I need to take my bike to the NYC triathlon by car, usually my bike rides in the back seat, however I need to take my wife, new son, and my wife’s best friend . So no room for the bike in the backseat…
Ive never had a roof rack before, BMW makes base bars for my car (e60 m5 ) so I was going to go with that and a fork mount. But I really don’t have room to put both s80 wheels in my trunk with the stroller and pack & play and luggage for 3 people and a baby for the weekend…
Any issues with doing a highway drive at 75 mph of about 400 miles with my rear wheel still on? Was going to protect the frame with some clear tape for rocks etc…
Woa woa…you CANNOT go 75mph. You have to go at least 90mph in that car.
I’ve never had any issues with an 808 on the rear. Never gone that far but definitely loged some lengthy highway miles. Just use a velcro strap to secure the wheel to the tray.
Wanna trade cars for the wkend? My honda odyssey has plenty of room for everyone, car seats already installed. Fork mount roof racks you can try, but don’t even need with such a small load Beware, your wife might like it…
Converted M fanboy here (prev E36 M3, E46 M3 and E92 modded 335i). Now in a CTS-V Wagon (way modded close to 700 crank HP)
Anyway, 2+ weeks ago, have 4 guys, luggage and 3 bikes on the roof (factory rack, 2 Thule echelon racks prev on the BMW and 1 Rocky Mount Tie Rod) and up to a stage race in Michigan. 2 road bikes and 1 TT bike, all with at least 50mm or 65mm deep rear wheels on (fronts inside).
Guy in back seat a GE aircraft engineer and Z06 driver and I ask him how fast he thinks the bikes will stay on We already cruised up the highway at around 75-80 with no issues (can see bikes through the double sunroof). On back country roads now in the middle of Indiana. So, 55 mph country roads, flat and straight as an arrow. Not sure, so ease up to 120 passing a damn Camry or some such. No problems. Next run to about 140 mph - no issues, but I didn’t push past that
So … you will be fine
edit: I think your e60 M5 has those flip up levers with 4 hole mounts for the factory racks (made by Thule) and pretty strong. Hightly rec the Rocky Mount Tie Rod racks if you don’t have any since they are very low profile, easy to install, and secure up to 140 mph at least. I actually sent an e-mail off to Rocky Mounts about my jaunt … they did not reply
Not if you have good roof rack trays. I’ve driven plenty of miles (including across the country) at highway speeds with bikes on the roof and never had a problem, although I’ve done this with Hondas and maybe there’s something about doing it with a BMW that makes it more risky.
If I were to recommend a roof rack tray, I’d tell you to go with Rocky Mounts Pitchfork. I used Thule trays for years and when I switched to Rocky Mounts I couldn’t believe how much higher the quality was and how solidly they hold the bike. And they’re super low profile so they look sleek and might be more aero for highway MPG.
They make one specifically for the roof rack bars that BMW, Audi, etc. have.
I was running late for a race two weeks ago and had to fly up I55 with my bike in full race kit (disc wheel, S60 front). The bike was on top of a Yakima rack with fairing and I drove around 85 the whole way.
I’m not going to say I was comfortable about doing it, but it definitely stayed on there.
I have the lowly 525xi and have went from exit 7a to NYC with no problems what so ever with the 1080 and disc on the factory bmw roof rack. I secure the rear disc with the strap and alligator clip threw the air access cutout in disc. I did have the wheel mounted bmw bike rack. If you have that get RID of it as there is way to much vibration. Pm me email and i will send pics of one of my bikes on roof of beamer. Talked to my wife about the new 6 series four door. Which she was all for. Unfortunatly i have college coming up in 3 years. Then once one is out i have another going in, then another So 12 straight years of college tuition. Maybe i should get it now :0)
I also modified a roof wheel mount fork to carry extra wheel up top. If you get one just make sure you make it real tight…dont ask :0) And i also got a bike bra off of ebay for when on top of car. Every ow and then someone list one or two.
What fork mount are you planning on using? I recently installed 2 Thule Echelon fork mount rails on my car, but realized after the fact that the strap for the rear wheel won’t allow me to secure a disc or deep wheel. I’ve had to bring a spare rear wheel just for transport. So, if you haven’t purchased the rack yet, make sure the system allows for aero wheels in the first place!
Nice car. I have always been a huge fan, as have many of the top car reviewers of the venerable 5-series BMW, and the M-series even more so. Why? It’s the classic wolf-in-sheeps-clothing. It’s one of the fastest, best driving cars on the road, yet looks like a classic family sedan!
As for racks, not sure what to suggest for you. Is this just a one-off trip for you? Will you be driving to other races and training gigs? Fork mount racks tend to be the stable-est set ups. However, I would not advise putting the deep front wheel in a roof-mount wheel holder. I would be worried about the torquing from gusts of wind and the wobbling over a long drive. The rear wheel should be OK. The problem may be the length of strap to hold it to the tray. So even if you go with a fork mount, you’ll still need to find a home for the front wheel in the car or trunk.
just did a round trip to chicago from detroit with 5 bikes on the roof. Four of them had deep wheels on the back ranging from 46mm to 81mm. The aero bikes and wheels are (not suprisingly) much better than standard bikes and wheels (the 29er in the middle of the rack created lots of drag).
All the wheels were reynolds carbon clinchers, so the spoke face was plenty tough for the plastic ratcheting straps of the rack. Don’t know about the S80 fairing though. FWIW the stock yakima strap for the wheel has just enough length to handle an 81mm deep wheel.
I have the same BMW rack on my Mini. It works fine for a Zipp 404 rear and jsut might work for the S80 or you might have to get a longer strap for the back wheel, no big wheel. The front wheel is going to go inside the car. Your wife’s best friend can hold it on her lap.
I drove with my bike attached to the roof rack for over 700 miles with no issues going 80+ mph and went though some really nasty storms. However, that was an alum bike with a carbon fork. My one concern is the bike rack manual had some warning to not use it with carbon bikes. Now with my new carbon bike I am a little concerned about that. I have a sweet Volvo S60 which can beat your BMW anyday and that was the manufacture roof rack which I believe is made by Thule but there is only Volvo logos on it. Are these warnings just to cover their a** and should I just ignore them?
Not related to the issue of the bike on the rack but specific to the NYC tri: Logistics are kinda a nightmare. If you are staying in Manhattan, keep in mind that you will probably be parking in a garage (PLEASE take your bike off the roof before driving in!) and you have to drop off your bike the night before which is a PITA given that it is in Manhattan. I was staying in Hoboken when I did that race last year and it was multiple trips into Manhattan, one for packet pickup, one to drop off the bike, once day of the race etc…never again (or at least I would stay in the city.) I guess what I’m saying is be sure to plan out all the pre-race crap you need to do.
x2 on the comment above about the Thule screw in roof rack. Had one on my old Saab and it was money, super stable. Another thought would be trunk mounted rack, for the most part leaves the trunk free, bikes are less in the wind, can leave your wheels on, no garage worries, easy on/off. Here’s mine and I love it:
Beware, your wife might like it…
and that was the manufacture roof rack which I believe is made by Thule but there is only Volvo logos on it. Are these warnings just to cover their a** and should I just ignore them?