# Roof Racks for Mountain Tandems / NO wheel removal...



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

This post is an off-shoot of a thread over on BikeForums.net (https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=370386), which seems to have more road tandem riders responding.

The Sportworks U2 tandem rack was quickly killed off after the Thule acquisition. _"I'm not familiar with teh U2 rack. I don't believe Thule ever produced such an item"_ is the reply I received from Thule customer service. It looks like an incredible piece of work, perfect for owners of mountain tandems with 20mm TA forks.

I've already got Yakima Highroller upright racks on my Subaru, and want to make use of one for hauling our new tandem. With a 20mm through-axle fork on the way, I will not be up for regular wheel removal.

What I am building now is fairly simple. It's an 82" long 2.5x1.5" rectangular tube, with two sections of round tubing extending out to support a wheel tray. This "tandem adapter" will sit off to the side of the Highroller, and the short wheel tray will be displaced to the inside, in-line with the extended centerline of bike.

I paid $30 for the wheel tray, strap & mounting hardware (from Rocky Mounts), and have a material quote of another $50 for the steel for the rack. A local truck rack builder will do the welding and powder coating.

I devised a funky adapter plate for the mid-beam mounting point, but looking at the photos Cycle Steve linked to on bikeforums.net, it appears there is room for simplification. I can probably eliminate the square U-bolts and the troublesome slotted adapter plate, but I need to first ensure the whole tube assembly will have enough resistance against "rolling over," due to the offset load. (The rear wheel exerts a 20-pound force against the wheel tray, which is 5' ahead of the cross bar, otherwise unsupported.)

My intention is to mount the bike without additional supports (just held by the front wheel mount and rear wheel tray/strap, as the Highroller does with solo bikes), but a vertical stabilizer bar of some sort would be relatively easy to rig up if an extra brace is warranted.

The bikes sit backward on my roof, meaning our tandem's rear wheel will be pointed forward, suspended over the front end of the car.

For now, all I have is this drawing. I'll follow up with photos once I complete it, which shouldn't be too much longer.

My intent is to install this rack only when we take the tandem out, and remove it afterward. Not exactly something that will pop into place, but with only three U-bolts and a nut driver in hand, I figure it shouldn't take any more than 3-4 additional minutes to get it fixed into place, ready to use. Because it will sit outside of my rack's towers, I won't have to completely remove the U-bolts -- just loosen them enough to slide off.


----------



## cmckim (Jul 18, 2007)

*Tandem rack*

I was lucky enough to nail a U2 pretty cheap on ebay, but before that was trying to figure out how to use two Thule racks with the sportworks arms to hold front and rear wheels. I just about had it figured out when I found the U2. I know several folks who use a strong single rack with a tray extension just beside it. Most do use some form of rear stabilizer though.


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Nate do you have space on your roof for a 3th rail...!?!?

If that is the case you just need the small piece of Yakima extrusion (like on your drawing) to hold the rear wheel in place.

You design is sound, Big but sound go for it..


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

patineto said:


> Nate do you have space on your roof for a 3th rail...!?!?
> 
> If that is the case you just need the small piece of Yakima extrusion (like on your drawing) to hold the rear wheel in place.
> 
> You design is sound, Big but sound go for it..


I *actually* installed a 3rd crossbar today! But it's for another reason. My max cross bar spread is 38 inches. the middle crossbar is only about 9 inches forward of the rear-most one.


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Speedub.Nate said:


> I *actually* installed a 3rd crossbar today! But it's for another reason. My max cross bar spread is 38 inches. the middle crossbar is only about 9 inches forward of the rear-most one.


Well at least having two mounting points, (second and 3rd cross member) is going to make the beam far more stable that if it was a cantilever structure just floating in space.


----------



## TandemNut (Mar 12, 2004)

Be sure to post pictures of the finished product. You could probably sell a few of them!


