SeaSucker Mini Bomber Bike Rack

The SeaSucker Mini Bomber Bike Rack is the rail-less roof rack when you want to take two bikes on your car. This is a fork mount, and it accepts any 9mm diameter fork tip. The rear wheel is cradled in a short tray and can work with any diameter tire or wheel.

 

Fork mounts have numerous advantages. They keep the bikes low, which is better for the car's center of gravity. It also presents less of an impediment to the wind, not a small deal at highway speeds. And because a bike without a front wheel is lighter and smaller, it's easier to hoist a bike onto a fork mount. 

 

SeaSucker bike racks work without rails. All you need are hard surfaces to attach the suckers. It's great when you want to only use a rack when you have bikes to carry; when you don't, you can easily stash this in a bag or the trunk or the hatch. The basis for the system is six-inch suction cups. These hold like nobody's business, up to 210lbs per cup—and they’ve held onto cars driving as fast as 140mph. The front portion of this rack, the mini-bomber, which kind of looks like a stealth fighter jet, has four suction cups, a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) platform that is effectively 30 inches wide by eight inches deep. HDPE is somewhere between rigid and flexible, so it can flex as the suckers conform to the roof and stiff enough for the two Delta Bike Hitch Pro fork mounts to have a stable platform. The mounts, featuring a lockable quick release, are set approximately nineteen inches apart. Run them parallel if you're doing drop-bar bikes and you can cant them if you're running wide flat bars. 

 

The bomber section is molded with a cutout so you can thread a locking cable through it. This is an aid if you want to leave the bikes on your car while you go inside a store. To make this effective, you'll need a cable lock and SeaSucker's Cable Anchor, which works with either a window or a trunk or hood. The locking mounts can accept a padlock, or can be used as a safety against opening on the highway by threading with a twist tie.

 

The kit also comes with two rear wheel mounts. These are narrow trays, approximately six inches in diameter that sit atop a standard six-inch SeaSucker suction cup, and have a hook-and-loop strap running through them to hold the wheel down.

 

Some tips for placement.  First of all, the bikes have to be pointed forward, as in the direction of travel for the car. The edges of the roof are optimal. They are good because the roof is reinforced there and that means less flex. That's why they often suggest putting the fork mount partially on a window and partially on the roof. It's also a good way to keep an eye on the suction cups as you're driving. But this is only workable if the transition between the roof and the window is fairly flat. Likewise, with the rear wheel mount, keep it near the side or back for minimal flex. 

 

In terms of setting it on your roof, it's a good idea to wet both the roof and the suction cup before mounting. Wetting the roof both removes dirt and debris that could interfere with the suction and the water fills in surface imperfections as well.

 

When you've wet the roof and suckers, it's time to pump. Basically go until you can pump no more. On the pump itself there's a line that demarcates when it's time to add suction, just eyeball the pump for confirmation.   

 

If you want a fork mount for your front wheel so it can ride on the roof rather than your car, check out the SeaSucker Flight Deck Fork Mount. This kit attaches to the rear wheel mount and can work with basically all quick-release-equipped front wheels. 

 

The SeaSucker Mini-Bomber Bike Rack holds two bicycles of up to 45lbs each. The cups come with covers on them; leave these on in between uses. They also come with some lube for maintaining the pump and a spare pad and pump.