Another hit from Yakima! The all new factory-compatible FrontLoader upright bike rack

Yakima keeps cranking out some sweet products this year…first it was the SpareTime, now this, the FrontLoader (p/n 2103).

Yakima FrontLoader - assembled right out of the box!

The FrontLoader is a factory rack compatible ‘upright’ style bike rack…meaning you don’t have to mess with taking off front tire of your bike, assuming your tires fall in the range in 20″ – 29″.  The carrier does not touch the frame at all, so if you have a carbon fiber frame or crazy full-suspension geometry, you should have no worries about compatibility with your bike.  (One exception does come to mind, however…some commuter style bikes {especially in soggy Portland} have wrap-around fenders that can prevent the mechanism from holding the bike properly.)

FrontLoader close up

FrontLoader front end

Let’s check this thing out up-close and personal.  Here we have the FrontLoader installed on a late-model Honda Element.  Check out that grip!   Right out of the box, you just set this thing on your bars and crank the knob in the front.  Do something similar for the rear, add an optional SKS lock core (or two, one for the built in cable) and you are ready to load.

We have a Bianchi on loan from our friends over at 21st Avenue Bikes that we use on our showroom displays.  How does it fit with the FrontLoader?  Perfect!

Bianchi on board

If you’ve got a factory crossbar setup (or Thule, Yakima or Whispbar, for that matter), you too can use the Yakima FrontLoader.  Being easy to setup, compatible with most factory racks and most bikes, and living at a great price point, the FrontLoader may easily become one of our most popular racks.  Stay tuned, however, for Thule’s release of the 594XT – their factory rack compatible Side Arm.  It too will be a great choice for cyclists with factory crossbars; we’ll put the two head-to-head this spring.

FrontLoader on Honda Element racks

As always, drop us a phone call, email , or store visit if you have any questions!

-Scott

Rack Attack Portland

503.226.7300

portland {at} rackattack {dot} com

1737 SW Morrison St Portland OR 97205

More love for the Mini Cooper Clubman!

Rack Attack has yet another option for you Mini Cooper Clubman drivers!  Thanks to our newest vendor Prorack, the makers of Whispbar, we continue to add to our custom installation portfolio.  Check out the sweet setup on this 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman S:

Mini Cooper Clubman S Whispbar bike rack

Pretty sharp, right?  Here we installed a Whispbar S2 ‘flush bar’ base rack and Fitting Kit K323.  The fitting kit is permanently mounted to the car, and the base rack bolts on and off of the small ‘nubs’ that are fixed to the roof.  But why even take the racks off when they are so whisper-quiet?

Clubman S Whispbar from behind

This particular customer wanted a sleek rack to carry two road bikes.  There are some standard ‘gutterless’ fits for the Clubman, but there is nothing out there that looks clean as clean as this; the Thule rack reaches down and hooks to the trim strip above the window.  With the flush bars, there are no rack components overhanging the ridges on the edge of the Clubman’s roof.  And check out the sunroof–complete functionality thanks to the expertise of our talented installers!

Whispbar & 518 Echelons up-close

“What are those bike racks?” you ask.  Well that’s a custom thing we can do for our local customers.  We started with some 518 Echelons, with their cast steel heads and silver trays.  Then we grabbed a couple 517 Pelotons, which have black trays.  Next thing we knew, we had two black tray Echelons which looked superb with the black roof on this Mini.  Side note–the bike trays each require a Thule Xadapt9 kit to fit to the slot on top of the Whispbar.

Clubman S--bike hauling Mini machine

So there you have it.  A 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman S with Whispbar flush bars and two Thule Echelons.  This guy is going to have fun on his way to his cycling destination and look good doing it.  Oh yeah, and his racks are going to be whisper-quiet!

Mini Cooper Clubman Kayak Ready!

We had the opportunity to rack another Mini Clubman recently.  This one received a Yakima track kit 72″ in length, clearing both side “ridges” and the factory sunroofs!  This allows our customer to carry his stand-up paddle boards and lengthy 16′ sea kayaks with ease- utilizing a 66″ bar spread.  Indeed, this must be the largest bar spread available on these small economy cars.

The customer was quite pleased with the result.  With this setup there are a variety of bar style choices available, other than the Yakima Control Towers with Yakima round bars.  We are very anxious to try out another combination in the future, such as the Thule Aero product.  And, since these Yakima and Thule bars are easily removable- gas mileage and wind noise aren’t an issue when the racks are not in use.  Just pop them off in seconds!