----------



## _rikard_ (Oct 4, 2005)

A cheap alternative for those living in Europe is the rack offered by specialbikes.at

It is cheap but very sturdy. It works great with both our cannondale and our ventana. The only caveat is that the manual states that the cross bars have to be a minimum of 1m apart, which can be a problem on lots of cars (all audi cars for instance).


----------



## TandemNut (Mar 12, 2004)

It seems like one could use Yakima's Lockjaw system with a long tray and create the same sort of thing.
ATOC has a great system where the rear section of their tandem wheel track/rack comes off, leaving a standard bike rack which can be left on the vehicle and used. 
Unfortunately, my requests that they (ATOC) make a version with the front wheel left on have been so far unheeded. Seems the market for this sort of thing is very small, unless it's also practical for a road tandem.
The rack Rikard pointed out may be the closes one to that yet.
It would also be possible to graft a Tailgator onto an existing tandem-lenght tray.
We have a couple of Saris' version, which has a long tray coupled with two arms that attach to the seatposts. Very stable, but I don't know anyone tall enough to be able to attach the arms when the bike's on the car roof.

Oops, sorry; Yakima calls it the Raptor now.


----------



## TandemNut (Mar 12, 2004)

One of my customers uses this one:
http://www.cyclesimplex.com/photo.asp?image=graphics/tandem-bike-roof-rack-diagram.gif


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

The problem, in my case, is the wagon allows for no rear overhang. Not without impacting my liftgate.

So everything I throw up on my roof has to extend forward, over the windshield and hood of the car.

The impact in interesting: 45 pound bike plus my 20+ pound tandem adapter. Pretty even weight distribution on front & rear wheels. 

But my 7' long "adapter" acts like a big teeter-totter. It cancels out the DOWNWARD force of the tandem's front wheel resting on the rear cross bar, because the tandem's rear wheel (hanging over my hood) leverages off of the forward cross bar, exerting a 20+ pound LIFTING force on the rear crossbar.

The net effect is I've got very little weight acting on the rear cross bar, and nearly the full weight of the bike plus the adapter all sitting on the forward crossbar -- maybe around 70 pounds.

This falls within Yakima's stated 165 pound load limit, even if you divide that max in half (82 pounds each for the front and rear cross bars). And it's concentrated right next to a tower.

All the same, I'd much rather have the load distributed evenly across the two cross bars.


----------



## cmckim (Jul 18, 2007)

*bike bigger than car*

I may have missed ti, but what kind of wagon do you have? Another possibility would be some sort of boom-tube support in the rear like the Yakima sidewinder. It can elelate the rear just a bit and give clearence for the lift gate.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

cmckim said:


> I may have missed ti, but what kind of wagon do you have? Another possibility would be some sort of boom-tube support in the rear like the Yakima sidewinder. It can elelate the rear just a bit and give clearence for the lift gate.


Nah, my preference is to not have anything touching the bike frame.

The car is a Legacy. We just got back from today's ride with the bike hanging off of an old hitch-mount Rhode Gear. Both wheels on, I was extended out maybe 18" on the passenger side and not quite a foot on the driver's side.

Definitely a "W I D E - L O A D"

Not pretty, and I hate having to manuever around the rack & bike whenever I want access to the back of the wagon.

I've got the Rocky Mounts wheel tray. I ordered the steel and will pick it up this week. Still gotta figure out if/how to do the adapter plate, but I think I'll just toss that to a local machine shop. Oh, and I need to order up some right-sized U-bolts.

Shouldn't be too much longer.


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Okay so I can not carry Tandems with the wheels on, well at least not the front one









In short, If it can be done on a motorcycle it can be done on a car,much easier a wagon.

Your concern about the rear door are easy fix if you carry the tandem backwards as in front wheel facing back and the rear wheel almost over the drives windom..

I get you live In Oakland, if that is the case I can give you a few names of master genius fabricators.that can make you beautiful and very rigid Trellis structures.

like this.







\

Or like this









I give you a Hint...

think folding Wood Kayak structures..
Light, foldable and so so solid.


