks

Fredric · 10-17-2007, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E91AWD

I have an E91 so the base rack mounts to the car are different (they mount to the roof rack). I have the BMW front fork mounted road bike rack. It slides in from the side of the rack in a track in the base rack (this is covered with a rubber strip when you have nothing attacked to the base rack). It works great. Very secure. I don't know if that helps.

Do you have a picture of this setup? And does it lock? Thanks.

magmd · 10-17-2007, 12:26 AM

Yes...the bike rack is a BMW rack.

Once you have the base support you can add whichever rack you want.

Its for racing (road) bikes. Mountain bikes will not fit if they have disc brakes.

They have 2 versions of the racing holder avail. I am not sure which one is better. As you can see...I have the one on the left below. I may be purchasing the other...to transport 2 bikes. I like how subtle the one on the right is, but I am not convinced at how sturdy it will be with 2 tiny individual supports vs a long one.

Here are the your two options. (I know its these are 5 series pics..but they both fit on the base support)

http://accessories.bmwusa.com/ItemVi...productId=389#

Oh...the base support does not contact the car at all. It is actually slightly suspended. No marks...other that dirt/debris that accumulates into the rack slots that you flip open.

dth656 · 10-17-2007, 12:26 AM

zeeman,

i really wanted a fork mount one (i dont have disc brakes, i have old school v-brakes, so its pretty easy to take the front wheel off). I read that the yakima viper fits a square bar in addition to a round bar, but not sure if they mean ALL square bars....

dth656 · 10-17-2007, 10:02 AM

ok guys,
i was looking in the Thule catalog, and the BMW racks look an awful like the Thule Rapid Aero Load bars (Thule no. RB43-RB47-RB53). I've read that the BMW racks are actually re-branded Thule ones, but "Euro spec", whatever that means. anyhow, if indeed the BMW bars are the exact same, then you would need an "xadapt9" to attach any fork mount thule system, or an "xadapt1" to attach any upright bike racks...

magmd · 10-17-2007, 10:12 AM

Looking at pics of the Thule rack you listed...it does look pretty much the exact same shape as the base support that I have from BMW. So, I would think that whatever you need to make this bar work with other Thule systems will also work with the BMW base support.

JSpira · 10-17-2007, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dth656

ok guys,
i was looking in the Thule catalog, and the BMW racks look an awful like the Thule Rapid Aero Load bars (Thule no. RB43-RB47-RB53). I've read that the BMW racks are actually re-branded Thule ones, but "Euro spec", whatever that means. anyhow, if indeed the BMW bars are the exact same, then you would need an "xadapt9" to attach any fork mount thule system, or an "xadapt1" to attach any upright bike racks...

dth, I have a complete extra set of the roof racks and 2 BMW bike racks if you are interested. Send me a PM. They are in new condition.

dougman · 10-17-2007, 12:36 PM

The mounts are unique to BMW (to interface with the little doors on the e90/92), but the rails themselves are identical to the Thule aero bars.

I use fork mount Thule racks with the xadapt 1 and am very happy with the results. It's stable and secure, and the nice thing about the aero bars is that it's really fast and easy to put them on and off the rails (no clamps, they just slide in from the side).

It's a good setup, I like it even better than the Thule or Yakima setups I've had on all my other cars.

E91AWD · 10-17-2007, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fredric

Do you have a picture of this setup? And does it lock? Thanks.

If you look at the 2 pictures posted by magmd above, my rack looks like the one on the left.

The rack has 2 locking systems. The first locks the base rack to my roof rails. The base rack does not have bar ends that stick out, but rather have black end covers (see picture). The black cover on the end of each base rail has a lock so whatever is attached to the base rack can not be removed. There are 4 locks in total and all use the same key (no surprise there).

The second locking system locks the front fork to the bike carrier that the bike sits on. The fork is held in place by a system that clamps onto the front dropouts (BMW calls them clamping jaws). There is a large nob on the front that you screw down and it sqeezes the dropouts. This is very secure. Once you have tightened it, you lock the nob with a seperate key so it can not be rotated. The rear tire is held in place by the typical base/strapping system.

When I put this together, it was bomb proof. When I attached the bike I was confident it was not going anywhere. My moutain bike has a front suspension, no dics brakes or rear suspension. However, I use this primarily for my road bike.

Fredric · 10-18-2007, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E91AWD

If you look at the 2 pictures posted by magmd above, my rack looks like the one on the left......
When I put this together, it was bomb proof. When I attached the bike I was confident it was not going anywhere. My moutain bike has a front suspension, no dics brakes or rear suspension. However, I use this primarily for my road bike.

Thanks, that does look very secure. Are you also using the front wheel holder? I do not see a lock for that in the picture.

E91AWD · 10-18-2007, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fredric

Thanks, that does look very secure. Are you also using the front wheel holder? I do not see a lock for that in the picture.

