How to remove a Fiamma bike rack?

[acropolis22]

I've done a search for this, but nothing helpful comes up. It's a Fiamma Carry Bike Pro C. Does anyone know of any videos that clearly show how the bottom brackets are released? I think you somehow release a nut and bolt from each side, pull out the bottom fixings and then the top fixings just lift off. But when I remove the caps from the bottom fixings, I can't actually see anything that would unscrew.

 

[Conal]

If it is the same as mine, the brackets that hold the rack to the rear of the motorhome are permanent.

 

[Janine]

If it is the same as mine, the brackets that hold the rack to the rear of the motorhome are permanent.

Mine is the same with the added bonus of having to hacksaw the mounts off because of the contour if the body.

 

[acropolis22]

If it is the same as mine, the brackets that hold the rack to the rear of the motorhome are permanent.

Sorry, not clear enough. Just want to remove the rack. Not the mounting points.

 

[Phill D]

To remove the rack you normally remove bottom bolts and tilt the rack to lift off the top brackets.
After removing the plastic covers.
It is a bit of a faff as the top has a tapered and shaped slot to negotiate.
You need to carefully tilt and lift a bit at a time and a little lubricant helps as the alloy will probably have surface corrosion.

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[acropolis22]

To remove the rack you normally remove bottom bolts and tilt the rack to lift off the top brackets.
After removing the plastic covers.
It is a bit of a faff as the top has a tapered and shaped slot to negotiate.
You need to carefully tilt and lift a bit at a time and a little lubricant helps as the alloy will probably have surface corrosion.

Yep. I'm stuck at removing the bolts. I got one out, a real struggle. The other one won't budge. They seem to be a friction fit with no way to get started. Rubbish design?

 

[Phill D]

Yep. I'm stuck at removing the bolts. I got one out, a real struggle. The other one won't budge. They seem to be a friction fit with no way to get started. Rubbish design?

They have Nylock nuts in most cases, I would either split the nut , or cut the bolt. you may damage the bolt but they are cheap enough for stainless on flea bay.

 

[acropolis22]

They have Nylock nuts in most cases, I would either split the nut , or cut the bolt. you may damage the bolt but they are cheap enough for stainless on flea bay.

I cannot see any nuts. The end of the bolt is hidden. The one I removed was very long, and just a friction fit. After a lot of fiddling I managed to get hold of the visible end with a pair of pliers, and slowly pulled it out. No thread on the end and no nut. Guess I'll just have to fiddle the second one out like the first, but having no luck so far.

 

[Phill D]

I cannot see any nuts. The end of the bolt is hidden. The one I removed was very long, and just a friction fit. After a lot of fiddling I managed to get hold of the visible end with a pair of pliers, and slowly pulled it out. No thread on the end and no nut. Guess I'll just have to fiddle the second one out like the first, but having no luck so far.

Don’t know that type is it Thule or fiamma

 

[acropolis22]

Don’t know that type is it Thule or fiamma

Fiamma Carry Bike Pro C

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[Phill D]

Fiamma Carry Bike Pro C

I thought that model had a single bolt down through each bottom tube with a nylock nut on the end.

I am obviously mistaken. Does the pin protrude out of the bottom so could be persuaded a little

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

If it's Fiamma the bolts are of the coach bolt type with no discernible means of turning it, this is because there is a square bit under the head which engages in a corresponding square hole the bracket. Ie it's not meant to turn. At the other end there should be a nut (probably Nyloc) under the plastic cover. Unscrew the nut until it almost off the bolt then give it a tap with a small hammer which should ease the bolt out. If it is still tight remove the nut and use a pin drift or smaller diameter bolt to drive it out.

 

[rb62]

It sounds like you have got the long bolt 'Q' out of the one side,the other one should come out but as it is a steel bolt in an alloy tube it can take some doing!

 

[acropolis22]

It sounds like you have got the long bolt 'Q' out of the one side,the other one should come out but as it is a steel bolt in an alloy tube it can take some doing!

View attachment 656194

Yep. That's exactly it. None of the other suggestions make any sense, because as I've said, there is no access to the end of the bolts. There is no thread on the one I removed, and there was no nut on the end. It's just an annoying design, which presumably made sense to the idiot that designed it. It's really hard to get hold of the head of the bolt. Once I did that, it came out eventually. The other one is more jammed in. I was hoping someone would have a really clever trick to simplify the process. Looks like I'll just have to keep swearing at it.

 

[rb62]

Yep. That's exactly it. None of the other suggestions make any sense, because as I've said, there is no access to the end of the bolts. There is no thread on the one I removed, and there was no nut on the end. It's just an annoying design, which presumably made sense to the idiot that designed it. It's really hard to get hold of the head of the bolt. Once I did that, it came out eventually. The other one is more jammed in. I was hoping someone would have a really clever trick to simplify the process. Looks like I'll just have to keep swearing at it.