----------



## TandemNut (Mar 12, 2004)

patineto said:


> Okay so I can not carry Tandems with the wheels on, well at least not the front one


Very cool. I've been drooling over one of those GS's for a while. The new F800 GS might be the kicker.

But, um, where does the stoker ride?


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

BigNut said:


> Very cool. I've been drooling over one of those GS's for a while. The new F800 GS might be the kicker.
> 
> But, um, where does the stoker ride?


This is Not a motorcycle topic, so I don't even want to go there, but let me say I'm being riding that same bike for 400,000 miles with very little trouble.

Passangers are not a problem, Unless is to find somebody to take pictures of the two of us seating on the bike for that reason I have very few pictures


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

patineto said:


>


Ah! I believe we met as Sea Otter two years ago. I think I recognize you, but I'm pretty sure I know your bike (parked down in the expo?).

I still don't know how you keep that front end down, but I suspect you're managing!


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Speedub.Nate said:


> Ah! I believe we met as Sea Otter two years ago. I think I recognize you, but I'm pretty sure I know your bike (parked down in the expo?).
> 
> I still don't know how you keep that front end down, but I suspect you're managing!


Well senor look like we live kind of close, I'm in Berkeley were are you..!?!?

The wheel is a None issue, well most of the time.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

patineto said:


> Well senor look like we live kind of close, I'm in Berkeley were are you..!?!?
> 
> The wheel is a None issue, well most of the time.


Well, for the purposes of the internet, I live close to Lake Chabot. So yes, very close.


----------



## MGW12 (Dec 23, 2006)

oops


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Ok, the first 21.5 pounds of steel, aluminum and plastic have arrived!

The 0.12 thickness steel tube weighs in at a heafty 19.3 pounds (a bit under predicted weight), and I probably could have safely gone one gauge thinner (0.10", I believe). I bumped up to 85" length for a little bit of flexibility with differing wheelbases.

There is a decision process behind the 1.5" width x 2.5" height: 1.5" felt like a comfortable, stable surface to bolt down to the cross bar and adapter place to prevent the entire beam "rolling over" when the offset weight of the bike's wheel is placed on it. I'd be happy to have gone wider, but I'm trying to keep cost and weight in check.

The 2.5" height was chosen because I have to drill 1-1/8" holes through the sides in order to insert, and weld, the two round steel tubes. This ensures I have enough material above and below the second hole that the beam won't bend or break under load.

The two 1.125" round tubes are also a phat 0.125" thick, but that's of little concern at such short length. The diameter matches that of Yakima crossbars. The extra thickness should give me enough material to weld into the rectangular beam, without creating a weak bending point. This 10" length provides me enough working room to center the wheel tray in line with the Yakima Highroller, with a few inches to spare.

I purchased these three pieces from "MetalSuperMarkets.com" for a sum of $65, including a $5 cutting fee and state taxes. I don't know if this is going rate, or if I could have done a lot better.

The final piece in the photo is the 24" wheel tray, strap, and two mounting brackets from RockyMounts.com. These were ordered off of their website (under the spare parts section for their tandem rack), for about $30 shipped. This tray will eventually mount on the two sections of round steel tube, in line with the centerline of the Highroller.

I got bad news from my U-Bolt manufacturer. The 5 custom-sized U-bolts I requested would have cost me around $400 (Gah!). I'm searching for an alternative now, either using stock sized bolts, or better yet for the DIY guy: purchasing Hot Rolled 5/16" steel bar, and bending and threading my own (for the cost of a propane torch and a cutting die). I'll update this thread after I figure that one out.

I'm working out final dimensions on my adapter plate, and won't finalize until I get the bolt situation worked out. I'm looking at a 1/4" plate measuring 7" wide by 5.5" in length, and I'll have a local machine shop cut the two 3.25" slots in the plate. I'll have the same shop drill the 1.125" holes in the beam for the two sections of round tube, and weld them into place.


