Tow mounted bike carriers advice please

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chockswahay
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Chockswahay

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We have had our 'van now since April and during this time we have carried our Brompton folding bikes in the underbed garage. As much as we love these bikes we have been reminded recently how lovely it is to use our bigger (much bigger!) hybrid bikes with their 27 inch wheels and 27 gears.

It would be nice to take them with us but I am really concerned about the overall weight and access problems if we mount them on a rear carrier.

Does anyone have any advice please on tow hook mounted bike carriers?

Our 'van is a Globecar Globescout based on the Fiat Ducato. I have seen some nifty looking bike carriers that swing out of the way to gain access to the rear doors.

Many thanks

Chox :Smile:
 
Hi Chockswahay,
we have a Thule towbar/ball mounted bike carrier and they are fantastic.:thumb:

When I got it I was sceptical as to whether the type of fit (clamps onto the ball itself) would in fact hold up to 4 bikes...... You know, clamping to a ball, would it swing round, slide downwards over bumps etc - I used to check it every few miles :Laughing: however, it has NEVER moved. I got the one where the lower bike racks can be taken off and then you can put an alternative large box (or bag) on instead of the rack.

They are brilliant - would suggest the security clamp that is an extra but they do deter anyone thinking of 'lifting' the whole lot.

Regards,

Trikeman. :Wink:
 
We also had this problem with electric bikes having changed the MH the previous one having the Fiamma 77 wind down rack did not like 2 bikes high up on the rear end although good from a security point (thread somewhere on Techno fitting one with photo's) so decided to have a towbar fitted and use a Thule removable rack not much more expensive and better in my opinion
 
Thanks chaps,

The problem is my van is a panel van and I would need to be able to open the rear doors:Eek!:

I did see some 'swing out' carriers but it looks as if Thule don't sell them in UK any more :Sad:
 
Make sure you select a tow ball mounted carrier that will suit the weight of your bikes and more importantly ensure that the van is capable of carrying that weight without compromising your payload. Obviously if there are rear opening doors on the Globescout this is another consideration to factor into the mix.

There is a place in Hinckley Leicestershire who sell the Thule Range and they are very helpful.
Afraid I can't locate them on the net.

If all else fails buy a bigger van :Rofl1::Rofl1::Rofl1:

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We have Thule tow ball rack for use on car-it tilts backwards so we can open boot.
I don't know if it would tilt far enough to open your door.
A friend has a Globescout and uses a door mounted rack-but that is only for folding bikes.
One problem with a tow ball mounted rack when I enquired about fitting one to my Ducato was that the chassis needs strengthening to take the ball-in my case it would have added 50Kg :BigGrin:

http://www.thule.com/en/gb Have a look here.

Best check that out first.

Mike
 
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Rear mounted bike racks

Hi, our current rack is like most, a high-mounted Fiamma 4 bike job, but a few years back when the kids were young and we had a folding camper, I had a tow-ball mounted 4 bike rack on the car, made by a company called Pendle.

It was easy to fit and remove in seconds and the mount itself was fixed to the tow bar mount by means of an extra plate which fitted between the base plate and the outer plate and which had a short heavy duty block with two holes to take the rack poles. The whole thing was then held in place by a simple split pin which passed through each rack pole and the block. Strong, stable and simple.

Sounds basic but it was well engineered and lasted us for many years. Don't know if Pendle are still going but if they are, it may be worth a look.:thumb:
 
MikeandCarolyn said:
One problem with a tow ball mounted rack when I enquired about fitting one to my Ducato was that the chassis needs strengthening to take the ball-in my case it would have added 50Kg :BigGrin:

Best check that out first.

Mike
Click to expand...

Crikey :Eek!: was that because you have a coach built van or required on all Fiat's? I will check it out thanks...
 
Johnscross' website has got dandruff!:Wink:

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Hello there,

We too have a Globecar, a Familyscout L. We also have a Thule tow bar mounted bike rack, designed specifically for heavy and, in particular, electic bikes. The model is "Thule EuroPower 916"

The rack is excellent, very easy to mount on the tow bar and is very, very stable. It is also very easy to mount the bikes too.:thumb:

It has a function that allows you to lower the bikes backwards to give access to the rear doors. However, this facility is, I think, designed for tailgate opening and not for double rear doors as you have. This means that you can only open the rear doors slightly. This presented difficulties for us when we travelled on Eurotunnel because we could not get at the gas to confirm, to the man who checks the gas, that the gas was actually off. :Doh:

We were lucky! The man was happy to check the hob burners to make sure no gas was coming through. :Wink:

It also means that when you are travelling and want to stop for a cuppa it is difficult to turn the gas on.

At one point we were considering having an external hatch fitted to permit access from the side of the van. However, we sold our big bikes and bought folding electric ones instead. They fit inside the back like yours currently do.

