Hauling Bicycles

[JamuJoe]

Originally Posted by Lara Me

Can you post a closeup of where you mounted the feet of the rack to your tonneau cover?

The UnderCover Ridgelander tonneau has slots designed to fit the feet of Rhino Aero Bars. The 1-UP bike tray has optional mounts that fit into the slots of the Rhino Bars. Very neat system and super sturdy.

[Daquenzer]

I settled on the front hitch.
1). Putting the bikes over the cover means if I have to get into the back for anything it means removing the bikes, etc. Also lifting them up (especially ebikes) is heavy. Having them on the front hitch at a lower level makes it very easy to load them up.
2). Putting the bikes inside could mean them jarring loose and scraping up the interior. I tried putting them in different places and just couldn’t find a good location that would allow for access to the bathroom, refridgerator, etc while traveling.
3). The front hitch was inexpensive and already would work with our bike carrier. We have a very good bike carrier that is very sturdy.
4). The bikes on the front ride quite nicely and the “bugs” really aren’t a problem. Not that many. Just power wash them off. The components are meant to get wet. Just remember to lubricate things on regular basis. And it might mean taking bikes to a bike shop of have things looked at.

The only disadvantage is driving at night. Not sure how that affects night time lights. We don’t do that often. When we have (once), we took the front wheels off and then wrapped them up and put them on the bed. But that is not a long run solution.

The problem with the FIAMMA is the limited weight, being on the back of a trailer with lots of bouncing, etc, they are very expensive, and a very big thing is that we want to be able to take the bikes with us without the AS. We would then have to carry an extra bike rack.


We did use a bike rack on the tongue which worked. BUT again it is high, hard to get to, makes turning on and off the LP tanks difficult, and the tongue weight was a bit on the heavy side. If you have a lighter tongue weight it might be an option. But we have found the bikes on the front a very good decision.

[JamuJoe]

Originally Posted by Daquenzer

I settled on the front hitch.
1). Putting the bikes over the cover means if I have to get into the back for anything it means removing the bikes, etc. Also lifting them up (especially ebikes) is heavy. Having them on the front hitch at a lower level makes it very easy to

We each find our preferred arrangements. Still, it's interesting sharing on a forum like this.

I solved the 'can't lift the tonneau with a bike on it' challenge by packing everything except the generator in Action Packers (I admit to being organizationally obsessive), and use a boat hook (sailor here) to simply pull whichever I need to the open tailgate (my tonneau overlaps but does not restrict opening the tailgate). The generator sits right inside the tailgate (when we carry it) with exhaust pointing out for easy operation. Agree that my e-bike is a bit of a heavy lift, but I manage.

I actually chose this system because we often mount a Bigfoot hardshell rooftop tent on the tonneau as well. I added a third aerobar for the increased weight. The grandkids love sleeping up there. We just did a 3026 mile trip with that setup, and I'm well satisfied.

Safe Travels,
JamuJoe

[pjshier]

While waiting for the generator tray/mount, I decided to tweak the Saris to see if I could get a better ride. Went to the local Fiberglass/UHMW shop and rummaged through their free scrap bin. Found a likely candidate and cut shims for both sides of the articulating part of the rack (internal) and fit/glued them in. Also spent some time at the vice.

Now the rack wiggle is gone. I wonder if the parts worked a bit toward the loose side during our prior excursions (?) because the movement before the fix was somewhat excessive, IMHO. Now we have some options.

[MontyV]

hi Jeff I will be home late tomorrow. I will snap a photo of the bike rack. our truck was a 99 F250 with a tonneau cover over the bed. if I forget to post a photo PM me.

[Lara Me]

I had a Yakima track installed in my RAM and they mounted quick release feet and aero bars. I chose four bike racks that hold the front tire firmly. I will post pix. It wasn’t cheap, but more secure than other options, and I can fit four instead of two. Plus I can still roll up the cover.

[pteck]

There's a recent thread with several examples on how to add a rear hitch, including my build there. It's important to note some of the stability concerns and need to maintain tongue weight. Also, not all bike racks are rated to be used on the rear of a travel trailer as StreamingEagle found out.

My setup with a modified FourTimer rack to hold a tandem. I load a max of 2 bikes when using the rack on the trailer.




More info here:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f477...de-185802.html

[Lara Me]

[Lara Me]

When the side tracks were mounted, they had to be placed at a slight angle as you can see, because the RAM bed and side rails are not perfectly parallel but tapered slightly.

This also required using one longer bar up front which the rack shop cut about 5” so it visually matched the length of the other bar. The bike racks are mounted staggered so the handlebars clear, and the feet have a simple quick release where the whole thing removes to use the truck bed. Finally, all the locks are keyed!! The bike racks come with built in cable locks and the mounts flip up and lock the front tire. Finally, the right side bike mount is adjusted to clear the locking mechanism for the tonneau cover.

Whole setup installed was $1600, which is about the cost for an installed Fiamma and holds 2 more bikes plus anything else I ever need to haul like kayaks. If you get a new Retrax or Pace Edwards roll up bed cover, they have the side tracks built in to accommodate Yakima or Thule feet, which saves about $400.

