Question about roof rack bicycle holders

wren57 · 04-13-2012, 06:52 PM

What is the difference between a mountain bike holder and a road bike holder? Why can they not do both?

Swish · 04-13-2012, 08:34 PM

...you take off the front tire to place the bike into a mount on the rack. The fork is the key; on road bikes, the tines of the forks are fairly close together because the tires are so narrow.

Mountain bike tires are really fat so the the tines on those forks are much farther apart and it won't fit in the mount of a road bike. That's the bottom line.

I recently bought a 'hybrid' bike, which has tires that are fatter than on a road bike, but not nearly as fat as on a mountain bike. I tested them on my road bike rack and they fit just fine so I didn't need to by an additional rack.

Bimmer84 · 04-13-2012, 08:37 PM

Cross tires are what I use too... so much of a speed difference on the streets, but have the tread for off road paths... I have quick release locks on the Trek though, so I still have a set for trail riding obviously...

E91 Hoarder · 04-13-2012, 10:22 PM

Could anybody recommend any good bike holder that will hold both, mountain and road bikes? Has to fit oem BMW rack as well.

AlterZgo · 04-13-2012, 10:57 PM

There are adapters that mount to a road bike fork holder but has 15mm or 20mm mountain bike thru axle mounts. You can then use any regular bike rack to hold your mountain bike.

Alternatively, check out the SeaSucker bike mount system. These are much more aerodynamic and flexible than standard roof mounted bike racks and are easily portable from car to car.

wren57 · 04-13-2012, 11:03 PM

I guess I'm just stupid, but it seems to me that a bike holder should just have a hole through the middle that you could then place a bolt between the two forks to hold it in place. Then it wouldn't matter the width of the forks. Or they just made it two ways to make more money...

sdbanker · 04-14-2012, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlterZgo

There are adapters that mount to a road bike fork holder but has 15mm or 20mm mountain bike thru axle mounts. You can then use any regular bike rack to hold your mountain bike.

Alternatively, check out the SeaSucker bike mount system. These are much more aerodynamic and flexible than standard roof mounted bike racks and are easily portable from car to car.

agree you can get an adapter for different width forks. But the SeaSucker looks kinda iffy to me - #! how do you keep your crank from spinning and pedals/clips scratching the crap out of your roof - with a rack it is elevated enough to spin freely if needed #2 how does the back tire get held in place - couldn't tell if they have a mount for the rear from their website and #3 if it looses vacuum mid drive, I don't want my $5,000 bike taking flight!

AlterZgo · 04-14-2012, 12:55 PM

Seasuckers are very well engineered and have lots of field experience with auto and marine applications for thousands and thousands of miles. Search on youtube and you will find videos. Basically, there is an integrated pump in every seasucker. As suction decreases over time, there is a very visible red indicator that tells you you need to pump some air in. All it takes is a few pushes and suction is increased to max again. It is VERY secure.

Rear tire is held on by another seasucker with a rear tire mount/strap.

Depending on pedal length and how you mount the bike, pedals may not strike. If you want to be absolutely safe, you can always velcro strap the crank arm to the frame.

What I like about the seasucker is the ability to move the "rack" to any car very easily and the fact that you can mount the bike however you like - strictly on the roof, or you can mount the forks to the roof and the rear tire to trunk. This will prevent you from ramming the bike into the garage or parking structure as people w/ roof mounted bike racks sometimes do. If you have an SUV, you can hang the bike off the back end of the SUV.

If you are parked in a sketchy area and want to remove the seasucker and throw them in your trunk, it is literally a 5 second procedure.

Personally, I use a tow hitch mounted 1upUSA rack on my Honda Pilot which I think is excellent. But, for my E92, I'm seriously considering getting a couple of seasuckers.

