What's the best way to affix a bicycle to the outside of a 6

Sidrick · Post by **Sidrick** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 2:40 am

Duct tape.

GripGreg · Post by **GripGreg** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 3:11 am

Guys; I said this before:
Forget about the roof rack.

Use a bike rack that is hung on the rear at license plate height.
The upper two ties hook onto the front of the boot/trunk.
The lowers hook into the bumper.
The bikes rests on arms made for them.
Tie them down with rubber straps wrapped around to make it a snug fit.
If need be, stash the front wheels inside your car.

Go to a top rated bike shop so they'll help you rig it.
This is another reason why I don't like 'online stuff'.
Although it's very simple.

Install the bike so the lower angle bar keeps it from hitting the ground.
Figure it out Dudes, it works for me all the time,
Seriously,,Greg

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 7:09 am

The Seasucker looks to be a good way to mount the bike on the roof. Those ones stuck on the boot are a right pain as they block the license plate and obscure the rear lights. Also you can't do anything with the boot.

I've worked on building sites with external glass facades and seen these suckers used to lift glass that weighs hundreds of kilos up 50 stories high so as long as you fit them correctly I can't see any problems with the suction failing.

Available unbranded too of course but I like Greg Lemond

https://greglemond.com/#!/store/lemond-seasucker-talon

You will have to paste the whole above url rather than just click on the highlighted bit as the site is some dumb all flash crap.

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Sat Dec 12, 2015 2:20 am

Well I've found the answer to carrying bikes safely as I bought a Seasucker mentioned in my post above. I got the one that carries 2 bikes. It's dead easy to fit, takes just a minute or two, is a very solid attachment and when it's not in use just sits in the cupboard. Well made US gear too.

The front section with 4 suction cups on the 2 bike model which bends to fit the contours of the roof as you pump up each cup.

Rear suction cup with velcro strap to hold the rear wheel.

This was with the Lemond just trying it out at home.

Out today with my mate and my Lynskey and his Litespeed. 2 bikes no problem. A decent drive to where we started riding, driving at a fair old pace on some roughish Sydney roads, there wasn't the slightest loss of suction or attachment strength on any of the cups.

I reckon this is a godsend to anyone with a car that won't fit a roofrack and is miles better than often bodged up rear mounted racks that in most cases are illegal anyway as they cover the rear lights and the rego plate and can make the boot inaccessible.

Brucey · Post by **Brucey** » Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:34 am

that looks better than something that hangs onto 6er gutters to me.

Sensible that it has four big suckers at the front too; that is where the loads are highest. I guess you need to be scrupulously careful about the car and the suckers being clean before you mount it.

If it is costly, I wonder if it might be possible to DIY a similar system? IIRC you can buy big lever action suckers...?

cheers

baders · Post by **baders** » Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:53 am

You've got a 635, why on earth would you need a bike ?

MrE · Post by **MrE** » Sat Dec 12, 2015 9:46 pm

Paul Humpage wrote:

I reckon this is a godsend to anyone with a car that won't fit a roofrack and is miles better than often bodged up rear mounted racks that in most cases are illegal anyway as they cover the rear lights and the rego plate and can make the boot inaccessible.

Sweet. Now your Sixer seats six.

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Sun Dec 13, 2015 12:27 am

MrE wrote:
Paul Humpage wrote:

I reckon this is a godsend to anyone with a car that won't fit a roofrack and is miles better than often bodged up rear mounted racks that in most cases are illegal anyway as they cover the rear lights and the rego plate and can make the boot inaccessible.
Sweet. Now your Sixer seats six.

Still room for a little one in the boot.

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Sun Dec 13, 2015 12:36 am

Brucey wrote:that looks better than something that hangs onto 6er gutters to me.

Sensible that it has four big suckers at the front too; that is where the loads are highest. I guess you need to be scrupulously careful about the car and the suckers being clean before you mount it.

If it is costly, I wonder if it might be possible to DIY a similar system? IIRC you can buy big lever action suckers...?

cheers

The size of the suckers I reckon they would still be fine with normal dirt on the paintwork. Cleanliness is good of course though to minimise the possibility of scratching. The first time I fitted it the car was a bit grubby so I just gave the area where I fitted the suckers a quick spray with some water and a gentle wipe. Waterless wash spray would be a handy thing to have around.

