Cycle racks on back of motorhome
Hi everyone, new to this and just bought an 04 Autotrail Apache 600SE which has a 2 bike cycle rack on the back with no make on it. Can anyone help if they think this will take 2 e-cycles with a weight of approx. 38 kilos together? any advice would be helpful, thanks
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Probably a Fiamma...aluminium folder with two (or more) 'troughs'...?
although the 600 is quite a small van, probably plated at 3500kg, have you weighed the van, incl the axle weights..
the rack and the bikes (about 45kg in total) will be adding nearer 80kg to the rear axle loading as you have a decent overhang...
check the rear axle loading....probably 2000kg but older vans may be less (and plated at 3300kg)...in a fully loaded state and check if ypu have 50kg+ to spare...
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Hi B&D, I have a Thule bike rack on my Swift MH which has a warranty weight of 60kg, that is from Thule. However, Swift only give a 50kg warranty for the van. When looking at bike racks I found that most give a limit around 50kg, but you must check with Autotrail on their recommendation because, at the end of the day, it is the strength and support in the rear of your van that counts as well, if not more.
Our bikes are probably the heaviest e-bikes made and weigh 46kg without batteries and even though that comes inside the Swift/Thule limits, I only carry one bike on the rack and one in my garage.
I wish I had spec'd a towbar when I bought my van new at a cost of £595. If I buy one now it will cost around £1,000. I will probably go that way eventually, to relieve my back and shoulders from lifting the very heavy bikes. We actually bought our bikes before moving to the dark side, when caravanning and lifting these bikes onto a 4x4 damaged my shoulder joints for life! Good fun eh!
BillC
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Cheers BillC
thanks for replying, I think we'll just carry one (19 kilos) and one inside the van, we can always chain it to the van when we get where we are going. Yet to find out all the fun!!! I'm 69 and my wife 63 (full of arthritis) but we can't wait to get going, total newbies to all this, but will check weights first.
Baz
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as Bill says, there are other options...
the towball mounted racks are very popular as they are low to the ground (negating lifting) and the rack can be removed and the towball used for other things ...towing...
similarly, there are cantilevered wind down versions of the Fiamma (which might fit your anchorage points) where the bikes are loaded at ground level and the rack wound up (with an electric drill possibly) into position....should you feel this is better....
im not a fan of bikes inside vans, they take up room, can make the place filthy and who wants to have to take it outside in the rain just to make enough room to sit down for lunch?
a nice chain connected to a decent towball rack might also make you feel they are more secure....travelling and theft..
Lower racks also make it vastly easier to fit waterproof covers for travelling....bikes can get pretty filthy in the open..
good luck...
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Just to mention that putting items such as bikes, towbars, racks etc behind the Motorhome can be a problem if you are near your axle limit on the rear.
The weight pushes down the rear suspension and rear axle. What is not commonly appreciated is that this will counterbalance and front suspension will be lifted and lightened. This can make some vehicles handle differently.
However, the transfer of weight does not stop there ! The weight "lost" on the front axle is transferred back onto the rear axle and increases the axle load further.
if you web search the subject , there are formulae and web pages where you can enter weights, distance from tow hook to rear axle, wheelbase etc to calculate the loadings.
On a mhome with large overhang behind the rear axle , adding a towbar + rack + bikes could become the total weight of these items and add an extra 8 to 10% to rear axle loading. Ie weight of loading X 110% .
rgds
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Apart from the weight issues mentioned by others, the weight bearing capacity of the structure the rack is fitted to has to be considered. For instance, Kontikiboy's Swift can only tolerate 50kg and our PVC is much less as the rear door hinges take the strain.
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Hi Baz & Div, with regard to a tow bar, you should get one fitted for £3-400 or less at a local garage. The price I quoted above was for MHs built after 2012 which are subject to EU Type Approval rules, which make them much more expensive. You might be able to pick up a suitable bike rack off ebay or Gumtree for a fraction of the price of a new one and this would be your best solution for carrying bikes. Or, If you can afford it get a new one from Halfords! I notice your user payload is just under 500kg, so providing your not taking the kitchen sink, you will probably get away with that. Better than lifting one on the rack and one inside. Then at night, you can just slip them back on the rack and lock them on with an ABUS secure bike lock.
