Choosing a bike rack

Most Aussies have fond memories of riding a bike around a caravan park or bush campsite during their summer holidays as a kid, exploring the length of a beach or flying down corrugated dirt roads, holding on for dear life.

Being able to continue the fun as an adult, or to give your kids that same experience, is a joy and is definitely worth the effort of hauling bikes around on your trip.

With the plethora of RV rigs on the roads these days there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how to transport your bikes, but the innovative folks in the industry have come up with a dazzling range of solutions, one of which will make it simple to get your loved ones and yourself saddled up on your next trip.

ROOF RACKS

Roof mounted racks can be fitted to either your car or caravan.

Mounting them on your car is a versatile option, as it means you will be able to transport your bikes even when you aren’t on the road with your trailer or van.

If you have a large 4WD or motorhome then it’s going to be difficult to lift the bikes up and down, often making roof racks impractical for these vehicles.

Be aware that many roof racks require you to remove your bike’s front wheel, with the forks then locking securely on to the rack with a key, making them harder to steal.

Whilst not a difficult procedure it’s inconvenient for people who aren’t confident removing and replacing the wheel, and the wheel will have to travel inside your vehicle.

Placing a roof rack on a camper trailer will also necessitate removing the bikes before setting up camp every night, which is fine if you’re rolling into camp for a week, but can quickly become frustrating on a tour.

I have seen this problem avoided by mounting the rack onto a drawbar-mounted toolbox, which is a neat solution.

Most roof racks allow you to carry up to two bicycles.

DRAWBAR RACKS

If you have some free space on your drawbar then mounting a rack there is a good option, as it’s very easy to lift the bikes on and off.

However, it’s most likely that a drawbar mounted rack will impede the opening of the rear door of most 4WD wagons, so they’re more suited to use in a rig with a sedan as the tow vehicle.

Be very careful to counterbalance the weight of the bikes on the front of your van or trailer with some serious weight at the back, otherwise the ball weight could skyrocket dangerously.

Some racks allow the bikes to be positioned above gas bottles and storage bins. This solves the 4WD wagon door clearance issue and helps move load back away from the tow ball.v

Drawbar racks allow you to carry up to four bicycles.

TOWBAR RACKS

Towbar mounted racks replace the tow ball unit by sliding into the receiver, making it impossible to tow a camper or van. They also often need to be plugged into your cars power plug, to enable the inbuilt brake lights and indicators to replace the ones being occluded by your bikes.

All this means they aren’t well suited to people who pull their homes behind them. They are, however, a solid option for motorhomers.

Similar to the drawbar racks, the towbar racks will often impede the opening of your car’s rear door, with some designs folding out of the way to allow access.

Towbar racks allow you to carry up to four bicycles.

HITCH RACKS

Hitch racks will mount either directly onto a towball, preventing you from towing anything, or underneath the towball, allowing you to tow a trailer or van, with the A-frame designs being an especially strong option. However, some bicycle manufacturers warn against hanging a bike from the frame.

Similar to the drawbar racks, the towbar racks will often impede the opening of your car’s rear door, with some designs folding or swinging out of the way to allow access.

Hitch racks allow you to carry up to five bicycles.

SPARE TYRE RACKS

There are a number of racks with designs that allow you to mount bikes on the spare wheel of the tow vehicle, van or camper.

Some of these racks mount on the bolts holding the wheel in place, while others are held onto the wheel using cradles and straps.

It’s unlikely that your spare wheel mount was designed for holding an extra 30kg or so, so I would advise inspecting the mount to see if it’s strong enough and reinforcing it if necessary.

When loaded these racks can also put a lot of strain on the hinges of the door when it’s being opened and closed.

Spare tyre racks can carry two bicycles.

CARAVAN/MOTORHOME REAR WALL RACKS

If you’re willing to drill through the rear wall of your caravan or motorhome these wall racks are a good option, eliminating the problem of the bike getting in the way of your vehicle’s door.

Rear wall racks can carry up to three bicycles.

BOOT RACKS

These racks have six or more hooks on webbing straps that attach to the edges of your car boot. The straps are then tightened until the rack is held securely.

These racks are much cheaper than the other options, and are adjustable enough to fit most cars. You won’t be able to access your boot with this rack attached, and there is potential for marking panel paint.

Boot racks can carry up to three bicycles.

FOLDING BIKES

Why not avoid the fuss of choosing and mounting a rack altogether?

Folding bikes that pack down small enough to fit inside your car are a popular solution nowadays, with many manufacturers offering relatively low-cost but high-quality folding bikes.

They often come with bags that can be packed in to prevent chain grease and mud from making your boot filthy, and if they don’t come as standard you can normally buy them as an extra.

Carrying the bikes inside the vehicle also prevents them from getting covered in road dust or soaked in the rain, and it makes it unlikely that they will get damaged in transit.

SOME BRANDS TO CHECK OUT:

Thule has the biggest range

iSi makes off road specific hitch racks with many modular configurations

Rhino Rack makes good quality racks in a variety of styles

Fiamma has a comprehensive range of RV specific racks

Bern’s is a Victoria-based company offering pre-fabricated and custom racks

Yakima make good value bike racks in a variety of styles

Rola offers a number of bike racks

Tern is a decent folding bike option