Hi all,
A mate of mine was asking me for advice on purchasing a bike rack for the back of his 4wd, needs to hold 2 or 3 kids bikes, I just thought I would run it past everyone to see if anyone has any ideas of what to and what NOT to buy.
ANy help would be appreciated.
Cheers
SP
we sell thule at the shop.
good racks, pretty solid, easy to mount.
if you want something super solid and reliable tho, jon at grip sport makes some of the best racks i’ve ever used.
have a look at the gripsport site for details.
the problem these days is different frame materials and oversized tubing. Those old one that clamp on the top tube are great for steel roadies but that’s about it. i looked at quite a few ways of doing things and i reckon qr skewer clamps either on the roof, back of a ute or a special trailer are the way to go.
as far as I can tell, there is no ideal solution.
I’ve got a Thule one and it works OK for two bikes max. Folds down nicely and sits in the back of the car, then you fold it out to clamp on the tow ball. I wouldn’t want to get my finger stuck in it! You sit the top tube on top of rubber lumps on two protruding bars, then put rubber clips over the bar, so it’s safe for lightweight tubing. You might need to get inventive for short top tubes.
You can get tow bar mounted racks that hold the bikes by the wheels and not the top tube
I think Gripsport makes racks that hold by the wheels and one crank.
jons can hold by the wheels and a crank arm, or by the wheels and a strap round the top tube.
the thule ones that carry by the wheels are pretty good.
we use a dual rack on the roof of the hatchback, QR skewer front and a strap for the rear. the thule roof racks are great, lockable and really solid.
Thanks all,
Will pass this info on.
Cheers
SP
Another one is called the Q-Spear, bolts around your towball ,two padded arms that come out. Will carry ,claimed and tested, four oddly shaped down-hill mountain bikes no worries, as well as track, road, kids, ladies etc.
Just another option…