Taycan Cross Turismo Bicycle Rack Install - DIY Video

[ngl1145]

For some reason I posted this last week and I checked today and it was gone. Here's an installation video I did for the Porsche Bike rack for the Cross Turismo. Hope anyone contemplating this finds it useful.

Part number for bike rack bag 9J1-044-801-11
Part number for bike rack 9J0-813-601-A

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[Stan]

Thanks for creating and posting the video Nicholas.
It was really informative seeing the Porsche bike carrier up close and in action.
I just picked up my Cross Turismo and was planning on building the bike carrier that's been detailed on this forum, though my dealer has an 'open box' bike carrier discounted at $3000CAN (instead of $3800CAN).
As a Cervelo gravel bike owner, I would have liked to see you mount your Cervelo!

A couple questions:
- Are you worried about one of the mount points being on your frame as opposed to the racks that only contact the wheels?
- It looks pretty heavy - I assume that you leave it in the bag on the ground in your garage?
- Any weak points or any areas of concern as far as durability?
- I'm curious how far back the rear bike sits relative to the car - could you measure from the center of the rear bumper or license plate back to the tire channel for the rear bike?

Thanks,
Stan

 

[ngl1145]

Hello Stan, congratulations on the Cross Turismo. So far I love mine and it's been great on family trips.

If I had the choice, I prefer mounting from the wheels. When I had my Macan GTS, I had a rack that mounted by the wheels and felt comfortable with the stability of the road bikes. However, because the Cross Turismo doesn't have a tow hitch receiver, I had to either go with the custom mount (shown in the classifieds section) or the Porsche mount. Because I had a trip that I needed my bikes, I ended up just ordering the Porsche one. If I need to, I could easily disassemble and put it back in the storage bag (which was extra) and store it in my trunk. With the custom ones that are offered in the for sale section, I'm not sure how easy it is to install and remove. With the Porsche one, I could easily remove it in minutes.

I did buy the Thule carbon protector that I use on my Trek Fuel EXE Mountain bike. It does a great job of preventing frame rub against the straps (which also have rubber guards). I've taken my bikes on many trips and they look extremely stable.

Weak points. Well I did have a post before I re-posted this. I know someone had asked a similar question and posted pictures. I never had the chance to respond before the post disappeared. This is my 2nd Porsche Bike rack. I had ordered from Sunset Porsche. The first bike rack came broken at the right joint which allows you to open the wheel tray. I was surprised to receive a broken part from Porsche. When I looked at it I was thinking how could this possibly break. I did get my second one which seemed to be packaged better. This time the rack seemed like it was in much better shipping condition than the first box. If anything, I would say the plastic tray joints which allow you to fold and unfold the carrier would be the week point. Because mine doesn't have an issue, I can't report anything bad yet.

Next time I mount the bike carrier, I'll measure the distance. It does prevent you from accident opening your trunk with your key. Once you plug the lights into the electrical socket connector, it will pop the trunk but will not open electronically. You need to push on the pedal which allows the rack to lean backwards so you can have full access to your trunk.

Hope that helps Stan. If there's anything else you want to see I can always make a video to demo it. This was the most expensive bike rack I've ever bought.

This does fit into your trunk even with the bag. Has the perfect width so you can put it away.

Next time I'll mount the Cervelo. I have the S5 road bike. That's great to hear you have their gravel bike. I did own a Cervelo Aspero but sold it because I didn't ride it enough.

Cheers,
Nicholas

 

[ngl1145]

Stan here's a picture I found on the side closer to the trunk of the car with the bike mounted.

 

[Jasper4S]

Thanks for creating and posting the video Nicholas.
It was really informative seeing the Porsche bike carrier up close and in action.
I just picked up my Cross Turismo and was planning on building the bike carrier that's been detailed on this forum, though my dealer has an 'open box' bike carrier discounted at $3000CAN (instead of $3800CAN).
As a Cervelo gravel bike owner, I would have liked to see you mount your Cervelo!

