Bike rack

Joined
Oct 17, 2020
Posts
6
Likes collected
9
Location
Worcestershire
Funster No
76,992
MH
Elddis Accordo 120
Exp
1 year
Hi,
I have a 2019 Elddis Accordo 120 and want to get a bike rack fitted for 2 standard mountain bikes.
What are the pros/cons of towbar vs back mounted.
can anyone recommend places to get this done? I live in the West Midlands.
Many thanks and have a good day
 
Tow bar ones are lower, makes betting bikes on and off easier but then when not in use you have to store them somewhere.
Back mounted are higher, again harder to get bikes on and off but most fold up when not in use. As long as they are fitted properly will not cause problems with bodywork.
 
I've gone the tow-bar way for a couple of reasons
1/ We already had a tow-bar rack we use on the car and it allows us to get our bikes to the storage compound
2/ We have electric bikes which are heavier than normal bikes and I didn't fancy hanging them off the back wall of the van and lifting them up
 
We have a Thule tow bar rack, rated at carrying 44kgs. Our e-bikes are 20kgs each, but I remove the batteries, and quick release seats, saving a bit more weight, and deterring thieves a tiny bit. Not much fun riding an e-bike with no seat or battery. Locked to the carrier, and tow bracket.

Craig

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We have a Thule tow bar rack, rated at carrying 44kgs. Our e-bikes are 20kgs each, but I remove the batteries, and quick release seats, saving a bit more weight, and deterring thieves a tiny bit. Not much fun riding an e-bike with no seat or battery. Locked to the carrier, and tow bracket.

Craig
I stole an ebike that had had the saddle removed. Started with a Bosch but finished with a BSA ... :LOL:

Steve
 
We’ve got a detachable Swan Neck towbar and there is nothing on the market that will tilt enough for our back doors to open. There is only 35mm from bottom of the door and the top of the tow ball.

We have a Thule 2 bike rack that we will have to take off completely to access the rear of the van.

If you have a normal type towbar you should be able to lower it, and use spacers to give clearance.

Love to have one of those swing arm things, but not at the cost of them.
 
We have rear fixed rack on motorhome no problem to hook bikes on . If ebikes remove the weight ie the battery.
 
cost is considerably different if you not already got the tow bar.

however, if i had a tow bar i would and not towing i would get a tow bar mounted rack.

std mountain bikes are not that heavy i carry 2 on a back mounted rack. it just depends what a back rack sits over when fitted, i.e. it could restrict view or window openning.
 
The weight of a tow bar needs to be considered. Our motorhome had one on when we bought it and as we did not need it I removed it. I think it weighed about 70kg.

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Get one made that bolts on the chassis. I had one made that detaches when you don’t need it on the van.
Mick Parkinson near Lytham. Excellent job.
 
Has anyone seen a tow bar bike rack that uses the tow bar bolts to mount, yet also allows the Toad to be hooked up at the same time? I’ve got no worries with weight issues and when using a tow car, there is little downward hitch load.
 
Has anyone seen a tow bar bike rack that uses the tow bar bolts to mount, yet also allows the Toad to be hooked up at the same time? I’ve got no worries with weight issues and when using a tow car, there is little downward hitch load.

Answering my own question with a little more help from Google 😜
 
Answering my own question with a little more help from Google 😜
Wow! Didn’t realise they cost so much (£250) as I’ve got one to sell and was thinking of about £50. It’s a Pendle as the picture but with black uprights instead of orange.
 
Has anyone seen a tow bar bike rack that uses the tow bar bolts to mount, yet also allows the Toad to be hooked up at the same time? I’ve got no worries with weight issues and when using a tow car, there is little downward hitch load.
Yes. A Witter towball mounted carrier. A plate bolts behind the towbar. A pole is inserted and a two armed carrier placed on top. A strap goes through the gap at the top of the boot lid to tension it. The towbar is available for the toad. The carrier can be demountable and stored when not in use. The only issue is the tension strap, but I have used it without when carrying road bikes as the are lighter then ebikes.the may wobble a bit on bad roads. You need to consider towbar download as you noted in your op.
 
Yes. A Witter towball mounted carrier. A plate bolts behind the towbar. A pole is inserted and a two armed carrier placed on top. A strap goes through the gap at the top of the boot lid to tension it. The towbar is available for the toad. The carrier can be demountable and stored when not in use. The only issue is the tension strap, but I have used it without when carrying road bikes as the are lighter then ebikes.the may wobble a bit on bad roads. You need to consider towbar download as you noted in your op.
I had one, didn't get on with it. As you say the strap is inconvenient and it still wobbles. Maypole is better. IMO 😊
 
I had one, didn't get on with it. As you say the strap is inconvenient and it still wobbles. Maypole is better. IMO 😊
This is mine:
witter cycle carrier.jpg


But the strap isn't shown in the image. There would also be no way to connect it the the rear of the Moho as you have no boot lid.
I haven't used the Maybole one so can't comment.
I have also put the bikes inside the vehicle by removing the front wheels and making a 'stand' with a wooden floor plate for the front forks to slot into. the handlebars are rotated 90 degrees to give access to rear. Not ideal, a bit of a faff when arriving on site or taking a halt, but it worked.
 
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I bought this , its for 4 bikes but we only carry 2 but it's rated to 60kgs and our bikes are electric bikes which are around 20kgs each , the good thing is we can move it between car and van,
It's currently reduced in price , I paid the higher price !!!
 
Get one made that bolts on the chassis. I had one made that detaches when you don’t need it on the van.
Mick Parkinson near Lytham. Excellent job.

Does he have a website?

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We have a lifting rear mounted bike rack which means no problems carrying bikes whilst also towing anything (bikes we'll above trailer frame). It's a Fiamma and rated at 60kg so easy to load and plenty strong enough for 2 electric bikes.
 

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