Bike carriers for mini-vans

I've got a Bauer Vehicle Gear (BVG) hitch-mounted fold-down model that I
purchased a few years ago. It works pretty well, but I only carry one or
two bikes at a time, most of the time just one bike. I've read posts on a
web site about carrying more than two bikes using the extension option and I
gather that people are less than happy with the design for that many bikes.
I can't remember the web site, but I found it when I was Googling the
instruction manual. It seemed that the main beef with the extension was
that all the bikes were flopping around and getting scratched. BVG has
tie-down sticks to help prevent this but I've never used them. I'm okay
with the design for carrying only two bikes but I'm a little concerned about
the security features. This same web site mentioned that bikes have been
stolen from locked units by somehow rotating the bike about the top tube and
working it out of the rack. It doesn't seem possible but it must have
happened since it was on the internet and the internet is always true. I
use a cable lock and a U-lock with the rack just in case but it's a hassle.

"Dominic Meneses" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:XgIqe.1648450$Xk.1600776@pd7tw3no...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have experience with htich-mounted bike carriers for
mini-vans?
Specifically, I'd like to know whether anyone has had any provblems with
the kind that folds down to allow access to the rear door. How many bikes
did you have loaded? Has anyone had any problems wityh the extension tht
allows you to carry up to four bikes? ( I need to carry one male and two
female frames.)

Thanks, Jay

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Bonehenge said:

For the women's frames, you may need artificial top tubes, like
Yakima's Tube Top, or any of it's competitors.

What about the kind of mounts that rotate to allow for angled top
tubes?

RFM

"Dominic Meneses" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:XgIqe.1648450$Xk.1600776@pd7tw3no...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have experience with htich-mounted bike carriers for

mini-vans?

Quoted message said:

Specifically, I'd like to know whether anyone has had any provblems with
the kind that folds down to allow access to the rear door. How many bikes
did you have loaded? Has anyone had any problems wityh the extension tht
allows you to carry up to four bikes? ( I need to carry one male and two
female frames.)

Thanks, Jay

I've had the Yakima Bighorn 4 mounted on my Chevy Venture for 2+ years.
I've been very pleased with it. I've hauled 3 bikes on it several times
when taking the granddaughters on out-of-state biking vacations. I've
hauled them from Ohio to Missouri, NY, Virginia, Georgia....all without any
problems.
http://www.rackattack.com/exdyakima-2404.asp?id=997

I'm not sure what you mean by the extension that allows for carrying 4
bikes. It's designed for 4 bikes but I find you need to remove front wheels
in order to prevent damage to the bikes when carrying four. You may need
some of the tube top attachments if the women's bikes are the step-thru
design. My women's road and hybrid with the slanted top tube fit on it
without the attachments. The two bikes with the step-thru design fit much
better when I use the top tube attachment.