Miata Mailing List: April 1993, Message #18
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Bicycle Racks
   Date: (none)

> Does anyone know of a bike rack for the Miata?  If so, does anyone have an 
> opinion the model(s)?

there are several.  the Miata Magazine reviewed some of them last year
(i could look up the issue if you like).  i forget the name of the one
we got, guess i'll have to look that up too, but it's a fairly heavy-duty
one shaped like a trapezoid that has attachments for bikes, skis, or i
guess golf bags.  some of the other racks consist of a single upright post
that is more prone to flexing, which might be a drawback.  this one has
twin underbody mounting points and is very rigid.
there's also another one that mounts on top of the roof, but it doesn't
fit over the hardtop and i don't think you can put the soft top up/down
when using this.  since using the soft top is critical, this was not a
solution for me...

pros:
- high quality
- looks pretty good
- rigid (doesn't twist) so the the bikes won't bang against the car
- lets you use the soft top, also you can open and close the trunk
- mounts using brackets that attach underneath the rear of the car,
  you can leave the brackets in place all the time, and just disconnect
  the rack.  it takes 2 people to attach unless you have some way of
  bracing it while someone slides the cotter pins in, though.
- carries one or two bikes, or you can buy an attachment to carry skis.

cons:
- expensive (i forget how much, maybe around $300?)
- maybe a little heavier than you'd like
- the mounting design lets it go "clunk" when you go over bumps.
  not too bad i guess, but a bit annoying.

we only use it occasionally, but it's a good solution to carrying
bikes or skis.  the price is a bit high, but i highly recommend it
as a high quality item.


> (Or maybe I should look for a Miata rack for my bike :-) )

this might be more appropriate...