Custom Tow-Hook Bike Rack

[Al3x]

I've had this same set up on my Mr2 for a couple of years now and and it works great, I thought about doing the same with the FRS but I found out the bike fits with seats folded down.

[brzbiker]

Hi!!
Wondering if I can order a set of the rods from you?
Thanks,
Jenn

[Tintiot]

Gents,
I have been running a set of these for a while now, over 1000 miles on them with a road bike. this set up is great, it never moves. I added the bike rack that was the easiet to use 1upusa, or you could use some other roofrack to hold the bike.
it has not been a day riding that when I get back to the car, someone is waiting to ask questions about it. never mind the car
really enjoying it.

[STV3]

Hmm this looks like a good idea for my diamondback. plus i wouldnt have to worry about getting mud or dirt in/on my car

[killswitch]

Please make more...soon...lol. I am so tired of loading up my Expedition with the bike to go MTB riding twice a week..

[liftaddict]

do you have access to more rods? How are yours
holding up

[that_guy]

Originally Posted by Tintiot

Gents,
I have been running a set of these for a while now, over 1000 miles on them with a road bike. this set up is great, it never moves. I added the bike rack that was the easiet to use 1upusa, or you could use some other roofrack to hold the bike.
it has not been a day riding that when I get back to the car, someone is waiting to ask questions about it. never mind the car
really enjoying it.

Glad to hear they are working for you! I love mine as well. Always questions at the trails as you say. Sadly, this setup works far better than our hitch/Thule setup on our other car. So much more stable on the FR-S!

But sadly, I offered to produce some more and of the 12 or so people on this forum that "committed" only 2 remainted interested after price and that's not enough to justify producing them. It's not a profit standpoint, it's a "these are f-n expensive if made in small batches" standpoint.

If I can get 12 people committed enough to take a set, I don't mind running off another batch. Right now, through the same supplier I used last time, they would be $200 CDN for a pair of bars with washers, shipped anywhere in North America. But right now, it doesn't seem like I'll be making any anytime soon. Sorry!

[ollepellijeff]

I'll commit for a set if they are around $200 CDN

[robsch77]

I came up with an easy solution for making a tow hook bike rack like the one designed by "Thatguy" in an earlier post. He used the tow hook receptacles and machined two galvanized steel rods and threaded the ends to screw them into the tow hook receptacles. Then put a roof rack bike rack across the two rods and you are set.

I don't have machine shop and couldn't find a machinist who would bother with such a small job. They typically wanted a lot more money as a "set up" fee. If you know a machinist or can find one who will cooperate you could use this approach.

What I did (after a first failed design) is pretty simple and elegant: Just buy two 16 mm x 1.5 threaded rods. The 1.5 refers to the number of threads and the tow hooks require this thinner size thread (as opposed to 2.0). Since it's metric, I couldn't find these at Lowes or Home Depot. I believe I ordered them from Grainger or another similar fastener company. They came 3 feet in length and I had an auto welding shop cut down so that once screwed into the tow hooks they extended an additional 16" beyond the bumper (I believe the total length was around 24"). This provided plenty of room for the single bike rack without adding unnecessary length. The auto welder also soldered two metal beads around each rod to mark where the bike rack should go so one doesn't have to measure the distance from the bumper each time (or have the rack sit crookedly).

I used the same bike rack the other person did: UpOne USA roof rack. It's the best rack I have used–easy to get the bikes on and off and very stable. I've used it around town and so far there seems to be less movement of the bike than with the previous hitch bike racks I used to use, perhaps because it has two supports rather than just one center support pole.

The rods were $40 each and the bike rack was $180, so the overall cost was not more than most hitch racks and probably less than roof rack set up. And of course, there is the expense of installing the hitch in the first place. (The only shortcoming is that it is only designed for 1 bike. I am not sure how it work if you made the rods longer so there was room for 2 bike racks. The increased length and added weight of another rack seems like pushing it to far).

It takes me only 3 minutes to screw in the threaded rods and put on the bike rack and clamp it to the rods. I have taken it apart in 2 minutes.

It's worked great on very bumpy Pittsburgh roads and in few weeks I will let you know how it works on the longer trip to North Carolina and Georgia.

The pictures look the same as those in ThatGuy's post, so I am not bothering putting them up. The only difference is that the threaded rods have threads throughout. I capped them with plastic caps at the end.

[NYNOMAD]

Another choice - thanks for the thread size.

[jabingb]

[QUOTE=that_guy;848700]Interested to see how this turns out! Post it up when you start!
QUOTE]

TG, here's what I came up with, based on a design I did for couple of my Miatas years ago. I work in a machine shop so the pins/rods were not a prob just a Saturday project and a local muffler shop did the bending and welding. Unfortunately the car has gone back to Toyota, but that's another story, so I did not have a chance to fully test it out. I have little doubt it will perform well, waiting for the '14s to come out so I can get in the queue once again.

[that_guy]

Interesting approaches. I like!

Glad this helped inspire others to get creative!

[DIRTYSWAN]

pm'd

[NYCsubaruBRZ]

[QUOTE=jabingb;1094417][QUOTE=that_guy;848700]1
QUOTE]



if someone hits that will it damage the car because the force goes to those two pins?