Traveling with bikes.... recommendations

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Longbeard87

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Sep 8, 2016
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I have a fleet on order.... any recommendations for adding bikes to the mix? We do alot of riding. I was wondering if they would fit inside in the aisle if I take off the front wheels? We also have a hitch rack but it doesn't swivel out of the way so that could be a pain putting it on and off. We did order the yakima tracks, just not wild about having them up top....... I would probably drive under some low hanging limb....

Just wondering what others do / recommend. Thanks
 
All of the above.... we have both and also tandems but I know the tandem would have to go up on the roof, unless I pull both wheels.

Just wife and I.

Open to any recommendations. Thanks
 
We just use our normal bike rack on the back (attaches to our step). We put flags on it, etc. Never had an issue but they do stick out a bit. Never used the 4 bike rack though (2 road, 2 mtn) as that'd be sticking out a looooong way. We use the rack that goes over the front wheel so we don't have to take wheels off, etc.
 
I saw one popup that had an old Yakima tandem rack mounted almost vertically on back wall. As I recall, the rack was the style that had a saddle for the stoker's bottom bracket, with a T bolt that clamped over the chain stays to hold the BB in the saddle. You would need to know where the camper frames are, and if the were strong enough to handle the weight and forces of the tandem.

Which bike do you have?
 
The tandems are a Santana Arriva and a Salsa Powderkeg. Sounds like I have a couple options. I was just curious if I could squeeze two single bikes inside and not have to worry about a hitch rack. I have a thule but it will require being unhitched/removed to get in and out of the camper. Not a huge deal but an inconvenience.
 
We have a Keith Lippy Ecstasy that Keith built for us in the '80s. He was a jeweler turned frame builder that did really nice work. He's teaching school these days.
 
We installed a hitch on the front of the truck, that's where our Yakima two bike rack goes. Have traveled all over the USA and Canada with no problems at all. Had the rack on the back, but just to much work getting in and out of the Hawk. Nothing easy about removing two bikes and a 50 lb bike rack.
 
Wandering Sagebrush.... nice, I have seen some of his work. Great stuff. Do you get it out much? We rode down part of the east coast last summer, Maine to CT. Amazing trip along the coast. It was our first time seeing the New England states.
 
Not much anymore. Since we moved to the PDX area, we became Leary of the traffic. Prior to moving to this area, we usually got between 3-4000 miles a year.
 
I would suggest trying your existing hitch rack first. We use the one we had before getting the camper. There is enough room to squeeze in and out of the camper with the bikes loaded. Typically my GF does the squeezing and has absolutely no issue.

I'm not sure what kind of rack you have, but mine attaches to a standard ball hitch, meaning if I wanted the give the door a few more inches to open I could get a longer hitch that it is attached to.
 
Great. I have a thule now, they rest on the wheels, not a frame attachment. I am thinking I might be able to get them inside as well but maybe that is a dream.....

3-4K miles......fantastic!
 
We use a standard hitch rack mounted to our RakAttach.com swing out. We can carry a cargo rack for extra storage when not taking bikes.
 
OpenSpace said:
Second WestCoast on this:

https://www.northsho...oto 4bike18.htm
We're serious riders. Wife used to race. We travel to ride. Had a NS rack about 4 years. Best I've used by far.
Click to expand...
Have you ever had problems with the grease being blown out of the headsets with the NS? It looks like they are positioned just about the right height for that. I have one bike with a roller bearing headset that i have to wrap the head tube to keep it from getting blown out.
 
This option doesn't work for most but I carry a folding mountain bike in the extended-cab area of my truck. I posted some photos in June 2015.

I also have an older pair of Dahon folders (Boardwalk models). The two Dahons or the larger Montague fit under the bed in our campervan. I take the Dahons when my wife goes along, and the Montague when solo.

I know this folding-bike option isn't helpful to the original poster but thought it might be food for thought for future readers of the thread looking for ideas.

On the upside, the bike is out of the weather and dust but the downsides are:

(1) I leave the mountain bike in the Hawk all the time and its exposed to fairly high temperatures when the truck is parked in the sun in hot weather.

(2) It takes a few minutes to unpack and set up the bike, then repack it for departure from our campsite. Its less convenient than just taking the bike off a rack and jumping on for a run to the iron ranger or something quick.

As to the store-in-the aisle idea in post 1, I know that wouldn't work for me. I move daily and don't ride the bike often so would quickly regret having a bike in the aisle. I occasionally want to take a quick nap at a trailhead, check the battery, retrieve some piece of gear, etc. And in general I find bikes clumsy to move by hand with pedals ready to snag and a greasy chain ready to make a mark.
 
Thanks! I meant have them in the aisle just while driving. Appreciate all the tips. I love this site! We got the camper mainly to use as a base at different trail systems...... well.... besides chasing trout and hunting... lol
 
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