Custom Tow-Hook Bike Rack

[that_guy]

Just shoot me a PM. We'll take it from there. Details coming soon to those interested. This might be my last batch - it's taking a lot of time to put things together and work is also sucking up a lot of personal time. But I love seeing guys out on the trails so I know how important toting your bike is on these little cars.

I also noticed Yakima stopped offering the roof rack option for the twins...guess they found it just as sketchy as I did!

[powderhound]

Originally Posted by that_guy

Just shoot me a PM. We'll take it from there. Details coming soon to those interested. This might be my last batch - it's taking a lot of time to put things together and work is also sucking up a lot of personal time. But I love seeing guys out on the trails so I know how important toting your bike is on these little cars.

I also noticed Yakima stopped offering the roof rack option for the twins...guess they found it just as sketchy as I did!

I am interested- how do I pay? I'm in Calgary.

[cdquinton]

I need this. I'm not a fence sitter, Paypal is ready to go. Just tell me when you need my money and how much. PM sent.

[that_guy]

Well, perhaps my last batch has been ordered. Probably a little over a month before they are in the hands of happy riders but they will be happy, no doubt!

I ordered extra this time to not only satisfy the fence sitters I always get each batch, but to keep the price down amidst our recent change in currency (USD vs CAD). I'll keep everyone posted with the progress and if you missed out on a batch before, shoot me a PM and I'll see if I have any left this round to help you get back on 2 wheels.

[rokius]

Originally Posted by that_guy

Well, perhaps my last batch has been ordered. Probably a little over a month before they are in the hands of happy riders but they will be happy, no doubt!

I ordered extra this time to not only satisfy the fence sitters I always get each batch, but to keep the price down amidst our recent change in currency (USD vs CAD). I'll keep everyone posted with the progress and if you missed out on a batch before, shoot me a PM and I'll see if I have any left this round to help you get back on 2 wheels.

Cool man. Just stopping by to make sure I'm on the list

[Quentin]

Anyone have a recommendation for a fork mounted tray that has some width to it to limit the motion of the bike? My Thule Big Mouth has way more front to back movement relative to the car (side to side relative to the tray) than I'd like. Once I hit 70mph, the air is really pushing the bike away from the trunk lid. The stamped steel bracket that holds the uprights that support the mouth twists quite a bit without placing much force on it. My countermeasures are 1) get the bike out of the airstream by going fork mounted and 2) getting a tray with better rigidity. I had an old cheap Thule fork mounted tray from my first mountain bike over a decade ago and I remember that one was even worse than the Big Mouth when it came to side to side rigidity.


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[that_guy]

Originally Posted by rokius

Cool man. Just stopping by to make sure I'm on the list

You'd need to send me a PM if you're interested Not on the list yet...

[that_guy]

Originally Posted by Quentin

Anyone have a recommendation for a fork mounted tray that has some width to it to limit the motion of the bike? My Thule Big Mouth has way more front to back movement relative to the car (side to side relative to the tray) than I'd like. Once I hit 70mph, the air is really pushing the bike away from the trunk lid. The stamped steel bracket that holds the uprights that support the mouth twists quite a bit without placing much force on it. My countermeasures are 1) get the bike out of the airstream by going fork mounted and 2) getting a tray with better rigidity. I had an old cheap Thule fork mounted tray from my first mountain bike over a decade ago and I remember that one was even worse than the Big Mouth when it came to side to side rigidity.


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The Thule big mouth only supports the bike by the lowest portion of the wheels with a 1" strap and a bar connected to the center of the lower frame triangle. This isn't really that secure for mounting transverse across the back of the FRS (or any car for that matter). This is why Thule and others do not recommend this form of mounting with their roof racks. From my experience, only 1UP will recommend this mounting style due to the fact they use the same design for their hitch mount as they do for their roof rack option. For reference, my old Yakima Highroller would sway as well being mostly plastic and only supporting the front wheel with a simple metal/plastic hoop...and this is when it was mounted as intended on my roof.

For the price, I don't think there is a better option out there from the 1UP. I have never had the issues you've described using my 1UP rack and my 29er is like a wind sail just from it's size alone.

Worth looking into if your shopping options. Lots of users using them here with these bars, myself included, so there's data to support it working.

Good luck!

[Quentin]

I agree the stamped steel bracket that holds the stanchions on the Big Mouth is too flimsy for this usage. Hence the inquiry.

I have a Rockymount tray arriving today. I'll give that a shot and see how it goes. The 1up is on my radar, but the $200 that the tray will cost is dangerously close to what I'd spend on an Ecohitch to use with my Thule 916XT hitch mounted rack.


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[that_guy]

EcoHitch looks very cool. I'm surprised it went mass (sort of) production. I always thought that sort of thing would end up grassroots and reserved to talented forum members like those here. Cool to see though!

[that_guy]

Alright, update for those who might be sitting on the fence. In my last batch for some very patient members here, I ordered a few extra, expecting some last minute "can I get a set". While I've been able to satisfy a few of these, my machinist actually ended up having extra material and ran off a few more sets to avoid waste. This means I actually have 9 sets left. This very well could be my last run of these - it's really time consuming. While I love being able to help out members here, it's getting harder to do with my work schedule.

So, if you want one of these 9 remaining sets, send me a PM. They are probably 2-3 weeks from landing on your doorstep from today.

Thanks again to everyone for the interest and keeping this alive.

[Quentin]

I paid for a set a few minutes ago!


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[13Firestorm_SoCal_86]

Sent a PM.

[Nessiji]

sent paypal just now

Looking forward to being able to move my bikes around again
thank you