Advice needed for platform-type (car) hitch-mount bike rack

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

I have recently replaced my car with another new to me, a 2012 Ford Focus hatchback, and I'm looking at bike racks for it (despite the Nomad's legendary load capacity, this is so the car can carry the bike, not the other way 'round!). This is a novel concept for me, since my domestic tours have always begun and ended from my front door under leg power alone.

Since I will soon be fitting the car with a 1¼in receiver-type trailer hitch to tow my small utility trailer, a 2-bike hitch mount rack appeals. It has the advantage of minimizing the long lift of a heavy bike to the top of the car, takes less of a hit on fuel economy, protects the bike from the many bugs I usually encounter on my summer drives, and prevents me from skimming the rack off the car on low drive-thru overhangs and on entering my garage. Disadvantage: The Nomad might become the world's most expensive bumper.

A pretty complete list of what's available to fit is here: http://www.etrailer.com/partlist/Ford/Focus/Bike%20Rack

Looking at various kinds of hitch-mount racks, I have decided to pass on the kind that suspend the bike from two arms. I prefer having the bike stand on its own tires, so what I'm looking for is a platform hitch-mount rack, the kind I would like allows the central support to fold down so I can access the car's hatchback, and some also allow the wheel trays to fold upright to minimize width while underway without a bike aboard.

The "hitch" in the works is the Nomad's long 43½in/110.5cm wheelbase -- too long for some platform racks unless I get a "tandem adapter" which then makes the rack too long.

Does anyone have experience carrying a Nomad on a rack of this type and if so, do you have a preference?

The types I've seen use either metal hoops to hold the wheels, or semicircular trays with security straps. The bike itself is held in place with a vertical padded hook that is secured with either a large knob or a ratchet mechanism. There have been isolated yet dire tales of these hooks marring the bike's paint unless padded with a rag or additional vinyl tubing.

I'm not so concerned about anti-theft security because as far as I'm concerned any of the racks can be disassembled to steal a bike. I don't plan to leave mine unattended on the car. The rack must be compatible with the bicycle's mudguards, racks, and bottles. The Thule featured in the video above is like the racks mounted on buses in my city and incompatible with the Nomad's extended front mudguard. The Swagman series is emerging as a leading candidate:  http://www.swagman.net/category/platform-racks/
...in particular the Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack:
http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Cross-Country-2-Bike-2-Inch-Receiver/dp/B0001VO1YY/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header/178-8987910-0001166
A less expensive candidate seems to have a lot going for it as well: The SportRack 2EZ Premium Hitch Platform System:
http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Cross-Country-2-Bike-2-Inch-Receiver/dp/B0001VO1YY/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header/178-8987910-0001166
...and...
http://www.rackattack.com/product-pages/sportrack-2ez-premium-hitch-platform-system.asp

This one is even less expensive: http://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-pro-series-q-slot-2009-ford-focus-ps63134.aspx

The lesser cost appeals but too often I've seen USD$6,000 bikes carried on USD$50 racks, and I've sometimes seen the results when they come off(!) or fail (!!!), so build quality and excellence in design trump lowest cost for me in this application. I have attached a small composite showing the car. The car measures 70in/178cm between the outsides of the tires and the body extends a bit beyond that at the fenders. The bike measures about 69½/176.5cm inches end-to-end including the mudguards, so I am hoping it will ride in the shadow of the car's plan view and not snag anything at the edges. <worried> Seems like a lot to hang from a 1¼in/32mm section of square steel tubing....

Thoughts? Ideas? Many thanks in advance for your feedback and suggestions. This is the time to stop me if I am about to make a Big Mistake.

Best,

Dan. (...who realizes new-car expenses don't stop with the purchase)

[anniesboy]

Take a look at something by Thule, the one I use takes two bikes,it also has a drop down function ,that enables easy access to rear door.
It has rubberised clamps that hold bikes by one of the main tubes, the clamps have a lock facility on some versions. the whole rack can also lock.
I have a picture of our Thorns on the car (I cant find it at the moment)

See my post on CTC site for Sept 2nd

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=28648

I hope this link works for you.

Edit I dont leave rack bags on when driving.

[onrbikes]

I too have that style and have had a roof mounted one.

Give me the roof mount any day.


Fair enough it was only home made but was far superior. An angle bracket with a skewer to attach the fork and the rear wheel tied down.

