Bicycle

[sherrylynne]

I would like to take my bike with me when I tow (2006 Tunda) but everything I read here says "DO NOT" put the bike on the back of the Airstream. Sooooo, anybody have a suggestion as to where to put the bicycle? I have tried:

1. in the back of the truck --takes up too much space

2. in the camper--caused some damage plus we love to stop while traveling and cook, etc.

THANKS!

[Aviator]

Bike rack on front bumper, or on top of bed cover?

[dznf0g]

Not sure about your floor space, but I bought 2 of those front fork clamps and mounted them on a board about 3' long. I simply place the bikes in the board mount. Bungee the rear wheels together, and kinda wedge them in place in the front of the AS by the couch. Protect everything by draping blankets over them. In an emergency situation, I'm sure they would move around, but I haven't devised a suitable clamp down to the floor without damaging the carpet or walls. Front wheels go in the bed of the truck.

[easyride]

There is a thread on here somewhere with a carrier that mounts over the propane tanks.
Hopefully someone will post it. Dave

[68 TWind]

If you use the bike fork fixtures that clamp on the side of the bed instead of the type with the bar across the bed you can save a some bed space ( I have a blue boy and spare in the bed of my 01 Tundra when I camp). If you have really nice bikes, Saris makes really good mount that uses a receiver hitch to mount. You would have to mount a receiver in the front of your truck, but they are available. My son worked at a bike shop all thru high school and college. He installed every type of rack. He bought the Saris and so did I. We have hauled bikes 1000's of miles with not problem, plus they keep the bikes from getting beaten up. They are not cheap but if you have expensive bikes it will be worth it. CycleOn Pro

[Wingeezer]

Hitch receiver mounted on the front of out tow vehicle to accept a bike rack has worked out very well for us - had one installed on our last three tow vehicles.

Brian.

(Our trailer - bought used - came with a 2" hitch receiver welded to the frame at the rear, I removed it.)

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Hitch receiver mounted on the front of out tow vehicle tp accept a bike rack has worked out very well for us - had one installed on our last three tow vehicles.

Brian.

(Our trailer - bought used - came with a 2" hitch receiver welded to the frame at teh rear, I removed it.)

I just HATE cleaning the bugs out of every nook and cranny. A cover blocks my vision too much.

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I just HATE cleaning the bugs out of every nook and cranny. A cover blocks my vision too much.

Well I must admit that our mountain bikes are certainly not up to the standards of serious bike enthusiasts, so for us, its not a big issue - If I feel up to it I might hose them down after a long trip but that' s about it!


Nevertheless, they have served us well and have crossed the continent umpteen times - albeit not by pedal power!


Brian

[King O D Road]

We carry 2 bikes in the back of our 95 suburban. By taking the outside pedal off and turning the handles bars 90 degrees they fit into the homemade bracket quite securely. the tie down holds the bracket in place and handle bars clear the rear window with the backseat upright.

[BIG_WAVE]

I like to travel with my bike and found the perfect rack solution with Top Pop rails from Arvika (Arvika). Although not particularly cheap, they are top quality and very versatile - depending upon the length of the rail, you can accommodate any type or style of bike (my recumbent bicycle has a 64" wheelbase - too long for most "standard" racks) and depending upon the number of rails that you bolt on the rack, you can carry up to four bikes. I have attached the rack above the propane tanks up front - it rides high & safe and does not interfere with my hitch in any way. The best part is that the whole rack can be lifted off (it is held by a couple of pins) and attached to the rear of my tow vehicle for when I am parked at the campground and ready to drive to a trail head somewhere. Anyway, check it out - Arvika is a Canadian company but I'm sure that they have distributors in the US.

David

1999 Excella Classic 34'/Hensley
2005 Dodge Magnum R/T - 5.6L Hemi

[wahoonc]

They make a rack that will fit on or above the receiver. I have a double receiver that I use with cargo trailers, but it has a 4000# weight limit.

Quite a few of us use folding bikes that can fold down close to large suitcase size.

Aaron

[Trex]

We alway bring our bikes in the back bed of my dodge pickup.....My mundo will carry up to 400 lbs of cargo.... which means I could hook up my trailer to the Mundo bike and re-create a certain famous old photo. Trex "May Wally be with you."

[Bill M.]

saw a bike rack on a Airstream that carried one bike crossways in front of the trailer and behind the propane tanks. Neat installation. The owner said he bought it from a sports store, but I do not know which one.

[Al - K4GLU]

I cover my bed with a painters drop cloth to protect it and lay the bike on the bed when I travel. Has worked well so far.

[mojo]

Bike rack for Airstreams
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...tml#post546281

[Fishboy]

If you have a bike that is valuable I think you should put it in the tow vehicle. Have been biking and streaming for a few years and would never put our bikes outside. The two problems with outside storage are theft, and road damage. All you need is a fork clamp in the back of your truck. Slip off the front wheel and you are good to go.

[A W Warn]

I'm in the process of building a bike rack to carry two bikes on the rear of my Safari. The original post in this thread says not to carry bikes on the rear. Why not?

[easyride]

The frame is so weak,something bad is liable to happen. Dave

[A W Warn]

I have researched some of the threads on this forum for bike racks on the rear. I see most of the posted advice warns about seperation of frame/shell, but there are no specific incidences or pictures that I have found. Most of these posts say not to mount "on the bumper", which I do not intend. I also have seen some posts saying they have been hauling bikes on the rear of their trailers for years without any damage.

I have already built the hitch that I would like to mount onto the rear frame beneath and on each side of the rear bumper. (I have not mounted it yet) There are two 1/8" bent plates beneath the main frame, I think skid plates to stop the bumper from hitting the pavement. I was planning to use them for attachment of the hitch. Total weight of hitch, bike rack, and bikes about 125/130 lbs. I understand the leveage arm affect.

I am hoping that some of you will share information of specifc cases that you have witnessed, I'm not really looking for opinions or relays of information you have found. I would appreciate a link to a thread if this specific case information is already on this forum (I am still learning to navagate).

Does anyone have any personal experinces to share, bad or good regarding bike racks on the rear? Only those that have happend to them or their friends. In addition discriptions, photos would be appreciated.

I'm heading to Florida soon and I was planning to use my bike rack this trip. I hope to sort through all of the cases and make the most educated decision I can.

Thanks for your help!

[Dave Park]

I can only see bikes on the rear of Airstreams being a problem on longer airstreams, and those with 3" deep frames (whose idea was that, anyway?) I can't see it being a problem on a 5" frame, or anything 25' or shorter...

IMHO, YMMV.