Roof Racks for the Mazda5

Rich A. · Dec 2, 2005

This is a continuation of the roof rack discussion already started in the "what made you choose the Mazda5" thread...

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123614114&page=2&pp=15

I'm moving the chat here for the benefit of others who may want to read about the factory roof rack installation. It seemed to be a bit too specific for the other thread. (bike)

Here's a brief summary:
1) the factory rack appears to be made by Thule (square bars, not round).
2) it was very easy to install and looks good.
3) if you feel the urge, you could retrofit longer bars to this rack with a bit of handywork since the factory bars are sort of short.
4) the moonroof can be opened fully with the roof rack installed and with the Rocky Mounts Lariat bike trays mounted on it (www.rockymounts.com or at your local bike shop). However, as the moonroof reaches the fully opened position, it does touch the trays. This could be resolved by placing a washer or two under the rear of the bike tray to raise it up a hair.
5) I'll try and post some pics of this setup tomorrow (Saturday) sometime.

Rich A. · Dec 3, 2005

Rich A. said:
This is a continuation of the roof rack discussion already started in the "what made you choose the Mazda5" thread...

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123614114&page=2&pp=15

I'm moving the chat here for the benefit of others who may want to read about the factory roof rack installation. It seemed to be a bit too specific for the other thread. (bike)

Here's a brief summary:
1) the factory rack appears to be made by Thule (square bars, not round).
2) it was very easy to install and looks good.
3) if you feel the urge, you could retrofit longer bars to this rack with a bit of handywork since the factory bars are sort of short.
4) the moonroof can be opened fully with the roof rack installed and with the Rocky Mounts Lariat bike trays mounted on it (www.rockymounts.com or at your local bike shop). However, as the moonroof reaches the fully opened position, it does touch the trays. This could be resolved by placing a washer or two under the rear of the bike tray to raise it up a hair.
5) I'll try and post some pics of this setup tomorrow (Saturday) sometime.

Here are the pics I took today...

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2189378

Looking at it more carefully, you'd have to raise the rear of the bike trays probably 3/16"-1/4" to avoid any contact at all with the moonroof when it's fully opened since the tray would "rotate" around the front bar as the rear is raised. If you could raise the front of the trays it would require much less height (since the moonroof is closer to the front of the tray), but raising the front would be more difficult. I still don't think the contact will harm anything, but it would be nice to find a good solution just for peace of mind. Maybe I'll just add a spacer of some sort in the rear and live with it.

eting_pro5 · Dec 3, 2005

You could always use the Yakima Boa for your bike mounts. It's a fork mount with no tray. Theres a small (4-6 inch) tray that connects to the rear bar. This way there's nothing for the moonroof to rub on. It mounts to the Thule square bars.

I use them on my Pro5 and love them.

But of course you'll pay Yakima price for it, not Rocky Mounts price.

Rich A. · Dec 3, 2005

eting_pro5 said:
You could always use the Yakima Boa for your bike mounts. It's a fork mount with no tray. Theres a small (4-6 inch) tray that connects to the rear bar. This way there's nothing for the moonroof to rub on. It mounts to the Thule square bars.

I use them on my Pro5 and love them.

But of course you'll pay Yakima price for it, not Rocky Mounts price.

Yes, I thought about one of those racks which would be ideal. I can easily remove the existing tray... then I could try the short rear tray from Yakima. The catch is, my rear tire extends a bit beyond the rear bar and I don't know if those stubby trays can support the load?? I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip!

Roof Racks for the Mazda5

Rich A.

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Rich A.

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eting_pro5

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Rich A.

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