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Bike Rack for large family- 5 kiddos

Started by Bugbee, Dec 11, 2007, 11:21 AM

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Bugbee

New to the pop up world...and motherhood in general :)
Pretty instant family and just now entertaining that bikes on our camping adventures might be fun for the children.

We have five little ones, can anyone suggest a bike rack that would best meet our needs for bringing so many bikes.

I have no preference in how to get to them just one that is good and that could carry that many bikes.

I have seen 4 bike carriers (don't know the quality etc...) and wondered if you could even double them somehow so hubby and I could also take a bike.

We have a Bayside.

Thanks,
N

ronerjones

If I read your thread correctly you actually want to carry 7 bikes, 5 for the kids and the 2 adults. I reciently bought a bike rack and did what I consider my homework in ordering and picking the best product for the job. The following were my conditions and my final choice. If you do a search on this site you will also find a couple plans for home made if you are handy.

I needed to carry 4 bikes, I did not want to have to remove the front tires to connect, and I did not want to have to drill any holes in my roof.

The best product design and cost that I found was the following:
http://sixnall.com/
I think they have a model that will carry 5 bikes, my bet is if anyone could accomodate your requirements this would be the place.

Consider this I believe the max weight for your roof is 150lbs, if you have a/c that is between 60 and 80 lbs - the bike rack set to carry 4 bikes is 30 to 40 lbs - add 4 bikes and you are prety close to max weight for the roof - not sure what you are towing with and how much gear you have loaded - if you travel with a second vehical you might want to think about getting a rack for the second vehical that could carry 3 bikes and then 4 on the camper roof. If you are travelling with a 7 passenger mini-van then my guess is loadedup without bikes you are already beyond your vehicals tow weigt. Please keep this in mind drive safe and camp safe, happy camping.

ScouterMom

I got an idea - why don't you give up on the Tow vehicle and just hook up all those bikes to the trailer and haul it with the bikes?  :-()

How old are the kids? what sizes of bikes?  

the weight is going to be a problem - and it will only get worse as the kids and their bikes grow. Camper roofs are not to be messed with - if your roof gets damaged, it's a pain to fix.

you might look into some tandem bikes (less weight per person and fun)  or depending on the ages of the kids - the kid bike that hooks onto the back of an adult bike, and / or a Burly or bike trailer for the littlest ones.  
I've seen a couple of dad's tooling around campsites with BOTH hooked up to the back of their bikes - the burly hooked to the wheel of the kiddie peddle/trailer - they don't go fast or far, I'm sure - but it is a great way to excercise and occupy the kids!

If your camper roof can take the weight - here's a home-made rack that might work -

http://userpages.prexar.com/chasd/bikerack.html

Made of lightweight PVC and adjustable to any size/ combination of bikes.

My camper is 35 yrs old - and it's roof is not in the best shape, so I don't want ANY weight on my roof at all, yet I want to be able to carry my rather heavy recumbent trike (adult size) and probably a couple of reg adult bikes, too - or, sometimes, a canoe or two (at 65+ lbs apiece). So we started building a carrier that will hold our equipment OVER the roof, and not touch it at all - sort-of baised on the design of our boy scout troop's 8 rack canoe trailer.



http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/560368886ymCNvq

Click the link above for photos, if the photo doesn't come out....

I had a friend weld the rack to the frame of the camper, so all the weight is supported by the BOTTOM TRAILER FRAME - none on the camper box itself.  The rack works for canoes - we've tested it locally.  A spring project is to finish a lightweight frame to go between the 2X4's to hold the bikes suspended above the roof. It will be loosely based onthe PVC design above - but using aluminum struts - because I got them free from another project and they are lighter and more rigid.

With that many bikes - you'll probably end up using more than one solution - my advice would be too try and not put too much stress on camper box itself.  They are not put together as solidly as a car, and you need to maintain the balance of the trailer.  You might look into a combination of some kind of roof rack for your tow vehicle, smaller bikes, and a rack for the camper.  it's well worth having the bikes along, though - so don't give up!

Laura

motx72

If you're in need of loading five bikes for the kids, and perhaps a couple more for the adults, maybe you should consider a combination of the roof rack (for the smaller bikes), and then a set up like ours.

We have a dual-hitch extension and a hitch 4-bike carrier, and the combination works great.  See the attached pics.  If you used a similar set up, along with the roof bike rack, you might be able to take bikes for years to come!

