Bike Racks by Fiamma/Airstream

[ashe]

Just saw an article in Blue Beret Feb issue. Anyone try these yet? Looking to carry two bikes on some trips and do not want on top of our YukonXL. To high to reach for an old short putz..
Me

[Bruce B]

We have one and love it!
Haven't used it much as the Bambi is now just 2 weeks old but it works as advertised....
Bruce

[Aage]

Yes, there is already a thread talking about them in detail.

Have a look here, and you will see.

Also, Jackson Center carries them too.

[slharn]

just had one delivers from airstream - bought online for $451 will mount this weekend, btw where to stay for a few days in ashevilee with my 25 flying cloud?

[Wingeezer]

Just to chip in a comment!

We are now at "Top of Georgia" AS park near Helen, and our next stop will be Asheville en route to our home near Toronto.

I just did a lot of checking on the Internet and made reservations at Bear Creek RV park, it seemed to get the best reviews, and the sites look a decent size. I can report back as to how it works out - will be there tomorrow!

Brian,


PS - we have stayed many times at the royal coachmen in Nokomis. A very nice park, but I imagine it is getting rather pricey, we haven't been in quite a few years.


Really like the area around Nokomis / Venice, nice and peaceful, yet everything you need close at hand, and great beaches!

[slharn]

Thanks for the info on Asheville-Bear Creek . also plan on visiting Helen "top of georgia' Royal coachmen still going strong -lots of permanent sites - independent owners sold to Encore years ago. I've lived in Venice for 35 yrs, just starting my airsteam adventures. steve

[eleighj]

We have one too; works great; not a lot of tweaking to get you bikes hooked up.

Ed

[Sbb]

Quick question, does a ladies step through bike fit easily on a fiamma bike rack? Getting close to purchase, the question was asked and I think it is a good one?

[jackbickel]

We have a like-new Fiamma bike rack we no longer need, since we bought folding bikes. If anyone is interested, give us a call (978-394-2475) or note at Jack.bickel@verizon.net.

[BoeingJet]

We recently purchased the Fiamma Bike Rack from the Airstream Store. Delivered, but uninstalled it was just under $600. It is the only bike rack available that is custom design for an Airstream Trailer.
It took me 1/2 day to assemble it, before installing, two trips to hardware stores for stainless steel attachment screws which were not provided(????) and a special precision drill bit. Then another 1/2 half day for installation & set-up. The instructions were lacking in a few areas, so I found a YouTube video on-line that explained things better, but you still need to be very handy to figure it all out. We installed it on our 2014 28' Intl. Sign. It is very well made and you can open the rear cargo door and bumper well with it installed. They suggest that you take it off for long term storage; well that is too difficult, so we will wrap a tarp around the rack while in storage in AZ, otherwise I can see the Sun, baking the plastic pieces badly. My recommendation is to buy it, but unless you are very mechanically inclined, have an Airstream dealer install it.

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by Sbb

Quick question, does a ladies step through bike fit easily on a fiamma bike rack? Getting close to purchase, the question was asked and I think it is a good one?

Yes. My wife and I take our bikes and really like how solid the rack is. A guy followed us and watched our bikes to see if they were bouncing around. He pulled in behind me at the gas pump and told me what he had been doing. They were considering purchasing this rack and wanted to know how it was working for us. My only caution is that when you put two bikes on and strap them down the front forks on mine rub against the rear forks of my wife's bike. We do have some scratches that might bother some folks. I suppose you could but a piece of foam or something similar between them to take care of that.

[wswhiting]

Once this rack is on, how does it affect the access to the rear compartment of a Classic?

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by aftermath

Yes. My wife and I take our bikes and really like how solid the rack is. A guy followed us and watched our bikes to see if they were bouncing around. He pulled in behind me at the gas pump and told me what he had been doing. They were considering purchasing this rack and wanted to know how it was working for us. My only caution is that when you put two bikes on and strap them down the front forks on mine rub against the rear forks of my wife's bike. We do have some scratches that might bother some folks. I suppose you could but a piece of foam or something similar between them to take care of that.

I worked hard to find a position for each bicycle so that nothing rubbed. It was not a trivial exercise but in the end, by repositioning rack parts and playing around for an hour I found a combination that worked perfectly.
Our rack has carried bicycles for some 30,000 miles without a single scratch or failure.
Bruce

[Hans627]

Originally Posted by wswhiting

Once this rack is on, how does it affect the access to the rear compartment of a Classic?

I was also wondering if it interferes with access to bumper storage area.

[kenen42]

Originally Posted by Hans627

I was also wondering if it interferes with access to bumper storage area.

The platform that the bikes sit on is out past the bumper and doesn't interfere with the bumper storage opening. That said, you do have to retrieve things in the compartment from the sides if the bikes are on the rack. Never been a problem for me since the only thing in there is the slinky.

[LBelle]

We got a Fiamma when we purchased our Bambi and have used on every trip (17 in past 4 years) and it works quite well. Bikes are very secure though being totally out of sight when traveling means you can't see if anything goes wrong. As mentioned there is often a minimal clearance between the two bikes and juggling is necessary, sometimes even lowering the seat post. I did add a new (schedule 40 PVC) longer connection strut which works well. It would be a bit better if the base channels were a few inches longer which would make the juggling all that much easier. HW, the access to the bumper storage is not impeded though it is very tight getting things in or out of the rear storage on our 19' International.

[Shads Shack]

We have a Fiamma bike rack that has done a good job carrying our bikes from place to place. Towing a trailer has increased my driving safety skills making me wonder if the bikes on the back of the trailer limit brake light visibility to traffic following the trailer. Has anyone made any modifications to improve brake light/rear trailer visibility?

[DC Bruce]

We had our AS dealer install the rack on our new FC 27 and used it to carry our bikes on our 30,000 mile "grand tour." One of the upper fittings attaching it to the trailer failed (not sure why), but some epoxy made a good repair. Our only disappointment was that covering the bikes obstructed the trailer tail lights. I considered this a safety issue, so the bikes stayed uncovered while we were on the move. As a result, they got pretty dirty. Because our otherwise wonderful dog acts like such a knucklehead when we're on the bikes, we ended up using them much less than we had planned.

[waninae39]

we also use the fiamma rack
It fits on the back of our sport 22fB after modifying the FIAMMA to fit on the narrow bumper .

it can carry our two TERN Vektron S10 ebikes without issue

the AS mounting brackets were replaced with the SS version vs the stock cast item.
I also added bracket to the bumper to make it more solid

[SilverWind]

Originally Posted by Shads Shack

We have a Fiamma bike rack that has done a good job carrying our bikes from place to place. Towing a trailer has increased my driving safety skills making me wonder if the bikes on the back of the trailer limit brake light visibility to traffic following the trailer. Has anyone made any modifications to improve brake light/rear trailer visibility?

We decided to switch from full size mountain bikes to Bike Friday touring folding bikes modified for trail riding in order clear up the tail light obstruction. The 20 inch wheels and slightly smaller overall dimensions did the job.