RE: Bike Rack

[Hopegirl]

 
Okay all you seasoned vets out there...what is the best bike rack for a pop up camper?? We d like a 4 bike rack.
 
 
 Thanks Guys!!

[Flacamper]

 Hopegirl
If you re handy (Or know someone who is) and would like to save some $$$$.  This is what I have built and use.
 
 http://pws.chartermi.net/~lcason/BikeRack.htm

[copcarguy]

 Hopegirl
Hey Hopegirl - I see you have an  02 Sedona...  We just got an  03 Coleman Carmel and LOVE the Yakima racks that are an option directly from Coleman.  As part of the deal, we had the dealer throw in the Yakima crossbars, and I got the actual bike racks waaaay cheaper on eBay brand new in the box!  The ones I got are Yakima Cobra s - they hold the bike very securely by the front tire.  I didn t want to have to remove the front tires of the bikes to put them on the rack for two reasons.  The first being that if you have to remove the front tires, you now have all these loose tires laying around taking up valuable storage space.  The second being is that my friend had a fork mount Yakima rack and placed the bike on the rack.  Something diverted his attention, and before he secured the bike to the rack, it tipped over and bent the tire mount on the front forks.  He had to shell out $$  for a new fork.  I have used the Cobra and find it to be a great bike mount.  If you want even more security, they make the King Cobra which is the exact same thing except it has a built in lock.  I didn t go for the lock because you can t lock the crossbars to the top of the camper, so it didn t make sense.  I hope this helped!

[jstaddwtr]

 Hopegirl
We also have the Yakima system on both our TV and " Hermes."   []We love it because it is interchangable and very stable.  We carry four bikes on Hermes and two more and a canoe on our TV.   Good luck with whatever you do!![]

[SactoCampers]

 jstaddwtr
One more plug for the Yakima system, either on your car or popup. If your Explorer has factory cross bars, you can do it relatively affordably, but only get three bikes on your roof. I just installed two Yakima Raptors on my roof rack and they appear very solid. The Raptors are a little more affordable than the Cobras, but mount to the frame, not the front wheel. Both systems allow you to keep your front wheel on, which is good because I know I m way too lazy to take my front tire off.
 
 Granted, a 4-bike Yakima system with crossbars and towers isn t going to be cheap, but they last a LONG time and can be adapted to work with any vehicle.
 
 Another option is the six-n-all PVC-based bike rack:
 
 http://www.sixnall.com/
 
 It all comes down to your personal preferences and budget.

[hbfc6]

 Hopegirl
I like my six n all bike rack. As I was leaving the Kings Island campground this morning a lady came over to my site and asked about it and took pictures. I get asked about it a lot when I travel. I traveled about 10,000 miles with it the last two years and have not had any problems with it.
  John

[tlhdoc]

 Hopegirl
I would go with the Yakima Rack too, in fact I have it.  It keeps the bikes safe and out of the way and you can also carry things like canoes, kayaks or a basket for more storage.

[4campinfoxes]

 Hopegirl
We started out with the Six n all bike rack when we had the Jayco.  Moved to the dealer installed Yakaima rack with the Coleman.  Pros & Cons on either side.  DH has not been happy with the Yakima, but doesn t know of anything better.  First off, the screws installed to hold the cross tubes to the rack sheared off during travel, causing the rods to move.  He s since replaced all 4 with larger bolts to keep them in place.  Then on the way home from Branson, MO this year the new fork mounted rack we bought for a new expensive bikecame undone.[:@]  Luckily this bike was in the middle & ended up leaning on another bike, otherwise it would ve fallen off and perhaps onto someone else s car or it might ve damaged our roof.  
 
 The other problem he has with the Yakima rack is getting the bikes up & on it on top of the pop-up, especially difficult with the front storage unit which is not exactly something you can stand on, although he s considering modifying that.  
 
 Well, that s my 2 cents worth.  And yes, a bit of a rant.  We like having the bikes on top of the pop-up but have not been too impressed with the quality & performance of the Yakima rack we have.
 
 Sharon