Bike Racks!!! Any ideas?

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nymoto

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Hey all - trying to plan ahead (for once) and am in the process of looking for a bike rack for the rover.

I have the full frontrunner rack and have some room to possibly use the accessory they have and throw a couple on top but I use the rack for surfboards and things like that and I can assume that my children would want to bring the bikes to the beach because of the biking on the boardwalk.....

Facts about my set up:
1. I have three children so the third row is in constant use.

2. The roof rack is possible but probably a pain to load unload all the time.

3. I live in Brooklyn and my children are to young to bike to the park so we tend to drive out to the beach to get some safer biking in.

4. Looking to eventually hold/transport 5 bikes in total. 4 BMX ranging from 16" to 29" wheels and one bike that is more of a cruiser bike.

5. I have a hitch so am open to any of those racks. Maybe a swing away one so I can still get to the tailgate (as we use it to change for surfing, chill, etc).

6. I park on the street (currently) so nothing can be left in or on top or behind the LR4.

Here are some pics of my set up. The second pic gives you an idea of what room I have available on the top (the empty space is where our surfboards go).

What racks do y'all use and do you like them?

Any info, suggestions are helpful.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions and fyi I am slow to reply but I will get back to you.....

Thanks,

AG

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PaulLR3

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I think the only way to go is a rear hitch bike rack with a tray for the wheels
that swings away to allow rear tailgate access.

I sometimes carry 4 bikes on the roof of the LR4 but I have to bring along a 3' aluminum step ladder to reach them. Or all 4 bikes on the Yakima rear hitch rack when traveling the Merritt Parkway.

My rear hitch rack is a nightmare with modern bike top tubes. Most bike top tubes are now angled, so the bikes ends up at weird angles, blocking rear visibility. I even bought a couple of top tube adapters so I can use my Yakima rear hitch rack.

If you buy a new hitch rack where the bikes sit in a tray you should be all set.
 
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DirtyHal

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My Fiance and I mountain bike all summer and do a lot of racing. We ended up with a recon rack which is pricy but will last forever and can carry 5 high end bikes without any rubbing or touching. IMO loading bikes onto the roof rack of an SUV is a huge PITA.

http://recon-racks.com/
 

cperez

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What racks do y'all use and do you like them?

Good writeup of your scope of needs. My suggestion works for some of your situation but is limited in some other areas.

I love my Thule T2 Pro XT. It's a tray style hitchmount design. It is built like a tank which is good and bad. Good because when I'm underway everything back there is locked in and doesn't move an inch. Bad because it weighs something like 60 lbs. Not good for city life. It is also limited to 2 bikes but can be extended to 4. Your 5 bike capacity is going to be a challenge so you may have to consider tossing the lightest one on your roof. The Thule has all the features I needed. It's easy to deploy and uses a clever cam type fastening system into the hitch receptacle. You can then lock the tightening knob to make it theft proof. Also has integrated locking cable. Getting bikes on and off is a dream compared to other systems I've had from Yakima and Rhode. The Thule can handle bikes of virtually any size although I discovered that it doesn't play well with bikes that have front fenders. I had to do some Dremel trimming/modding of my wife's bike to get it to work.

Sorry for the commercial especially since it probably doesn't suit your needs, but others might be interested. I just checked the Recon rack that @DirtyHal suggested and it looks like a great solution if only in terms of capacity and apparent ease of use. At $930 it's just about what you'd have to spend for a Thule + extension, but it has the bonus of 5-bike capacity.

Good luck with your research.

PS: Every time I see your LR4 I miss my 2011 which was the same color and had same rims. Great looking combo all around and always seemed to look clean!
 

nymoto

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@PaulLR3 Thanks - I did not think of that until I started to really look at the newer bikes. While the kids bike and my own are pretty standard geometry (BMX), why limit the usage. I will be looking for the tray style racks a little bit more than the others.

@DirtyHal - that rack is nuts and would love something like this if I had a garage to store it when not in use as its huge. I like the way it hold the bikes. I could see it working flawlessly (if I had the space). I am currently parking on the street and this thing would be a haul to fit in our place.

@Fuji4 - thanks to google, you were not speaking a different language. Checking them out now and pricing what would make sense.

@cperez Thanks for the kind words on the truck, man I do love it. I came from a Ram quad cab 1500 Hemi and never looked back. The ride is stellar and the lr4 is so capable its amazing. I am gonna look into the Thule route as well as its the most obvious.


Thanks again, and if anybody else has any suggestions please throw them my way.
 

nymoto

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Oh also I have been looking into possibly mounting a hitch on the front, and putting the tray / bike rack in front of me. It would be pretty light in weight so I cant imagine it would mess up steering or stopping.

Just a thought. I have seen motorcycles on the front of certain trucks so why not. It frees up the back for something else!! haha like a motorcycle.
 

Fuji4

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4 bikes on the front would be sticking out a LONG way. might be ungainly. and it will be a little bit of work to mount a receiver up there. can be done, but easier off the back.
 

TCM75

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Nice rig! I also went through the same situation as you a short time ago but I'm happy to say that I have found a great solution that works for my needs. It may/may not work for you depending on how frequently you want to be able to mount/dismount and if you need to. If you are not willing to wrench on occasion it may not be your best choice.

I have three girls under 10. They were under 8 and riding 16" bikes at the time when I was determined to solve the bike rack problem. I wanted a rack that could accommodate 5 bikes as well but I really didn't need to do that all of the time. Most of the time it would be just me or me and a buddy going so 1 or 2 bikes most of the time would be great.

My first attempt was the same as what Cperez has recommended, the Thule T2 Pro XT. Totally agree on all of the pros; really nicely engineered but it just weighed too much. Probably every bit of 60 lbs and I would need to add the extension, which didn't seem to be easily removable. From what I remember it seemed it would be a challenge to store in my garage as well.

So that was returned and I went back to researching. I ended up finding a photo of something that I thought would work but wasn't advertised as a 5-bike carrier (see photo). After a phone call to the guys at 1UP (https://www.1up-usa.com/) they confirmed it definitely would work and told me all the parts I would need. Final price was north of $1000 but the modular nature has give me a 2-bike rack, a cargo rack, and the ability to carry 5 bikes when needed.

The 2-bike rack goes in no problem. If I want to carry all 5 it gets a bit more complicated, but it's really not bad. I insert the cargo carrier and then attach one of the extra attachment points to the rear of the cargo carrier (two bolts). I then need to remove the bike tray (two bolts) from the 2-bike mount and install on the attachment point that I just installed onto the bike tray (again, two bolts). It all takes less than 10 minutes. That was for adding one bike onto the cargo carrier. If you want to add another, just repeat the process.

Now, for my girls bikes I just stand them all up in the cargo tray and use ratchet tie-downs to hold them in place. I figure I have a little time to figure out a "real" tray solution for them but I know I can just buy more trays and make a mounting plate to affix to the cargo tray.

In the end it is a pricey solution but it does everything I need as well as stowing neatly and compactly as possible when not in use. I lean the cargo tray against the wall in the corner of the garage and the 2-bike rack fold up and sits on a storage shelf in another corner. Also, it is nicely engineered and solidly built in USA.

My apologies for the long reply; hope this helps.

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https://www.1up-usa.com/
 

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