Now I have one that sits on the rear hitch and I always watch through the mirror how they bounce around. The danger there is that they often cover up the rear lights and may actually be illegal unless you start fitting lights.
Its also scary parking them somewhere for fear of theft or "bump and run".
Try getting something out the boot with the bikes
The car is now rear heavy and handles terrible especially in the wet.

Its also far more difficult to get the bikes off the roof. For you and the thief.

[anniesboy]

Well I had roof mounted carrier before.
It came with its own problems, lifting bikes onto the roof,having to take care when drive under barriers.
I know two people that trashed their bikes driving into car parks.
Much more wind resistance.
No issue getting into the back of the car as the whole thing hinges down.
Also clamps are lockable.

You pay your money and make a choice.
I only wish I could get a decent rear mounted carrier for my tandem.

[wildrover]

Hi Dan!

I use the Swagman xtc-2 on my mini-cooper.  Fits my Raven just fine.  We chose a platform rack because we also have BikeFridays.  Some racks were eliminated because have bike fenders.  (You have figured that out too).

The rack waggles on rough roads, I rather think they all do, but I use those rubber hook-cords, and try not to look.

Regards,
Holly

P.S. glad to do photos when we get home Tuesday!

[sdg_77]

Dan - I have a Thule Euroclassic 902 - no longer a current model but they make updated versions.  The one I have is the same as shown in this photo: http://goo.gl/4PWSuL

The rack fits onto the car's towbar easily, and my Sherpa (110cm wheelbase) fits onto the rack without drama. We don't have any problems with the mudguards or racks catching on anything and the overall length of the bike is less than the width of the car (2011 UK/European Honda Civic) from one door mirror to the other. I can see the end of the rear mudguard and the edge of the front tyre in the door mirrors so there are plenty of reminders that the bikes are on the carrier.

When we carry two bikes I usually take the saddle off the taller of the two, or at least lower it to the cross bar, to avoid it catching on the other set of handlebars.  We don't notice any problems with the clamps loosening or any real movement of the bikes on the rack.  Occasionally we put foam padding between the quickreleases - but that depends on which two bikes it is.  There is a reasonable range of left/right adjustment for the wheel supports so large, small, road, MTB and touring type bikes all fit easily enough.  

If you can stand the expense, go for one with the 'lever-tilt' mechanism as that makes it much easier to access the boot (trunk?) with the carrier in place - although we usually just fold the rear seats.  The third brake light is usefull as the bikes cover the centre brake light in the Civic's rear window - likely not to be a problem on your Focus.

Having had roof bar mounted racks,  rear tailgate mounted racks and this one,  I definitely prefer the towbar mounted version - if you have towbars on your cars you can keep the same rack and at the end of a long day it's not much of a lift to sit the bikes onto the rack.

edit - found an old photo - see attached.  This was a couple of years back,  the last time we had to move one of our children from one student house to another.  Just the thought of not having to do that again is making me smile ;-)

hope that helps
sdg.

[Danneaux]

All extremely helpful; thanks!

I'm still pondering.

In 1980, a friend and I toured Washington State's San Juan Islands and to make our window of opportunity (the long Memorial Day weekend with uni Finals Week to follow) we put the bikes on his two-armed bumper rack and drove to the ferry slip. This was during the eruption of Mt St Helens, and my bike came home covered with a thick crust of corrosive ash; I dearly wished I could have carried it inside his 1st generation VW Rabbit (Golf), but alas it would not have fit. I fared better than he; his bike was mounted closest to the hot exhaust and that nearly burned his tire through by the time we arrived; same on the return. I thought to secure my wheels with a toe strap, but his were left to spin in the breeze the entire way. I have a nice Rhode Gear hitch-mount version, but even though the arms adjust for a sloping top tube, they are too wide to accommodate my Nomad; the rubber blocking plates won't fit inside the frame triangle.

About 30 years ago, I owned a really nice (and heavy -- it weighed 40lb/18kg!) self-contained rooftop rack that held the bikes' wheels in trays, so no problems with lowrider front racks. It secured the bikes with padded seat-tube clamps, much like a repair stand. From a bike standpoint, it was ideal. Trouble is, at 5'11"/180cm, I still wasn't tall enough to lift the bikes securely onto the roof of the car and then secure them alone; there was more bike above my grasp than below and they kept trying to turn turtle on me as I lifted. I tried a low stool, but it wasn't wide enough. Once underway, the noise of the bikes cleaving through the airstream sounded like a low-flying jet and fuel economy dropped like a rock. Drive-in services are popular here while on road-trips, and I was always concerned the bikes would strike an overhang or roof while banking or picking up fast-food, and there's always the spectre of driving into the garage with the bike(s) on top -- it has happened to the best of us!

I did also found the constant wind pressure fatigue-flexed the front mudguards to the breaking point on its first use (this probably accounted for at least part of the jetlike wind noise), and that was disappointing. I never really used it and sold it on to another graduate student at the time.

Many of the European hitch/towbar-mounted racks caught my eye. They all had additional lighting and reflective tape to compensate for the bikes blocking the car's lighting and seemed to be more sturdy than the versions available here in the States. The Thule EuroClassic 902 Steve linked to is a great example. Very helpful and timely CTC link as well, Anniesboy. For some reason here in 'Merka, bicycle mudguards come without reflectors and our car bike racks come without lighting. Dunno why.

On the other hand, being able to see the bike(s) and towbar-mounted rack shake makes me uneasy. Maybe stabilizing straps would help? There's that bike-as-bumper, too, a real concern in a land where so many drivers are distracted by cellphones while at the wheel.

There was a clever Kickstarter project that used an adapter to put roof-rack trays on the towbar, but the funding came to naught. I'm not sure it would have worked with lowriding front racks, either, and would have required carrying the front wheel(s) inside the car: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1149022887/switchbck-bike-rack

Please keep the ideas coming! Yes, Holly, pics would be wonderful so I can better visualize the rack in place. The Swagman xtc-2 is emerging as a front-runner in my search.

All the best,

Dan. (...who just wants to rack 'n' roll safely)

[Cambirder]

I'm just about to order a new Golf (or possibly an Audi A3) and I am definitely going to get a tow bar fitted for mounting a cycle carrier.

The bike carrier I will probable go with is the Strada DL3, it's light, easy to fit and has a really cool mechanism for moving the bikes away from the tailgate. If you only need a two bike carrier the DL2 should fit the bill. As with most German Kit it's not the cheapest, but it looks superbly engineered.

http://www.foldingbikes.biz/html/atera_strada_3_dl.html

[IanW]

Having today returned from a 2-week holiday in France, taking 2 x RSTs with us
I can say that my personal preference is car-roof mounted racks.

For many years I/we used a pair of roof mounted racks that held the bikes inverted.
I.e. clamped by their saddle and handle-bars.

The mounts made by "Automaxi" were complete cr*p,
but they worked (nd have done for nearly 30 years)

So I completely re-made them, replacing all the mild-steel parts with heavier-grade stainless steel
They are now completely "bomb-proof".

The bicycles always travel "back-to-front"
I.e the rear of the bicycles face towards the front of the car
Precisely so that the wind-load does not damage the front mudguard
and the wind-load rams the saddles into the mounting clamps

In addition to the clamping points I also always use a pair of ratched-tie-down straps around front forks and seat-tube
triangulated down to the ends of the roof-cross bars.

This configuration allows me to remove the wheels to reduce the overall height to meet ferry height restrictions.

The racks/mounts are definitely good for upto 100mph (tested in Germany) but fuel consumption is then 0 mpg.
At 60 to 70 mph we achieve 45mpg

However, after all this glowing report as to effectiveness of roof-mounts,
if starting again with transporting 2 bicycles,
I would go with a good quality tow-ball mounted rack.
Probably one made by Thule

P.S. there is a "story" here about "dismounting" 2 bicycles + bicycle mounts + roof rack
off a car with "gutters" in just under 2 seconds
as a result of driving under a pair of goal-posts
with no damage to 2 bicycles or roof mounts or roof rack and only very minor damage to car.
But this did not involve the Thorn RSTs and was 25 years ago

[Mike Ayling]

Hi All!



Since I will soon be fitting the car with a 1¼in receiver-type trailer hitch to tow my small utility trailer, a 2-bike hitch mount rack appeals. It has the advantage of minimizing the long lift of a heavy bike to the top of the car, takes less of a hit on fuel economy,

WE used to have a 6 cylinder Ford Fairlane ( not the most economical of cars at the best of times but having a bike on the rear rack used to add at least 20% to the fuel consumption.

At least without the roof mount you no longer have to worry about entering carports etc!

Mike

[wildrover]

Hi again!

I've taken some photos showing the rack and my RT as I use it.  If you PM me with an email address, I can take a little iPhone video showing the 'waggle'.

Some comments:

On the web, Swagman's technical photos seem to be quite complete, so I didn't include any.  If you have something specific you would like to see, I can take more photos!

The covering on the 'clamp' that goes over the top-tube is very good.  If I didn't have a bunch of pipe insulation around, I wouldn't hesitate to use it as is.  However I like that the insulation is compressible.  You can see there is a hole in the mechanism.  Sometimes I put a suitcase lock in the hole so the clamp can't be raised without removing the lock.

This rack didn't come with a hitch lock.  If you find one that fits, let me know?  This is just a suitcase lock that I use.  The rubber bungees don't come with the rack.  I use them to stabilize the rack, a bit.  Actually, the more I can tighten the bolt, the less the waggle.  I haven't taken it any further than that.

Plenty of clearance to open my hatch.

Security-wise, I wouldn't leave this setup unattended in a shopping center parking lot.  I'll bet D-locks and cables could be used creatively!

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

My, I am so delighted and pleased by all your responses; thanks so much!

I was up in the state capitol (Salem) getting the crown on my tooth today and just stepped in the door, so I will make a full reply soon after I catch up with things a bit and ponder a little more.

The photos and personal thoughts and reviews are really helpful, and have moved the process along considerably for me. It helps so much to "ask those who have tried" various mounts and racks, and to see the photos as well.

More later, as I move forward. Thanks again, and please don't hesitate to add further thoughts going forward. I have received several emails from others who have said this discussion has been helpful, so thanks from them as well!

Best,

Dan. (...who surely appreciates the collective wisdom and kind helpfulness of this community)

[Cambirder]

Is that setup legal where you live wildrover?

In Europe you would need a lighting board hung off the back of that

[lewis noble]

Most points already, covered, I think, but we generally use a towball mounted rack, an Ergo Twinney now approx 7 years old

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Twinny-Load-Ergo-Tilting-2-Bike-Towball-Car-Rack_41753.htm

An older model than already referred to, pretty heavy, but works well.  The disadvantage is that the main gripping mechanism is a clamp onto the bike crank, with the weight mostly carried on a pad supporting the bottom bracket.  My RT, with eccentric bolts, did not fit too well, a bike with a 'normal' BB fits better.  Also, this fixes the side-to-side position - which may become a problem on long wheelbased bikes.  The alternative designs with some sort of pole sounds much better and should give more flexibility in position and using different bikes.

How easy are they to adjust quickly / with cold hands for different bikes??  Mine needs a hex key to adjust - not good in my view.

There should be little if any shake - and being able to usually see bike through back window prevents accidental reversing incidents . . . . though not someone rear-ending you . . .

Strada is I understand another good European make.

Two other points - cannot get back to thread without losing post and I cannot recall names -

1) quality of bolts and washers etc fitted as original is often appalling, and I too have replaced over the years with better fittings - easily done and improves things a lot.  Keep spares!!  and some in the car too!!  Makes you feel good to go the the rescue in a car park

2) someone mentioned a tandem rack.  We have a Thorn tandem, small frame so probably shorter wheelbase than many, but tandems generally too wide to fit across back of car.

But we carry ours on the back of our VW campervan - tailgate mounted rack.  I made a carrier which fits on the normal wheel mounts on the rack, with 2 boat rowlocks on top.  That carriers the tandem frame, bottom tube sitting in the rowlocks, which, with wheels off, forks reversed, guards off (only shorty guard on rear anyway), fits within the width of the van.  Wheels then fitted separately.  Takes about 10 mins to sort out.

If you want pictures, let me know and I will take some when I get the van out next.

3) security.  We all struggle with this, I reckon.  Most European cars have a towing eye under the rear bumper, which should enable a cable to be looped in.  The locks fitted to most carriers can easily be forced with a screwdriver (I know - I travelled to France with the family bike stable then realised keys were at home - took me only a few seconds to force them) so extra is essential.

Lewis

[sdg_77]

towball mounted rack, an Ergo Twinney

I recall these - or at least this type - being very popular last time we were in Belgium and/or Holland,  some days it seemed like more cars had one attached than didn't.

sdg.