[dieseldad]

Has anyone tried putting a bike rack onto the 124? I do road cycling quite a bit and am feeling the itch to take the Spider and my road bike to the North Carolina mountains for a weekend. Fall is a great time up there! Anyway, just wondering if anyone had tried any bike racks out yet.

-jj

 

[azzura]

I was looking in to this too. I don't think an official boot/trunk rack will be long enough to fit a normal roof mounted bike rack too, and it wouldn't work sideways either. Look for an aftermarket rack for the Miata/MX5 ND, there are pictures and info on various web shops/forums etc., either a strap on rack or a towbar mounted one (presumably the rear chassis of the Spider is the same but the extra length of the rear overhang could be a problem?)

 

[ameridan]

There's a good possibility that a folding bike might fit in the trunk.

 

[Alvon Elrod]

Has anyone tried putting a bike rack onto the 124? I do road cycling quite a bit and am feeling the itch to take the Spider and my road bike to the North Carolina mountains for a weekend. Fall is a great time up there! Anyway, just wondering if anyone had tried any bike racks out yet.

-jj

Will be in Charlotte, Winston Salem, and Raleigh/Durham area in a couple weeks, vacationing for daughter's wedding. Where are you planning to ride in NC? I'd like to get in a few rides while there. Please contact me if interested.


Alvon Elrod
805-338-1767

 

[Good-Win Racing]

We fit our Miata rack to the Fiat.

I did not take a picture on the Fiat but works the same as on back of Miata, pic below....more info HERE.

 

[dieseldad]

We fit our Miata rack to the Fiat.

I did not take a picture on the Fiat but works the same as on back of Miata, pic below....more info HERE.

Ok... duh.... I guess I should have thought about Miata when I asked Thanks for the reply!

-jj

 

[jmg]

Seasucker Komodo

I haven't picked up my 124 yet but Ive been looking at this rack as a possible solution...expensive as all get out and road bike only but they also sell a rear wheel add-on to transport your front wheel as well. (

https://www.seasucker.com/products/komodo
https://www.seasucker.com/products/hogg

 

[steve6225]

Thule has 3 or 4 trunk mount bike racks ranging in price from $180 to $450, Yakima has 6 ranging in price from $140 to $230... I am not a big fan of suction cups and the price of that SeaSucker rack is absolutely ridiculous! $1400!!!

 

[PureAdrenaline]

Shouldn't this Miata hitch fit the Fiat?? May want to check since the Fiat overhang is longer. Then you could use any bike rack that has a class 1 insert on it...there are lots of them.

http://www.hitchsource.com/mazda-mx...=All_Hitches&gclid=CNbrk5GoptECFYF-fgodYFcGVA

 

[zvezdah1]

so looking at all the options out there I think I"m going with the komodo, obscenely expensive but will work in this application. the strap on bike racks just don't do it for me. It at least looks reasonably attractive.
https://www.seasucker.com/products/komodo

 

[stevet]

With all the talk of ultra-care practices for what might be easily damaged paint on these cars, is installing a bike rack that bears on the painted surfaces a good idea? It would seem a receiver hitch-style rack would be best, one that makes no contact with the body of the car at all, including no straps. That assumes a receiver hitch is available for the Fiat 124 Spider.

Steve.

 

[DowneasTTer]

I contacted Bethany Garage/Hard Dog Fabrication about whether their receiver hitch for a new style Miata will fix the 124. Here is their response "The ND MX-5 hitch will fit the chassis but there's a problem with the back-up lights on the Fiat.
Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Happy motoring,
Tom Beroth
Bethania Garage / Hard Dog Fabrication
336 985-6789"

I have hauled bikes around on the top or back of cars for the past 40 years or so. I can tell you that in my experience any rack that even touches the surface paint will at some time cause damage. I have found receiver hitches for all my vehicles including a 90 Jag XJS and would never go back. BTW, currently I use the Kuat NV rack (having three). Two of the 1.25" two bike racks for use on my Abarth C, smart fortwo and the Audi TT. I use the 2" one with the extra 2 bike carrier on my motorhome. Dollar for dollar it's one of the best racks available. Good luck on your search.

 

[zvezdah1]

I don't notice the bronzo on my car to be at all fragile, the black on my 4c was extremely so. I don't really see the suction cup as an issue, the key is the cup has to be clean and the paint surface has to be clean, it's the grit and the potential slight movement of the cup that might cause damage.

Unfortunately, the addition of that very low taillight back up light below the license plate makes a hitch problematic as being too low, certainly would for my driveway. I had a 500 abarth, but with that one I just had to make a cutout in the bottom fascia which isn't possible on the 124.

With all the talk of ultra-care practices for what might be easily damaged paint on these cars, is installing a bike rack that bears on the painted surfaces a good idea? It would seem a receiver hitch-style rack would be best, one that makes no contact with the body of the car at all, including no straps. That assumes a receiver hitch is available for the Fiat 124 Spider.