----------



## MGW12 (Dec 23, 2006)

Speedub.Nate said:


> Ok, the first 21.5 pounds of steel, aluminum and plastic have arrived!
> 
> The 0.12 thickness steel tube weighs in at a heafty 19.3 pounds (a bit under predicted weight), and I probably could have safely gone one gauge thinner (0.10", I believe). I bumped up to 85" length for a little bit of flexibility with differing wheelbases.
> 
> ...


This might sound crazy BUT I have done some suspension work on my Jeep and Bronco.

I had to have custom U-bolts made. They were not all that expensive I want to say about 35.00 a pair or 70.00 It's been years...But you might want to find a company that does custom u-bolts for cars & trucks. They have all the threded & heat treated (?) thread sizes & you just give them dimensions...ah well it's a thought good luck.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

MGW12 said:


> This might sound crazy BUT I have done some suspension work on my Jeep and Bronco.
> 
> I had to have custom U-bolts made. They were not all that expensive I want to say about 35.00 a pair or 70.00 It's been years...But you might want to find a company that does custom u-bolts for cars & trucks. They have all the threded & heat treated (?) thread sizes & you just give them dimensions...ah well it's a thought good luck.


I got my quote from UBoltIt.com. I asked for 5/16-UNF rolled, Grade 2, with Xylan coating. They told me material costs were insignificant, but the setup costs are what jacked the price.

I just located some 3/8-16 (UNC) round bolts with a 1-3/8" spread in the Grainger catalog, about $10 for a pack of 5. I can make that work, though I'd prefer fine threads.

But now I need to find a pair of good square U-Bolts for the 1-1/2" tube. I can't allow for any slop there.

The critical bolt in this whole affair is the rear one. Any of the others and the mount could tolerate failure. If the rear one goes, the whole rack (with bike) comes crashing down on my hood.

_*Edit: Any reason I can't use slightly-too-wide (2.0") square U-bolts, but rather than stradle them perpendicular to the beam, slightly angle them instead? Wouldn't that give me the tight anti-roll "grip" I desire?*_


----------



## MGW12 (Dec 23, 2006)

Speedub.Nate said:


> I got my quote from UBoltIt.com. I asked for 5/16-UNF rolled, Grade 2, with Xylan coating. They told me material costs were insignificant, but the setup costs are what jacked the price.
> 
> I just located some 3/8-16 (UNC) round bolts with a 1-3/8" spread in the Grainger catalog, about $10 for a pack of 5. I can make that work, though I'd prefer fine threads.
> 
> ...


The 3/8-16 will work just fine then...FYI..the nuts that comes on the ATOC tandem set-up are the nylon type locking nuts. Those help with vibration on the set up and keeps them locked in place.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

MGW12 said:


> The 3/8-16 will work just fine then...FYI..the nuts that comes on the ATOC tandem set-up are the nylon type locking nuts. Those help with vibration on the set up and keeps them locked in place.


That's another decision I'm mulling over.

A Nylock nut would be good, but I have to find a high grade one. The ones I usually see at my hardware store are cheapo low grade.

Alternatively, I can use a spring washer.

What I really want is a tall nut -- like what you'd normally use on a suspension U-bolt. More thread engagement equals less chance to strip. They're proving elusive.

A tall, Grade 8, Nylock UNF nut with a flange would be _awesome_.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Here are a couple of photos of a mock-up I just threw together, in order to double check my wheelbase measurements.

The Yakima roof-top cross bars are represented by the two broom handles (the orange colored and, uh... "wood" colored things running sideways on the ground).

And remember, the rear wheel of the bike will be hanging over the front of the car, the bike facing backwards. So everything beyond the orange "cross bar" is unsupported.

For what it's worth, it all appears very stable -- as stable as any solo bike -- so I'll likely be able to complete with _without_ any further frame supports attached to the front cross bar.


