I picked up a set of tow hooks to make a set of bars myself. I don't have a machine shop so I'll be welding steel rod (I know weight, blah blah), probably 1" .250 wall DOM to a pair of factory tow hooks with the loops hacked off...I'll post up when they're done!

Damn, looks like I missed out...

I never expected this sort of demand...especially not after I already polled everyone here and only got a small group interested.

That said, if I can get enough to order these again, I'll do it. I need 5. PM me if interested and we'll start this all over again ;)

Here's the thread to the ones I made
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...93#post1644893

thanks @that_guy !

Nice! Those look like they will work great.

Bumping this up. I have 3 interested members to order another batch. I need 2 more to make that dream a reality. If you were sitting on the fence, now is probably your last chance...

This looks great! Count me in if you're able to find one more.

Here we go, 5 sets completed and ready to ship! Enjoy gents. Glad I could help you get from 4 wheels to 2.

http://i58.tinypic.com/eijqkx.jpg

You are awesome, man! Can't wait to get them so I can drag my bike along.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Well I got all my parts last week and finally put it all together over the weekend. Thanks again for all the work @that guy put in getting this all to us. It turned out great. I will post pictures later once i get a better internet connection.

I received my bars last night. These things are no joke. They are quite substantial. My first thought was that I pity the fool who rear-ends me with these things on. They would do some serious damage. Quality looks top notch. I'll put it all together and snap some pictures this weekend. @that guy is a stand up dude for putting this all together. He wouldn't even keep the $16 overage that I accidentally sent him.

Finally got them! Thanks to @that_guy!

The bars are very sturdy, and so is the 1up bike rack!

Sent from my phone. Might have typos. Sorry.

Nice bike! Love the colour.

Glad you guys are happy. I'm even happier I could support.

This is a little OT but it goes back to the OP in this thread - what is it about the 86s that makes them unable to accept a typical trunk mount bike rack? I ran one on my C350 with spoiler and never had a problem? I feel like I'm missing something, being a new owner and all. (I don't have a bike rack at the moment as I'm coming into the FR-S from a truck - my MB was a few cars ago and the only vehicle I ever used a trunk mount rack on.)


Sent from my *new* iPad using Tapatalk HD

Trunk racks are the least secure and most damaging way to carry a bike on your car.

^This. I had a trunk style (and a very high end one) on my tC and it did cause damage, even using giant blocks of foam and paint protection film to avoid it.

The whole purpose here was to make something that had a very small footprint when attaching to the car but would still support a large bike and all the functionality of the trunk (what little it has). This to me was that idea, although others here have created their own variation and had great success with it. Outside of that, because it would be exposed to the elements and there was a chance that someone, myself included, could leave this installed on the car overnight/during rain, I wanted a material that would last forever to prevent the need of having to replace something that worked so well for me. Stainless is not cheap but is a perfect choice for something like this in my opinion.

In addition to what Matt said, I much prefer a tray mount for holding the bike as well.
1) Easy to mount. With a 1-up, there are no straps or anything. It literally takes seconds to put the bike on and off.
2) Mounting to the wheels is universal and if using something like the 1-up, works for pretty much any bike. The trunk mount racks need to attach to the bike frame which can be difficult especially for full suspension bikes.
3) A tray rack also contacts the bikes at the tires where it won't scratch whereas a trunk mount rack can scratch your frame up especially over long dusty roads. This is more important with carbon frames. I prefer to damage my bikes by crashing, not through transport.

That being said, I do not think that this is the ONLY solution, and nothing about this solution is cheap. However, I go biking a lot, so its definitely worth the investment. I have typically found that it costs about $500 to get a good bike solution for each new car I've had whether that is roof rack, hitch/rack, or this tow-hook/rack.

Nice bike

Don't get me wrong - I really like the idea of the tow eye rack. But I had my bike on the back of my C350 (with lip spoiler) for ~1500 miles and it didn't cause a single issue. I don't see how one of these, installed properly, can cause damage. This is the rack I used:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Allen-Spor...-Rack/23091634

And my brother uses this one on his Civic, also with spoiler:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Allen-Delu...102DB/10811998

I see a lot of huge MTBs/DHs in these threads - is that maybe why? Because we're both rocking CF roadies that weigh something like 12 lbs? Just trying to understand, that's all.

some of it is just those of us that are anal about the paintwork..

but yes, some of it is the xc/dh compared to road bikes...

i have a saris 3-bike bones rack, and the one time i didn't put towels under all the points where it touched my old car, i ended up with 3 spots that took on the appearance of about 1500 grit sand paper(car was just washed, and the pads were wiped down, so i thought i could get away with no grit between the rack and the car)... for the most part, just using towels below the points where it touched the car was enough, but the rack always scared me a little, as it was never able to be firmly secured to the car, so 2 15+lb bikes liked to sway a lot on the road..

The thing I found was that in order to prevent movement, you needed to have it fairly tight. Doing so meant that it likely dug into the metal on the car. The sheet metal of this car is very light, so the chances of denting it are quite high.

