Bike carriers
- tuco
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Bike carriers
Postby tuco » Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:35 pm
I saw some in Anaconda which I think were about $80 or $90? They attached to the tow bar and held two bikes at the top bar. I couldn't see how the bikes would be stopped from hitting together and I assume the front wheels would have to be secured somehow.
I know I could have asked but I'm getting tired of asking what are basically school kids questions which they don't know the answer to. Most of the staff there didn't have a licence so they wouldn't know which was best. Don't get me started about trying to get a battery for a cordless phone at Dick Smith today. I'm a qualified electronic guy and they know nothing. They couldn't even spell elektronik! Anyhow, back to the issue.
I'm don't need one until next year due to holidays coming up but what made me post is I saw a guy in the car park outside work with a bike tied vertically to a roof rack with the front wheel off.
The tow bar idea seems easier and would mean having to clean fewer insects off the bike but the roof mount rack looks very secure and aerodynamic.
Has anyone had experience with bike carriers?
- europa
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Postby europa » Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:56 pm
A tow bar mounted one that stayed under the towball all the time - don't get them, they're a pain in the bum so my old girl now gets clamped to a saw horse as my workshop stand (works brilliantly).
Roof rack mounts - whip out the front wheel etc. They are very good and I've carried two bikes at highway speeds for three hours that way, but they are a pain to use and you have to do something with the front wheel. Besides, I was always scared I'd forget the bikes were there and drive in under something
The next one was a tow bar one, but this had a base that stayed under the tow ball and you could take the carrier off. Very good. The carrier would drop into two tubes on the base and was secured by a pair of big bolts with plastic handles. A bit of a nuisance but very secure (see next para). The bikes themselves were held down under a plate which you secured with two wing nuts. Again, very secure but a pain. I was happy with that but it went with the ex (who has never used it of course).
My current one is again a tow ball mount. The base stays on the car. The carrier drops into the base and is secured with two pins (the sort you see holding down racing car bonnets only fatter). Quick and easy to remove and install, makes the other system look horrid (though I didn't think so when using the other one). However, the carrier is free to rock backwards and forward a little which, now that I've owned the thing for awhile, isn't a problem. The bikes sit in a hollow and are held in by two, wide, velcro straps. This is brilliant - quick, easy and kind to the bike's paint, however, it lets the bikes rock backwards and forwards under acceleration and braking more than the other sort. However, it's not a problem.
Of the four, I like the last one best and although the extra movement worried me at first, it's not a worry now. That carrier gets used so much it lives in the back of the wagon.
Buy a THREE bike carrier. You may never have to carry three bikes but sometimes it's better to be able to space the two bikes out a bit.
All bikes swing together and so don't tend to bump each other - I set the cranks so that any contact is crank to crank anyway and that pedals pass into open space, not derailleurs.
The front wheel will flop from side to side if left unattended. Occy straps don't work unless you stress them to blazes BUT, since the eighties, I've been using a pair of pedal straps. Quick to install, quick to adjust, quick to release, and they get tied around the carrier when not in use. I put it through the front wheel and around the downtube. It holds the front fork steady and stops the wheel spinning (annoying more than anything else).
You will have to buy a special number plate to put on the carrier (not allowed to make your own, it's a bigger fine than speeding here ) so factor that into the cost.
I love my bike carrier. It frees you up more than you'd realise and many of my trips just wouldn't have occured to me before it.
Richard
- LuckyPierre
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Postby LuckyPierre » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:27 pm
I put the first bike in and position the cranks so that the pedal arm (if anything) touches the carrier. Then, I put additional bikes on 'head to foot' (or should that be seat to handlebar), but usually only three at a time. I use occy straps to stop any wheels spinning and the bikes from swaying.
I'd like one of the fancy roof racks, but it would be a b*gger getting bikes up on top of the Hilux!
Oops, I forgot - I'm a naughty boy and don't use a carrier mounted number plate, because it makes getting mtb's (with a removeable bar) and compact frames like the girlie bike really hard to get onto the carrier.
