Rack 'Em Up (or, A Collective Bump to Bike Rack Threads) - Page 3

steven2 · 09-21-2015, 02:26 PM

Is the mounting of the short rails directly onto the top of the box working okay for you? I am about to do the same to mine. Any suggestions? I have a deluxe box and need to mount bike trays on top.

thanks!

steven2 · 09-21-2015, 02:37 PM

also- for those who have yakima up top, did you use 66" or 78" bars?

thx

rltilley · 09-28-2015, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steven2

Is the mounting of the short rails directly onto the top of the box working okay for you? I am about to do the same to mine. Any suggestions? I have a deluxe box and need to mount bike trays on top.

thanks!

Sorry for the late reply. Just got back into town from a trip. I had this installed when I had the van built by SMB West so I have no direct experience with installation. As far as how it works I have about 4,000 miles so far with bikes up there and it has worked flawlessly so far. I now have 1Up racks on it instead of the Thule racks in the pictures.

On a side note I went to Aluminess to get some other things added to my van and they told me that the box was installed incorrectly and that the way it was done wasn't really up to the stresses of having bikes up there so they fixed it for me free of charge. This was before I had used it for any long-term bike hauling.

MadScience · 09-29-2015, 02:19 AM

Mostly for the archives: I've been using a Thule 916xtr T2 on the van. Initially on the back, but since it blocked the doors now on the front. FWIW, I much prefer the bikes on the front at this point.

In combination with a u-bolt hold down, it has no movement of it's own. However, it's still far from an ideal solution. In what was perhaps a worst case scenario, I had a shock that had disconnected from the body on the back and about 10 miles of really rocky trail, it scraped paint all the way to metal in a couple of spots on one bike. I'm happy I only had steel framed bikes on there at that point, and will probably never put anything else on there.

On the front, I have managed to use a ratchet tie to keep it in the folded forward position. This gets the bikes almost entirely out of the drivers field of view and, on my van at least still leaves a lot of ground clearance. The 1up looks like it might fold further forward, making that option less interesting.

If I had to replace it tomorrow, I'd try something else, but I'd look at the options pretty carefully. The 1up looks promising, but I'd really like to see it in person before feeling confident that it's superior.

Tapatio · 09-29-2015, 09:18 AM

Just picked up this top of box aluminess bike support. What type of bike rack would you guys recommend? Thule Sidearm 594XT are $199 each! Seems a bit overpriced to me. Any other suggestions?

shenrie · 09-29-2015, 09:28 AM

are you looking for a wheel on setup or front wheel off?

i have an old version of the yakima raptor aero. i got them off craigslist for around 50 each and they work great. have the ability to lock and have yet to have any issues with them. the clamp that goes on the downtube isnt as meaty as the new version, but has served its purpose quite well. even with downtubes as big as 2.5".

tlg · 09-29-2015, 12:57 PM

Have 2 x 1UpUSA racks on the Aluminess swing arm. Bomb proof with easy adjustments to fit smaller or larger wheels. They have weathered extremely well. Only draw back is the difficulty in getting heavier bikes up there without an assist. I also run a Kuat two bike rack out of the Aluminess bumper (with deluxe box and spare tire carrier). Took several tries to find a hitch extension that would clear the box/tire carrier and allow access to the rear doors without having to remove the bike rack. Ended up with a Brophy 14" hitch extension. Had to add a Blue Ox Hitch Receiver Immobilizer II to eliminate what was a significant amount of play in the extension. Both of those items are available at Etrailer. Am very pleased with the setup and highly recommend the Kuat for strength and ease of use.

audisnapr · 09-29-2015, 03:25 PM

I "racked" my brain for a year or so trying to solve our bike rack needs. Since both rear swing arms were custom one-offs designed by me (copied Aluminess' design) and the box I chose would not support the bikes/racks being mounted to its top, I had to develop my own bike rack setup. Had I had a bit more foresight I would have designed the bike rack mounts into the swing arm itself.

One of the main requirements was to keep the bikes up high and away from the two trailers we tow (boat & enclosed car trailers) since we often took our bikes with us when camping/boating and to the race track. The second requirement was that the swing arms still functioned. C: It needed to use the Yakima components that I already had... and it also needed to support two adult bikes and one kid bike.

This was the solution I had come up with. And it worked, although it was only tested twice.

Unfortunately, at the time I did not have plans of upgrading my SMB or tire size - so now this rack does not fit the new SMB. Still deciding what to do next.

ert01 · 09-29-2015, 06:22 PM

Looks good! I like that it's easily removable.

Off topic, but what size pelican case is that on your swing out?

Tapatio · 09-29-2015, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shenrie

are you looking for a wheel on setup or front wheel off?

i have an old version of the yakima raptor aero. i got them off craigslist for around 50 each and they work great. have the ability to lock and have yet to have any issues with them. the clamp that goes on the downtube isnt as meaty as the new version, but has served its purpose quite well. even with downtubes as big as 2.5".

I'd like to get a wheel on setup. I have a folding Montague Paratrooper which doesn't have a downtube. Looking for something that attaches to the wheel like the Thule Sidearm or 1UPUSA that TLG mentioned.