[FL Crackers]

Originally Posted by Lara Me

I wouldn’t rule out a bike rack on your tonneau cover. I have a retrax rollup cover. I’m going to look at adding tracks on the top of the cover (along the section that rests on the top of the truck sides). You can then add feet and crossbars, and use your preferred bike mount. Rhino racks makes a reasonable kit, and Thule and Yakima do too. It won’t interfere with your cover and you can remove the crossbars and feet quickly to use your truck bed.

https://www.racknroad.com/product/th...ith-bolts.html

Pretty much what we did on our Chevy Avalanche. Bike shop had two Fork mounts that we attached with a reinforcement plate underneath. We didn’t want to be restricted to bike access where the AS was parked.

[Daquenzer]

So I have a front bike rack on my pickup (hitch on front). We have to have the bike rack with us, because we like to go places to bike and need a way to haul them without emptying out the back of the truck. But I at night I’m concerned about hauling the bikes on the front, and also when it is raining and snowing I prefer to the bikes not be on the front.

So I came across this solution. I use one on the front and the back of the bike wheels. They make the bike REALLY sturdy. They are very easy to use and I tried out 2 of them on my bike in the AS. It looks like it should really work well. I’m going to put a pad underneath them (yoga mat) and then put blankets around the bike so if they should tip they don’t scratch anything. But for about $160 this is an excellent solution. See the thread:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/BIKEHAND-...SABEgIwOfD_BwE

I will post a picture some time if anyone is interested. But it’s pretty slick. Very impressed with the stability and the bike doesn’t move forward to backward and you really have to push to move it side to side.

[pteck]

Maiden voyage this weekend with the new bike rack setup. Along with ballast from a new tongue mounted genny - http://www.airforums.com/forums/f448...ue-187346.html
and 6V battery upgrade - http://www.airforums.com/forums/f449...ml#post2155860

Declaring this a success!

Stability wise, absolutely great stability still. I was going to the local mountains in Julian with lots of tight turns, elevation, and local traffic pushing me at a good clip to avoid using turnouts in the night as we left pretty late.

Rear camera showed them absolutely stable over bumps and turns, with imperceptible movement. Family following behind me said agreed they were very secure.

These are impressions from my particular trailer, setup, and configuration. For someone with a marginal towing setup, or shorter trailer, I would be beware of the concerns noted earlier in this thread.

[VaTravelers]

We have a full size F250 with a cap. We have been traveling with our bikes in the truck with the forks secured to a board with fork tie downs. This works just fine. The rest of our gear is packed around the bikes. In a full size bed I never lack for room. I have however grown weary of loading and unloading the bikes and the challenge of climbing around them whenever I needed to get something in the truck. So we had a Fiamma installed when we visited Jackson Center in Aug. after fiddling with it to figure out the best configuration I think it is the best solution for us. It’s easy to use and has made my loading and unloading experience less stressful

[GotTaGo]

Ebike and road bikes travel up front with no issues.

I do position the bikes so that the handlebars are on the passenger side to give the driver better visibility.

[DSteed]

Originally Posted by frjeff

I am certain that this topic has been addressed before, but my searches bring up nothing.

So, how do you experienced AS’ers haul bicycles on your journeys?

Have 28’ Excella (1989) and a Ford F-150 Eco for the tug.
My hard tonneau and full bed rules out the PU bed. Nowhere for a rack on the truck rear-end. (Have Hensley hitch)

Not sure I like the truck front hitch idea, but may not have any other options.

Options?

I came up with a bike rack that lets the bike be placed on top of Bak flip bed cover.

[Daquenzer]

I have used a front hitch and bike carrier. Then if it is raining or dark I came up with an excellent way to secure them in the AS. No one solution. Pros and cons. But for how we use our bikes and travel it best fits our needs. You should really think carefully about how you use your bikes. We like to travel to trails and bike. So for us a bike rack on the back of AS was not realistic. But for others they find it works. So think carefully how you will use your bikes and both when towing and not towing.

[Daquenzer]

By the way a front hitch can be put on an F150 for about 250.

[gypsydad]

I like the Fiama, but wish there was a good way to cover them while traveling...my Trek bicycles took a beating last year and were barely used...I took them in to a Trek dealer and they wanted $250 to clean/tune one and $175 for the other....Think I only paid $300 each when I purchased few years back... Any ideas are appreciated. We will take our bikes apart this winter, remove rust, change tires, lubricate everything again, but looking for a cover for next season...

[pwlldvd]

Originally Posted by DSteed

Attachment 323684

I came up with a bike rack that lets the bike be placed on top of Bak flip bed cover.

I have a backflip and have thinking about something like that. Do you have more detailed pics?

[DSteed]

Originally Posted by pwlldvd

I have a backflip and have thinking about something like that. Do you have more detailed pics?

The Bak flip one is rated at 500 pounds load limit,I ordered it thinking I could rig up something to carry the bikes.
I have attached some closeups of how I used 2 fork mounts and some junk metal to build the bike rack. Time to build was approx 2 hours, total cost around ten bucks. Some threaded rod and a couple of washers and topped off by a locking nut.
You can order the bike holders from Bike Nashbar supply and if your not handy with welding, you can order a holder for around 90 bucks.
Attachment 1

You need to measure and trial fit to insure bikes do not hit back window.
I am going to add front tire holders to rack and fix a mount for my gray water dolly to sit in between the two bikes.
This will give me more room inside the bed of truck.