I had exactly the same,luckily the first one came out easily so I knew they should come out! the second took ages when I did get it out the rack took some getting off as it had distorted so it never went back on.

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[62272]

I have the same rack and remove mine after each trip to keep in the garage (home garage).

The grey plastic nut covers need to be prised off with a flat bladed screw driver (carefully). This gives you access to the 8 mm hex nylock nuts, which simply unbolt (as it is a long thin coach bolt, recessed into the bottom bracket).

Remove the two long nuts through the bottom and lift the frame off the top hook brackets.

unless i’ve missed something in your explanation of your problem?

 

[acropolis22]

unless i’ve missed something in your explanation of your problem?

Thanks for trying to help, but you probably haven't read the whole thread. I did say several times the bolts have no thread and there are no nuts. I guess it's a different model to yours.

 

[62272]

Thanks for trying to help, but you probably haven't read the whole thread. I did say several times the bolts have no thread and there are no nuts. I guess it's a different model to yours.

Sorry . They must have changed them, it seemed like an obvious theft point to me as only takes me 5 mins to remove it.

You’ll probably have to cut the bolts off and fit standard ones.

 

[acropolis22]

In case it helps anyone, here are a couple of pix to show what I've been fighting with. The pins that I finally managed to extract are 10 cms long, with a circular head, no threads, and therefore are not held in with nuts. The ends, when in place, are not visible or accessible, so cannot be bashed or levered out. The ridiculous design appears to rely on friction to hold the pins in place. As it happens, this seems to work pretty well. Too well in fact. Since the diameter of the pin head is exactly the same as the outer diameter of the channel the pin fits into, it's really hard to get hold of it to pull it out. Needed copious amounts of WD40 and hammering a flat bladed screwdriver into the hairline crack separating the head of the pin from it's channel to get it started. In the first picture, the pin is the circular object at the 9 o'clock position inside the end of the mounting rail.

 

[intokenny]

In case it helps anyone, here are a couple of pix to show what I've been fighting with. The pins that I finally managed to extract are 10 cms long, with a circular head, no threads, and therefore are not held in with nuts. The ends, when in place, are not visible or accessible, so cannot be bashed or levered out. The ridiculous design appears to rely on friction to hold the pins in place. As it happens, this seems to work pretty well. Too well in fact. Since the diameter of the pin head is exactly the same as the outer diameter of the channel the pin fits into, it's really hard to get hold of it to pull it out. Needed copious amounts of WD40 and hammering a flat bladed screwdriver into the hairline crack separating the head of the pin from it's channel to get it started. In the first picture, the pin is the circular object at the 9 o'clock position inside the end of the mounting rail.

I just did mine yesterday, but had to leave the bottom supporting bar on, it does leave 2 holes in the bar, but there is a place in Budleigh Salterton called "Fiamma products online" where you can buy with postage for about £14. 10, to cover them up. Meant to add once the covers are off those 2 pins, i had to use a flat edged screwdriver to leaver them out, the wd40 certainly helped though.

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[Speve]

Could you get a pair if pincers onto the head they might enable a better pull than pliers
Looks like a poxy way of holding it together?

 

[acropolis22]

Could you get a pair if pincers onto the head they might enable a better pull than pliers
Looks like a poxy way of holding it together?

Yeah, there are a few ways to do it. It's only a tiny head, so quite difficult to get a grip whatever you do. As you say, really poxy design.

 

[IRHP]

You've probably sorted it out by now but there should be a clip which holds the long pin in place it's held in with a torx head self tapper. You don't see one in the pic. It screws into the tube at the back of the pin/ bolt head and stops it coming out

 

[acropolis22]

You've probably sorted it out by now but there should be a clip which holds the long pin in place it's held in with a torx head self tapper. You don't see one in the pic. It screws into the tube at the back of the pin/ bolt head and stops it coming out

Thanks, but nothing like that on mine. There seem to be a lot of variations of design. See above for how I sorted it.

 

[IRHP]

Thanks, but nothing like that on mine. There seem to be a lot of variations of design. See above for how I sorted it.

I don't think these pins would come out without some help but you can see the clips I'm talking about in the pic

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[acropolis22]

I don't think these pins would come out without some help but you can see the clips I'm talking about in the pic

Interesting. As I said, mine didn't have those. Once the clips are out, can you get hold of the pins to remove them? That was the biggest problem. The pins sit flush with the tube that they are in, and there was nothing to get hold of. Daft design.

 

[IRHP]

Interesting. As I said, mine didn't have those. Once the clips are out, can you get hold of the pins to remove them? That was the biggest problem. The pins sit flush with the tube that they are in, and there was nothing to get hold of. Daft design.

There was a slight gap in one where I could push in a knife blade and lever it to get it moving, the others I grabbed with pliers and could twist as I was pulling outwards, tge dud come out quite easily though. As said previously, stainless steel in a aluminium housing isn't going to go well. A bit of Duralac on them would be a good idea.