Show Us Your Bike Carrying Wagons

philstar · *by **philstar** on Mon 19th Mar 2:20pm*

jo wrote:I've just bought a 2011 RAV4 5 door. Luckily* I can fit a bike in the "boot" (my seats are usually down), but eventually I'll need to sort a towbar/hitch. Are those hitch-mounted racks like https://www.yakima.co.nz/products/activ ... tch/holdup the go? I have a 27.5+ SC Tallboy if it makes a difference, and the boot opens sideways like a door.

I dont really want a roof mount. While I lose boot accessibility, I'd rather not write my bike off by driving under a tree/arch/garage.

*not really, it was a primary specification

that one looks like it is a ball mount

but they all seem to be like that now. I like the 2" hitch type. I would also get a light bar (and numberplate holder).

some of this type of rack fold down so you can at least partial open a side hinge door

jo · *by jo on Mon 19th Mar 2:48pm*

Yeah, I'm thinking a 2" hitch version would be more stable (didnt notice that my example was not one). I dont like how the towball mounted racks tend to rotate (my 29er never used to sit square on a Q spear). :crazy:

I'm not sure about the stability implications of those ones with the hinge? I've known some not to feel very secure - but that was a couple of years ago. And difficult to clip back up. I'd welcome comment from someone with a hinged rack?

philstar · *by **philstar** on Mon 19th Mar 3:08pm*

jo wrote:I'm not sure about the stability implications of those ones with the hinge? I've known some not to feel very secure - but that was a couple of years ago. And difficult to clip back up. I'd welcome comment from someone with a hinged rack?

its not wheel mount * but my friends have the Thule Q spear equivalent with 2 hinges (spears and upright) and it is as solid as. but I would be also interested in feedback from anyone with a wheel mount with a hinge.

*(what is the correct nomenclature for theses wheel Mont sounds like the rack mount to the spare wheel)

jo · *by jo on Mon 19th Mar 4:27pm*

No, not after a wheel mount. I did some research (for someone else) and basically you shouldn't open the back door with a bike on the back due to stress on the door hinges.
Looking for a square hitch rack,

foremannz · *by **foremannz** on Mon 19th Mar 9:02pm*

My vehicle is a humble Nissan Wingroad, nothing special, but I do like wagons

: Taking the bikes down to Rotovegas

Roof rack setup is Whispbars with Yakima Frontloaders holding the bikes up - if you want a decent bike carrier, really really look at the Frontloader!

: The Yakima Frontloader holding one of my many bikes

AgrAde · *by **AgrAde** on Mon 19th Mar 10:58pm*

I love how roof racks put the mud all over the car in winter :thumbsup:

philstar · *by **philstar** on Tue 20th Mar 3:39pm*

jo wrote:No, not after a wheel mount. I did some research (for someone else) and basically you shouldn't open the back door with a bike on the back due to stress on the door hinges.
Looking for a square hitch rack,

see confusion by wheel mount I meant hitch platform that mount the bikes by the wheels (as apposed to a spear type that mounts via the top tube).

as a solution if you could not find a 2" hitch type, could you try a 2" square tube with roof rack mounts bolted to it (a friend did this but also made their own roof rack mounts)

foremannz · *by **foremannz** on Tue 20th Mar 7:00pm*

AgrAde wrote:I love how roof racks put the mud all over the car in winter

You must be driving too slowly then!
In all seriousness, I weighed up practicality vs cost - the roof racks mean I can open the boot whenever I like, and the bikes are held by the wheels, not the frames, which makes a heap of difference with my weird shape Santa Cruz Superlight 29er frame and my carbon road bike frames.

beater32 · *by **beater32** on Tue 20th Mar 7:42pm*

I've been looking at the Yakima roof option too. Sick of not having boot access for muddy gear. The cost of the cross bars hurts though. Any ideas for cheaper brands? Not sure if the Torpedo7 ones are OK or not.

foremannz · *by **foremannz** on Tue 20th Mar 8:03pm*

beater32 wrote:I've been looking at the Yakima roof option too. Sick of not having boot access for muddy gear. The cost of the cross bars hurts though. Any ideas for cheaper brands? Not sure if the Torpedo7 ones are OK or not.

I have Whispbars but I would prefer to have rounded bars if I could - the wing profile works best if the front and back racks lay inline, otherwise it can twist the racks you install on the bars.
For the cost of whats on my roof, I'm happy to spend that extra 20% for something thats way better quality ...

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