A couple questions:
- Are you worried about one of the mount points being on your frame as opposed to the racks that only contact the wheels?
- It looks pretty heavy - I assume that you leave it in the bag on the ground in your garage?
- Any weak points or any areas of concern as far as durability?
- I'm curious how far back the rear bike sits relative to the car - could you measure from the center of the rear bumper or license plate back to the tire channel for the rear bike?

Thanks,
Stan

Anser for your second question; it is not that heavy. I have wall mounted it. I can lift it by myself.

 

[SparkTaycan]

Awesome video Nicholas!
The rack install looks super clean with the Cross Turismo’s hatch. I’m surprised how well it clears the rear camera—did you have to tweak the angle to avoid obstruction?

 

[snstevens]

Terrific video! Thank you for posting this

Could you talk a little bit about your experience backing up? I’m assuming the camera is of no use whatsoever, but do any of the safety systems automatically turn off?

 

[Stan]

Stan here's a picture I found on the side closer to the trunk of the car with the bike mounted.

Thanks for the pics Nicholas. I just had a thought regarding the clamping of the carbon top tube. You don't actually need to clamp tightly to hold the bike since the clamp wraps around the tube. It just needs to be relatively snug to keep the bike from tipping one way or another, so there shouldn't be a risk of damaging the bike frame.
Stan

 

[ngl1145]

Awesome video Nicholas!
The rack install looks super clean with the Cross Turismo’s hatch. I’m surprised how well it clears the rear camera—did you have to tweak the angle to avoid obstruction?

When you reverse with the rack on, you just get an obstructed view in the back. Next time I mount it, I'll take a picture of what it looks like. I had the rack on my car for a while. When I took it off my wife said it feels weird without the rack on the car. The Taycan CT is a long car. When you have the rack on, you need to find the right parking spots or you'll stick out.

 

[ngl1145]

Thanks for the pics Nicholas. I just had a thought regarding the clamping of the carbon top tube. You don't actually need to clamp tightly to hold the bike since the clamp wraps around the tube. It just needs to be relatively snug to keep the bike from tipping one way or another, so there shouldn't be a risk of damaging the bike frame.
Stan

Thanks Stan. I have been cautious with some of my bikes so I bought that Thule carbon protector just in case case. It does come with some rubber pieces that prevent the harder plastic strap from scratching the bike tube.

 

[ngl1145]

Terrific video! Thank you for posting this

Could you talk a little bit about your experience backing up? I’m assuming the camera is of no use whatsoever, but do any of the safety systems automatically turn off?

The camera is on and you can see the bikes or rack when reversing. You still get a 360 type view which gives you an idea if you're going into the spot properly. You just don't get the normal view as the camera is blocked by the bikes.

When the lights are plugged in, it disables your lane departure warning system. It tell you LCA is not available when the bike rack is plugged in.

I bought a Velosock for my e-mountain bike. In the event it rains, I cover it so the debris from the road doesn't get into the components. If you do that, it's nice that the Porsche rack has the lights out back. This cover and the bike completely block the tail lights on the Taycan. I know on another post hearing people saying they don't need it in the US, however it's a safety thing.

 

[jwvbeek]

I recently leased a new Taycan Sport Turismo after previously owning a Taycan 4S sedan. The main reason I chose the Sport Turismo was to make it easier to bring our bikes on longer trips to the Alps, about 1,000 km. With my sedan, having the bikes mounted on the roof reduced the range quite significantly, by about 30 percent.

With the Sport Turismo and the Porsche rear bike carrier, I have completed one long weekend trip so far, and I am now on holiday with my family in the Austrian Alps also with the bike on the rear carrier.

My experience with the Porsche bike rack has been positive so far. The range reduction is much smaller so no longer a real issue, which is also helped by the improved range of the J1.2 version. The rear bike carrier is also easy to install and remove.

I did have to get used to the fact that the bike rack tends to wiggle at higher speeds, although this seems to be the case with most rear mounted racks.

Especially for my mountain bike with its longer wheelbase, XL size with slack geometry, the tire rails feel a bit short.

I also use the Thule carbon frame protector, but I have attached it to the frame near the seat post rather than on the top tube.

