Bike rack for PU

[ike1450]

Ok--for all you bike riders--what type of bike rack do you have attached to the rear of your PU?  We just got back into camping and would like to purchase a bike rack that mounts on the back of the PU and holds 2 bikes.  Thanks.

[Gone-Camping]

Mounting a bike rack on the BACK of a PU is not recommended. PU's are notorius for sway problems, partly due to the fact they are single axle and ususally loaded wrong. Adding weight to the back of the trailer will increase the likelyhood of the trailer swaying significantly. The best way to carry Bikes with a PU is either put them on top of the PU, or on top of the tow vehicle.

Rear rack can work on larger double axle Travel Trailers, mostly because they are much heavier tongue weight and the addition of the bikes & rack isn't enough to offset the weight.

[flyfisherman]

Ok--for all you bike riders--what type of bike rack do you have attached to the rear of your PU?  We just got back into camping and would like to purchase a bike rack that mounts on the back of the PU and holds 2 bikes.  Thanks.

I've had the Top Line rear mounted bike rack on my PU now for the last five years.

//www.toplinemfg.com

You don't post what brand & model PU you have in mind for such a bike rack, but let me say that some PU's lend themselves better to such a rack than others. Also, if you were to mount such a bike rack, you will have to compensate with additional weight forward, even on the trailer tounge, to off set the weight of the bikes and THE BIKE RACK itself.



Fly

[CampG]

I made a roof mounted bike rack (5 bikes) out of PVC for the top of our Starcraft.  Took a day to make.
Do a web search for 'pvc bike rack', and I believe you'll find the site where I found the plans for it.  I wanna say they came from a member of these boards, but it's been so long....
I just modified it a bit to make it a one piece unit, and I strapped it to the top of the camper.  Worked great for our trip down to Florida this last summer.

[chip]

Here are two links to plans for PVC racks that strap to the to of a PUP.

http://www.gonebowlin.com/camping/br.htm

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

I have a rack that clamps onto the hitch, just like this one:

http://www.popuptimes.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=rrack3&Category_Code=racks

The store here at PopUp Times sells several variations on the theme.  Just gotta pick the one that works best for you...

Good Luck.

[fallsrider]

I've seen bike racks that mount onto the tongue. I think that is the best option because it puts less weight on your roof, and it increases the tongue weight, which is a good thing usually. Search around, they are out there.

[wynot]

I've seen bike racks that mount onto the tongue. I think that is the best option because it puts less weight on your roof, and it increases the tongue weight, which is a good thing usually. Search around, they are out there.

[Warning - Personal opinion expressed]
 
I don't see these being practical if you have more than 2 bikes, or actually want to get in the back of your tow vehicle.  I may not be overly thrilled about what carrying our bikes on the front receiver does to our gas mileage, but at least they are not on the roof (I can just see me hitting the garage with them), or on the camper roof (which is probably already over 3,500 lbs), and I can load them the night before.

[fallsrider]

Hey, you have a personal opinion just like I do, and if what you do works for you, then by all means do it!