Need pics of bikes on factory roof rack

[bax08]

I'm looking to put a road bike on my 2003 base vibe. I will probably purchase the accessories from Yakima. I've seen set ups such as this http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=32320. I'd like to mount the 4 lowriders on the factory side rails. I assume if I do this and have the bike facing forward I'm not going to be able to open the hatch with the bike mounted on the roof, correct? Anyone have pictures of various set ups with bikes mounted on the roof? Just want to see what my options are before I go buying anything.

[bull77]

I'm using the gm roof rack (thule) with some SportRack bike racks. One actually snapped on me last summer so I'm looking into getting Thule replacements. With the bikes on top I can only open the hatch about 1/2 way --- put a dent on the top of the hatch when I opened it fully If you adjust the rack you can have the bike face towards the front which allows the hatch to be opened a little further.

[file014]

on my 09 I got the trailer hitch bike rack and can open my hatch fully (with my particular rack). Its a little tougher with the bikes mounted to open it, but not impossible. Just have to shimmy the hatch past the handlebars. not sure if it works on an 03-08 model though.

[skimaxpower]

So here's the skinny,The Vibe Factory bars (Thule) are designed to work with a fork-mount bike rack, mounted facing backwards. This allows you to open the trunk all the way. It doesn't allow you to carry more than two bikes, or orient your bikes facing forward. Here's a picture from Pontiac: The solution Bax08 linked to (with the yakima rack) works well, and allows you to do a lot more with your rack. Personally, I went a similar route, but with Thule components. My setup on 2007 base Vibe

[bax08]

Thanks for the replys!Skimaxpower - Do you have a sunroof? That's my only concern going with a set up similar to yours or the one I linked to, as I have a sunroof. Not sure if this would even be a big deal or not.I'm definitely going with a fork mount. I'm glad to see that I can mount the bikes backwards using the factory side rail & fork mount bike tray and still open the hatch.