One thing that annoyed me at first is that the carrier needs to be clicked in very firmly to prevent it from tilting backward while driving. During my first trip, I had to stop 3 times because it tilted accidentally. Now I make sure to push it in firmly and double check that the bike rack is locked in place

 

[perski]

Hello Stan, congratulations on the Cross Turismo. So far I love mine and it's been great on family trips.

If I had the choice, I prefer mounting from the wheels. When I had my Macan GTS, I had a rack that mounted by the wheels and felt comfortable with the stability of the road bikes. However, because the Cross Turismo doesn't have a tow hitch receiver, I had to either go with the custom mount (shown in the classifieds section) or the Porsche mount. Because I had a trip that I needed my bikes, I ended up just ordering the Porsche one. If I need to, I could easily disassemble and put it back in the storage bag (which was extra) and store it in my trunk. With the custom ones that are offered in the for sale section, I'm not sure how easy it is to install and remove. With the Porsche one, I could easily remove it in minutes.

I did buy the Thule carbon protector that I use on my Trek Fuel EXE Mountain bike. It does a great job of preventing frame rub against the straps (which also have rubber guards). I've taken my bikes on many trips and they look extremely stable.

Weak points. Well I did have a post before I re-posted this. I know someone had asked a similar question and posted pictures. I never had the chance to respond before the post disappeared. This is my 2nd Porsche Bike rack. I had ordered from Sunset Porsche. The first bike rack came broken at the right joint which allows you to open the wheel tray. I was surprised to receive a broken part from Porsche. When I looked at it I was thinking how could this possibly break. I did get my second one which seemed to be packaged better. This time the rack seemed like it was in much better shipping condition than the first box. If anything, I would say the plastic tray joints which allow you to fold and unfold the carrier would be the week point. Because mine doesn't have an issue, I can't report anything bad yet.

Next time I mount the bike carrier, I'll measure the distance. It does prevent you from accident opening your trunk with your key. Once you plug the lights into the electrical socket connector, it will pop the trunk but will not open electronically. You need to push on the pedal which allows the rack to lean backwards so you can have full access to your trunk.

Hope that helps Stan. If there's anything else you want to see I can always make a video to demo it. This was the most expensive bike rack I've ever bought.

This does fit into your trunk even with the bag. Has the perfect width so you can put it away.

Next time I'll mount the Cervelo. I have the S5 road bike. That's great to hear you have their gravel bike. I did own a Cervelo Aspero but sold it because I didn't ride it enough.

Cheers,
Nicholas

I can confirm that the hinges for the plastic trays are a weak point. Mine broke, but I got a new one on warranty.

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/defect-bike-carrier-no-guaranty-says-porsche.17673/

Important to put pressure on the back arch when you flip them, as per the helpful picture they´ve now included on the racks.

 

[ngl1145]

I can confirm that the hinges for the plastic trays are a weak point. Mine broke, but I got a new one on warranty.

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/defect-bike-carrier-no-guaranty-says-porsche.17673/

Important to put pressure on the back arch when you flip them, as per the helpful picture they´ve now included on the racks.

Yes I agree with your statement about the plastic hinges. I installed mine on the car again yesterday. I was tempted to put a heavier e-bike on it but decided not to. If you put a heavy bike on it, it creates more stress on that plastic hinges. They should have made these metal. If you put a bike that doesn't weigh much, I don't see too much of an issue. At $3000 for the rack, I'm careful on what I put on it.

How did yours break? Did it break as you unfolded it or did it break while in use with the bike on top?

 

[perski]

Yes I agree with your statement about the plastic hinges. I installed mine on the car again yesterday. I was tempted to put a heavier e-bike on it but decided not to. If you put a heavy bike on it, it creates more stress on that plastic hinges. They should have made these metal. If you put a bike that doesn't weigh much, I don't see too much of an issue. At $3000 for the rack, I'm careful on what I put on it.

How did yours break? Did it break as you unfolded it or did it break while in use with the bike on top?

Mine broke when folding in the trays after use - of course they might already have been weakened at that point. I never put any heavy e-bikes on it though. The most important thing is to never use any force when folding them. Problem is that the whole contraption is a bit over-complicated with all the hinges and latches, resulting in the folding mechanism being a bit finicky at times.

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