Has anyone modified a sidewinder for thru axle?
10-03-23, 01:59 AM
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Has anyone modified a sidewinder for thru axle?
I have a yakima sidewinder that I would like to use with a calfee tandem I regularly transport. Has anyone seen a modification to use the sidewinder with thru axle? I have previously used the rocky mounts adapter but introducing the second pivot point is less than ideal with the sidewinder.
10-05-23, 09:13 PM
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I just finished 1800 miles using the Yakima thru axle adaptor on a Sidewinder tandem rack. It's been rock solid on several 1,000+ road trips, driving at up to 80 mph (yay Idaho,) for hundreds of miles.
ProTip- once you have the front fork threaded into the adaptor, don't tighten it down all the way. Keep it loose until you hoist the whole bike up on to the rack, then tighten it down. I've found that if I tighten the thru axle before lifting the bike onto the roof, the bike acts as a lever and causes the adaptor to slip in the clamp. My method seems to solve that problem. Just don't forget to fully tighten the thru axle before you drive off.
ProTip- once you have the front fork threaded into the adaptor, don't tighten it down all the way. Keep it loose until you hoist the whole bike up on to the rack, then tighten it down. I've found that if I tighten the thru axle before lifting the bike onto the roof, the bike acts as a lever and causes the adaptor to slip in the clamp. My method seems to solve that problem. Just don't forget to fully tighten the thru axle before you drive off.
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10-11-23, 03:50 PM
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After speaking with Mel from tandems east I ordered his solution which is a dummy axle mounted to a plate with a corresponding flat plate that sandwiches around the existing sidewinder mount. As it arrived the day I left I have not had an opportunity to try it yet. Initial impression is that it appears sturdy but spendy.
