After much research, soul searching and general puttering and prevarication... I ordered a FIAT 500 1.2 Lounge,*DuaLogic Tiptronic Automatic,*with Blue&Me Tom-Tom, in Metallic*Black with*Black interior & Black Ambience, with*all the Chrome bits, except the A-bar! I also 'had' to go for the grey cloth 'Pop' seats... The 'Lounge' cloth mildly irritated me... It looked like it'd catch on things like the studs on jeans! I wanted black leather, but I wanted the under-seat storage more. Anyway... 11 week delivery time, so I'm working my way thru buying bits n bobs on eBay... An Italian flag strip thingy that clips on the back registration plate, keyrings, cargo nets for the boot, phone cradle for the cup holder, several LaCie Imakey USB drives for music, a central armrest cubby thing... I think I've got '500-itis' of some sort... ;o)

Sounds nice. Black on black on black is the only way to go.

I am however having a bit of an issue-
I've ordered the glass roof (I think it's a standard on the Lounge?) anywho- I can't fit a bike rack for my mountain bike on the roof- and my mountain bike frame is too 'chunky' for a bike rack on the boot ( I also have short legs, the seat and handlebars are down to the lowest setting, do I can't add an extra bar to the bike for bike rack mounting!)
Question:
Is there a 'short' roof rack and a short roof box I can put on the roof behind the glass roof, to allow me to put luggage on the roof, and to buy a fold up retro stylee electric bike and shove that in the boot?

I'm not aware of one.

I guess you could have a tow bar fitted and then hang one off that, like this.

RobinPJ said:

I'm not aware of one.

I guess you could have a tow bar fitted and then hang one off that, like this.

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Should improve rear end aerodynamics/stability!

Dingopuppy said:

I am however having a bit of an issue-
I've ordered the glass roof (I think it's a standard on the Lounge?) anywho- I can't fit a bike rack for my mountain bike on the roof- and my mountain bike frame is too 'chunky' for a bike rack on the boot ( I also have short legs, the seat and handlebars are down to the lowest setting, do I can't add an extra bar to the bike for bike rack mounting!)
Question:
Is there a 'short' roof rack and a short roof box I can put on the roof behind the glass roof, to allow me to put luggage on the roof, and to buy a fold up retro stylee electric bike and shove that in the boot?

Click to expand...

Welcome to the FF.

A key factor in opting for a proper tin top i.e. Street, Pop model allows you to fit a better roof rack e.g. thule do one. That said the North American 500 has further re-enforcing in the roof and Fiat sell one as an accessory over there. On the current line-up Fiat do not sell one for the 500 - so there's probably a reasoning behind that. On the MiTo there was a mistake on the carrying capacity of the roof in the manual & all it can carry is 40kg. Some cars with built in proper roof racks can carry 75kgs. The 500 manual is vague on this and no specific weight is given. On balance I prefer the tow bar approach suggested by PJ but I would not like the ugly look of one on a 500 but it might be preferable to some possible hatch damage with some of the other options (I've seen none reported). Would you consider changing your order to a tin top ?:idea:

Below are the results of a bit of searching on the FF and a bit elsewhere...

It was initially thought that if you had no spoiler then a boot rack could be strapped on…
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/201344-roof-bars-roof-bike-rack-roof-box-pic.html?p=2377611
Bike fits inside with the front wheel off (it worked for me with the front seat pushed ‘leaning forward’ – not so good if you have a passenger)…
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/210539-bike-back.html
A500 with the spoiler…
http://www.abarthforum.co.uk/500-abarth/bike-rack-on-500-with-pics/
If you really have to put a roof rack on a Lounge there is the La PreAlpina roof rack…
https://www.fiatforum.com/500/271549-fiat-500-lounge-roofbars-box-4.html?p=2790198

The Saris bones bike rack as shown on the Abarth is a very solid piece of kit, but any boot mounted rack that attaches with straps will inevitably mark the paintwork where the catches hook over the tailgate and where the nylon straps contact the paint. The only safe way to carry bikes on the back of a car (without marking it) is on a towbar mounted rack. You could fit a detachable towbar with single electrics which swing up out of the way (I have one on my Volvo) but it will be expensive £200 - £400 for the towbar plus £200 plus for a 2 bike rack. I recommend the Atera ones as shown on the Suzuki - I have a 4 bike one and it's a brilliant piece of kit. For more ideas have a look at these people http://www.roofbox.co.uk/

stu0710 said:

The Saris bones bike rack as shown on the Abarth is a very solid piece of kit, but any boot mounted rack that attaches with straps will inevitably mark the paintwork where the catches hook over the tailgate and where the nylon straps contact the paint. The only safe way to carry bikes on the back of a car (without marking it) is on a towbar mounted rack. You could fit a detachable towbar with single electrics which swing up out of the way (I have one on my Volvo) but it will be expensive £200 - £400 for the towbar plus £200 plus for a 2 bike rack. I recommend the Atera ones as shown on the Suzuki - I have a 4 bike one and it's a brilliant piece of kit. For more ideas have a look at these people http://www.roofbox.co.uk/

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Thanks for that link stu0710. If you had a choice between a tow bar mounted roof rack or a roof mounted rack on a 500 (without the glass roof) which would you opt for ?