(BTW, the bike rack we have tilts backwards, so that the liftgate on our Durango can open completely.)

=motx72

campdaddy

We have these two items and now have a 7 bike capacity:

Bike Rack

Hitch Mount

Clarabelle

I have a ProRac that can accomodate up to six bikes.  It took a little time and ingenuity to install because my trailer tongue was bigger than their clamps.  A drill and some carriage bolts solve the problem.  What I liked was the fact that I did not have to drill holes in my roof.  The downside is, we have to remove the bikes anytime we put up the roof.  

It isn't perfect, but seemed like the best of choices.

Here is a link to rack on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/ProRac-Tent-Trailer-Bike-Carrier/dp/B000NRU5JQ

Used 2B PopUPTimes

Quote from: ClarabelleI have a ProRac that can accomodate up to six bikes.  It took a little time and ingenuity to install because my trailer tongue was bigger than their clamps.  A drill and some carriage bolts solve the problem.  What I liked was the fact that I did not have to drill holes in my roof.  The downside is, we have to remove the bikes anytime we put up the roof.  

It isn't perfect, but seemed like the best of choices.

Here is a link to rack on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/ProRac-Tent-Trailer-Bike-Carrier/dp/B000NRU5JQ

We sell the ProRac on our site too for $341 - includes shipping
http://popuptimes.com/store/page4.html

Mike Up

Quote from: PopUPTimesWe sell the ProRac on our site too for $341 - includes shipping
http://popuptimes.com/store/page4.html
I thought about the rack that goes over the hitch mount but it looks like it would interfere with my Starcraft's center mounted tongue jack.
 
This rack you mention looks nice but I have a few concerns. The biggest, will the bouncing of the rear tires on the roof leave marks or even damage the roof when going over rough roads???
 
The second, how do you secure the rear wheels from swinging out to the sides???
 
The third, is there a front wheel holder accessory?? It seems like a retailer was offering these holders at one time. BTW, Starcraft only recommends Pro Rac bikes as seen here in their brochure.
 
I have air conditioning so the roof mounted carrier wouldn't work and I really don't want to drill into the roof besides.
 
I'm really interested in this tongue mounted carrier as I want to get another mountain bike to take for long trail adventures.
 
Thanks and have a good one.

Clarabelle

Quote from: Mike UpI thought about the rack that goes over the hitch mount but it looks like it would interfere with my Starcraft's center mounted tongue jack.
 
This rack you mention looks nice but I have a few concerns. The biggest, will the bouncing of the rear tires on the roof leave marks or even damage the roof when going over rough roads???
 
The second, how do you secure the rear wheels from swinging out to the sides???
 
The third, is there a front wheel holder accessory?? It seems like a retailer was offering these holders at one time. BTW, Starcraft only recommends Pro Rac bikes as seen here in their brochure.
 
I have air conditioning so the roof mounted carrier wouldn't work and I really don't want to drill into the roof besides.
 
I'm really interested in this tongue mounted carrier as I want to get another mountain bike to take for long trail adventures.
 
Thanks and have a good one.

I bought the tire pads they offer to protect the roof.  They are small fiberglass squares that velcro to the bottom of your tires.  They include straps to stabilize the bikes and avoid the bouncing.  I also purchased front wheel holders that mount right on the bar.

Here is ProRac's website that lists all their equipment:
http://www.prorac.com/installation.php

I looked seriously at the adapter that allows you to use both the ball and a hitch mount rack at the same time.  But I pull my PUP with a minivan, and did not want to loose the ability to open the rear hatch.  

Hope this helps

Mike Up

Quote from: ClarabelleI bought the tire pads they offer to protect the roof. They are small fiberglass squares that velcro to the bottom of your tires. They include straps to stabilize the bikes and avoid the bouncing. I also purchased front wheel holders that mount right on the bar.
 
Here is ProRac's website that lists all their equipment:
http://www.prorac.com/installation.php
 
I looked seriously at the adapter that allows you to use both the ball and a hitch mount rack at the same time. But I pull my PUP with a minivan, and did not want to loose the ability to open the rear hatch.
 
Hope this helps
Thanks a lot, it does help and I appreciate it. So now all I have to do is select the bike I'll be riding, most likely a Trek, and then the bike rack.
 
Thanks again, have a good one.