Bike Rack

[Mike & Molly]

3010DS
Looking for recommendations on a good quality bike rack.
Has to hold at least two bikes.
Also how easy is it to install & detatch.
Any downfalls.
Thanks for any input.

[TURBS]

Where do you plan on mounting it ?
I hope not on the rear bumper....

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...acks-6784.html

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...not-37218.html


http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...cks-24666.html

Turbs

[Mike & Molly]

Where would you recommend?

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Indro

Where would you recommend?

Bed of truck.
In the camper.
Front truck mounted bike rack.
Hitch mounted bike rack.

I mounted a bike rack on the rear bumper of my flagstaff only to have the bike violently thrash to the point of banging into the back of my camper ruining the fiberglass.
Bikes were completely solid to rack.
Bumper and frame flex was astonishing!

[TURBS]

You'll get plenty of pictures and comments of good ways to mount your bikes.
Keep watching.


Turbs

[Rugged Brown]

I think he has a motorhome Turbs and likely one with a receiver that will accept many good bike racks on the market. Important thing is to ensure a secure and tight fitting of bikes on the rack.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

I think he has a motorhome Turbs and likely one with a receiver that will accept many good bike racks on the market. Important thing is to ensure a secure and tight fitting of bikes on the rack.

Oooooo.
I feel like an idiot.
Thought that was a tt number.
Open mouth insert foot.
Carry on.


I see now it say sunseeker

Turbs

[DeeRV]

Very happy with Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack, available at both Amazon and CW. You can check out the many reviews at both sites. I purchased mine at a CW store and was told I needed a female to male bar adaptor for use with the rack. It was NOT needed.

It is easy for me to lift bike into the tire supports of the rack. When not in use, the rack folds to a vertical position.

My local mechanic installed it for me but it didn't look that difficult to install on the hitchy thingy....

[RoadTrip]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Oooooo.
I feel like an idiot.
Thought that was a tt number.
Open mouth insert foot.
Carry on.


I see now it say sunseeker

Turbs

Whew....I was about to ask the same "ummm, does that count on class Cs?"

[slide5r4fun]

Our 5th wheel has a factory mounted cargo/bike rack on the back but we also purchased a receiver mounted bike rack that we take with us on camping trips in case we want to hit a bike trail that is not in the immediate area. We bought a Swagman XTC2 and it is fairly simple to use. Thule also makes some good quality bikes racks as well. Regardless of which brand you go with, I would highly recommend getting 2 locks. One to lock the bike rack to the receiver, and one to lock the bikes to the rack or receiver. We use a cable lock to secure the bikes and it works well for us. Thule makes a rack that has built in locks for the bikes but I don't know how well they work.

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by Indro

3010DS
Looking for recommendations on a good quality bike rack.
Has to hold at least two bikes.
Also how easy is it to install & detatch.
Any downfalls.
Thanks for any input.

I take if from the discussion that you are looking for a hitch-type bike rack?

My recommendation is the Yakima Holdup 2". They also make it with a 1 1/4" if that is the size of your hitch.

We (my wife, friends and I) have traveled many miles with our bikes on the holdup. Its by far the sturdiest hitch-type bike rack I have ever had. We have had people driving behind us comment that the bikes and rack had no bounce at all, which is the problem with hitch-type racks.

The downside is the cost (nothing worthwhile is cheap) and it is heavy, which also means its sturdy. You will probably want some help putting it on the RV the first time. The hitch can fold up flat to the back of the RV when not in use so you probably don't need to take it off once its on. Yakima sells a hitch lock that works very well for security.

[pwrstroke2012]

I have a Thule 2 bike platform model 917xtr2 that has done well for us. Both bikes have locks on bars that go over the tires and the hitch has a lock on it as well to lock it on the receiver. All keyed the same.

[biglou847]

Ditto on the Thule. It is hitch mounted and comes with a lock to lock it to the receiver. Bikes set in it, not hang from it. Straps go around both wheels. Locking bar comes down and locks with a key. Only trick is getting the bike up and around the locking bar. Very solid going down the road--I can see it with my rear view camera.
Lou

[biglou847]

Should have noted that my Thule is a different model. Locking bar comes down over the frame, not the wheels.
Lou

[paulmlac]

Sorry in advance for the long post. I have a lot of info to share on this topic. I spent more time than I probably should have last fall researching bike racks!

I got a Swagman XP 4 Standard (model number 64940). It's not sexy but real sturdy.