Steve.

 

[zvezdah1]

I'm just not particularly worried about the possibility of paint damage on the trunk, if it was bad enough and couldn't be removed by buffing and such would just repaint. I just don't worry that much about things like that.

I contacted Bethany Garage/Hard Dog Fabrication about whether their receiver hitch for a new style Miata will fix the 124. Here is their response "The ND MX-5 hitch will fit the chassis but there's a problem with the back-up lights on the Fiat.
Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Happy motoring,
Tom Beroth
Bethania Garage / Hard Dog Fabrication
336 985-6789"

I have hauled bikes around on the top or back of cars for the past 40 years or so. I can tell you that in my experience any rack that even touches the surface paint will at some time cause damage. I have found receiver hitches for all my vehicles including a 90 Jag XJS and would never go back. BTW, currently I use the Kuat NV rack (having three). Two of the 1.25" two bike racks for use on my Abarth C, smart fortwo and the Audi TT. I use the 2" one with the extra 2 bike carrier on my motorhome. Dollar for dollar it's one of the best racks available. Good luck on your search.

 

[ThatsASeamus]

I would highly advise against a trunk-mount rack.

All trunk mount racks depend on a tie to the bottom of the trunk lip to prevent launching the rack over bumps in the road.
1) the bottom of the trunk lid is above the license plate. Non-owners, look up a rear profile to see how high this is in comparison to most
2) the bottom of the trunk lid is PLASTIC over metal (at least on the Abarth). The tie down of the bike rack will stand a chance of tearing off the plastic cladding.
3) if wrapping over the bumper to the under-side of the car for tie-downs, you'll need neoprene under the straps to avoid nasty near-vertical lines on the rear bumper from strap vibration & abrasion.

Previous discussion
Note: the Saris bones rack referenced is not recommended for use by Saris - they say they don't sell anything that fits the 124.

 

[zvezdah1]

yeah I made the mistake of buying a saris rack from a site that claimed it would fit a 124, I knew immediately when i pulled it out no chance, as you say that bck lip on the lid is plastic.

I would highly advise against a trunk-mount rack.

All trunk mount racks depend on a tie to the bottom of the trunk lip to prevent launching the rack over bumps in the road.
1) the bottom of the trunk lid is above the license plate. Non-owners, look up a rear profile to see how high this is in comparison to most
2) the bottom of the trunk lid is PLASTIC over metal (at least on the Abarth). The tie down of the bike rack will stand a chance of tearing off the plastic cladding.
3) if wrapping over the bumper to the under-side of the car for tie-downs, you'll need neoprene under the straps to avoid nasty near-vertical lines on the rear bumper from strap vibration & abrasion.

Previous discussion
Note: the Saris bones rack referenced is not recommended for use by Saris - they say they don't sell anything that fits the 124.

 

[TDPerry]

Shouldn't this Miata hitch fit the Fiat?? May want to check since the Fiat overhang is longer. Then you could use any bike rack that has a class 1 insert on it...there are lots of them.

http://www.hitchsource.com/mazda-mx...=All_Hitches&gclid=CNbrk5GoptECFYF-fgodYFcGVA

I'll have to be giving them a call soon to find out. I have a 15cf motorcycle trailer I used to pull behind my Goldwing that would be an ideal fit to pull behind the Spider to give some more storage room for those road trips I'm wanting to take!
I'm really afraid though that it won't due to the difference in the center of the tail where the back-up light is mounted will throw it off.

 

[stevet]

A trailer behind the Fiat for a road trip? Visit Rick Steves' website, as a world traveler he'll demonstrate how to travel anywhere with nothing more than a backpack size load for a solid week trip.

A trailer behind a Spider for a road trip just seems very wrong to me. Contradicts everything a small roadster represents. Just my own opinion...

Steve.

 

[DowneasTTer]

While I'm not currently a 124 owner (have a 15 Abarth C, 08 smart and 01 Audi TT) I have to say that stevet is just plain wrong. Yes in most cases you can have your cake and eat it too:

I have towed my rack and roll with my Audi, smart, Abarth even my old 90 Jag XJS to get to the a yak or bike trail head. All with top down fun in mind.

Now a question for owners. It appears the problem with a hitch receiver is Fiat's placement of the backup light pod. Is there a way to exit above the light by cutting out a part of the bumper? Kind of like I did here on my smart?

.
Or moving the backup light as in a Mini Cooper? Or even taking out the backup light when using the hitch.

 

[steve6225]

While I'm not currently a 124 owner (have a 15 Abarth C, 08 smart and 01 Audi TT) I have to say that stevet is just plain wrong. Yes in most cases you can have your cake and eat it too...

I Agree.