Bicycle carrier for R170?

[Ben Lovejoy]

I have a late-2000 (facelift) SLK230. Does anyone know which bicycle carriers fit? I will want to carry two standard road bikes.

I also need to cover the roof switch in some way so I don't forget and operate it with a couple of bikes on the back! (With the roof up, I could engage the slide, but I'll normally want it down.)

Ben

 

[stu99]

I had the same question when I still had my SLK and did a bit of research to find the most suitable one.

My search ended with the Saris Bones (2-bike rack) although I must admit I was a little worried about putting too much load on the delicate boot lid. I also think that sooner or later there will be paint abrasion under the points of contact and so you might want to consider a tow-bar mounted rack instead (if you think the car can get away with it).

Here is a link to the US site although they are available in the UK http://www.saris.com/p-300-bones-2-bike.aspx

 

[Ben Lovejoy]

Thanks for that, Stu. The Saris Bones RS looks absolutely ideal, having no straps to worry about. £170 from Dawes.

I definitely don't want to fit a tow-bar! What I've done before with boot-mounted racks is tear up an old t-shirt and put bits of that under the feet for a bit of extra paintwork protection.

 

[brandwooddixon]

I must admit, I'm not keen on boot mounted racks myself. Had a towbar fitted with a removable tow hitch and the elctric socket placed up under the bumper instead.

You do realise that strictly speaking you can be prosecuted if you don't have a light bar with number plate fitted when using a boot mounted cycle carrier if the bicycles obscure the rear lights and number plate?

 

[Ben Lovejoy]

It's usually possible to mount a couple of bikes without obscuring the lights - you just have to do a bit of trial-and-error with the initial setup, then you know how to do it next time.

 

[brandwooddixon]

I only mentioned it because so many people aren't able to do this, that I had assumed that it was a common design problem with most strap on bicycle carriers.

 

[Ben Lovejoy]

It's generally just a question of alignment. You do usually need to hang a licence plate on the back, but that's easy enough.

 

[type49]

Just don't operate the roof by mistake:Oops::cry:

 

[Ben Lovejoy]

Yes, that is a worry! Especially as I almost always drive with the roof down, removing the option of retracting the cover. I think I'll create some kind of cover for the switch to remind me in case of brain-fade.