- sogood
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Postby sogood » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:47 pm
I opted for the roof rack version with front fork QR mount. These are the most stable of the lot. As already pointed out, just have to remember to duck from low lying objects. A sunroof helps as you can be reminded of the bike above.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- tuco
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Postby tuco » Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:32 pm
See, this is the sort of information you don't get from children salesmen would may have read a brochure.
The one Richard has sounds like the one I saw as it also had the wide velcro straps.
My tow bar tongue/ball section doesn't live on the car. Although our drive way is flat, the end of bit is steep and if left on the car the bolts gouge tracks in the road especially when the back seat is occupied. It got worse when they resurfaced the road!
Thinking about it, a roof mount would be silly. We live in a high set old Queenslander style house and it'd only be a matter of time before I drove under the house and forgot the bikes were on top. I've already tried to drive under with a fridge on a trailer. It didn't fit.
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Postby heavymetal » Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:14 pm
I know of someone who did that, except it was a brick garage, and wrote off two $3,000 carbon fibre bikes and damaged the car roof.tuco wrote:Thinking about it, a roof mount would be silly. We live in a high set old Queenslander style house and it'd only be a matter of time before I drove under the house and forgot the bikes were on top. I've already tried to drive under with a fridge on a trailer. It didn't fit.
While everyone was laughing, I sincerely made the comment that a steel touring bike probably would have survived the impact to some degree
- sogood
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Postby sogood » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:05 pm
And destroyed the car roof top!bicyclewa wrote:While everyone was laughing, I sincerely made the comment that a steel touring bike probably would have survived the impact to some degree
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- rider06
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Postby rider06 » Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:30 pm
my concern is over how secure they actually are.
- europa
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Postby europa » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:22 pm
Personally though, I'd be looking very carefully before buying one. There is a loooottttt of force on a bike carrier - an engineer I heard being interviewed about them years ago waxed lyrical at the engineering challenge they offer. My feeling is that you want the things mounted to something pretty darned solid and a tow bar is about as solid and unbreakable as you can get. But that's bias based on ignoracne and fear on my behalf - I might be wrong.
Richard
- tuco
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Postby tuco » Wed Dec 06, 2006 11:34 pm
They are the other type Anaconda had. I didn't even give them a second look. I could picture myself getting home and then wondering where the bikes fell off.rider06 wrote:just to continue this - has anyone tried the carriers that require neither roof racks or tow ball each of which are pretty expensive on their own. the sort of thing i'm talking about are at http://www.this link is broken/product.php?id=63
my concern is over how secure they actually are.
- sogood
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Postby sogood » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:51 am
They are good enough for hatchback/stationwagons. Although I would only trust those from reputable manufacturers eg. Thule.rider06 wrote:just to continue this - has anyone tried the carriers that require neither roof racks or tow ball each of which are pretty expensive on their own. the sort of thing i'm talking about are at http://www.this link is broken/product.php?id=63
my concern is over how secure they actually are.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
- matagi
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Postby matagi » Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:13 am
Yes, we have one which is similar although ours does not have the "notches" for the bikes.rider06 wrote:just to continue this - has anyone tried the carriers that require neither roof racks or tow ball each of which are pretty expensive on their own. the sort of thing i'm talking about are at http://www.this link is broken/product.php?id=63
my concern is over how secure they actually are.
We live on a very bumpy rural road and have actually exceeded the thing's load capacity and it worked fine. Normally we carry 2 bikes on it, with a combined total weight of around 25-26kg.
The trick is how you attach them. We used sail ties (which are rated to quite high loads) and threaded them over the edge of the boot and attached them to the child restraint anchor points and under the car we attach to the sway bar. You have to make sure the rack is secured in such a way that the bulk of the load is taken by the bumper bar (otherwise you may put a dent in your boot lid).
As with anything, if you think about what you are doing and take the time to make sure everything is properly secured, you should have no problems.
- Bernard
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Postby Bernard » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:07 am
When I got the new car I got one of the detachable towbar ones and it literally takes 30 sec to put on / off. Being removable it also doesn't get in the way when you want to put groceries / luggage in the boot.
