Just finished and freeway tested my homemade bike rack. It allowed me to go to the beach with the family and then ride home (~4 hour ride) this past weekend. Awesome day.
The setup includes the following: The roof racks are factory Mazda racks that we already had, the fork mount was found in my garage when we moved in a few years ago (i.e., free…score!), schedule 40 PVC tubing (4’, ~$20), which I cut in half lengthwise, a short piece of pine, square U-bolt to secure the bike rack to the rear roof rack and a toe clip strap to hold down the rear wheel. With the assorted nuts and bolts I’m guessing it came out to about $30 or so.
Here’s some links that provided inspiration:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=413783
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1986-07-01/Rooftop-Bike-Carrier.aspx
Pics:
Front roof rack (the quick release had been removed from the fork mount):
Rear view of the front rack with the bolts securing both the PVC and the fork mount (the PVC was cut down further at the front to avoid contacting the forks):
Rear rack:
Slits for the toe clip strap to go through to secure the wheel:
Having the bike rack allowed me to ride around Cape Ann and take photos such as this:
