anfieldmx5

i have a mazda miata that i need to get a rack for!!!!!!! the car is a little lower than stock. Anyone have any experience with this car and a bike rack????
please help!!!! i will enclose a photo of the car from the rear so you can see the height.

j.

Extort

I just picked up the Saris Bones and think it is AWESOME. This is totally adjustable and fits three bikes.

There is one problem with the system in that it does not include a method to lock the bike and the rack to the car.

anfieldmx5

i think my main problem will be that i will need a rack to angle the frame upwards for maximum ground clearence.
j.

Granny

Miata? I think you'd be better off putting a rack on your bike to carry your car!

anfieldmx5

ha ha!!!!!! lol. that's true. I have always liked small 2 seater roadsters..... perhaps because i'm a brit. But trust me nothing can catch me in the mountains behind the wheel of that car.
j.

mrkott3r

are you sure you want to put a rack on that car?

it would make it look ugly

anfieldmx5

one that i can take off easily. would not want to spoil this.........

j.

m2usa

Well, I had a 1989, and a 1999 10AE Miata, and found that the best way to carry a bike was to attach an under bumper hitch. I know, I know, it sounds like it would be extremely ugly, but it wasn't really all that bad. It was a small diameter square hitch that was more or less hidden by the bumper cover and was bolted to the frame. I then attached a hitch-mount rack that carried two bikes without incident. I was willing to deal with the small hitch as a compromise to have a secure/stable support for the bikes that didn't have to touch the paint. If that is not acceptable to you, if you have a hardtop a roof rack works well (which I used mostly for my snowboards.) Of course, you want to have the top down

P.S. Bonus is that you can still get into the trunk with the rack installed - can't really do that with a trunk rack on. As a previous Miata owner, I know how precious is that little 5 cubic feet in the trunk.

mrkott3r

I thought thats where the spare wheel + tools went?

BigFloppyLlama

I like their system minus the initial setup/setup for different cars. I had to build for a display at work and I can't imagine their spline system thing being fun if you constantly have to adjust it. That said, it seemed pretty solid.

m2usa

HA! No kidding. Believe me, once you own a Miata you figure out how to use every single square inch of that trunk. Spacious, it's not. Fun to drive? Oh yeah!

BryanW

Yup, they're absolutely brilliant. Every empty roundabout is a playground.

I've got one a MX5/Miata as well and I'll need to get a rack soon because my riding buddy that always takes my bike in his hatchback is leaving the area. So keep the suggestions coming. My added trouble is, it's got a boot/trunk rack fitted which might interfere with a bike rack.

MKahrl

You may have to wait a long time to find one on eBay but Rhode Gear once made the perfect rack for small convertibles. I can't remember the name but it had "Euro" in it. It has three U pieces. The middle one goes down and rests on your bumper, the forward one rests on the trunk and has two fork mounts on it, and the rear U has two wheel trays. You can mount two bikes side by side oriented fore&aft. The front wheels sit in separate wheel trays on the sides and lean against the bike's stem where you strap it. The rack is held to the trunk lid with 4 straps to the edges and two straps down to the bumper. It holds the bikes securely if you have the fork mount QR nice and tight. It's biggest advantage over racks that hold bikes athwartships is you don't have to worry about a tire being melted by the exhaust pipe. It's easy to take on and off the car, maybe too easy, there is no provision for locking it, you have to buy additional items to accomplish that.

I've been using one on an Alfa Romeo for about 12 years now and am quite happy with it. I also use it on a sedan when I need to haul more bikes than the 4 tray roof rack can handle.

DIZZAH

Spoil what? it's a miata!

(Y(L|S+

Well, I'm not recommending this option per se, but I have been looking for a rack for my car and will probably get this. How about a hitch and hitch rack. Go to etrailer.com and see if they have a hitch for your year Miata. and then get the following rack from Performance...





I'm pretty sure this is the way I'll go. I was going to get a roof rack but I park in the garage and I don't want to risk forgetting my bike is racked when I pull into my garage and destroying my bike. Also, the hitch rack seems the least invasive on your car. You'll have a 1-1/4" receiver sticking out under your bumper and the rack is easily removable if you don't want to keep it on the car. Now for the Miata, it may take drilling into the frame extension rails to install and if you are not comfortable with this, then I'd get it professionally installed. Check the installation instructions if you feel you can handle it. It should cost about as much as a decent 2-bike roof rack system, maybe less. The hitch for my car is under $100 and is a simple install.

Hambone

Another bonus is you can get the make-believe boat prop to put in there when the bike rack isn't attached.

Granny

Except maybe Lance.

tylergarrison

I have one of these https://www.swaqvalley.com/Blueprints...el_Sol_low.jpg which is pretty similar to a miata.

I stumbled upon this thread trying to find an answer to your same question. I'm looking for a rack so I can tote my bike to and from college (a little over 500 mile drive one way) and around town when needed, but I don't really know too much about bike racks, especially any low cost options (remember, i'm a poor college kid...aren't we all?). I don't necessarily like the idea of installing a hitch because I hopefully won't have this car for too much longer (2 years or so) but maybe it's the best solution? I also don't like roof racks because my mom's mini has a roofrack that howls ungodly loud when you reach +50mph. I also don't need the capacity to carry more than 1 bike, maybe 2 for that rare chance that I find that fixie-riding girl of my dreams any time soon...but not likely.

Just posting to see if you found any answers/have a rack now that you can share some info on for those of us with tiny two-seaters haha. I'm gonna swing by the LBS and see what I can dig up but I am guessing it might cost me more than if I had some names to throw around in an Ebay search.

update: https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php...unk+mount+rack check that out, might help?

ps. nice miata, mate. i never really liked them because they seem to be a natural nemesis to the del sol but yours is very clean and simple...just how it should be

WorldPax

Fellow Miata owner here. Go with the hitch. Not only can you then put a sturdy rack on it, but you can get a $200 trailer from Harbor Freight for when you need to bring home that big screen TV. Who needs a truck?

AGD Cougar

I know this may be old, but I have a hitch rack on my 2006 NC Miata.

I use the Draftmaster single tandem rack

velociraptor

Yes, 10 years & nearly 2 months later, lol...

And HOLY JEEBUS, that setup looks incredibly dangerous.

If you drive a Miata, you need another car to haul your bike around in (or on).

I say this with all the experience and knowledge of a former Miata owner.

memebag

I frequently hang a Saris Bones on my NC Miata with no trouble.

cruc1a7

Saris looks like it has the highest clearance. Or do what s2k guys do and put a hitch behind the plate.

AGD Cougar

It actually is not.

The total tongue weight is 200 lbs.

The approximate weight of this tandem and rack is nearly 100 lbs (approximately 40 lbs for the rack and 60 lbs for the tandem, give or take 15 lbs)

The amount of down force when hitting a bump will be double the weight of the total setup which is still within the tolerance of the 200 lb tongue weight.

This particular trip was from Chicago to Mackinaw Island.

velociraptor

Yes, that ~100 lbs of a giant wind sail hanging well behind the mass of the car making the nose sit ~4 inches up does wonders for it's handling I'm sure.

I'll just say that I wouldn't want to be the car next to you when you encounter any shear on the highway.

BTW, you know you're trashing your suspension, right?