Bike rack for the VX

[Bob Barker]

I know there are a few people on this site that have a need for bike racks on their trucks, so what do you have?

I was told by Yakima that the roof racks were not designed to hold bikes and should not be used for that, but the crossbars say 110lbs evenly distributed on each bar, and me and my buddies bikes only weigh 17lbs each. How could that tear anything up? I don't see them holding a lot of air and ripping the bikes of the top of the truck at highway speeds, but what do I know?...

Anyhow, I already ordered a hitch that I was going to use for a basket on the back to hold extra gear but if I have to then I'll just have to put a hitch rack on it and find a big rack for the top to hold gear.

Suggestions on which is best for the VX and for the bikes?

[RickOKC]

Hey Bob,

Check these photos (http://www.vehicross.info/forums/member.php?u=3477). It may be way too much trouble to go to the additional expense of a trailer hitch mounted bike rack, but it's one way to get what you're looking for. Brian sold his VX a couple months ago so I don't know if a PM would reach him or if the email address listed on his profile is something he checks regularly. GOOD LUCK!

[Bob Barker]

I really want one that goes on top, for one the rails for the top of the truck are way cheaper and two, I don't like the idea of my bike hanging by it's frame...

I have already ordered a hitch, but wanted to use it for other things. If push comes to shove I'll just search the web for a nice roof rack that I can put luggage on and hang the bikes off the back.

[Triathlete]

I have a roof mounted rack. The factory crossbars are plenty strong. After driving my Griffen into the garage I put my Felt IN the VX now unless I absolutely have to use the roof rack. The rack I use is no longer available and needed slight modding to work with the factory crossbars. "TucsonVX" had custom adapters fabbed to adapt his(I think there are pics in his gallery). Also look through Rickshaws gallery. He has a roof mounted rack on his factory bars also that is done nicely.

[Bob Barker]

Since I don't have any plans to be parking this in my garage anytime soon I shouldn't have to worry about that, only other thing is low hanging branches and drive through windows.

I'll take a look through those guys galleries and see if I can get any ideas. I'm sure I can make the roof bars work just wanted to be sure there was not some odd reason why I shouldn't make them work...

and me and a buddy once made a kayak rack out of 2 lengths of rebarb and a hand full of U-bolts and flat plates and lockwashers on top of a 4 door blazer that had no foor bars to begin with! So I know we could make a Yakima system work.

[vt_maverick]

I may be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure that a standard Yakima roof bike rack will work just fine as long as you have the correct Mighty Mounts. Member Daver still has a set of those that's listed for $39.

[etlsport]

I have a Thule hitch mounted carrier. will hold 4 bikes, works very well, but youre right, hanging from the frame isnt ideal. I am looking into the hitch mounted ones that have channels for the wheels so theres no contacting the frame, but they are around the $400 range, i got mine at a great deal for like 100

[Bob Barker]

I was just a little confused when Yakima told me the roof bars from factory on our VX's were not designed to carry anything more than a pair of ski's and some other flat light weight items... Even after I read to them the 110lb weight rating printed on their bars the person kept telling me it wasn't designed to carry anything as large as a bike.

I saw the hitch mount racks with the channels for the tires but like you said, they are very pricey.

[rickshaw]

Here is Scott's (WebbRacing.com)
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/medium/P6050228.JPG

Here is my set-up
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/3219/medium/IMG_0611v2sm.jpg

[Bob Barker]

How did you mount those rails to the factory crossbars? Just some redneck ingineering or is there a specific part that works well? Like the mighty mounts I read about?

[MSHardeman]

To get the bike racks to mount directly to our factory cross bars you need to find some, now extinct, mighty mounts made for the cross bars. As vt_maverick said Daver used to have some for sale. You would need the vertical mighty mounts (similar to these http://www.yakima.com/shop/factorycrossbars/vertical-mightymounts ) that are made specifically for our cross bars.

Since I couldn't find some wing mounts, originally (I have since bought some off of a member here), I went the round about way to get my bike racks up top. I used Yakima's Universal Mighty Mounts ( http://www.yakima.com/shop/factorycrossbars/universal-mightymounts ) and attached a standard Yakima cross bar to them. I then mounted my bike racks to the standard cross bars. That set up works, but it does give you two sets of cross bars (the stock ones and the standard Yakima ones) and raises the racks up a bit (see image below). Works like a charm, though, and I haven't had any problem with the stability of the bikes.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/ROM_04.JPG

As others have said; I wouldn't worry about the load on the roof rack. I have had my ski box, and two bikes on bike racks mounted to the roof at 70 mph and have never had a problem.

Edit: Actually, after some thought, and looking at other threads, you would need to figure out which bike rack you want first to determine how it mounts to decide whether you would need the vertical or horizontal Yakima Mighty Mounts.

[Bob Barker]

Thanks for the info and the pic too!

[nfpgasmask]

I have a set of horizontal wing mounts by Yakima I will sell for $25. They clip onto the horizontal crossbars and then you should be able to mount a bike rack, or so I was told.

:) Bart

[Bob Barker]

Paypal? :D

[nfpgasmask]

Paypal? :D

Sure, shipping should be cheap. Let me dig em out first to make sure everything is still in the box and I will PM you later today or tomorrow.

Bart

[Bob Barker]

Is the set you have a set of 4?

[nfpgasmask]

I think so, like I said, I will pull it out and check tonight.

Bart