My pup occupies the way back when riding to/from the trailhead. My beige back seats are definitely not muni friendly. My hitch mount bike carrier isn’t uni friendly (thule T2). I’ve been laying my uni’s down in the cargo box but the pedals like to poke through and threaten to scratch my roof.
so…
I’ve been planning to build a rack to fit in my cargo box for a while now and finally put it together. I don’t like the clamps I put on the small tubing of the cargo box, but it’s functional for now until I come up with a better solution.
Parts:
Thule Get-a-grip (locks the uni, locks to the rack bars.)
2-1"x4’ length of flat aluminum
a couple of pieces of flat metal joiners.
some clamps and screws.
some bungees.
It hasn’t been road tested yet, but once I bungeed the uprights it really stabilized. there was too much flex in the aluminum to just let them stand on their own individually. I went outside the frame with a 4" flat bottom on the U. A little electrical tape wrap on the uprights to keep it from scratching is all it needs. Going outside the frame keeps the uprights away from the spokes and the rim.
all in all, I think the small amount of movement that’s left is going to be just fine. I’ll have KB1JKI follow me around some dirt roads and report back.
true about the electrical tape. I used up the silicone tape on my bike rack… Since there’s not going to be any real movement, I’m assuming the electrical tape will hold for quite a while.
gave it a test run yesterday. the whole system is a bit too unstable for my tastes. I’m sure it’s fine, but there was too much movement in the tire in the 4" holder, causing the whole system to buffet. stabilizing the tire might be the answer…
Why not just lay the uni’s down on their sides? You could still use the locks. Sometimes simple is the way to go.
Edit: just re-read the OP - how about putting the bottom pedal/crank on top of the edge of the box rack, to keep them up and away from the cartop, then hold with a bungee.
that’s a reasonable idea. the thought had occurred to me the other day as well. I was so invested in getting this system to work though, I didn’t really think much about it. I might give it whirl. it certainly would simplify things. The only thing I’d be giving up is cargo space while my uni’s are up there, which is not that big of a deal…
If you can find an older Thule “big mouth” rack, they work perfect of unis. I can’t remember the model, I got mine on the clearance rack, but instead of the aluminum bling of the current model Big Mouth it has a simple black flip lever for locking the jaws, arms are black painted steel. At 75mph it doesn’t even wiggle.