----------



## Lutarious (Feb 8, 2005)

*Nylock Nuts.*

You can get 316 stainless nylocks at marine stores like West marine. They cost a couple bucks each, or you can go to a better hardware store and get them for like 40 cents.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Lutarious said:


> You can get 316 stainless nylocks at marine stores like West marine. They cost a couple bucks each, or you can go to a better hardware store and get them for like 40 cents.


No, no stainless for me. I gotta stick with high grade hardware.


----------



## MGW12 (Dec 23, 2006)

Speedub.Nate said:


> Here are a couple of photos of a mock-up I just threw together, in order to double check my wheelbase measurements.
> 
> The Yakima roof-top cross bars are represented by the two broom handles (the orange colored and, uh... "wood" colored things running sideways on the ground).
> 
> ...


I had that exact bike...i sold it for a motorcycle....I would have my 12 - 13 year old girls "clip in" & "hang on tight" for the decents! heh-heh!...I still can hear them no daddy , no, no slow down! heh heh!...I'm not sure why they don't ride!?? :thumbsup:


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Quick update: the rack is at the welders, getting the "arms" put into position. He's going to take care of the powdercoating, too.

I've made revisions to my adapter plate. The slots were overly complicated, and the single plate connected to two sets of U-bolts became a weak point (or, more appropriately, an "uncertainty').

So this sandwich design is one option I'm considering. It's easy: two identical plates, each with four holes. It means the U-bolts connect the Yakima cross bar directly to the beam. It also means everything -- plates & bolts -- slop around when I remove the rack from the car.

I'm also considering a non-grooved version of my original plate, but I'm not overly excited.

U-bolts from three different sources are enroute to my house. I'll play with them and see what works most conveniently.

More updates in a couple of weeks, when the welder gets the rack back from the powder coater.


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Nate i think your timing chain is a little losse


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Rather minor update to post... nothing too exciting, I'm afraid.

UPS left a pile of packages on my doorstep today. My five U-bolts from three different vendors arrived, all at once.

They're all 3/8" steel.

Michigan Truck (www.truckspring.com) custom bent the U-bolt on the right. It's Grade 5, fine thread. They told me the smallest they could bend the inside width of the 'U' was 1-3/4", but they managed to get it down to the 1-3/8" I requested. Inside height is 4-3/8" (measured from the inside bottom of the U).

It's the "critical" bolt of the bunch, and will hold the rear of the beam to the rear cross bar. It will have to resist a ~25 pound lifting force under static load. It will have to be loosened / tightened every time I mount the rack.

This one cost me about $5 plus another $7 for shipping/handling.

Up next are two square U-bolts from www.eTrailer.com in Missouri. They're stock Grade 2 zinc plated coarse threaded bolts with 1-3/4" (width) x 4" dimensions, sold under the Redline brand (part #381344UB). These are likely available locally.

These bolts will stradle the beam, and secure the mid section of the beam to the adapter plate (I've gone back to the adapter plate concept I posted in the original post, with modifications making it easier to make -- I'll follow up in a later post). Once in place, I'll only loosen them if I need to adjust the position of the adapter plate due to a change in my cross bar spread (diffrent car, maybe?). Day-to-day, they'll be untouched. I may upgrade to a better grade of nut + threadlock, instead of the NyLock nuts provided.

These cost $7 plus $5 shipping.

Last up are the shorter two round U-bolts. These were stock bolts from www.UBoltIt.com in Houston. Also Grade 2 zinc plated coarse threaded, they measure 1-3/8" across the inside x 2-1/2".

I couldn't get the fine threads I wanted, so U-Bolt It threw in the "tall" nuts. These are the second half the adapter plate assembly, attaching the plate (and beam) to the foward cross bar. These will need to be tightened / loosened every day I put the rack on the car.

U Bolt It was kind enough to send these to me at no charge, shipping included. I don't know what I did to deserve that, but I definitely want to give them a big thanks! They advised me they normally have a $10 minimum charge on orders.

Who knew U-bolts could be so exciting?!?