It's just unnecessary risk really. There are enough custom options available from members of these forums that you don't need to use something that WILL cause damage.

These just look fantastic. Can't wait for mine. Road bike can go in the trunk for now, but a muddy, long wheelbase 29er really wants to be on the outside of the car.

@that_guy, I've taken the bike rack around 50 miles of highway and 20 miles of city driving, I then noticed that there is a subtle shaking sound in the driver side. I stopped to check the fitment and everything is tight. I wonder what it could be.

Here are the pics. I didnt end up going with the 1up but this thing isnt going anywhere and I am pretty sure I can get a second bike on the rack.

the exact setup I want. are you concerned at all by how much the rear tire sticks out pass the car?

Not really it is only about 5 inches when you look at the right angle. From where the picture was taken it looks much more extreme. It should not be a problem and I like that I will be able to see the bike from the mirror.

I gotcha. Could just be the way things are setup on this car. I could actually bounce the back of my Benz with the bike rack it was tied on so well (I mean, they used the Benz in their ads).

So are these tow bolt racks actually for sale now? Anyone want to PM me about a cost? :) Also, an adapter for a "tailgate" grill, anyone? :party0030:

EDIT
Whoops, I see that I missed the boat on these already. Wish they'd have sold me the car back in January but they weren't as willing to deal as I required. D'oh.

Hmmm. Define "shaking sound". Do you hear a small clunk from time to time? If so, it probably just needs to be tightened into the car a hair more. Check the bolts on the 1UP rack just to make sure everything is snug there too.

Outside of that, sure there is no chain slop or anything on your bike? Just running through scenarios here. Let me know.

what is that mount called? that would be perfect for me..

yeah, i was the last-needed buyer of the GB-- i bought them mostly because i'm not entirely sure they'll be produced again(it took something like 3 months to get 5 people together), and it is a really nice mounting option..


but that said, that_guy was great the entire time-- he kept us all up to date on the progress as things came together, and i'd have no qualms about going through with it again if i had to.

Like a dull metallic clunk. I double-checked the tightness and everything is good and tight. :bonk:

My bad, it looks like it's my torque wrench banging against the breaker bar in the trunk, haha!

Sent from my phone. Might have typos. Sorry.

Haha! Glad it got sorted out....I'm sure we've all given the glove box a good hard hit when we hear a rattle. This sounds like one of those annoying situations that would drive you nuts if never solved.

its the yakima boa style mount

Well, someone tried to steal my bike today. Good thing I bought the 1UP lock fitted for the rack itself.

Funny thing is, it happened in the middle of my 30-minute run. They probably knew I sporadically run on mornings, so this time they waited for me to leave.

The car is behind an apartment building, hidden from street/public view, so they know that there is a bike there, they've been watching for a while.

Oh, I also have a dashcam pointed forward the car. Screenies of the goons attached.

And timeline:

8:41 Left the house for a quick jog, but I grabbed my sunglasses from the car first.

8:56 First guy showed up in a bike. Black guy with a sweater and backpack. Heard some shuffling noise.

9:02 Second guy appears in a bike, carrying some sort of tool.

9:13 I arrived back and saw one of the locks on the ground (the wire-type one). What a useless security device. Saw the bike misaligned out of the rack, as if they were trying to force it off the rack. The 1UP lock I have, they also tried to break it open but failed. :)

Lesson learnt. Never leave bikes outside, even if its hidden from public view.

Hell, it's not even one of those expensive bikes, lol.

People are scum bags. I'm glad your bike and car were ok. What 1Up lock do you have? Is it the wheel lock:

http://www.1upusa.com/product-wheellock.html

How do you mount it? I've been thinking about how to secure the bike and rack. I normally bike in Santa Cruz, CA and anything that is not secured is stolen and sold for meth. Sometimes even if it is secured.

Yep, that's the one. The scumbags tried to force it open via the keyhole and by cutting the bolt itself but failed.

I actually saw one of the guys walking down the street an hour after the incident, on my way to work. Couldn't call the cops or something cause I'll be late for work, and they know where I live.

I would suggest filing a police report, giving them the video, and telling them that you saw the guy around, so he might be a regular. That being said, I would probably be too lazy to do that. It takes time, effort, and the PD probably does not have the capacity to pursue it. It can be frustrating though.

With respect to the lock, couldn't they have just removed the bike wheel? That's why I didn't pick one of those ones up. I'm not trying to discount your security method because obviously it worked. Just trying to figure out how it worked.

I locked the rear wheel, so that it will be harder to remove (compared to the front one) in case something like this happens, and I was right.

I would rather not report this to the police. The hassle of filing a report is a pain, and the fact that the guy is probably in the same neighborhood and knows where I live, it would make me feel less safe there. I would report this to the landlord though so they can (I hope) install some security camera or something, even fake ones, just to deter thieves.

They weren't able to take anything anyway, aside from the broken cable lock. If anything, this is a very good experience for me and I learned my lesson.

Now, I'm contemplating on selling the bike rack and just switching over to foldables: http://www.montaguebikes.com/ and just keeping it in the car.