Carrying a Bike Alternate Option

Well, at least one way to carry a bike, that is... I am a pretty avid cyclist and for a variety of reasons, need to take bikes around places at random times. When i purchased this car~3 months ago, i knew that sorting out bicycle carrying was a requirement to figure out. Prior to purchase, i did some research and planning, and this is going to be where i document that final solution. There are 3 currently fairly viable bike carry solutions, as far as i can tell: Roof Rack : There are two options here - Porsche and Yakima Skyline . I strongly considered this, but ultimately don't like bikes on top (always paranoid i'll drive them into something), and just like the uninterrupted curves of the roofline. However, this is a very classic approach, and nothing wrong with it! "Bird Automotive" : While I'm sure this works, hanging the bike off the top tube, and the general attachment method to the car turned me off. Carry it inside : Some people have been able to partially disassemble their bike, and put the bits and pieces in different parts of the car. Not interested in this. Just want to mount and go. My preference is for a rear mounted "tray" style rack that holds the wheels, so it is super easy to load up the bike and go. This Kuat Piston SR is a very nice example of one. So how to do this? A center mount hitch is out because the exhaust is there and also no one makes a hitch. Pulling off the bumper to expose the options shows: With the crash structure as the most obvious attachment choice. The challenge became figuring out how to go from the crash structure to outside the bumper, and these holes seemed like a great option: So to navigate that path (it isn't a straight down shot, you have to zig zag between the muffler and bumper), i used my phone to 3D scan the area, lining up parts as best i could starting in CAD, and then transferring to CAD. After some adjustments to the fit, I wanted to check the structure with some pretty rainbow pictures and did some quick FEA to make sure things were cool You'll notice the change from round tubes in the cardboard stage to rectangular, and that was a result of the FEA, seeing more deflections than I wanted. The weak spot is the Porsche crash structure mount that is intended to be a crumple zone, but even with a fairly aggressive load (100lb at the end of each tube), I still see a 2X factor of safety at that point. At this point, it was time to 3D print and test fit Make some final tweaks and then rope my coworker who is also a Porsche enthusiast and a master fabricator into welding up some parts and powdercoating them Attention was paid to clearance to the muffler, and any thermal expansion that may happen during spirited driving. Bumper back on and rack mounted Since that last picture, we've cleaned up and powdercoated the rails, and it is a fairly tidy install. When I want to remove the rack, the rails and rack slide out together, leaving the Cayman looking stock. Main thing i need to keep in mind during use is that the pedal closest to the car can hit the bumper, so i just have to hold the pedals in place. The last thing TBD is to figure out how to play nice with the backup sensors as those beep with some concern when the rack is installed (which is most of the time). Cool side note was that on my maiden voyage with the rack, I found myself behind another Porsche who elected to carry his inside on the way to the MTB trails. Thumbs ups were exchanged. That's my rack. Not the easiest path to carrying a bike on a Cayman, but one i'm glad i took.

Very interesting. Did you have to modify the rack as well? How do you secure the rack to the rails when installed?

The rack is designed for a roof rail system, and it just clamps on. We went extra credit and made a block that fits bespoke to the rails, but it wasn’t necessary. Think of it as a roof rack sticking out of the back bumper. The rack is as purchased, so the system can take a different rack if I ever change my rack mind.

Incredible! I use a SeaSucker roof rack and getting the bike on (I have heavy bikes) is such a pain. I also have to use a strap to make sure the pedals stay put and don't hit the roof.

Genius. How do you keep the rails attached after sliding them into the car? I don't see any locks or bolts there. Were you able to refit the heat shield?

aside from mounting heavy bikes being a challenge (as on ANY roof rack), how do you find the sea suckers themselves? I was thinking of picking up a set as a backup if I ever want to be super cool guy and take someone on a ride with me. They’d be easy enough to just toss in the frunk when not in use. Super low priority, though…

Those are two very astute questions. The rails have stops on them to prevent sliding in too far, and then a couple hidden push button spring pins retain it securely from sliding back out. I’m working on a way to get a matching Kuat lock cylinder on the end of the pin for super extra security. for the heat shield, I basically notched it to fit around the bracket, and then used aluminum tape to support the floppy tip, so I feel like I retained full heat shield functionality. TBH, that is probably the least dialed part of the install, but very functional, and it is easy/cheap to get another heat shield (just 5 bolts holding it on, all of which are still used) if I want to refine it more… which I probably won’t.