As for cost, fortunately Seasucker have an Australian site that I was able to order directly from with free postage. The 2 bike rack was AU$499-95 which I don't think is unreasonable especially as it works. They do a single bike version with 3 suckers for the front in a slightly different configuration which is AU$399-95.

As for homemade, as long as the suckers are a good design and are rated for industrial strength then I can't see any problem. My homemade efforts at most things are rather piss poor though. I'd rather just pay a bloke who knows how to do it properly

disqord · Post by **disqord** » Mon Dec 14, 2015 5:06 am

Paul Humpage wrote:
MrE wrote:
Paul Humpage wrote:

I reckon this is a godsend to anyone with a car that won't fit a roofrack and is miles better than often bodged up rear mounted racks that in most cases are illegal anyway as they cover the rear lights and the rego plate and can make the boot inaccessible.
Sweet. Now your Sixer seats six.
Still room for a little one in the boot.

Two if you cut them up into pieces (not recommended, of course

)

sansouci · Post by **sansouci** » Mon Dec 14, 2015 6:52 pm

I like this idea. I'm going to retire my Thules.

GripGreg · Post by **GripGreg** » Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:38 pm

Guys, I had to check with the Grip union hall before I commited.
The suction cups are Grip equipment. We use them with a pin on top to hold
Medium to smaller lights on car mounts while traveling down the street.
That way we could put lights right on the hood of the car.
We also had 'C' stand knuckles & arms attached to the pins with
flags to block some lighting from where it wasn't needed.
They came in different sized boxes & were maintained by applying glycerin to
the rubber before putting them away.(hint-hint?)
Rusty, our union rep. confirmed my thinking.
I totally recommend them for bike racks!
Be careful to duck when driving into your garage, right?

Ps: If I recall correctly, we squirted a small amount of water either on the car
or on the rubber to make it stick, even with the plunger.
I'll check with the hall to verify that.

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 8:23 am

I went with a mate last month to Bright in Victoria for a week's bike riding with the 2 bikes fitted to the roof with the Seasuckers. About 1400 kms of driving at highway speeds and twisty backroads with no problems whatsoever. The racks were attached to the car during the week away as I didn't bother removing them for the days we were riding and they only lost the tiniest amount of suction which was remedied with a couple of pushes of the plungers just before coming home.

These really have been a great find, I wish I'd have come across them years and years ago.

Dutch · Post by **Dutch** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 5:00 pm

Or get a towbar and a bikerack: my towbar is a detachable model and the bikerack an old Twinny Load, as my bikes are the older type with wider bottom brackets.

This nightshot was done with the lens open for 60 seconds as it was pitchblack on the campground.

Source: viewtopic.php?p=70371#p70371

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:37 pm

A trike and a bike atop the 6er for our trip away of a couple of thousand kilometres last week using the Seasuckers. These are a great invention.

MrE · Post by **MrE** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:07 am

Wow! Nice dedication to cycling and coupéing there mate, what with a perfectly adequate & spacious station wagon in the background there.

How's the clearance with the recumbent? Is the front guard touching the roof?

-Ellis

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:57 am

MrE wrote:Wow! Nice dedication to cycling and coupéing there mate, what with a perfectly adequate & spacious station wagon in the background there.

How's the clearance with the recumbent? Is the front guard touching the roof?

-Ellis

The Saab is playing up, blowing hoses and the radiator is on the verge of giving way but we are replacing it with a Golf wagon at the end of the month so don't want to spend any money and didn't trust it for the journey to Bright and back.

The leading edge of the front guard squashes on the sunroof but it's soft rubber so no probs. Jeez though, I've just had the fuel consumption done on the 6er and it was using the normal amount of petrol again then I go and stick a bike and trike on the roof and we're back up to the 15l/100km again

We got some great looks and thumbs up down the mountains though...

Tommys 89 635 · Post by **Tommys 89 635** » Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:35 pm

I've had a yakima roof rack for years, I think I took this picture back in the mid 90s. The rack and bicycle is secure

bigcoupe.com

What's the best way to affix a bicycle to the outside of a 6

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Re: What's the best way to affix a bicycle to the outside of a 6

Re: What's the best way to affix a bicycle to the outside of a 6