SeaSucker Mini Bomber on my LTZ Hatch

BrianH

BrianH

New member
Here's some quick pics of the SeaSucker Mini Bomber on my LTZ Turbo Hatchback. I'll be putting the bike on it later today. I don't have it handy at the moment, but I'll put some pics up later with the bike mounted. I'm going to test out both the hatch position and the roof. Full review enroute ...

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BrianH

BrianH

New member
Ok, a quick note about the back hatch position ... Bad idea! I thought I would try it there first, because it would be easier to put on and off instead of lifting it onto the roof. The problem is that my bike has 29" wheels (not the usual 26") and the bike just barely hangs off the ground. It also pushes on the back fender too much. It seems we don't really have much support on our back bumpers to make it happen like that.

I moved it to the roof and needless to say it works flawlessly. The vacuum cups hold on great. They're rated at 220 lbs. each, so technically I could handle up to 880 lbs, although I think the fiberglass would snap before the cups give way. The front forks mounts are adjustable and lock in place to hold the bike on, and are really easy to manage. Overall, I'm really excited with this rack and it works incredible so far. I can even open my sunroof while I'm driving and it makes very little noise. I haven't taken it on the interstate yet, so the fastest I've gone was about 55 mph.

My front tire also fit perfectly in the trunk. I had to pop off the hatch cover (which slides back conveniently right behind the seat itself). If a 29" tire will fit, the standard 26"s should fit without any problem.

For anyone interested, I bought mine at Lakeland Gear (SeaSucker Talon Bike Rack | Vacuum Mount Bike Carrier | Bicycle Rack - Trunk & Hatchback Bike Racks) for $375+tax, free shipping. I would have purchased it from SeaSucker's official website, but it's was a lot more expensive ($395+tax, plus shipping) which would have brought it to about $450.

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BrianH

BrianH

New member
I also contacted SeaSucker about their website mentioning the Mini Bomber being able to hold the front tire. I received a response from Gregg Casagrande that there is an "Add-On Wheel Holder" that hasn't made it to the website yet, and he's working on adding it now. The holder will retail at $45. I'm considering ordering one, just in case I need to free up some trunk space.

Here's the pic from their website:
Mini-Bomber-2-640.jpg
 
S

Sonic

Moderator
I meant anything like a bike rack or other rack on the exterior glass. Small electronics mounted on the inside windshield are exempt from my comment.
 
Opus51569

Opus51569

New member
Man, I don't know...

I like my bikes. I know these aren't your typical suction cups, but I don't think I could ever feel comfortable knowing that those cups were the only things keeping my bike from tumbling down the highway at 70mph. JMHO, though.
 
BrianH

BrianH

New member
I actually feel really comfortable with the rack. When I had it mounted to the rear window, I shoved the car around a bit with it attached and it felt rock solid. The fork clamp locks on really tight too and it doesn't sway much when cornering.

One of my bigger concerns is the pedal kicking around and scuffing the roof, but they don't move when the bike is secured (except backwards of course) and they would have to be completely vertical on their pegs to actually touch the car. A few degree's front to back and they easily clear the rotation.

Overall, I'm really happy with this rack. I can even put it on the lady's car if needed. I'll probably be buying a set of quick release adapters for the solid axels, which are about $15 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Axle-Release-Pro-Quick-Adapter/dp/B005F524HC). I currently carry a wrench around to take the tire on and off.
 
Opus51569

Opus51569

New member
A trick for the pedal scuffs

Recycle a pair of old tube socks. Slip one over each pedal and keep folding the excess back on itself. It will cushion the pedals and keep your roof from getting scuffed.

If you want to make a fashion statement... I recommend argyle... :)
 
BrianH

BrianH

New member
Opus51569 said:
Recycle a pair of old tube socks. Slip one over each pedal and keep folding the excess back on itself. It will cushion the pedals and keep your roof from getting scuffed.

If you want to make a fashion statement... I recommend argyle... :)
Click to expand...

Heh, strangely, the thought never even crossed my mind to cover them with something. It's not much of a problem at the moment, but if it ever does, I'll be sure to remember this.
 
BrianH

BrianH

New member
Today, it happened just as I predicted. I was driving down the road doing about 50mph and I heard a thump, followed by another a couple seconds later, then thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump ... The wind caught hold of the pedals and started spinning them rapidly backwards. Fortunately, the marks just rubbed off and it didn't do anything permanent. I took a small bungie cord and wrapped it around the pedal and strapped it back so it couldn't happen again.
 
A

Alan

New member
Awesome! We have a fair amount of them in our area since they are local and I have yet to hear anything bad from the folks using them. :banana:
 
Opus51569

Opus51569

New member
BrianH said:
Today, it happened just as I predicted. I was driving down the road doing about 50mph and I heard a thump, followed by another a couple seconds later, then thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump ... The wind caught hold of the pedals and started spinning them rapidly backwards. Fortunately, the marks just rubbed off and it didn't do anything permanent. I took a small bungie cord and wrapped it around the pedal and strapped it back so it couldn't happen again.
Click to expand...

I read up to the "thump, thump, thump" and thought "oh, no, don't tell me you lost the bike!"... Glad to hear the pedals didn't do any damage. The bungee cord is a good fix.
 
BrianH

BrianH

New member
Opus51569 said:
I read up to the "thump, thump, thump" and thought "oh, no, don't tell me you lost the bike!"... Glad to hear the pedals didn't do any damage. The bungee cord is a good fix.
Click to expand...

Hah, if I lost the bike, my post would have been much more irate, lol. Here's a quick pic of how I have the pedal strapped on now.

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chivalryder

chivalryder

New member
Those things are the best! They were origionally designed for marine use. they can handle some severe conditions.

Heck, I read a review where one guy put two top-end road bikes on the roof of his GT-R and flew down an interstate at 100 mph. Held up no problem!

Much better than a roof rack that fastens down. These things won't damage your paint!
 
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