I'd go for a tow bar, because then you can always buy, borrow or hire a trailer or even a little caravan.

Wow!
You lot are very quick with good advice- much better than the BMW 3series cabrio forum lot!
I like the la prairie (I thought they made makeup!) roof rack as its removable and no damage to car... (!?)
I think maybe the towbar and lights combo works best for me, as I could get a removable towbar like our Freelander2 I guess... I can't imagine pulling anything... Mind one of those teeny teardrop caravans would be cute! Haha!

La prairie!
Tuttut!
La prealpina!!

Dingopuppy said:

La prairie!
Tuttut!
La prealpina!!

Click to expand...

Dingopuppy said:

I like the la prairie (I thought they made makeup!) roof rack as its removable and no damage to car... (!?)

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There's a speed restriction on the use of the La Prealpina rack to 56mph.

Imagine that it's suitable for 'occasional' use but if you were a regular mountain biker or you were inclined to put on an electric bike, a proper roof and thule set up would be preferable OR the tow bar as previously mentioned.

I really only use the bike when I go down to Manchester or London... Hmmm... This is getting more complicated! I may just leave my bike IN Manchester!

Depending on your cycling needs, you could go for a folding bike and pop it in the boot?

As well as the usual suspects, Fiat actually make one, but it seems a bit pricey at £439 (and a bit, well, limp wristed):



http://www.fiat-accessories.com/Fiat-500-Bike-Lounge

Definitely the tow bar as it's less strain on your back, on the car and less chance of damaging the car loading the bikes on (plus a lot more fuel efficient). Also less chance of failing to notice a height restrictor on a car-park entrance as my brother in law found out the hard way - nearly £2k worth of damage to his car. On a bike blog I follow someone had recently driven into there garage with 2 carbon framed road bikes (at around $3K each) on the roof of their car - ouch!

Boom! Well, here we are in 2014 and I've just ordered my new 500!
The only regret I had was I didn't buy the convertible- so when the dealer wrote to offer me £750 fiat contribution, £750 loyalty contribution and then £800 off, it seemed too good not to get the regret 'deregretted' the end result is I hand back my 2012 and get a brand new identical spec, plus climate, fancy digital instrument cluster and parking sensors (why?) 2014 convertible and I keep paying exactly the same monthly payment. Yay! In othe news my insurance is £100 a year less. Go figure!

Dingopuppy said:

Boom! Well, here we are in 2014 and I've just ordered my new 500!
The only regret I had was I didn't buy the convertible- so when the dealer wrote to offer me £750 fiat contribution, £750 loyalty contribution and then £800 off, it seemed too good not to get the regret 'deregretted' the end result is I hand back my 2012 and get a brand new identical spec, plus climate, fancy digital instrument cluster and parking sensors (why?) 2014 convertible and I keep paying exactly the same monthly payment. Yay! In othe news my insurance is £100 a year less. Go figure!

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Cool did you mean "here we are in 2015"?
Meanwhile, while you enjoy your new car, a little boy waits. (in Australia) Waiting for his 2013 model to arrive, judging from recent posts on here

How did you resolve the bike problem in the end - and will the same solution work on the 500C?

-Alex

Hahaha! OMG! Yes 2015!! Hahaha! Oh dear oh dear oh dear!
I never found a solution to the bike rack solution!
The nearest idea seemed to be putting a towbar hook on with a mount on that!
In the end I gave up- I've got a Freelander2 as well, and it's got room for 4 bikes on a boot mounted one from eBay.
I'd still like one for the 500- i was even thinking of getting a folding mountain bike but even that seemed like it wouldn't work- looks like there is no bike rack solution that works for me.
Enjoy your new 500- your first?
May I recommend a central armrest off eBay- there's a dearth of storage in the little things.
WAIT till you try to think what to put in the little cubby on the drivers side of the central dash console- I can't even get the beeper for my electric gates in it! Haha!

Welcome to Fiat Forums !

Well- here she is, my brand spanking new FIAT 500 1.2 Lounge Convertible. Am totally happy- welcome to 'Nuova'