04-13-2012, 06:52 PM	#1
wren57 Roll Tide 591 Rep 2,345 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: St Louis iTrader: (10)	Question about roof rack bicycle holders What is the difference between a mountain bike holder and a road bike holder? Why can they not do both?
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04-13-2012, 08:34 PM	#2
Swish First Lieutenant 52 Rep 361 Posts Drives: 2011 335i Sport Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: PA iTrader: (0)	I have one for road bikes. The problem is the forks... ...you take off the front tire to place the bike into a mount on the rack. The fork is the key; on road bikes, the tines of the forks are fairly close together because the tires are so narrow. Mountain bike tires are really fat so the the tines on those forks are much farther apart and it won't fit in the mount of a road bike. That's the bottom line. I recently bought a 'hybrid' bike, which has tires that are fatter than on a road bike, but not nearly as fat as on a mountain bike. I tested them on my road bike rack and they fit just fine so I didn't need to by an additional rack. Last edited by Swish; 04-13-2012 at 09:30 PM.. Reason: Typo
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04-13-2012, 08:37 PM	#3
Bimmer84 Guardian of the Night 109 Rep 1,831 Posts Drives: 2010 335i M Sport Coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: San Antonio iTrader: (5) Garage List 2010 335i E92 [7.50]	Cross tires are what I use too... so much of a speed difference on the streets, but have the tread for off road paths... I have quick release locks on the Trek though, so I still have a set for trail riding obviously... __________________ 2010 335i M Sport Coupe -- Black Sapphire Metallic\|Coral Red\|Loaded\|JB4 Stage 3\|BMS DCI\|VRSF DPs\|Camaross 6k AE\|Performance Gloss Black Grilles\|CF Performance Spoiler\|CF Quad Diffuser\|Double Layer Black Chrome Quad Tips\|CF Roundels\|Smoked Reflectors\|Red Cyba Scoops\|193s Painted Lamborghini Metallic Dark Gray
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04-13-2012, 10:22 PM	#4
E91 Hoarder Captain 126 Rep 852 Posts Drives: E91 AWD, E91 RWD, E90, X535i Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: On the Road iTrader: (8)	Could anybody recommend any good bike holder that will hold both, mountain and road bikes? Has to fit oem BMW rack as well.
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04-13-2012, 10:57 PM	#5
AlterZgo Lieutenant Colonel 1538 Rep 1,665 Posts Drives: 23 X3 M40i, 21 911S, 24 Taycan Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ iTrader: (0)	There are adapters that mount to a road bike fork holder but has 15mm or 20mm mountain bike thru axle mounts. You can then use any regular bike rack to hold your mountain bike. Alternatively, check out the SeaSucker bike mount system. These are much more aerodynamic and flexible than standard roof mounted bike racks and are easily portable from car to car.
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04-13-2012, 11:03 PM	#6
wren57 Roll Tide 591 Rep 2,345 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: St Louis iTrader: (10)	I guess I'm just stupid, but it seems to me that a bike holder should just have a hole through the middle that you could then place a bolt between the two forks to hold it in place. Then it wouldn't matter the width of the forks. Or they just made it two ways to make more money...
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04-14-2012, 12:55 PM	#8
AlterZgo Lieutenant Colonel 1538 Rep 1,665 Posts Drives: 23 X3 M40i, 21 911S, 24 Taycan Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ iTrader: (0)	Seasuckers are very well engineered and have lots of field experience with auto and marine applications for thousands and thousands of miles. Search on youtube and you will find videos. Basically, there is an integrated pump in every seasucker. As suction decreases over time, there is a very visible red indicator that tells you you need to pump some air in. All it takes is a few pushes and suction is increased to max again. It is VERY secure. Rear tire is held on by another seasucker with a rear tire mount/strap. Depending on pedal length and how you mount the bike, pedals may not strike. If you want to be absolutely safe, you can always velcro strap the crank arm to the frame. What I like about the seasucker is the ability to move the "rack" to any car very easily and the fact that you can mount the bike however you like - strictly on the roof, or you can mount the forks to the roof and the rear tire to trunk. This will prevent you from ramming the bike into the garage or parking structure as people w/ roof mounted bike racks sometimes do. If you have an SUV, you can hang the bike off the back end of the SUV. If you are parked in a sketchy area and want to remove the seasucker and throw them in your trunk, it is literally a 5 second procedure. Personally, I use a tow hitch mounted 1upUSA rack on my Honda Pilot which I think is excellent. But, for my E92, I'm seriously considering getting a couple of seasuckers.
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