Hi,
I just purchased my new, Red/Black Passion Coupe a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love it!
Being an avid cyclist and bicycle racer for team Starbucks, a must have is a two bicycle rack. I hate the design of the one I've seen. Adding a hitch seems to be cost prohibitive.
So, I experimented with using the tow holes on the rear bumper to mount some long posts (using some 5/8 threaded rods) and other Home Depot supplies to build up a surface sizable enough to mount some Yakima racks (usually used for roof rack systems). The supplies were $30 and only required a hack saw to cut the posts to length. The Yakima racks were about $90 each. Although the threads did not match, the softer metal rods allowed me to force the threads to somewhat match. I sat on the finished product (190lbs) and there was little to no flex. Even with some bouncing using my body weight, the steel rods had no problem holding my weight. Next, I put both bikes on the racks (secured the rack with some ties as a backup just in case the experiment failed) and used the rack to bring both bicycles (~20lbs each) down to Portland from Seattle. It was very stable and worked like a charm. With the bikes off, I could also open the hatch fully. It was also easy to remove.
Next, I've had to find a rod with the right thread using the tow bolt included with the car. Turns out a 5/8" ACME thread works like a charm. So, I ordered some rods and will be replacing the standard threaded rod with the ACME rods. If those fit and work with all the rest of the system, I can post photos, part numbers, etc... for anyone that wants to build an inexpensive (hopefully less than $300 to support two bikes), strong, bike rack that doesn't look like crap.
Linear Mode