It looks like you live in the Monterey Bay area? I saw another post of yours at Laguna Seca... I lived in Monterey (and Salinas, and Spreckels, and Ft Ord) some time ago and used to ride around the peninsula on a Bianchi. There was a big group ride every week that I rode in with some friends (I was in the B group and still struggled to keep up). It's an awesome area for driving and riding. I dream of a track day at Laguna. Are you a member of the local PCA?

You got it and found me out. How long ago was that(?), because I’ve frequented the SMR B ride for 12+ years, and there is a good chance we’ve crossed paths if in that time frame. I have yet to join the local PCA chapter. Never really joined a club like that before, but should definitely look into it. Not exactly sure what the cost gets you, though? Spare funds are mostly going to kid colllege stuff, so for the next few years, I’m trying to be a bit more careful with spending. Admittedly really hard with the new (to me) cayman .

I'll second SeaSuckers. I use them for skis but they work well!

I left Monterey in 1999, so probably not. I guess I'm officially old! I'd also venture a guess you're an engineer of some type. I worked at CHOMP for +/- 10 years. I had some flashbacks thinking about it, so I looked up the shop in PG where I bought my bike - Hector at Winning Wheels. Sad to see they closed. I've been a member of the Sacramento Valley chapter for about 2 months. It was something like $60 for a year, I think. Activities vary by area (only as good as the leadership and members who volunteer their time). I've been on a few organized drives through the foothills, and every month they have a Porsche and Pints get together. They also do autocross, which I may give it a go in 2025. Conversely, my BIL in SoCal says his local doesn't do any driving events.

Thanks for this post! Interesting to see the options out there, especially for those members who are mechanically handy. I take my bike's front wheel off and can fit in the the rear hatch of my 987.1 . For fitting, the key (for me) is to turn the handlebars sideways and fit them between the two headrests and position the downward-facing pedal so that it is just below the engine hump. There's plenty of space front-to-back and left-to-right; they difficulty is vertical space and getting the hatch lid closed.

Is it safe to assume this is for a road bike? While most of my time is on the road, probably half my bike carrying is a mountain bike, and modern mountain bikes are loooooong. Do you do anything to protect the interior when you load it up that way?

Find a Saris Gran Fondo rack. They don’t make them anymore. It’s ideal for a hatchback like a Cayman .

I use the Bird bike rack and it is great. Only two small pipes on the car when not carrying the rack. Had the bike on the rack with added D-strap at over 100 mph and no problem.

Bird stopped making racks. If you, or your friend, ever want to make more of those and sell them, I'd be interested.

I think this was a one-off, and not something we’ll go into production with… sorry! Happy to provide more detailed info of what I made if you want to get a fabricator to make it for you.

I successfully used a rockbros suction cup mount, worked great.

i like your style!

Adding to this lengthy post to support the use of Seasucker racks. But not for a mountain bike. I've used them extensively for road and gravel bikes on my Boxster . The Boxster 's rear deck is so small that I ended up with the uber-expensive but oh-so-elegant Komodo. Before I did I started to mod Seasucker's basic rack with a rail purchased off of Amazon and think that is still possible for a mountain bike if you are willing to have substantial overhang off the rear of the car. Not as much of an issue for a sub-20 pound road or gravel bike. In general, however, the Seasucker design is so elegant in that most of the time it can just sit in your trunk or garage, well protected from the elements. And of course you can use the same rack on all your other cars. I spent three decades going through Yakima, Thule, and even in the 1980's LP racks before coming upon the Seasucker. Now I have two of them. I do wish the Komodo was cheaper though!

The Komodo is beautiful though!

I too too use a SeaSucker on my ‘06 Cayman with road, gravel, and mountain bikes. I mount the front portion on the roof and the rear before the wing. Holds tight and tested it going 90 down the hiway. Only issue I have is the large suction cups leave rings on the car that remove with a good cleaning. Great to see such a well thought out option!