At that age, you two are young'ns. But you are on the right track with a MH and any other info or queries, just pop it on here and someone will soon be there to help. Enjoy your new aquisition....
BillC
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I have been trying to place an add for the Pendle tow ball mounted bike rack that I have for sale in the C&MC classified but the site won't let me. It just keeps telling me the page can't be reached. I managed to get it on UK Campsites classified no bother.
I will keep trying with this site as it does work eventually!0 -
As subtle as a brick!
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thank you all for your comments and suggestions, advice, etc. this is very much appreciated. We have now bought the 2 lightest bikes available, which are also folding, and without the batteries are only about 16 kilos each. One of the bikes will fit in the hold where the battery is situated (when folded and in it's bag). We are only collecting our MH next week as its having all the checks done and MOT. so were looking forward to our new adventure.
I'm sure we'll be asking advice again in the future as everyone has been very helpful in this matter. I will look into the tow bar and rack situation. We won't be taking the bikes on all our trips as we have 2 small dogs, who will come with us on many outings when we won't be taking the bikes, other wise they stay with our friends.
Hope we meet some of you on our travels, as I'm sure you'll recognise us as we will be the ones looking very puzzled !!! thanks again to you all.
Baz and Viv
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Puzzled - there’s lots like that, B&V.
Enjoy your van.
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Can I ask what make bikes you got? Most of those I've looked at are around the 20Kg mark.
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Hi CY,, the only problem with going lighter and keeping the "E" spec', is that these bikes usually have smaller wheels. That might suit you if all you need a bike for is poodling around, but if you want to do some serious distance cycling, like a full day out, you need bigger wheels.
Our Swiss Flyers have 28" wheels and we can get at least 70 miles out of the battery, so we tend to go out for the day and take a picnic. When we tried to do that with our folding bikes it was very knackering, mainly because of the smaller wheels. So beware of downsizing too much!
BillC
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Space is also an issue. My garage isn't as big as yours.
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Hi, the bikes we eventually got were Carrera Crosscity folding from Halfords, yes they only have 20" wheels and a distance of 30 miles, but as I said before my wife has very bad arthritis and these are adequate for what we need, too old to go cycling all day!!! just for pottering about.
They weight 18 kilos with battery and fold up very small, ours has a very small hold where the battery is, wouldn't call it a garage, and purchased a carry bag for them which will keep the van hold clean, . We had a trial on them at Halfords Lancaster who were extremely helpful as we tried various ebikes, they don't charge to try them and we were out for over 40 minutes on each of them, and we found Carerra were brilliant for us. I do agree they aren't for long distance cycling. They were £650 each and for buying 2 they gave us a 10% discount.
Baz
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Hi Baz
Hope you both enjoy your bikes. I did look at something similar in Halfords but in the end went for a couple of Pro Riders at a similar cost. I have arthritis in both knees so can't really go on any long rides but we find them useful for exploring near to the campsite and for popping to the supermarket.
David
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Hi Baz, glad you got a good outcome, enjoy your biking and of course camping with your van, happy days....
BillC
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Hi Tony, I would think it would be ideal to pull a dog trailer along. You might have to choose a lower gear but thats no problem. We often see dogs in baskets on the front of bikes as well. Dog trailers are quite common in France, we see then on the canal tow paths often.
These e-bikes are known as pedal-assist bikes, because you do have to pedal. Some people think e-bikes have a motor so you dont have to pedal. That type are called mopeds and they need a licence. Early model e-bikes used to have a throttle and no pedalling, but these are now illegal throughout Europe.
