Bird bike rack

[fatmike]

Yep, I'm in Chatham, NJ.

The BIRD AUTOMOTIVE bike rack fits -- I figured this out after a few conversations and several hours of messing around. I bought it on eBay. The seller failed to include a bolt assembly that attaches the front of the rack to the under-carraige of the car. So, I wasted a Sunday afternoon trying to find appropriate sized metric bolts and washers (spacers) to make it work.

If I weren't such an die-hard cyclist and in desperate need of a bike rack, I might have just sent it back to him...

I'll report back more on the bike rack after I use it a few times. If I had all the right parts to start with, I think I could have assembled the rack in :30 minutes (in my living room) and I probably could have attached it to the car in another :30 minutes. Its only 4 bolts, but the hardest part of installing it is just getting access under the car (and it obviously doesn't work so well without the bolts...).

But, now its done. The system seems to be very effective and it seems like the rack won't damage the paint.

Also, while it was up on the jack I put my snow tires on. So, I killed two birds with one stone...(sorry for the pun)