E91 Bike Racks - experiences/recommendations?

[g3org3y]

Any experiences, opinions or recommendations?

Roof vs rear? Pros/cons? Brands to go for?

TIA

[helix402]

I have gen BMW hydraulic ones. They are a ridiculous piece of engineering. They allow the bike to be loaded at chest height then swung up to the roof.

I only have them as they were free from a member on here. I’m sure they’d be useful if you were short. I’d look on roofbox uk. Thule are normally good. You can often get good deals on gen BMW non hydraulic ones on eBay.

[MarkJS]

Get some Thule roof bars or a Seasucker for the roof. I’ve used both and they work very well. I wouldn’t want bikes hanging off the back of my car.

Edited by MarkJS on Sunday 30th April 08:46

[Court_S]

I use Thule Edge Wingbars with Thule pro ride carriers.

They don’t really make that much noise until you’re at properly illegal speeds (apparently).

[Cheekster247]

I used the Saris Bones boot mounted option on my e92. Rock solid, no movement and cheap as chips as I bought it second hand off FB marketplace. That'd be my choice.

[g3org3y]

Thanks for the opinions guys.

Looks like I've found the railings I need.



Can get them for £165 which doesn't seem bad value (BMW direct want £232)

Now need to decide on the rack itself.

[d_a_n1979]

g3org3y said:

Thanks for the opinions guys.

Looks like I've found the railings I need.



Can get them for £165 which doesn't seem bad value (BMW direct want £232)

Now need to decide on the rack itself.

Hi pal

There here listed via Douglas Park BMW:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265167778984?fits=Car+M...

My pals literally just bought the same set for his E91 330D, albeit for a roofbox as they're driving over to Portugal next month from Germany via home (here in Preston)

Said there were delivered next day (it was Douglas Park BMW that I got the brake discs & pads from for my F31 a week or so back); faultless

[MDMA .]

Court_S said:

I use Thule Edge Wingbars with Thule pro ride carriers.

They don’t really make that much noise until you’re at properly illegal speeds (apparently).

I’ve got the same.

[pmorg4]

If you have the "proper" (i.e. pre-flush fit) roof bars then just about any of the Thule etc bars of the approximately correct width and with the clamps will fit. I didn't buy anything BMW specific, as the earlier roof bars are designed to be accommodative and easy to fix things onto. The clamp is basically a big claw that fits around the car's roof rail and tightens onto it when you turn the screw thing built into the end of the roof bar.

I bought a set of Thule bars for mine and they are very quick and easy to fit (5 minutes or so max - throw them onto the roof rails, tighten them on by hand with the built-in screw mechanism, then turn the key to lock them in place).

If you're likely to be carrying 3 or more bikes, or carrying a roof box and bike(s) simultaneously, I'd recommend getting the bars with the car fitment on the underside, as it gives you far more room for attachments on top - i.e. the mounting rail is actually slightly wider than the width between the roof rails on the car.

Hope all that makes sense!

[Kev_Mk3]

Roof and thule is all i ever used. Cheap bars work but noisy, you can tell they are cheap by little things like lack of rubber to protect where you attach the rack to car etc. So just go thule

[Court_S]

Kev_Mk3 said:

Roof and thule is all i ever used. Cheap bars work but noisy, you can tell they are cheap by little things like lack of rubber to protect where you attach the rack to car etc. So just go thule

The 330i touring that I drive had a cheap rack and bike carrier on it and it was really noisy about 50mph.

[Kev_Mk3]

Court_S said:

Kev_Mk3 said:

Roof and thule is all i ever used. Cheap bars work but noisy, you can tell they are cheap by little things like lack of rubber to protect where you attach the rack to car etc. So just go thule

The 330i touring that I drive had a cheap rack and bike carrier on it and it was really noisy about 50mph.

Agreed I was the same then bought the thule bars and it went away. I kept the bars and changed feet packs on all my cars now its easier

[g3org3y]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Almost bought the roof rails/rack then noticed the Thule Xpress mount for the towbar.

Managed to get for £75. Attaches and detaches in seconds. Seems to work well and folds away when not in use.

Edited by g3org3y on Monday 8th May 17:27

[pmorg4]

That's a good shout, if I had a towbar I'd probably go for that too, much easier to mount and no risk of forgetting you have bikes on the roof and smashing them into a car park entry barrier!

[Court_S]

pmorg4 said:

That's a good shout, if I had a towbar I'd probably go for that too, much easier to mount and no risk of forgetting you have bikes on the roof and smashing them into a car park entry barrier!

Something that managed to do in my M140i…..

We went to a new riding spot and there was height restrictor barrier painted in blue which being a Doris, trying to work out where to park etc and didn’t spot it against a blue sky. The bike was pretty much fine but the bike carrier was mullered and I ended up with a dent in the roof which a PDR guy was able to sort.

[pmorg4]

Court_S said:

Something that managed to do in my M140i…..

We went to a new riding spot and there was height restrictor barrier painted in blue which being a Doris, trying to work out where to park etc and didn’t spot it against a blue sky. The bike was pretty much fine but the bike carrier was mullered and I ended up with a dent in the roof which a PDR guy was able to sort.

I think it was that incident I had in mind when I made that post! Easily done and it's one thing that worries me about getting a roof mounted bike carrier. I'll probably go down that route though as I do want to start going places with the bikes and I can't be bothered fitting a towbar just for that purpose.

[Court_S]

pmorg4 said:

I think it was that incident I had in mind when I made that post! Easily done and it's one thing that worries me about getting a roof mounted bike carrier. I'll probably go down that route though as I do want to start going places with the bikes and I can't be bothered fitting a towbar just for that purpose.

I’m certainly a bit more conscious of it than I was!

The roof mounted ones work well for me. The 330i I’m buying has a tow bar so I might look into a tow bar mounted jobbie for that. The only issue is that it’s something else to try and store when it’s not in use.

[g3org3y]

pmorg4 said:

That's a good shout, if I had a towbar I'd probably go for that too, much easier to mount and no risk of forgetting you have bikes on the roof and smashing them into a car park entry barrier!

That was one of my concerns!

TBF, does obscure numberplate, so to be legit really need to get a numberplate/lightboard...

Court_S said:

The roof mounted ones work well for me. The 330i I’m buying has a tow bar so I might look into a tow bar mounted jobbie for that. The only issue is that it’s something else to try and store when it’s not in use.

The Xpress folds up when not in use. Easy to store.