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Nate How about this

Yakima used to sell a two halves design for the truck bed and some of the roof racks (Held a "axel" for the QR on one side and the tubular roof rack on the other.)

this is the new version









Maybe you can use a pair (or even two pairs of them) to connect the roof rack to the tubular members of your new rack..

If you need to se one, I have one at home..

Also just for FWI, is a bolt shop call "Bowlin equipment" (or something like that ) in Berkeley that carries million of bolts and funky hardware.

is really close to The REI Store in berkeley, about 1,5 away and one block down from MLK.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

patineto said:


> Also just for FWI, is a bolt shop call "Bowlin equipment" (or something like that ) in Berkeley that carries million of bolts and funky hardware.
> 
> is really close to The REI Store in berkeley, about 1,5 away and one block down from MLK.


Thanks for the heads up on Bowlin. I'll check them out next time I'm in the area. The reality is, it was far too inefficient to call around and/or visit all the various East Bay fastener and trailer supply shops, and was happy to pay the combined $12 in shipping charges to get what I needed and be done with it. But I'm always happy to know about a nearby fastener supply shop with a customer counter.

I'm not sure where the Yak adapter you pictured would fit in to my plans. This whole project could be far easier if I could simply plan for a fixed crossbar spread, and drill / weld as necessary.

Adjustability of the mid-beam mounting point (adapter plate), combined with relatively simple installation/removal, has been an important objective of this whole project.


----------



## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

Speedub.Nate said:


> Thanks for the heads up on Bowlin. I'll check them out next time I'm in the area. The reality is, it was far too inefficient to call around and/or visit all the various East Bay fastener and trailer supply shops, and was happy to pay the combined $12 in shipping charges to get what I needed and be done with it. But I'm always happy to know about a nearby fastener supply shop with a customer counter.


that shop is the Bomb, people come from all over (Sacramento , san jose, etc) to buy there, they know their Sh^t

At least in my eyes is nothing better than having the parts in your hand to figure out if they work for my needs


> I'm not sure where the Yak adapter you pictured would fit in to my plans. This whole project could be far easier if I could simply plan for a fixed crossbar spread, and drill / weld as necessary.
> 
> Adjustability of the mid-beam mounting point (adapter plate), combined with relatively simple installation/removal, has been an important objective of this whole project.


I'm not at my house to to the big storm, but when I get there I take pictures of it...

Basically the old mount is made of two mirror Image halves and has two holes, the lower one of the same diameter as the yakima cross members, the upper one about 20mm wide (but with plenty of material to Mill if necessary) the whole thing works using a single heavy dutty 3/16" (or abouts) bolt and One wingnut, so speed of detachment is pretty quick.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Six months and three days later, it's finished!

I picked the rack up today, and I must say, it came out nice.

I'll post pictures in a few days so you all can check out the glossy black powdercoated finish and the machined adapter plate. But from my drawings and mock-ups in my previous posts, it's going to be no surprise what it looks like.

So instead of photos today, I made a short video showing how easily it installs on my cross bars and how quickly it loads.

I apologize in advance -- I couldn't do my final few shots on the video 'cause I filled up my memory card. But you all can put two and two together. This thing is pretty dang simple.

BTW, the rack is a little wobbly side to side when I rock it (you'll notice at the end of the video clip -- I was a little surprised) because I forgot to re-install some spacers underneath the High Roller. Maybe that will be my excuse to reshoot this whole dang thing, just to correct that scary looking oversight.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

Update: One Week Later -- I'm making some changes.

The rack has been working well enough. I've had the bike out four times on it now -- two different days of shooting the video, and two rides -- and, well...

- I shimmed up the Yakima High Roller. It was a little shakey in the original video because I was missing some spacers. But on Sunday's outing, we drove about 40 miles out to Mount Tam, including a stretch across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, with a pretty good crosswind. While I generally had confidence in the integrity of the rack, I was seeing a little *too much movement* as I peered at the bike through the sunroof.