BillC
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Hi Tony
we have 2 small dogs, so we bought 2 baskets for the fronts, with harnesses on and clips onto the baskets, they both sit there great and our Maltese absolutely loves it. She looks like e.t., then I thought of getting her goggles so she would look like biggles! We thought these would be better due to the extra space required, but obviously depends on the size of the dog?
good luck
Baz
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Bill
When you say e-bike's with a throttle are illegal in Europe do you mean illegal to sell or to ride?
David
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David, from Cycling Weekly...June 24th, 2016
"The throttle ‘dilemma’
Harmonisation with EU law has had an important effect on electric bikes with ‘twist and go’ throttles that can take the bike to full speed without any pedalling at all.
From January 1 2016, the only throttles legal within the UK’s EAPC legislation are those that assist the rider without pedalling up to a maximum speed of 6 km/h (3.7 mph) – ie starting assistance only.
If the rider is rolling – but not pedalling – faster than 6km/h, the throttle cuts off. If the cyclist pedals at the same time then the throttle can still assist up to the general limit of 15.5mph.
If you bought an ebike with a full-speed throttle before January 1 2016, don’t panic: those sold prior to this date are still considered as EAPC and do not require a registration or taxed. Practically, you could still buy one a ‘twist and go’ and not be fined, but it would have to have been produced or imported before January 1.
Different interpretations
There are now fewer ‘grey areas’ than there were when UK and EU laws were different, but we still found some differences of opinion among some people in the industry.
James Fitzgerald, founder of electric bike retailer Just eBike says that “according to EU and UK law there is a 10 per cent margin on the maximum speed allowed for the motors to assist the pedals. But nobody knows about that.” That means that the motor could assist the cyclist up to a 17.5mph speed, and not 15.5 mph.
On the other hand, the brothers Lyle and James Metcalfe – founders of London-based UK ebike brand Volt, said they “had never heard of” this margin for error.
Peter Eland, technical manager of the Bicycle Association, which represents cycle suppliers, manufacturers and associated companies, told us: “The 10 per cent margin was clear in the EU legislation, but it’s questionable in the UK. Some motors cut off at the maximum speed allowed, some before that, but the majority do exceed the tolerance a little.”
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Hi David,
We bought our Swiss Flyer bikes from Nationwide e- bikes, who have a showroom in Taunton, where I live. It was there boss who literally told us that throttle operated bikes, which didnt qualify as a moped, were illegal. But, thankfully, BB has, as usual, come up with a full and technical explanation. I am not sure that it would affect you and me, cant see us racing down the prom on Beni' on one of them. Mind you, having said that, the cops down there have become much stricter of late on biking on the prom.
BillC
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I am grateful that they don't seem to be illegal. We tend not to use them in that mode anyway as there is plenty of power using one of the three pedal assist settings. We rarely go to Spain preferring Germany/Austria/Italy so unlikely to be within the clutches of the Spanish police thankfully.
David
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Yes, Bill, last autumn we saw quite few folk being pulled up on the prom, from the Voramar to Le Torre. still, miles of allowable cycling either side of these pedestrian limits.
I guess this wouldd also be the opportunity for Señor Plod to check the validity of the bike, too...
BTW, have you tried going up the mountain on the CV-147 behind the town and past the station, signposted Desert De Les Palmes, a truly fabulous (uphill) ride yielding wonderful views over Beni, Grau and Castellon...
Re: the techie stuff, I just did a quick Google and the quoted bit was the first page it brought back....
PS, I got my Gepida/Bosch at Nationwide....
PPS. I came back from supermarket the other day and as I pulled into the drive I looked at the mileage.......6666 miles.....spookily, I had watched The Omen the previous week......
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That looks a good workout for an E-Bike battery!
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Yes, it is.....and for me, too!......and I'd only been to Sainsburys
been really impressed with the battery, a 400wh one, that's 11.11 AH at 36v. I'd say it's probably lost around 5% or range over the (almost) 4 yrs I've had it...which I reckon is pretty good.
some of the Kalkhoffs are 17ah, 612wh, so +50% range....
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Sainsbury's up there? I'd have thought it might be Mercadona or AlCampo.
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