I have to say that our folding bikes, with 20" wheels, are just as easy and stable to pedal as the bigger bikes. Although electric, we find that we use them more manually than with power. If there is a very steep hill, a head wind or we are tired, than the power is a godsend when we need it. They are 36 volt and go like hell. :thumb:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL :thumb:
 
chockswahay said:
Crikey :Eek!: was that because you have a coach built van or required on all Fiat's? I will check it out thanks...
Click to expand...

I think it's because the chassis doesn't go that far back-so has to be extended.

http://www.thule.com/en/gb I did put this link on other post-but a few mins after I'd posted it.:BigGrin:
Hope it helps.

Ah-the post above this covers the problem lol

Mike
 
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Had a Fiamma door mounted rack on my Trigano Tribute and Autosleeper Symphony, no problem what so ever and you can open rear door. BUSBY:Smile:
 
if you dont already have a tow bar fitted that alone is going to cost you around £500 - £700 without the bike rack and will add around 30kgs to your back end.

also dont forget that if you fit a ball mount bike rack it sticks out further than your std overhang so the extra weight on your rear axle will be slightly more than if they were in the garage. plus the weight of the tow bar and bike rack.
 
busby said:
Had a Fiamma door mounted rack on my Trigano Tribute and Autosleeper Symphony, no problem what so ever and you can open rear door. BUSBY:Smile:
Click to expand...
That could well be an option, ask Glenn or Ian

Peter

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Phill D said:
if you dont already have a tow bar fitted that alone is going to cost you around £500 - £700 without the bike rack and will add around 30kgs to your back end.

.
Click to expand...
Fnarr, fnarr :BigGrin:
 
----

Hi there r several differant types tow bar mounted bike carriers
our clamp on 1 will take 60kgs max very good never mover comes with all electric"s just need number plate:thumb:
 
Got the new style Fiamma Carrier that mounts on rear door on my Globescout.

No drilling required on new model and you can hang bikes in a lower position than on the older design or you can hang them higher if you wish.

If bikes are fixed in lower position you may part obscure indicator lens and require a lighting socket to be fitted and carry lighting board as well. I've gone this route and had no problems at all. Had older design Fiamma door mounted rack on my previous PVC and that did job as well. Just be gentle when opening rear doors.

Cheers, John.
 
Crikey

Thank you everyone for your replies. I must confess that I rather naively thought a tow hook would only cost £100 or so :Blush::Eek!:

I know the door mounted rack is an option but I just feel uneasy about all that weight on the door hinge. Also, I spoke to the Thule technical director at the NEC show last year and he said the biggest issue is 'high G shock loads' such as speed bumps or badly rutted road surface etc.

I probably worry too much about this, but heyho, I've spent most of my life having to worry about things failing at the 'wrong' time :Eek!:

I guess it's back to plan 'A'………...:RollEyes:

Edit: just found this http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/Bike-rack-for-a-Peugeot-Boxer/24216/ and it is the very issue that concerns me :Eek!::Eeek:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Phill D said:
if you dont already have a tow bar fitted that alone is going to cost you around £500 - £700 without the bike rack and will add around 30kgs to your back end.
Click to expand...

Really? what about this Link Removed ?

(ok I realise I am getting desperate now :Blush:)

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Our van came with the Fiamma door mounted rack which we specified as an extra but I have now removed it and replaced it with a Thule towbar mounted rack as we also specified a tow ball for the van to keep our options open.

The problem with the Fiamma rack was it required me to lift the bikes up to chest height to get them on. This would be easy for skinny road bikes but my Surly tourer is very heavy.

The other problem is I heard about one case where the driver didn't see a speed bump and the resulting shock bent their rear door at the Fiamma mounting points. I suspect this is a fairly rare occurrence but was another reason to get rid of the Fiamma rack.

Thule are not the only manufacturer and I suspect you can get equally good ones from other people - certainly the quality of mine is not perhaps as good as they were a few years ago. However, Thule do an enormous range from a cheap thing which clamps to the ball like a pair of Mole grips, which I had on another vehicle. These only costs about £60 but they are no good for folding bikes or ones with very steeply sloping top tubes. They also need a light bar and carrying two bikes needs a lot of padding otherwise they knock together.

At the other end of the range they do a Universal one which can be changed from a bike rack to a back box. I probably would have bought that but didn't see them until after buying a bike only rack.

Can't remember the model number of ours but it tilts backwards but this is really only to allow people to open a hatchback door. The van rear doors only open about a foot when it is tilted back as it doesn't fold completely horizontal - which it would need to do to if the rear doors were to be opened fully.
 
Oooooh………… I just found this :BigGrin::BigGrin:

Shame it's out of my budget tho' :cry::cry:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTNCFQdsvJc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTNCFQdsvJc[/ame]
 

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