Yakima or Thule?

[Mr.Law]

Yesterday, my GF and I took a break and spent the entire day on Lake Shore Drive - hung out at the beaches, rode our bikes, etc. Next weekend we're going to hit the museums - she's into that sort of thing. God, this city's gorgeous. We like to do quite a bit of cycling, especially when the weather is nice. I need to get myself some...uh...racks. Do you suggest Yakima or Thule? If I remember correctly, Yakima makes a standard rack that hooks on the door jams. However, I'm concerned about the damage the racks can do to the roof of my car. Do rubber pads prevent damage to the roof, or will they themselves dent it? Thanks.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

roof mount bike rack on a miata? hmmm....

 

[ChopstickHero]

i had the thule rack on my car for a while. rubber pads won't harm the paint. yakima hooks on to the door. my friend had a navy blue and it scuffed the paint a little. it could probably be buffed out. but the thule one i think is a better fit and design. i didn't have a bike rack on it (only ski/snowboard clamps), but the thule fit and finish really good.

edit: oh, didn't notice you had a miata. ummmm.... i dunno about that. but i was talking about my old protege5.

 

[Lord_Zath]

I'm sure you can find something that'll hook onto the rear of the car...

 

[Dimitrios]

Get a Saris Bones rack or a Thule 962xt. They both look good and work well on "smaller" vehicles that don't have many other options. Only issue to either is making sure the "feet" don't rub on the paint - people have used various methods to avoid it.

You should be able to find either at

Village Cycle Center - www.villagecycle.com
Kozy's - www.kozy.com (multiple locations

, or other LBS (local bike shop) near you (support the local shops, avoid dept. stores).

Saris reviews: http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_Rack/product_78464.shtml

Thule: https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

 

[Familia323]

whatever you do, make sure that they can lock down and not be stolen easily. I don't know about bike racks, but I know that ski racks get swiped off vehicles in parking lots pretty regularly. Yakimas have a few allen screws I think that release the whole rack from the roof. They aren't exactly cheap either.

 

[Mr.Law]

Thanks for the tips/recommendations. The Web sites really helped - hadn't even heard of Kozy's. (braindead