another bike rack for PU's

[Recumbentman]

Came across another bike rack made for PU's.
Bike Tote
click on the picture to get a bigger view and then you will see how it attaches to the PU. The cost seems high to me. But the design seems very basic and it would be very easy to copy and build your own.

[howlinowl]

I've seen pics of similar designs made of 2x4's on other pop-up forums.... looks like this company's been cruizin' the forums and stealing others ideas.  

Allan

[SpeakEasy]

When I see racks like this on top of the camper, and when I see cargo carriers that are basically box-shaped on top of the camper, I cringe to think about what they do to your gas mileage while towing.

I realize that if you are into biking, you have to carry the bikes somehow, and there probably is no aerodynamic way to do so. OK - that's a given. For the rest of this post let's just talk hypotheticals - and luggage-carrying in general rather than bike racks.

When I am not towing I get about 23 mpg from my Highlander. Towing I average almost 17 mpg. I would think that if I add a non-aerodynamic luggage carrier I will drop at least one or two more mpg - maybe even more. Does anyone have any experimental data on this? For each mpg lost I will spend about $40 more on gasoline on my long trip this summer.

I've been wondering about using an aerodynamic carrier like one made by Thule on top of my popup. I would think this would be the most cost-effective way to carry extra luggage. I can't put it on the roof of my tv because the darn thing (the tv) has a really low cargo weight limit. Has anyone used a carrier like this on their popup?

[smoorenc]

400.00 ??  Wow, way too much

[edwardr132]

Do you think that one could be emulated as a DIY with "electrical pipe" using a pipe bender and some machine screws with rubber pads on the electrical pipe?