Bikes

[Phil_5076941]

Want to take 3-4 bikes with us mounted on car as towball in use for caravan and believe can't tow with bikes on. Cheapest seems boot mounted system, but only found 3 bike carrier, not 4. Mounting on roof expensive option and also wife wants to be able to put bike carrier on her car when I'm not with her and she wouldn't be able to cope with roof mounted. If we found a boot mounted system for 4 bikes (haven't yet!) would it be too heavy to pull caravan with bikes on as well? I'm sure this question comes up frequently, but we don't know the answer. Any advice appreciated.

 

[rayc]

Phil, If you could find a boot mounted carrier for 4 bikes they would obviously add to the load being carried. You would have to ensure the car max weight, the train weight and the rear axle weight was not exceeded.The efect of the van noseweight would have to be taken into account. It would propably depend on how many people in the rear of the car and what else is in the boot.

Question for Lutz if he is reading. Are continental vans suppied with fairly light noseweights as I see loads of vans with 1 or 2 bikes on A frame carriers?

 

[Lutz]

Phil, If you could find a boot mounted carrier for 4 bikes they would obviously add to the load being carried. You would have to ensure the car max weight, the train weight and the rear axle weight was not exceeded.The efect of the van noseweight would have to be taken into account. It would propably depend on how many people in the rear of the car and what else is in the boot.

Question for Lutz if he is reading. Are continental vans suppied with fairly light noseweights as I see loads of vans with 1 or 2 bikes on A frame carriers?

I don't think that the noseweight of Continental caravans is any less than UK ones. After all, the manufacturers have to cater for the majority of owners who don't have cycle carriers on the A-frame. It's just that caravanners here are faced with the same problem where to put the bikes and, because fewer caravans here have a fairing over the A-frame, it's relatively easy to bolt a carrier directly to the caravan chassis. Of course, they would have to juggle their weights around a bit to get the noseweight right. I suspect that a lot of owners add extra weight to the rear to achieve the required result, although it should be avoided.

 

[rayc]

I don't think that the noseweight of Continental caravans is any less than UK ones. After all, the manufacturers have to cater for the majority of owners who don't have cycle carriers on the A-frame. It's just that caravanners here are faced with the same problem where to put the bikes and, because fewer caravans here have a fairing over the A-frame, it's relatively easy to bolt a carrier directly to the caravan chassis. Of course, they would have to juggle their weights around a bit to get the noseweight right. I suspect that a lot of owners add extra weight to the rear to achieve the required result, although it should be avoided.

Lutz, many thanks. Ray

 

[patricia_5041765]

We put two on the car roof and two inside the caravan.