Here are some of the things I learned:

- Yakima, Thule, or Saris were all ruled out based on the text below that I copied / pasted from their respective websites at the time:

Yakima: "hitch racks not for use on rvs, motor homes or trailers".

Thule: "Thule does not test the hitch carriers on motorhomes as the length of the vehicle puts extra stress on the drawbar which will cause the rack to fail. We suggest that you check with your local rv dealer for alternatives."

Saris: "we do not recommend the use of the Saris rack products on RVs, campers or trailers, and doing so will void the warranty

(I know folks use each of these brands on RV's without any problems. I simply copied / pasted what their websites said.)

- The only website that I found any supportive text toward using on RV's was on the Swagman website. They said the following at the time:
"Recommended for the back of RV's"
(note that it was just for certain products - see the next point)

- Furthermore, the ONLY Swagman products that were OK at the time for RV's are single arm hitch racks that are stationary (i.e., they do not tilt down to get into an SUV hatch, etc).

- Kind of made sense as I thought about it. The more pieces attached together the greater the chance for additional stress on the system. This system really only has two components. Kind of a less is more type of thing.

- So while I ideally wanted something with some more stuff (two arms to better support the bikes, tilt down feature, or a platform system, etc) this choice really looked to be the only one called out as acceptable for RV's.

Hopefully this is useful to others.

[Triguy]

Well, there goes my recommendation

This is very good information, Paul. Based on your heads-up, I also found this on the Yakima site, which supports the restriction.

[RoadTrip]

Originally Posted by paulmlac

Sorry in advance for the long post. I have a lot of info to share on this topic. I spent more time than I probably should have last fall researching bike racks!

I got a Swagman XP 4 Standard (model number 64940). It's not sexy but real sturdy.

Here are some of the things I learned:

- Yakima, Thule, or Saris were all ruled out based on the text below that I copied / pasted from their respective websites at the time:

Yakima: "hitch racks not for use on rvs, motor homes or trailers".

Thule: "Thule does not test the hitch carriers on motorhomes as the length of the vehicle puts extra stress on the drawbar which will cause the rack to fail. We suggest that you check with your local rv dealer for alternatives."

Saris: "we do not recommend the use of the Saris rack products on RVs, campers or trailers, and doing so will void the warranty

(I know folks use each of these brands on RV's without any problems. I simply copied / pasted what their websites said.)

- The only website that I found any supportive text toward using on RV's was on the Swagman website. They said the following at the time:
"Recommended for the back of RV's"
(note that it was just for certain products - see the next point)

- Furthermore, the ONLY Swagman products that were OK at the time for RV's are single arm hitch racks that are stationary (i.e., they do not tilt down to get into an SUV hatch, etc).

- Kind of made sense as I thought about it. The more pieces attached together the greater the chance for additional stress on the system. This system really only has two components. Kind of a less is more type of thing.

- So while I ideally wanted something with some more stuff (two arms to better support the bikes, tilt down feature, or a platform system, etc) this choice really looked to be the only one called out as acceptable for RV's.

Hopefully this is useful to others.

thanks for the long read. we have started looking, so this is very useful info! thanks again.

[DeeRV]

Just sent an email to Swagman to find out which of their bike racks were compatible with RV's but then found this info on their website.

RV Products « Swagman

Happy to see that the bike rack I purchased (the XC) was included in the list. I'll report back if they send me any additional info.

[DeeRV]

Swagman reply...

You can use the XC 64650 on the back of a motorhome,
We suggest not using it on the back of a 5th wheel or travel trailer, there is too much sway and bounce on these two vehicles.

I then asked about the other 2 bike racks on their site and asked if there were the same restrictions. The reply....

XTC 64670 is the same as the XC 64650
Yes this can be used also

NO the trailhead 2, 3 and 4 bike carrier fold at the base of the rack
No folddown models should be used

Only the Trailhead 63381 nonfolding 2” receiver is RV approved

[4Gcampers]

I'm confused here. I have been using a Reese four bike hitch rack, the was previously used on our SUV. It lowers to allow a rear hatch to be opened. Also, is has a long draw bar with a ball at the end to tow up to 2500 lbs. How can all these mfgs. claim that the products can not be used on RV's? The class 3 hitch on the Sunseeker is 5k/ 500lb tongue weight rated. I have a hard time believing that the bike rack or the hitch could be damaged by a bike rack, when the hitch is rated to pull a toad. And to say the extra length of an RV has something to do with it? Makes no sense, but I'm not an engineer. Maybe they are referring to people who are trying to mount a rack to the rear bumper of a MH or TT. We all know most of those bumpers are to light to mount weight to.