Just got an R56. I don't feel good about the Mini-made things in the brochures for bike carriage, so is there any advice out there for safely, securely hauling bikes behind the rear boot of (rather than on top of) the Mini? Many thanks!
MINI FINI also has a line of very good products. And Welcome to Motoring Alliance, thanks for joining.
I used a couple of different hatch mounted racks with no problems on my R56. The last one I had was a Saris. They have some things (that I never used actually) that take the strap hook load off the top edge of the hatch and move it inside. Their website is http://www.saris.com but it doesn't seem to be working right now for me. On our current Clubman we have the MINI crossbars and three RockyMounts bike carriers (the fork-mount kind where you remove a wheel). This setup has been fantastic. The bikes are held solidly, can be locked on, and aren't blocking rear vision or boot access. I'm surprised by how quiet the whole thing is too. I fitted the crossbars myself, they aren't difficult to get on. We don't have the roof rails so they are the gutter mount kind. No idea how hard they are to take off, we're leaving them on so we can haul the Xmas tree in December. They also came in handy to bring home a giant wheelbarrow! The guy at Lowes gave me a really strange look... I know you said you didn't want on top, but it's been great for us.