Pondering this, I figure the bike is close to the 50 pound limit of the High Roller, and it's stretched out two feet further than a solo bike on this same rack. It's bound to react with some extra movement.

- So today, I went to my *contingency plan: I bought a Thule Sidearm*. Yeah, the whole rack. I dismantled the Sidearm, and installed it on one of the round steel tubes. It will serve to hold down the rear wheel while steadying the bike. I've done the installation and test fit, but I haven't driven it yet. However, shake tests on the car look great!

- Another "gotcha", *the Rocky Mounts R4 wheel trays are not designed for 2.24" tires.* Not a huge problem, but the tire stradles the tray rather than resting comfortably in it. And the Rocky Mounts SL *wheel strap was on the short side* -- I could only engage the ratchet two clicks. I should have purchased the SLX.

- So the Sidearm serves a second purpose: I'm going to *slice its wheel tray into a 26" length*, since it's compatible with tires up to 2.6" in width. I'll also use the included Thule wheel strap, which is longer than the Rocky Mounts SL. Really, I ought not need the wheel strap: the hooked arm will both stabilize the load and hold it down against the tray. But it's really such a minor task to cinch down the wheel strap, I'll likely keep using it.

- That means the Sidearm adds about $110 to the project, after subtracting out the $30 cost of the Rocky Mounts wheel tray and tire strap. (Sidearms retail for $150, but many retailers will knock 10% to 20% off that just for asking. There are even better deals on line.)

- Last item (important): The Sidearm "bearing" (it's a 2-piece nylon collar that the arm pivots on) is designed to fit around a 1" tube. The tubes I used are 1.125" (1-1/8"). Needless to say, a bit of effort was required on my part to sand down the nylon "bearing" halves to fit, and it was slow going, dusty, and imprecise work. Nonetheless, it worked out ok. But I suggest if you're following these instructions, you *purchase (1) 1" tube and (1) 1.125" tube*. I am absolutely positive it will be far easier to shim the rail clamp to fit down to a 1" tube, than to go through the hassle of sanding the nylon Sidearm bearing.

- The Sidearm bearing does have a couple of holes to be drilled into the steel tube to keep it from rotating. I haven't done that bit yet, and I haven't decided what I'll stick in those holes to secure them. I'll explain this with photos in a follow-up post.

Nevermind that I reshot parts of the video and had almost completed editing it prior to Sunday's drive & ride. I'll hopefully have the motivation to shoot it again, from scratch, to show the changes.

More to come, including a new, consolidated post with a complete, updated parts list.

For now, here are a couple of pictures to look at.


----------



## smc (Jan 26, 2006)

Here's my setup. Uses a Thule proride bike mount and then a bit of aluminium angle as an extension with a support that slots in the gap between the roof and hatch. Then I use cargo straps to give it extra support.


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

smc said:


> Here's my setup. Uses a Thule proride bike mount and then a bit of aluminium angle as an extension with a support that slots in the gap between the roof and hatch. Then I use cargo straps to give it extra support.


Looks like a creative solution. Can you post a bigger picture?

I considered going the strap route, which would have been dead simple, reliable, and much cheaper. But I couldn't resist the draw of the Sidearm. Integrating the Sidearm had been an idea from early on, but I dismissed it as unnecessary.

Although I believe that the original setup was strong enough and that the movement was probably acceptable, the peace of mind is more important to me. There is always "what if" in the back of my head. A heavy bike through a glass sunroof was not something I want us to experience.


----------



## smc (Jan 26, 2006)

I'll have to get some more pics, that's the only one I've got at the moment. Thing I like about the setup is it converts from tandem to normal rack in about 1 minute. I've also got a bigger car now, so the bike doesn't look as ridiculous.


----------



## Funrover (Oct 4, 2006)

What a great idea!


----------



## Speedub.Nate (Dec 31, 2003)

It's holding up great with just a little rust on the main u-bolt. Just had it out again on Thanksgiving. No broken sunroof yet (knock on glass).

Tapatalk via Droid Maxx


----------

