Exterior Accessories - Bikes and Kayaks - CX5 2016 GT

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Mjhagan75

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Mazda CX5 - GT '16
I was wondering if other people have their CX-5's set up with a trailer hitch Bike Mount and Kayaks on the roof racks? I could really use some advice?

I have a 2016 CX5 GT, with roof rails.
I asked my dealership for a quote on the Trailer Hitch without a harness, as I am only using this for Mountain bikes. They gave me a quote of close to $900, which I think is extremely expensive just for a trailer hitch installed. Does anyone have a recommendation of what type of Bike Rack to use with a hitch, and what kind of price range?

I also asked for more information on the Kayak Carrier. My dealership wasn't very helpful with any information. Anything I have learned has been on the internets. Do I need roof rails? Can I carry 2 Kayaks etc? I don't want to buy roof rails, If the Kayak Carrier comes with it's own roof rails. If anyone has their CX5 setup for Kayaks, any recommendations would be helpful.

I am glad I found this site, My Mazda Dealership has not been very helpful since I actually bought the SUV.
 
My dealer (sales associate) was the opposite. During my test drive I asked about adding a hitch. I already knew the direction I was going before, but I wanted to see how he would respond. His answer was something like, "Between me and you I would go somewhere else to get the hitch installed." Then he mention a common hitch installer that I was planning to use and had used before. I cannot remember the exact price, but the hitch (Curt Class 3 2") from them cost about the same as an online price and the installation was less than $100. I think it took them 30 minutes to install without a wiring harness. I have installed hitches before, but the price was low enough that it was better to let them do a quick install while on a lift.

I have roof rails on my CX5 and don't have a clue about Kayaks, but I was sure that I did not want a roof rack for my bikes for several reasons. For bike hitch mounted racks there are a lot of choices and price ranges. Cycling is a huge part of my life so the quality was really important. I ended up with one of the most expensive racks on the market, but it was well worth it to me. The two most respected racks on the market are Kuat and 1UP, but there are many racks that are decent just below those two. My other preference is a rack with a wheel tray rather than a top tube mount where the bike is dangling or has to be secured by a multitude of bungee cords. All of those things are preference things that each of us have to consider the value.

You can see the rack I use on my blog using the link in my signature. I really like the rack and the bike travels well on long trips without any hitch movement.
 
That Kuat rack seems very nice. I worked in the bicycle industry for 8 years in three different states and have never heard of them. The fact that it has a maintence stand built in is very cool. I'm mostly familiar with thule and Yakima racks.
 
Thank you felt rider. I looked at your pictures, and it does not look like they needed to modify the bumper at all, correct?
I want the bike rack on the trailer hitch as well, just for ease of access. I'm going to research the curt hitch, maybe with a Thule rack as I am most familiar with them. But your bike rack is serious business!

Now, hopefully I can get some ideas on the kayak.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
Mjhagan75 said:
But your bike rack is serious business!
Click to expand...

I think the only things remaining after the apocalypse will be cockroaches and this bike rack :)
I have just about strained my lower back twice removing and replacing. I just leave it on full time now.
 
As far as carrying kayaks, you are going to need cross bars of some sort. Depending on how heavy your kayaks are the factory cross bars maybe sufficient. Otherwise there are option from both Yakima and Thule that will attach to the side rails you already have. From there you need to get the actual kayak carriers. Something like the Yakima bow down would work nicely and should allow enough room for two up top. The bow down also allows you to mount to any shape of crossbar out there. The Thule hull-a-port is very similar and should work well for you. Side rails by them self are pretty useless. I'm looking into solutions to get something like the Thule aero bar setup that mounts to the factory crossbar points.
 
Felt_Rider said:
I think the only things remaining after the apocalypse will be cockroaches and this bike rack :)
I have just about strained my lower back twice removing and replacing. I just leave it on full time now.
Click to expand...

On my last car I left a trailer hitch in the receiver for a year. It rusted in place and would not come out with oil, force, and a jack. It was there forever.

If you plan to leave your rack installed for a long time you may want to remove it once and grease the mating parts, then put it back and lock it in place. the grease should displace water and keep it from rusting.

Frank
 
IMG_20130510_092009_884.jpg
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And when the whole family comes along.
Bikes%26Boats.jpg


I have a custom track system installed but most people are best served with Yakima/Whispbar/Thule on the factory rails. I highly recommend a 58 inch bar for kayakers. It'll make it much easier to load and secure along with giving you options other than J cradles to hold the boats.

Hitch is easy and as noted no where near $800.
 
I'd love to get something like this: https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/products/carriers-and-racks/roof-racks/complete-all-in-one-racks/thule-aeroblade-edge-7601b-_-7601b

I like that it's black in color which will compliment my meteor grey CX-5 nicely. If I can figure out a way to remove the weather strips in the roof and get a fit kit to work at the attachment points for the factory side rails that would be best case possible. Does anyone know if that is possible? Has anyone found a fit kit to mount in that location yet?
 
http://www.curtmfg.com/HitchLookup/...ke=Mazda&model=CX-5&style=All#tab=class3hitch

This is the current hitch I am looking at. Does anyone have any experience with the install? I am assuming I will have to lower my exhaust, and that there should be predrilled holes. Does anyone have any recommendations, or problems I should look out for before I tackle this?

I appreciate everyones help. You have all really helped me get educated on this. :)
 
Mjhagan75 said:
http://www.curtmfg.com/HitchLookup/...ke=Mazda&model=CX-5&style=All#tab=class3hitch

This is the current hitch I am looking at. Does anyone have any experience with the install? I am assuming I will have to lower my exhaust, and that there should be predrilled holes. Does anyone have any recommendations, or problems I should look out for before I tackle this?

I appreciate everyones help. You have all really helped me get educated on this. :)
Click to expand...

Try searching the forums. I had these two threads bookmarked, but there may be more.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...ite-or-Reese-Hitch/page4&highlight=Curt+13127
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123827451-Curt-hitch-installation-instructions
 
I have that one. The etrailer install video helped a lot. My boyfriend and I installed it within 20 min. We did it step by step exactly like the video. And I love that it's low profile. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1437784746.586501.jpg
 
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