Electric bike carrier...

[alibeau]

Hi,

We have recently purchased 3 electric bikes.

We would like to be able to travel to new places to ride them and so need a bike carrier of some description.

We do not have a tow bar (we could look into getting one if required)...

However at the moment the cheapest and easiest option seems to be... put 60% of the back seats down and throw one in the back of the car and then buy a rear boot carrier for the remaining two bikes.

The bikes weigh just under 20kg each. I have managed to find one rear boot carrier that takes a max of 45kg...

So my questions are...

Anyone have experience of a rear boot carrier, will it rub the paintwork if used regularly? Anything else to consider?

Could we buy a 3 bike carrier (higher weight capacity) and just put 2 bikes on it to stay within the weight limit?

Thanks in advance.

Ali x

[mickey house]

I thought of getting a tow bar fitted for my car to put my emtb on but because of how big/long the bike is it will overhang the car (my car is a medium sized car).

I wouldn’t put 40kg plus the weight of the carrier on the back of a car.

[alibeau]

Originally Posted by mickey house

I thought of getting a tow bar fitted for my car to put my emtb on but because of how big/long the bike is it will overhang the car (my car is a medium sized car).

I wouldn’t put 40kg plus the weight of the carrier on the back of a car.

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I've carried on looking and I think I agree...

I think we are back to a tow car and compatible 3 bike carrier... I will check the size of the bikes, we have a 4x4...

Big money unfortunately but hopefully it will be worth it to get to some of the lovely coastal bike paths etc

I'm just wondering how many more big purchases we are going to make using the excuse of 'well we won't have had a holiday for two years'...

Thanks.

Ali x

[mickey house]

Originally Posted by alibeau

I've carried on looking and I think I agree...

I think we are back to a tow car and compatible 3 bike carrier... I will check the size of the bikes, we have a 4x4...

Big money unfortunately but hopefully it will be worth it to get to some of the lovely coastal bike paths etc

I'm just wondering how many more big purchases we are going to make using the excuse of 'well we won't have had a holiday for two years'...

Thanks.

Ali x

See more...

Providing you plan to regularly use the ebike rack then it’s worth it to get out and about. I hate using my emtb on the road hence why I wanted a tow bar carrier.

I had an estate it would fit into but it was awkward and heavy to get in and out the car plus putting a dirty emtb into the back of the estate after a mucky ride was messy even with a tarpaulin in the car.

The increased cost of going to Florida was getting so expensive even prior to the pandemic, so I am happy to spend money on other things, but I do agree that we use that as an excuse frequently (well I do anyway).

[wanye]

i'd love a carrier for my bike, but as its so heavy, i was looking at getting a tow bar fitted so i could get one of the stronger units fitted. putting it on the roof would be a major hassle due to the weight of the bike

[alibeau]

Originally Posted by wanye

i'd love a carrier for my bike, but as its so heavy, i was looking at getting a tow bar fitted so i could get one of the stronger units fitted. putting it on the roof would be a major hassle due to the weight of the bike

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Agreed, there is no way we could lift these bikes onto the roof given the weight of them and the height of the car, would definitely either damage the car or ourselves

Ali x

[Boo2you]

I have a buzz racks e-hornet and it’s brilliant. I have a levo full suspension andmy mate has a giant trance x both weigh 22 kg ish. We ride everywhere from bike park Wales to glentress regularly and the rack has been faultless. Bought it from the roof box company in Penrith. Wouldn’t fit an ebike to a rear mounted bike rack.

[alibeau]

Originally Posted by Boo2you

I have a buzz racks e-hornet and it’s brilliant. I have a levo full suspension andmy mate has a giant trance x both weigh 22 kg ish. We ride everywhere from bike park Wales to glentress regularly and the rack has been faultless. Bought it from the roof box company in Penrith. Wouldn’t fit an ebike to a rear mounted bike rack.

See more...

Thanks for the info

Looks like a good one, especially the weight capacity….

Ali x

[alibeau]

Update!

So many thanks to Boo2you as we did indeed purchase the buzz racks e-hornet bike rack. DH is really impressed with the quality and it turns out he had seen the same rack but under different brands at a higher price, so yes, really impressed with this rack, many thanks!

Re the tow bar. We had a quote from a local firm 'Witter towbars'. DH then called our car dealership and they quoted double the cost (no surprise there)! However following numerous conversations with both Witter and the dealership it became apparent that Witter would not do the electrical side of the install for our car brand and the dealership would not do the electrics on a non OEM towbar

So we were essentially stuck with the costlier option with the dealership. To cut a long story short there were a number of cock ups and delays along the way (none of which actually bothered us too much as we had a courtesy car for the duration) and to our massive surprise before DH could even mention the word 'discount' the dealership offered us a HUGE amount of compensation which brought the cost of the tow bar below Witter's original price!

So we now have a car manufacturer approved neatly fitted tow bar at a price we are 'happy' with!

So we're all sorted. DD is poorly at the moment so I'm not sure when all three of us will be able to get out together but I am excited for when that day comes

Ali x