I've noticed several different ways to attach your bike to the X. Just wanted to know what is you guy's favorite for the exterior? I have a Yakima setup attached to the rain gutters on my old Cherokee, but I know the gutter clamps won't do me any good. The rest of the current setup is a steelhead that attaches to round crossbars. I can't think of a way that I could mod this to be able to use the steelhead on the X roof rack.

I would go with a hitch mounted rack, I have the Yakima Ankle Biter on my roof right now, which looks great, but when you have to hoist a bike up there, it's VERY awkward. I'm about 6'0" tall and have trouble holding the bike, fitting it into the rack, clamping it to the crank, all while standing on the rear tire (steps are useless whether it be the side or bumper). The X is already a tall vehicle, trying to lift up a bike makes it difficult especially if you want to avoid scratching up your car. Just my opinion...

Do I have to have some special hitch mount to use the Yakima system? I have a 2005 SE without any towing options. I just figured I needed to have the roof mount for my bike--the raptor or the anklebiter. But I like the ease of the hitch mount...but can I do this?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Ghargoyle,
I have both rear hitch - uses 2" receiver (Saris 4 bike) and roof (mitymounts w/ older 9mm mounts).

Tried X-Towers with 58" bars and felt the setup was too high. Didn't look right either. Will have to use when placing kayaks on top with bikes though. Currently my road bike rides OK with mitymounts. BTW - I mounted them with the rear wheel facing front of truck. Was easier to step on bumper and place in rack. Protects headset from bugs anyway

Use hitch for mtb since I am 5'6" and picking up mtb after day in mud can be a test of balance and arm strength.

Sounds like w/o rear receiver - top will be the way to go. If you carry only two bikes the mitymounts should work - hard to fit more. Use search to find directions on how to design. Maybe someone has link - did quick search but did not find.

Hope this helps

woodyas,

You'll have to have a hitch for the rear systems. You can get an aftermarket kit fairly inexpensively. I'm currently waiting on my nevada package that is on order from Nissan. I'm kicking myself for spending more than I should have.

I know you're talking about hitch mounted, but I made one (fits two bikes) for the interior for $35.

I got 2 fork mounts ($15 a piece) and bloted them to a 1x4 cut to length (47" in my case). Then, I use the cargo rail knobies to hold the 1x4 in place (fwd and aft wise). Wood and hardware cost about $5.

Here's a link for the forkmounts for $13 a piece.

It helped to countersink the holes so the boltheads don't stick out below the board.

I hope this helps. It works great. Only real problem was, I ran over dog poo the other day and we smelled it all the way home. Thank goodness for a wipe down cargo area! Also, I have to lower the seat on my MBT to fit it in.

Sarris Cycle on pro. 2" reciever mount. Locks to vechicle and can take on/off in 1 minute flat. Got a funky shaped bike frame? Does not matter because the sarris grabs the wheels and does not touch the frame which is nice if you run a full suspension mtb bike. Go to www.rackbarn.com They have the cheapest prices on the net. I ordered a Sarris rack and a roof rack for my tandem from there and they have been great. The real biatch is to get a tandem bike on the roof rack of my X. Wish it would fit on my sarris hitch rack but its too long.

Good luck.

willyswan,

Thanks for the post, but I'm not able to see your pics.

I relocated the pictures...here is a re-post...hopefully this works...

Ghargoyle -

I took the upper bar clamps off of my old Yakima 1A tower mounts and mounted them on fabricated backets as shown:



Here are the materials I used:

• Two-feet of 2" x 3/16" steel bar
• Eight - 2-inch muffler clamp U-bolts. I used 5/16" standard-duty clamps, but you can also use 3/8" heavy duty clamps.
• Eight - 5/16" washers
• Eight - 5/16" nylock nuts
• Five-feet - 5/16" id x 7/16" od vinyl tube
• Primer and Gray spray paint.

I fabricated 6-inch long brackets from the steel bar by drilling four 11/32" holes for the u-bolts and one 13/32" hole for mounting the bar clamps that I salvaged off of my 1A towers. I then primed and painted the brackets and u-bolts. I cut the vinyl tubing into 6-inch lengths for the u-bolts...before sliding it on, I punched a small drain hole in the middle of the tubing so any water that gets in can drain. I also used some small pieces of the vinyl to make pads to put between my brackets and the Xterra's rails. I then bolted everything together. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERTIGHTEN THE UBOLTS! You can easily deform the aluminum rails if you overtighten the u-bolts.
I mounted my Yakima Basketcase between the crossbars as low as possible which meant removing the factory Xterra cross bars.
Here is what my rack looks like:




Here are the tradeoffs I see:

GOODSTUFF:

• Low-cost..if you already have a similar Yakima system. I had most of the parts and only had to buy the tubing and u-bolts...total cost about $15
• With this set-up you can mount the bike racks outboard of the Xterra rails...this makes putting the bikes on and taking them off MUCH easier
• For everyday use, I prefer the Yakima crossbars to the factory crossbars it is easier to lash stuff to and you do not have to worry about scratching the factory cross bars
• I love the Basketcase...if you hang it low between the crossbars like I did, it does not interfere with using the crossbars, it is handy to put stuff in, it protects your roof and it provides lots of tie-down points for lashing down top cargo.

BUMMERS:

• You MAY notice a little more wind noise. I'm and old fart and can't really tell a difference.
• Aesthetics. You may not like the look. I'm a form-follows-function kind of guy and the look suits me.

One last item...I am able to carry my roadbike in the back as shown. I'm 5'10" and the bike is a 56cm frame. I don't think anything larger will work as this is a TIGHT fit. it is bounded on the front, back and top, so no tying down is required. Notice I put a plastic bag over my seat so the sweaty leather does not leave a mark on my headliner.

regards,

I use the Mighty Mounts

http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/m...ode=999R1-N5001

and my old Yakima Raptor bike rack. It's a bit high, but it works.

After spending an hour and a half installing the Nissan hitch that's been sitting in my living room for a month (or two), I went with the Yakima Kingpin 4. It will carry any frame type and when unloaded, will fold down to allow you to open the rear hatch. Yes, it ain't cheap, but it's rock solid and you get what you pay for.

The hitch should be easy to install, its just that one of the bumper bolts would NOT come off until I sprayed it, beat on it, and yanked for all I was worth. Finally did come off, but by then the mosquitoes had drained most of my blood!