Does anyone have hassles with the number plates? (being to wide) mine is quite bent from trying to get the bikes through it onto the rack!
- europa
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Postby europa » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:12 am
Richard
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- Bernard
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Postby Bernard » Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:56 pm
I think what Richard meant was that paying $30 for the Bike Rack number plate is a bit excessive, not that he wants to speed. It is illegal to use anything but the RTA bike rack number plate and if you have a bike rack you are required by law to have a number plate on it. The minute you stick bikes on the bike rack you obscure the number plate that's on the carBnej wrote:you're a cyclist saying people shouldn't get done for speeding? mkay....
Would be better to have a rack that doesn't obscure the plates.
You might not like it but the law makes a lot of sense.
I agree with Richard and think that someone designed the plates without thinking of its actual usage.
Richard -> I've been toying with the idea of sticking velcro to the back of the plate and the bike rack that way I can pop it off and on easily, just need a safety chain so it doesn't come off when travelling at speed.
- Bnej
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Postby Bnej » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:14 pm
Well, velcro makes sense, would be easy enough to make safe too.Bernard wrote:I think what Richard meant was that paying $30 for the Bike Rack number plate is a bit excessive, not that he wants to speed. It is illegal to use anything but the RTA bike rack number plate and if you have a bike rack you are required by law to have a number plate on it. The minute you stick bikes on the bike rack you obscure the number plate that's on the car
I agree with Richard and think that someone designed the plates without thinking of its actual usage.
Richard -> I've been toying with the idea of sticking velcro to the back of the plate and the bike rack that way I can pop it off and on easily, just need a safety chain so it doesn't come off when travelling at speed.
But $30 is only $30, once, and the RTA can't very well let anyone fabricate number plates and hand them out. The plates legally identify your vehicle.
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- sogood
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Postby sogood » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:56 pm
I agree. It's a bit of a struggle to lift a heavy MTB, but with lightweight road bikes, it's easy. Weight weenies have an advantage here.uMP2k wrote:Roof top racks definately would be my preferred choice, but unfortunately while I would not have a problem lifting a bike onto the roof of the car it might be a bit different for my wife...
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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bike racks
Postby cludence » Sat Dec 09, 2006 12:28 pm
Karen.
- bda20
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Postby bda20 » Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:22 pm
So my point is yes they are great but be warned
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Postby heavymetal » Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:44 pm
Ouch!! We'll put our thinking caps on and see what we can come up with to remind you that the bikes are on the roof.bda20 wrote:just need something to remind you the bikes are up there!!! (you cant see them at all) no damage to bikes last time (it was our mtb's) but have busted a set of carbon forks this time on my roady
So my point is yes they are great but be warned
....Off to see if I can borrow a car......
- europa
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Postby europa » Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:52 pm
It's not only garages though - low trees can be an issue. It's not unkown for my to scrape my roof racks on an overhanging tree.
I don't have a problem with on the back. They don't seem to get too much road grime on them in normal conditions - rain would be different of course and as for the danger of someone running into you, well, how many rear enders have you had?
But it's all up to what you're doing. I'm not far off putting the roof carriers back on so I can carry more than three bikes (two on top and two behind).
Richard
- sogood
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Postby sogood » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:23 pm
You need a sunroof! You'll be able to monitor whether the bike is still there...bda20 wrote:Ok we have got the roof top mounted bike racks and on the weekend have just reversed the car in the garage with me bike still on (the second time it has happened last time at my mum and dads place with there carport) so this will be the 3rd roof on the car (its only 4 months old!!!) so the wife says the racks have to go but they are the best way to get you bike around just need something to remind you the bikes are up there!!! (you cant see them at all) no damage to bikes last time (it was our mtb's) but have busted a set of carbon forks this time on my roady
So my point is yes they are great but be warned
There's no perfectly safe and clean method of carriage apart from inside the car. Everything has a risk but the risks are different. You'll just have to decide what's more likely to you.
RK wrote:And that is Wikipedia - I can write my own definition.
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