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hey, bricknuts!
I am considering getting a mountain bike and am thinking about getting a THULE bike rack for my '89 245, which has no factory or aftermarket roofrack. I'm opting for THULE after learning it is from sweden, and based on my search of the archives, that's what many of you nuts recommend. looking on ebay, there seems to be a lot of parts and sizes. I am confused! here are my questions:
1. will I need to drill any holes since I don't have a factory rack already? I REALLY DON"T WANT TO DRILL HOLES!
2. from what I understand, there are 2 main crossbars, the long thing that goes perpendicular to the crossbars and which you put the bike on, and a fairing (windscreen). what model/size do I get?
3. are all fairings the same length?--in case I want to get it separately.
4. what is a good setup? I know there are more parts than the three main ones mentioned in #3.
thanks!
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Two cents:
Roof rack will significantly affect gas mileage.
Find some way to remind yourself not to drive into garage, under low overhangs, trees, etc. while bike is up top.
I have a Yakima rack for my 245, but the bike travels "indoors" for the above reasons, unless I have passengers w/ bikes.
--
Tom - original owner '84-245na, ipd 25/25 sways, full gauge set, 288K miles and climbing
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nice cars, rack, and bike! yeah, I've seen those pics in my search of the archives, and they contributed greatly to my decision for a roof rack, thule in this case. I found this nice setup on ebay, and this is what it comes with:
1. Thule 300 Raingutter Mounted foot pack for car roof racks
2. Thule 50 pound, 50" load bars
3. Thule 591 Long Tray classic roof mounted bicycle trays
4. Thule 545 Wheel carrier for roof racks (3)
5. Thurle 555r Fairing, large logo for car roof racks
6. Thule 588 lock cores, 8 pack with keys
can you tell me if these are the parts you have, especially the #1 and #2 parts. btw, you still bike?
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From what I can remember, the #1 is definitely what I have. I'm not sure if I had 50" load bars, but that sounds about right. They lost a few inches for another car so they wouldn't stick out all over the place like they did before, so they now have a little bit less.
I still bike as much as possible. This year was a very bad year for biking in the Midwest, at least in the Southeastern Wisconsin/Northeastern Illinois area. Cold, damp, and lousy all around. As a result, I didn't get out as much as normal, but I still hit the road or the trails whenever time and weather permits. This winter I'm buying a stationary trainer... still debating on which one.
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yakima make far better rack systems.
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You can mount either a thule system or a yakima system to the raingutters. they're both really good companies. I sell them where I work at an outdoor store. Both good quality. If you want part numbers of what you need to get everything running good, I can write them down at work and pass them on. good luck anyways,
Nate Gundy
--
'86 240DL sedan, 260K miles, M46, K cam, 25/23mm sways, 260 front and wagon rear springs; http://valvespringcompressor.weblogs.us/
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I have had a Thule rack system for 16 years. I use it for bikes as well as a cargo shell. They are built to last.
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A 245 will fit the bike in the back easily; no roof rack needed.
If you want a roof rack, a 245 is one of the best cars around, since it has a long flat roofline and old style rain gutters. Thule and Yakima make towers that mount securely to the rain gutters (without drilling or any other permanent modification to the car) to hold the cross bars. Because of the long roofline, you can have a bar spread of up to about 70", but for a bike, you'll use a much shorter spread.
Various types of bike carriers exist; some require taking the front wheel off but others do not. Some fit better or worse to different types of bike frames (typically full suspension mountain bikes with unusual frame designs are the ones to be careful with). Note that some Thule and Yakima carriers fit on the other company's cross bars with adapters, so if you like one company's towers (for better fit on the car or because you got them cheap) but the other company's carrier, you may be able to make them work together.
You should be able to find the rain gutter towers for either Thule or Yakima for cheap (e.g. craigslist), since vehicles with rain gutters are becoming less common. You may also find people selling the cross bars or the bike carrier.
The fairing is optional, depending on whether the wind noise is bothersome. With a 245, you can probably move the wind noise away by mounting the cross bars near the back of the car.
Lock cylinders are available for the towers and some carriers to reduce the risk of theft of the rack or stuff on the rack.
http://www.thuleracks.com and http://www.yakima.com will show you what parts you need to build up a rack system.
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thanks for the prompt reply! yeah, I could put the bike in the back, as it is quite roomy. but, it can be a hassle sometimes: securing the bike, putting the backseat down, loading/unloading. and besides, I'm afraid I might accidently poke the vinyl on the backseat from loading or unloading. I did go to the thule site, but it's a bit confusing even after going through picking yer car model. I really like the rack look on a wagon, plus the convenience of using it for other purposes. I like the fairing look, looks sporty :P and I might wanna go the hippy route by adorning it with stickers!
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It sounds as if you've made up your mind, what with the stickers and the sportiness aspects of a roof rack, but you might also consider one of those funny L-shaped jobs that come off the tow hitch. We have one (a Thule) and it makes loading and unloading bikes for my short wife easy. They're sturdy and perhaps a bit cheaper.
As an aside, does anyone know how much the faring cuts down on the howl of wind at high speeds? We have a roof rack we use for hauling wood, etc. and cannot believe how loud it is on the highway or even at 45. I assume the fairing must do the trick, but how much of a trick does it do? The wind noise and drag was the biggest knock against getting bike hitches for the roof rack.
Anywho, good luck; you'll find them quite sturdy.
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