I'm in the market for a good quality bike rack for the W123. Has anyone here had any experience with either the Thule or the Yakima racks or have another suggestion?

I have a Thule with the crossroad foot pack for the wagon bars and two Thule bike racks, but I don't like lifting the bikes to the roof. I prefer using a bike rack that inserts into a square hitch.

With a trailer hitch you can use a bike rack that can transport 4 bikes easily and you only lift them about a foot off the ground.

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

I used a Yakima two-pipe for years on my prior W123s and W116. Really bullet proof, I hauled lots of lumber with those racks in addition to bikes and skis.

If your bike is a bit heavy, it can be a little shakey getting it up on the roof and locked into the axle fitting. Plus you have to take the wheel off and then keep the fork out of the dirt. And the wheel's axle out of the dirt.

Ol' Yeller will sport these racks before too long. From the perspective of 15 years later, for a bike, I think I would be inclined to go with a trailer hitch-mount bike rack.

- Neil

The hitch option may be what I end up with but I would do it on the Odyssey instead of the 240D. I really like the look of the rack with the fairing on a W123 but I can take the bikes on long trips if the rack is on the Honda.

I want to post a picture of the bike rack we have on our 240D, but I have to find it in our Picture folder - I took it off for a recent trip to Dallas and haven't put it back on yet
We have a 3 bike rack that attaches to a ball hitch. It allows full use of the trunk, and has been well-loved by the family, including on long camping trips....

We needed capacity for four bikes, but the only 4 bike trailer mounts I found required a square receiver, and we only have the standard w123 ball mount.

The solution was the 3-bike rack and a safari basket on top to hold our daughter's bike so we can travel with all four bikes we have.

The rack was about $100 from Ama$on

__________________

Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

The rack and fairing in the pics of my wagon are great. Very little wind noise and I've had over 100 pounds up there with no problems. The foot pack that grabs the drip rail can support even more weight.

If you get a Thule rack, I'll show you the locking Thule bike racks I have that attach to the cross bars when you are here for the GTG. I'd give you a great deal on both if you like them. I believe they work with other cross bar types as well.

I'll be using my trailer hitch bike rack, so these won't see any use.

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

ive got a yakima which is nice, x2 to above. I use a Thule rooftop cargo carrier as well for skiing on the yakima bars, so a lot of nice thule and yakima stuff will cross mojinate if they have universal clamping systems. A lot of the rest of the year I mount up yakima bike racks to the bars.

Seems to me the only difference between the two brands is going to be squared off bars vs round, otherwise the quality seems very comparable.

My only complaint is that they all require the wind fairing to be quiet and return fuel economy back to normal. Both Yakima and thule are pretty high off the roof, which is nice for hanging things like a snowboard, but it does create a heck of a lot of noise, and both systems are preposterously expensive.

Another forum member purchased "proline" racks, which were way cheaper and closer to the roof, and he said negligible on noise when he did this.

go to post #39 of this thread to see a comparison pic of a 123 with the proline and one with a yakima-
Push bumper

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I had/have the wind fairing for my Yakima rack too. Some low-life stole the fairing. If you do decide to get one, use nyloc nuts to secure it; that way, the thief will need a ratchet and plenty of time. The rack I have attaches very securely to the rain gutters. I used it to carry lumber many times; in fact it might be slightly bent!.

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- Neil
'83 W123 (Ol' Yeller)
'82 HP 34C

Here is our bike rack...it is a Swagman and it holds 3 bikes and attaches to the ball mount

Also, the safari basket is mounted on proline gutter racks....They are pretty quiet, but the end caps all popped off long ago.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________

Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT