Bike carrier that can hold XC bikes and roadies??

maxwolfie

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
Need to carry two bikes, either two XC bikes (Blur LT and another XC bike) or two roadies (Most likely an Argon Krypton and a Merida Juliet)
Also something that I can take off easy and without being excessively heavy/obvious looking??
While the Grip Rack is great for DH bikes.. I don't have any DH bikes anymore! It's just a bit too heavy for roadie/XC use. No way am I putting my roadies in it either! :p
The car is a Falcon sedan (newish one), with a tow bar.
Budget is whatever at this stage.
 
B

benparker79

Likes Bikes
HI Mate,

I have the Thule EuroRide 941, love it. Carrys two bikes really well. Havent had two roadies on it but two mountain bikes are easy, once you have a plan. Roadies go on just as easy(I only have one roady at the moment). Tilts which handy for my corolla wagon. Also fits straight in the back when not in use. You pay for it though, $599 at local shop. Make sure you order a bike rack plate to put on it and your set.

I carry a Kona Four Supreme and an Anthem. Or my Apollo Spin.
 
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maxwolfie

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
Cheers, I have a bike rack plate already and looking for a bike rack that already has some sort of holder built in for it... I think drilling holes in a brand new rack is unnecessary - they should come with them from factory.
 
J

jaybirdie

Squid
We have a NV2 from Rola, got it modified with a small tab welded to it so could tilt the rack back towards the car so that we had clearance when the rack is on the Subaru Liberty (with out the tab and the rack lifted forward we would bottom out going out of driveways etc.).

We have been really happy with this rack, the bikes feel stable on it and it is really quick to get the bikes on and off. We have not tried it with roadies though but given the set-up it should be ok. I think it was around the $300 mark.

For more info see the write up the boy put on mtbr (very detailed, posts #15 and #22) , there are pics too.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=588761

Cheers, Jay
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
maxwolfie said:
Need to carry two bikes, either two XC bikes (Blur LT and another XC bike) or two roadies (Most likely an Argon Krypton and a Merida Juliet)
Also something that I can take off easy and without being excessively heavy/obvious looking??
While the Grip Rack is great for DH bikes.. I don't have any DH bikes anymore! It's just a bit too heavy for roadie/XC use. No way am I putting my roadies in it either! :p
The car is a Falcon sedan (newish one), with a tow bar.
Budget is whatever at this stage.
Click to expand...
Greg, I have a roadie, as you know, and use my Grip DH rack to transport it. NO damage to cranks or anything. I just got Grip to make an extension to the Saint-style crank adaptor. Basically it is a metal tube in the crank adaptor, which stands up approx. 3ft, to strap the roadie to. The metal is covered with foam padding so the road bike will not be touching the metal bar.

It cost $50 posted from GripSport.

Transport is safe and will not damage bike and there is no need to get a new rack. I'll post some pictures if you want tonight.
 
maxwolfie

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
scblack said:
Greg, I have a roadie, as you know, and use my Grip DH rack to transport it. NO damage to cranks or anything. I just got Grip to make an extension to the Saint-style crank adaptor. Basically it is a metal tube in the crank adaptor, which stands up approx. 3ft, to strap the roadie to. The metal is covered with foam padding so the road bike will not be touching the metal bar.

It cost $50 posted from GripSport.

Transport is safe and will not damage bike and there is no need to get a new rack. I'll post some pictures if you want tonight.
Click to expand...
Yeah.. tbh I'm finding the Grip rack a bit of a PITA as I've bent the supports on the rack a little bit which makes it very difficult to get on and off (I.e. I'll probably end up doing damage to myself in doing this over and over).
 
Grip

Grip

Yeah, yeah... blah, blah.
maxwolfie said:
Yeah.. tbh I'm finding the Grip rack a bit of a PITA as I've bent the supports on the rack a little bit which makes it very difficult to get on and off (I.e. I'll probably end up doing damage to myself in doing this over and over).
Click to expand...
While I appreciate scblack's shout out for a modified D/H carrier... I'd strongly suggest having a look at the Hi-Ride carrier as it was designed especially for road and XC... is much lighter, more elegant and easier to use. 2 seconds to fit or remove carrier... 5-10 seconds to load AND secure bikes (no tools, straps, tying stuff together or padding out between bikes)

See HERE
 
Bundy boy

Bundy boy

Likes Dirt
I have the Grip Hi-ride and use it for my xc and road bikes and it is great. It goes onto the back of my ford falcon just fine and l can open the boot when the bikes ar on the rack. The part l like best is the missus can put the bikes on after l have come a gutsa, being a short ass there is no way she could but a bike on a roof rack.
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
benparker79 said:
HI Mate,

I have the Thule EuroRide 941, love it. Carrys two bikes really well. Havent had two roadies on it but two mountain bikes are easy, once you have a plan. Roadies go on just as easy(I only have one roady at the moment). Tilts which handy for my corolla wagon. Also fits straight in the back when not in use. You pay for it though, $599 at local shop. Make sure you order a bike rack plate to put on it and your set.

I carry a Kona Four Supreme and an Anthem. Or my Apollo Spin.
Click to expand...
Even better, try a G2 Euroway. Similar principle to the 941, but much more usable, thanks mainly to the mechanism that clamps it onto the towbar (one locking lever, on and off in about 3 secs, literally). It's so easy to get on and off that if your bikes are light, you can do it without taking the bikes off the rack. Also has a sweet foot release for the tilt.
It's lighter too, and gets a locking knob for the bike mount too. Easily my favourite bike rack for usability (if you don't need to carry DH rigs on it).
Expect to pay $629 in stores.
 
maxwolfie

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
wombat said:
Even better, try a G2 Euroway. Similar principle to the 941, but much more usable, thanks mainly to the mechanism that clamps it onto the towbar (one locking lever, on and off in about 3 secs, literally). It's so easy to get on and off that if your bikes are light, you can do it without taking the bikes off the rack. Also has a sweet foot release for the tilt.
It's lighter too, and gets a locking knob for the bike mount too. Easily my favourite bike rack for usability (if you don't need to carry DH rigs on it).
Expect to pay $629 in stores.
Click to expand...
I did some ringing around today and this is the rack I'm probably leaning towards at the moment.
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
maxwolfie said:
I did some ringing around today and this is the rack I'm probably leaning towards at the moment.
Click to expand...
A lot of Thule stuff is pretty overpriced IMO but is definately one product I would actually buy though. It's just crazy easy to use.

Make sure that you do a proper test fit at the shop before you get one though; perferably try going up a driveway too. Clearance shouldn't be an issue, but on some lowered cars it can be.
 
E

Ex Racer

Squid
The best rack ive ever seen is the simplest & most affordable, its the Pacific A-Frame Rack, comes in a 2, 3 or 4 bike carrier & has silicon Gel channells with Industrial velcro straps, fits any size & shape frame inc carbon & the 4 Bike retails for around $180.00 at any shop........

I use one for my BMX, Roadie & my XC MTB.......
 
gcouyant

gcouyant

Farkin Advertiser
Plenty of options on this thread for you Max... Oh well I may as well put another couple up, especially if your bikes are light weight carbon frames.

Seeing you have a Falcon with a tow bar then the newly released Town and Country series carrier is a zero hassle option with more generous spacing to protect the bikes.



This model also has PLUS2 option to build to 4 bike capactity in case you decide to travel with both roadies and MTBs together.

If in the future you may become more adventurous and look at traveling into rough 4WD destinations then the Extreme Duty carrier is worth a look at.



You'll have a high quality bicycle carrier for life so it's worth considering potential the future requirements. I guess that also applies to the possibility of a future vehicle being a hatch or wagon where you will need to have quick and easy access to the cargo area.

Always happy to help Rotorburners.
 
S

ssjgogeta

Likes Dirt
Grip's Hi-Ride is good for both XC and Road Bikes. The fact is, if you use your bike rack regularly it's gonna get real thrashing. A definite plus for the Grip is that replacement parts are available locally and can be sourced quickly and cheaply.

However, judging by your lack of reply to all the posters recommending it, you seem to have already ruled it out.....
 
maxwolfie

maxwolfie

under-the-radar comedian
ssjgogeta said:
Grip's Hi-Ride is good for both XC and Road Bikes. The fact is, if you use your bike rack regularly it's gonna get real thrashing. A definite plus for the Grip is that replacement parts are available locally and can be sourced quickly and cheaply.

However, judging by your lack of reply to all the posters recommending it, you seem to have already ruled it out.....
Click to expand...

I'm still thinking.... :)

Certainly have not ruled out any of Grip's products, but still looking around.

What about the T7 rack - http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7CATN03A/title/torpedo7-towball-mount-3-bike-channel-rack
 
S.

S.

ex offender
Ex Racer said:
The best rack ive ever seen is the simplest & most affordable, its the Pacific A-Frame Rack, comes in a 2, 3 or 4 bike carrier & has silicon Gel channells with Industrial velcro straps, fits any size & shape frame inc carbon & the 4 Bike retails for around $180.00 at any shop........

I use one for my BMX, Roadie & my XC MTB.......
Click to expand...
Fits any size and shape frame? Not really - those things only fit bikes with a fairly standard size top tube with sufficient clearance underneath to hang it off (which rules out a lot of dual suspension bikes and most downhill bikes too). If you seriously want to hang a carbon frame by the top tube, be prepared to have it damaged, and your top tube is going to get scratched/scuffed up pretty nicely too. The Pacific ones also don't stop bikes swinging around and into each other, nor do they protect the wheels of the bikes when you're going through deep driveways/gutters. They're also not that strong. They're cheap racks for cheap bikes.

I'd put in another vote for the Grip Hi-Ride rack. They're stupidly easy and convenient to use, protect the bikes from damage, and Grip Sport are good guys to deal with.
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
Ex Racer said:
The best rack ive ever seen is the simplest & most affordable, its the Pacific A-Frame Rack, comes in a 2, 3 or 4 bike carrier & has silicon Gel channells with Industrial velcro straps, fits any size & shape frame inc carbon & the 4 Bike retails for around $180.00 at any shop........

I use one for my BMX, Roadie & my XC MTB.......
Click to expand...
They're cheap and simple, yes, but they also lack pretty much all of the features of the better racks, and they sure as hell don't fit all frames. Really, anything other than a standard 18-22" hardtail frame is often beyond them. I'd also be questioning the advice of anyone who suggested using one to carry a carbon frame.


Edit: S. was faster, but he sucks.
 
cleeshoy

cleeshoy

Eats Squid
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