I passed on the front wheel holder. I just toss it in the back. I assume it mounts on the base racks the same way the bike carrier does. There is an inverted "T" channel in the base rack. The bike carrier's mounts slide into the channel from the side while the end caps are flipped up. This channel system allows you to solidly tighten the carrier to the base racks with the long allen wrench provided with the carrier (the base rack has a way cool torque wrench that comes with it to secure it to the roof rails - I don't know if they use one for the E90/92 base rack).

gos · 10-18-2007, 03:29 AM

how much do the bmw/thule aero bars whistle at speeds?

dth656 · 10-18-2007, 09:31 AM

btw, yesterday walking to lunch i saw an e90 w/ all thule equipment, i.e. thule towers that fit into the slots on the roof, and old style thule square crossbars. it seemes pretty secure, so i'm thinking the guy used the thule towers designed for the e46. i took a picture with my phone, i'll post it later today...

dth656 · 04-26-2008, 09:14 PM

a quick rack related question. i've just installed the BMW base rack system on my e90, but now i'm not sure how to proceed w/ the bike mounts. i dont want the BMW bike mounts, i want either a Thule fork mount or yakima fork mount.

w/ the thule system, you need the XAdapt9 adapter kit, which goes in the slot provided in the cross bars of the base rack system. a number of forum members have this setup, and are quite happy w/ it.

my question is has anyone tried the yakima mighty mount system? i did a search and didnt turn up anything. apparently, yakima makes a mighty mount designed for the OEM BMW cross bars (aka thule aero bars). i think that this might be a better way to go (i'm partial to yakima hardware), but wanted to know how secure it is (my yakima setup on my corolla the hardware mounts directly to the round crossbars)

