My wife has offered to buy me a bike rack for my birthday. Unfortunately I'm not sure what's a good rack for recumbents. Any favorites?
I've got an SWB (V-Rex) but an LWB isn't impossible in the future. For that matter neither is a trike, but I'm assuming that's out of the question for a normal rack. I want a hitch-mount rack (NO roof racks please) that's easy to put on and take off, must swing down to allow a station wagon tailgate to open. 2" receiver probably. 2 bikes (1 recumbent, 1 currently-child bike) is an absolute minimum, 4 bikes (or expandability) is a good idea.
A reasonable cost is a must. I don't think she'll spring for a $400-600 gold-plated rack. :-)
Regarding the hitch mount rack Gary Fritz wants. I use a standard hitch mount with the two arms that fold down when not in use. It's a Rhode Gear, maybe. Anyway, I had this rack when I rode the diamond frame. When I got a recumbent, I went ahead in total ignorance and used the rack. The bike stuck out past the car on both sides, but not a whole lot. With two recumbents on (facing opposite ways), the overlap is balanced. I've ridden on the interstate and narrow residential streets--never hit anything yet.
There is one problem with this. My wife and I have Tour Easys. The seat back catches the wind and tends to push the bike at an angle to the rack. If you get one of these hitch mount racks, one good idea may be to have permanent holders for the bike rather than the movable ones I have.
I do not recommend going fast, but then you really should not carrying any bicycle.
My wife has offered to buy me a bike rack for my birthday. Unfortunately I'm not sure what's a good rack for recumbents. Any favorites?
I've got an SWB (V-Rex) but an LWB isn't impossible in the future. For that matter neither is a trike, but I'm assuming that's out of the question for a normal rack. I want a hitch-mount rack (NO roof racks please) that's easy to put on and take off, must swing down to allow a station wagon tailgate to open. 2" receiver probably. 2 bikes (1 recumbent, 1 currently-child bike) is an absolute minimum, 4 bikes (or expandability) is a good idea.
A reasonable cost is a must. I don't think she'll spring for a $400-600 gold-plated rack. :-)
Thanks, Gary
I have a V-Rex and my wife has a Terry road bike, I purchased a Sportworks bike rack and it works great, the best rack I have owned. It folds up when not in use on a 2" receiver hitch. John
Gary, There are more sophisticated racks that probably will be better suited for a LWB recumbent, however, just to show you how an SWB recumbent fits on standard trunk and hitch mounted racks, check out my website below. Both racks are Rhode Gear racks. Note that on my recumbent, tube curves significantly in the rear but the support mounts are able to handle it. Also, same goes for the front where the strap goes over the tube and the RANS seat mount. I generally use my trunk mount for rides starting relatively close to my house (within 30 miles). Further away or other reasons like my wife is also riding, then I will either place my bike on the hitch mounted rack on my minivan or as shown on my website, I just slide the bike standing up into the minivan (It clears !).
Larry Raphael Barcroft Dakota #2, Metallic Blue Oakton, VA
Quoted message said:
My wife has offered to buy me a bike rack for my birthday. Unfortunately I'm not sure what's a good rack for recumbents. Any favorites?
I've got an SWB (V-Rex) but an LWB isn't impossible in the future. For that matter neither is a trike, but I'm assuming that's out of the question for a normal rack. I want a hitch-mount rack (NO roof racks please) that's easy to put on and take off, must swing down to allow a station wagon tailgate to open. 2" receiver probably. 2 bikes (1 recumbent, 1 currently-child bike) is an absolute minimum, 4 bikes (or expandability) is a good idea.
A reasonable cost is a must. I don't think she'll spring for a $400-600 gold-plated rack. :-)
I also use a Sportworks rack to carry a VRex. In fact, I use the standard model, not the recumbent model. I carry my V-Rex and my wife's Trek 5200 easily.
(John Carter) said:
I have a V-Rex and my wife has a Terry road bike, I purchased a Sportworks bike rack and it works great, the best rack I have owned. It folds up when not in use on a 2" receiver hitch. John
I have a SportWorks Recumbent rack designed for a 26/20 bike. It works great. It was expensive becuase I had to buy the recumbent tray, then the 1-1/4 (class II) folding hitch assembly, then I had to get a class II receiver installed on my car. But a hitch rack is the only way to go, far as I'm concerned, even if I never do any towing. Trunk racks will eventually mar your paint and roof racks usually require drilling the roof. Plus it just seems better to carry the bike behind rather than above--it's more protected from road debris and it's less of a drag on your gas mileage. You just have to hope you don't get rear-ended. The new SportWorks rack they just came out with looks even better than the one I have, with ratcheting wheel hold-down bars and flexible enough to easily adapt to 'bents with different wheel sizes. Now that I've gone to a 26" front wheel this is more of an issue for me.
Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 26x26 SWB OSS Lubbock, TX, USA
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
My wife has offered to buy me a bike rack for my birthday. Unfortunately I'm not sure what's a good rack for recumbents. Any favorites?
I've got an SWB (V-Rex) but an LWB isn't impossible in the future. For that matter neither is a trike, but I'm assuming that's out of the
question
Quoted message said:
for a normal rack. I want a hitch-mount rack (NO roof racks please)
that's
Quoted message said:
easy to put on and take off, must swing down to allow a station wagon tailgate to open. 2" receiver probably. 2 bikes (1 recumbent, 1 currently-child bike) is an absolute minimum, 4 bikes (or expandability)
is
Quoted message said:
a good idea.
A reasonable cost is a must. I don't think she'll spring for a $400-600 gold-plated rack. :-)
Trunk racks will eventually mar your paint and roof racks usually require drilling the roof.
Hmm, not familiar with any roof racks that require that. The Yakima & Thule racks don't, they just clamp on.
Quoted message said:
Plus it just seems better to carry the bike behind rather than above--it's more protected from road debris and it's less of a drag on your gas mileage.
Another advantage is that the front wheel stays on. Most roof racks clamp on to the fork. Hitting a bump or crossing tracks can wrench the bike around and put stresses on the fork it really wasn't designed to take. Keeping the bike whole eliminates that problem.
I always hated driving across rough roads or crossing tracks with the bike up there. I got the roof rack because it was cheaper than the Sportworks + hitch, but finally broke down & switched. My only regret is that I ever bought the roof rack in the first place.
