Bike racks?

My previous vehicle had a bike rack that plugged right into the trailer hitch

I saw another thread on roof mounted Thule racks but my wife said she couldn't manage that

Anyone found a working rear mount bike rack they like ( or dislike ) ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBK8pUPWu2A

There is one company that posted here maybe 6-8 months ago that is making a trailer hitch for the i3. If you have the parking assist package, keep in mind that nearly anything you put on the back of the car is going to cause the alarms to be going off anytime you're in reverse, plus a short time after switching to going forward. Plus, where the camera is, assuming you have that, you'd probably block your view considerably. While maybe not a solution for everyone, I put mine inside where, generally until the snow flies, it also gets stored unless I need the rear seats for something else...locked up, out of the weather.

See torkliftcentral.com for trailer hitch. Works great for me. Yes you do have to turn off the parking sensors (button by parking brake) but you can have up to 4 bikes on the back of car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdkFKHqrvYk

Sorry to hijack the thread, but on a related note, does anybody have a recommendation for a shop to install the torkliftcentral system on an i3 in the San Francisco Bay Area?

I'm a little late to the question, but I ride a 63 cm super six with an extended stem (so it's a really big bike), and it fits provided the front wheel is off (easy, of course), and there is no second bike (or passenger); that's the problem.

I recently purchased a Seasucker mini bomber and a Thule 9003. Since the car is a lease, I couldn't cut the bumper cover for the hitch mount mentioned above. I was able to get two bikes in the back, but didnt appreciate the care necessary to prevent marks on the light interior or the noise inside while driving. Most secure option, of course. See photos and videos below in my iCloud album.

I thought the Seasucker was very stable and very easy to install. Almost no roll or flex in the roof. Takes a minute to wipe the dust off the roof and two minutes to install. Easier if you have a step stool or are tall. I placed the center two suction cups just aft of the windshield, where the top seems the most solid. I had no issues loading two bikes on it and traveling down the highway. Very easy to remove (30 seconds) and stow. My only issue is my wife can't help me load the bikes as it is too high for her. I didn't get the front wheel mounts, so the wheels were inside of the car.
I tried two different mounting methods on the 9003 to avoid damaging the hatch or the spoiler. First was to loop tie down loops through themselves around the hatch hinge. That worked nicely, but the flat hooks on the bike carrier really should be on a rectangular ring. Someone with a sewing machine could easily make some awesome straps with old seat belts. The lower straps could go to holes in the plastic under tray below the bumper cover. I used cloth to protect the paint on the bumper. Seemed plenty secure.
Improved method was I used child safety seat head tethers (about $10 each on eBay) to thread above and below the hatch. The ones I bought on eBay had the rectangular rings, adjustment, soft 2 inch straps and a clip that secured to the hard mounted rings just inside the hatch. I bought 4 in case they weren't long enough. Only needed two! It takes about 3 minutes to mount and ready the straps and another couple of minutes to mount the Thule. Position is plenty high to clear the roadway even when going through dips.
Very solid and doesn't seem to deform the plastic much at all.

As loading the Thule is much easier, I think I'll keep it and resell the SeaSucker.

I have no opinion yet on effect on aerodynamics or noise. Just wanted you to know it's possible and secure.













Short video of SeaSucker https://youtu.be/HlCwim456Wg

Link to album and videos: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0nG6XBubgGCWh

@SoCal2017i3 / George Round, it would be super if you can share your experience with your Thule solution and if you can show more pix on how you connected the straps inside the hatch.

Background: on my i3 I have a custom made carrier from Paulchen (Germany) that costs around $750.
My friend just bought his first i3 and a simple Thule hatch bike rack (freeway 3), but to hang the hooks on the plastic spoiler feels way too unsafe.
If your (longer term) experience with a simple / cheap "live hack" is good, it would be a great solution not just for my friend but for many i3 owners that want to go electric even when carrying bikes.
He needs to return his rack within 2 max weeks (if no solution) so would be great if you could give short reaction before.