10-16-2007, 12:09 PM	#1
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	bike rack related questions hi all, i've been doing some research on the forums about bike rack options for the e90 sedan, and was posting to see if there had been any new developments that might be applicable to my situation. i plan on purchasing the BMW base rack system; my understanding is that its a rebranded Thule tower and cross bar system...that being said: -what is the best way to mount a Thule fork mount mountain bike rack to the BMW base rack? some people in the forums have used the xadapt1, and there has been some talk abt Thule releasing an xadapt9 that will allow a Thule fork mount rack to attach relatively cleanly to the BMW base rack...has anyone tried out the xadapt9? -what is the best way to mount a yakima fork mount mountain bike rack to the BMW base rack? one forum member used a yakima mighty mount universal adapter, but i'm wondering if there is some lower profile way to do this (i.e. keeping the mountan bike fork mount closer to the cross bar)? Are there newer yakima products that can work directly w/ the BMW/THule base rack system---i ask because the sales people at REI and other places have not been much help).. my preference is to use a yakima or thule fork mount system; i was very happy w/ my yakima rack on my old corolla (one day i inadvertently pulled into a covered parking space, and my bike seat ripped the low hanging rain gutter off the parking space cover w/o budging an inch) Thanks everyone for your responses!
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10-16-2007, 12:47 PM	#2
E91AWD Lieutenant 16 Rep 448 Posts Drives: BMW 2007 328xiT Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (1)	I have an E91 so the base rack mounts to the car are different (they mount to the roof rack). I have the BMW front fork mounted road bike rack. It slides in from the side of the rack in a track in the base rack (this is covered with a rubber strip when you have nothing attacked to the base rack). It works great. Very secure. I don't know if that helps.
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10-16-2007, 01:04 PM	#3
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	thanks for your input e91awd, i was just afraid of the BMW fork mount rack for my mountain bike (which is quite a bit heavier than most road bikes). since i've used yakima's before, and have friends use the thule set up, i tend to trust them a bit more....
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10-16-2007, 01:13 PM	#4
E91AWD Lieutenant 16 Rep 448 Posts Drives: BMW 2007 328xiT Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (1)	I have used my rack to transport a mountain bike once. It was back road and highway driving at 65 - 70 mph. It seemed plenty secure to me. It didn't move an inch and was as tight on arrival as it was on departure.
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10-16-2007, 01:27 PM	#5
OC Guy General 543 Rep 18,123 Posts Drives: AW 335D E90 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Irvine/Aliso Viejo, CA iTrader: (9) Garage List 2007 335i [0.00]	MagMD has a bike rack on his E90. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88010 __________________ Current: 2010 Alpine White 335D LCI l 19" BBS LMs l KW V2 Coilovers l BMW Performance Grilles l MSport Front/Rear l Karbonwerke Trunk l F1 Pinnacle Tint 35% Former: E92 Space Grey 335i Latest pics
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10-16-2007, 05:08 PM	#7
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	wow, i like that e90 in the pic...matches the bike too i think the use of the mighty mount means that you cant use any of the fork mount racks (they only work w/ yakima round cross bars)....altho i'll call around and do some research....
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10-16-2007, 09:58 PM	#8
Zeeman Captain 56 Rep 661 Posts Drives: E90 335 SG Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	Another thought.....if you have a heavy bike, you might want to consider using the Yakima King Cobras. The great thing with these is that you don't have to remove the front wheels to mount the bike. This frees up valuable trunk space for other gear. Here's a pic of the KC's I used on my e46. They are sturdy as hell. I have gone up to 90 mph with a couple 40 lbs+ downhill bikes mounted. I realize they're not exactly subtle, but they are awesome from a functional standpoint. Attached Images
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10-17-2007, 12:26 AM	#11
magmd Major General 161 Rep 5,271 Posts Drives: '06 330i Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Torrance, CA iTrader: (13) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Yes...the bike rack is a BMW rack. Once you have the base support you can add whichever rack you want. Its for racing (road) bikes. Mountain bikes will not fit if they have disc brakes. They have 2 versions of the racing holder avail. I am not sure which one is better. As you can see...I have the one on the left below. I may be purchasing the other...to transport 2 bikes. I like how subtle the one on the right is, but I am not convinced at how sturdy it will be with 2 tiny individual supports vs a long one. Here are the your two options. (I know its these are 5 series pics..but they both fit on the base support) http://accessories.bmwusa.com/ItemVi...productId=389# Oh...the base support does not contact the car at all. It is actually slightly suspended. No marks...other that dirt/debris that accumulates into the rack slots that you flip open. __________________ 2006 330i \| Black Sapphire Metallic \| Step Auto \| Navi with iDr \| Sports Pkg \|OEM Rear Spoiler \| 3M CS35 Tint \| H&R Sport Springs \| Koni Yellows \| Advan RS Racing Hypersilver: 19x9 et22 19x10 et20
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10-17-2007, 10:02 AM	#13
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	ok guys, i was looking in the Thule catalog, and the BMW racks look an awful like the Thule Rapid Aero Load bars (Thule no. RB43-RB47-RB53). I've read that the BMW racks are actually re-branded Thule ones, but "Euro spec", whatever that means. anyhow, if indeed the BMW bars are the exact same, then you would need an "xadapt9" to attach any fork mount thule system, or an "xadapt1" to attach any upright bike racks...
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10-17-2007, 10:12 AM	#14
magmd Major General 161 Rep 5,271 Posts Drives: '06 330i Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Torrance, CA iTrader: (13) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Looking at pics of the Thule rack you listed...it does look pretty much the exact same shape as the base support that I have from BMW. So, I would think that whatever you need to make this bar work with other Thule systems will also work with the BMW base support. __________________ 2006 330i \| Black Sapphire Metallic \| Step Auto \| Navi with iDr \| Sports Pkg \|OEM Rear Spoiler \| 3M CS35 Tint \| H&R Sport Springs \| Koni Yellows \| Advan RS Racing Hypersilver: 19x9 et22 19x10 et20
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10-17-2007, 12:36 PM	#16
dougman Second Lieutenant 27 Rep 228 Posts Drives: '07 E92 328 --> 2010 E92 M3! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (0)	The mounts are unique to BMW (to interface with the little doors on the e90/92), but the rails themselves are identical to the Thule aero bars. I use fork mount Thule racks with the xadapt 1 and am very happy with the results. It's stable and secure, and the nice thing about the aero bars is that it's really fast and easy to put them on and off the rails (no clamps, they just slide in from the side). It's a good setup, I like it even better than the Thule or Yakima setups I've had on all my other cars.
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10-18-2007, 03:29 AM	#20
gos Captain 27 Rep 959 Posts Drives: E90 330xi Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Colorado iTrader: (0)	how much do the bmw/thule aero bars whistle at speeds? __________________ -- 330xi SG/Terra/Burl -- ZPP, ZSP, ZCW, CA, Sirius, PDC
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10-18-2007, 09:31 AM	#21
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	btw, yesterday walking to lunch i saw an e90 w/ all thule equipment, i.e. thule towers that fit into the slots on the roof, and old style thule square crossbars. it seemes pretty secure, so i'm thinking the guy used the thule towers designed for the e46. i took a picture with my phone, i'll post it later today...
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04-26-2008, 09:14 PM	#22
dth656 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 395 Posts Drives: e90 330i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ASCII iTrader: (0)	a quick rack related question. i've just installed the BMW base rack system on my e90, but now i'm not sure how to proceed w/ the bike mounts. i dont want the BMW bike mounts, i want either a Thule fork mount or yakima fork mount. w/ the thule system, you need the XAdapt9 adapter kit, which goes in the slot provided in the cross bars of the base rack system. a number of forum members have this setup, and are quite happy w/ it. my question is has anyone tried the yakima mighty mount system? i did a search and didnt turn up anything. apparently, yakima makes a mighty mount designed for the OEM BMW cross bars (aka thule aero bars). i think that this might be a better way to go (i'm partial to yakima hardware), but wanted to know how secure it is (my yakima setup on my corolla the hardware mounts directly to the round crossbars)
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