stress of a bike rack carrying 60kg

I am thinking of getting two Electric bikes instead of our current bikes non electric.the new bikes will weigh a total of 40kg which is within the racks limit but I worry whether the fastenings of the rack to the motorhome which were done by Autosleeper Dealership have a separate limit, if anyone can give advice I would be grateful.I know the Dealer could answer but I would like a users opinion.

I have carried two  ebikes on the back of a Broadway end kitchen. The 60kg rack was fitted by Marquis and was intended and used for ordinary bikes, but eventually for ebikes. These weighed in at 43kg with batteries off, still within the racks limit of 60kg.

The only problem we found was that the rack was a little high, making it difficult to lift off and replace because of their weight. Idealy it would be easier to use a different type, such as on a towbar therefore very low down. Using this type would be much more expensive and eat into your payload.

We have changed that MH and now have them stored in a large garage in our present one.
Hope this helps.
Leighton.

thank you for your helpful reply it is spot on I am not in a position to change MH so I will go to the gym instead thanks again

We have just changed to a couple of ebikes, and although the rack on the back will take the weight, I decided to go the towball route and towball bike rack so I don't need to lift them so high. The towbar will be fitted next week. Ok it is a very expensive way to go, but I know we will carry and use the bikes more often.

The 60kg loading on your cycle carrier is dependent on it being fixed to the extra bonded area (built in) on the rear of your van. This instruction may be quantified in your user manual when fitting a cycle carrier e.g. a fiamma. I think you can be assured that the Auto sleeper dealer has fitted it correctly. The fiamma carrier on our van is fitted quite high so as not to obscure the Broadway logo and this height identifies with the position recommended by Auto sleeper for our van. Yes the height does mean that you both need to lift safely. We have two compact folding 'Batribikes Dash Pro' (20 inch wheels) 20kg each without battery. If we are away from the van using other means of transport, they can easily be stored inside for security.

Redwink wrote:We have just changed to a couple of ebikes, and although the rack on the back will take the weight, I decided to go the towball route and towball bike rack so I don't need to lift  them so high. The towbar will be fitted next week. Ok it is a very expensive way to go, but I know we will carry and use the bikes more often.

Hi Redwink
Do you mind telling me how much all this cost you? Considering similar for our Broadway EK
Many thanks
Frank

Hi Frank

The best way to get an accurate figure for your area (prices do vary) is to shop around for a local quote to fit the tow bar, then have a look in Halfords as they quite often have an offer on tow ball mounted carriers.

Ours came from there and it was a lot cheaper than anywhere else I could find - and easy to return if there had been anything wrong with it.

Gromit wrote:Hi Frank

The best way to get an accurate figure for your area (prices do vary) is to shop around for a local quote to fit the tow bar, then have a look in Halfords as they quite often have an offer on tow ball mounted carriers.

Ours came from there and it was a lot cheaper than anywhere else I could find - and easy to return if there had been anything wrong with it.

Thanks, Gromit

Just had a browse and this one seems pretty reasonably priced. Thule stuff is very good, and attaching and removing the carrier couldn't be a lot simpler with their latest models.

I think ours is this one, and it's excellent.

http://www.tweekscycles.com/bike-accessories/car-bike-racks/thule-9502-rideon-2-bike-cycle-carrier

Hello Portman_blue, from memory about £800, it needed to be specially fabricated for my 2002 Nuevo, I have a bonsal folding bike rack, this takes a weight of 60kg and is suitable for electric bikes, (something to think about,) with the bikes and rack, still well within the axle loading after the recalculation to allow for the the weight on the back of the van. I guess with your van you will need type EU approval towbar, a recent topic on fitting towbar appeared a few weeks ago, don't know much on the subject, but if your AS conversion does not show a gross train weight, then you can't fit a towbar, I'm sure Gromit knows more about this and where to find the topic or of course a towbar fitting specialist

We had an Alko Sawiko Velo 3 chassis mounted bike rack fitted to hold our electric bikes on our Broadway EK but, until we bit the bullet and went ahead with it, we found this method of getting the bikes on worked well:

Wheel the first bike to one end of the rack  ( so that you are standing with the left or right side of your body against the back of the van)and then lift the front wheel onto the end of the correct track on the rack. You might find that it helps to have your partner hold it there.  Then, when the front end is on the rack, go round to the back wheel of the bike and lift that up as well., pushing ( or partner pulling) until the front wheel has slid down the rack and is in its final position and the rear wheel ditto. Fasten on.

Repeat with other bike.

The beauty of this method is that you are not lifting the whole weight of the bike into the air, it has some support.

That's good advice. 
One of the reasons I don't often take the electric bike is the stress on my back getting it on the rack.
I'll try your method next time I go on a trip.

oldfred wrote:That's good advice. 
One of the reasons I don't often take the electric bike is the stress on my back getting it on the rack.
I'll try your method next time I go on a trip.

We had got to that stage Fred. Even with one of us at each end of a bike it was not easy. (Getting old is great, eh? )

Since getting the Thule rack mounted on the tow ball I can do it quite easily on my own. Having to lift the bike only 18 inches or so makes a heck of a difference.