Bicycles

[Docbutch]

We have a Tommy Bahama 27FC being towed by a Toyota Sequoia and would be grateful for thoughts on bringing two bikes along.

[mikextr]

Traveling with bikes is a pain in the neck, but I take mine everywhere I go. My bike rides comfortably inside the trailer covered with a moving blanket and secured with straps because I can't find a rack I like. At the campsite, the bike is locked to the trailer tongue and covered with a tarp. If I leave the campsite, the bike gets locked inside the trailer or rides with me in the Cayenne with the back seats folded down. Traveling would be a lot easier without bikes and pets but not nearly as much fun.

Here's a link to a tongue mounted rack I am considering. Just not ready to pull the trigger.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp.../LC429756.html

[CRH]

I carry a folding bike. It is great around a relatively flat campground and for trips under a couple of miles.

[mikextr]

Originally Posted by mikextr

Here's a link to a tongue mounted rack I am considering. Just not ready to pull the trigger.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp.../LC429756.html

I just discovered that Lippert makes an adapter so you can attach the rack to your tow vehicle hitch. Nice feature.

https://www.etrailer.com/p-LC723359.html

[uraljohn]

Our tow vehicle is a 2013 Ford E150 XLT Premium van with max tow package. We removed the back bench seat, leaving 4 captains chairs, and load our 2 fat tire cruisers bikes, Weber Baby Q, Yeti 45 Cooler, propane fire pit, Full tool kit, and a bunch of other stuff right on in. Secure, dry, and easy to load and unload. This van has a cargo capacity of 2530 pounds so overloading it is almost impossible even with 1k lbs of tongue weight. With a 8600 GVW, 7k lb tow rating, and 14k CGVWR it does a stellar job. Of course, I did CAT scale my rig to insure all weights in compliance. I am an over the road truck driver so I realize how important it is to not be over weight and balanced.
I always wonder why more folks do not consider a van to tow with. There are several makes and models out there that are very capable haulers. Just a suggestion.

[wulfraat]

Boom!

Decked system with Thule rack on top in the bed.

[gypsydad]

Fiama from AS dealers...expensive but works well. This is our second; some folks mention hinge braking issues; we have been lucky...no issues.

[SilverWind]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Fiama from AS dealers...expensive but works well. This is our second; some folks mention hinge braking issues; we have been lucky...no issues.

Agreed. I've had them on three Airstreams with incident.

[mikextr]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

Boom!

Decked system with Thule rack on top in the bed.

"Boom!" is right wulfraat. Very nice setup.

[jkingseed]

We had the same question when we had our 2104 27' Eddie Bauer FB. Rear mount is not ideal for a unit that has a rear opening door. The solution we found was a front of the trailer mounted bike rack from Arvika. Canadian company. Bought the original equipment, that held 2 bikes, online. Once we needed to add another bike, I talked to and bought directly from the factory. This worked well for us when we had the Eddie Bauer and surprisingly still works on the Classic that we now have. I was concerned due to the LP tanks being larger on the Classic. Apparently the Classic tanks are just bigger in diameter, not height, due to my setting still being the same as the EB. Directions that arrive with the rack are a bit lacking, but we were able to figure out the installation. Some people may question the additional weight over the hitch, but we did not experience and issue with this. Also, the rack flips up with the loosening of a few of the securing knobs so that access to the propane tanks is gained. See attached photos.