OT - Just priced out bike racks to haul 8 bikes . . .

kl8ton · March 2016

Wow they are expensive.

Thule or Yakima come to roughly $1800 to haul 8 bikes.

4-6 on the roof and 2-4 in a hitch mounted rack. A brand new enclosed trailer is $2,000. I may go that route . . . that way i can haul the large egg to the condo as well.

Any suggestions for that many bikes?

stompbox · March 2016

I was going to suggest a trailer as well for that many bikes.

GATraveller · March 2016

I think a rack to haul 8 bikes is actually called a trailer.

SmokeyPitt · March 2016

Yeah bike racks are definitely expensive. I was looking for something for 5 bikes and it difficult. The hitch mounts are kind of a PITA to actually fit the number of bikes they hold especially if they are different sizes. I have seen trailers that are made to hold bikes but they are expensive as well so I think I would consider the enclosed trailer.

I have seen some DIY bike trailers using cheap utility trailers. This might give you some ideas:
http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/utility-trailer-setup-5-bikes-991958.html

Thatgrimguy · March 2016

Enclosed trailer all day long. If you need 8 bikes. You have 8 people. With 8 people, you need more than just the bikes. Think coolers, towels, luggage, smokers, accessories. And the trailer will end up being useful for other things and have a decent resale market.

Austin Egghead · March 2016

Look into trailers. They range from little $ to very $$$. Just depends on what you want.
We have 2 Catrikes and 3 bike and we are either going to buy a truck or get trailer for MDX..both have plus and minus

fishlessman · March 2016

the trailers come in handy even for home storage, my only regret with my trailer is i should have ponied up for a double axle, it is easy to exceed weight ratings

badinfluence · March 2016

Yeah even the bumper rack we bought for 4 bikes was 550.00. But was still cheaper then replacing stolen bikes. I would go with a small trailer if I had to haul 8 bikes. Oh who are we kidding get a 22' trailer you can fill it up.

Eggzellent · March 2016

fishlessman said:

the trailers come in handy even for home storage, my only regret with my trailer is i should have ponied up for a double axle, it is easy to exceed weight ratings

Great point..my (older) relative light duty (6x10 open) all aluminum was custom ordered with dual axles. I like the fact (in my opinion) that they are more stable in bad weather and that I don't have to stop in undesirable locations when one tire or bearing goes bad.
I also like the fact that I can roll a subcompact car on to it with no problem.

Legume · March 2016

I was the proud owner of a hitch rack that handled 5 bikes. Solid, worked well but PITA as it really limited access to back of <cough> minivan <cough> and later Expedition. I don't need one, but certainly wish I had room to store a closed trailer. Agree that's probably your best bet if you have room to store at your destination and don't need to tow anything else.

kl8ton · March 2016

@Legume I like the <cough> minivan <cough>
I vowed never to own one. I understand how economical and practical they are, but i just can't do it.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/pc/n4fksc10bbe3.jpg

Carolina Q · March 2016

Keep in mind that, depending on the bikes you're hauling, you might not want to just pile them in a trailer where they'd be banging against each other and getting beat up. If my bike was going into a trailer with other bikes, I'd want some way to assure that it would remain separated. Like a bike rack inside the trailer.

Or at least some of those thick padded blankets movers use.

Kid's bikes from walmart would be one thing. $10-15K Pinarellos or Colnagos , quite another. I doubt you have any of those in the group. Mine is far from that... but I still wouldn't want it to get beat up.

Focker · March 2016

Yeah, we used Berkwood's full sized van at Bacoonride, had at least a dozen bikes, coolers for beer, gear, etc. Worked great.

The RAGBRAI route would be an older Bluebird church or school bus, you can do everything in, or around, it.

A flatbed or enclosed trailer would be your best bet.

kl8ton · March 2016

@Carolina Q
All the kids bikes are Specialized. The one i ride is a Carbon S-works Epic 29

Carolina Q · March 2016

Carolina Q said:

$10-15K Pinarellos or Colnagos , quite another. I doubt you have any of those in the group.

kl8ton said:

@Carolina Q
The one i ride is a Carbon S-works Epic 29

LOL, okay, so I was wrong. Wouldn't want that rattling around loose in a trailer. Then again, I would worry about it exposed on a rack too.

kl8ton · March 2016

@Carolina Q
It's not even mine. My brother in law has let me borrow it the last year because he bought the new model. He is somewhat of a bike nut. He spent a few years racing. Still does once in a while.

Carolina Q · March 2016

@kl8ton, NICE BIL! If I replaced a $12K bike, the old one would have most assuredly been sold first.

You might consider strapping the kids on top and putting the bike in the back seat.

Legume · March 2016

kl8ton said:

@Legume I like the <cough> minivan <cough>
I vowed never to own one. I understand how economical and practical they are, but i just can't do it.

It was great when we got it - we had no money, daughter was two and we just had twin boys. Honda Accord was useless to us. We bought a used minivan and used the hell out of it. Traded it in for an Expedition when we started camping more and were afraid we'd blow up the minivan in the mountains. It served its purpose well, my wife could easily access the kids on a long trip and we had room for everything. We actually had a 13" tv and vcr on a milk crate secured to back of drivers seat with velcro for long trips. I melted a few power inverters, but we had peace and quiet. I would do it again.

SmokeyPitt · March 2016

@Legume I will be honest- I miss the mini van. It is hard to beat the amount of passenger and cargo space you get. I could pack up a family of 5 for vacation with no extra hitch haulers, roof racks, etc. We traded it in for a Yukon (not the XL) a few years ago and while it is a much bigger vehicle there is much less interior space. Now when we go on vacation I have to put on a big hitch hauler for the luggage.

kl8ton · March 2016

I want to get something like this so i can pull a fifth wheel again AND take the whole family. I kind of have a thing for diesels. Had to sell the Duramax when the family got too big. Now I have a diesel excursion, but don't want a travel trailer.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/mk/t4tpwbnxx7eg.jpg

YukonRon · March 2016

kl8ton said:

I want to get something like this so i can pull a fifth wheel again AND take the whole family. I kind of have a thing for diesels. Had to sell the Duramax when the family got too big. Now I have a diesel excursion, but don't want a travel trailer.

I have plans, if everything falls into place upon retirement, for My Beautiful Wife and I to do exactly that. F350 turbo diesel pulling a 5th wheel, wherever the road may lead. Either that or liquidate everything, move to France, and explore Europe a bit more intimately.

MelSharples · March 2016

You could always rent a Uhaul trailer to see if it's something worth investing in. If it's a trip you're going to make several times then buying your own would be the way to go. But if it's only once in a blue moon then you'll spend a lot less renting.

MelSharples · March 2016

But then again this forum is all about buying expensive stuff that only gets used once in a blue moon so go out there and buy the biggest, heaviest duty, most luxurious trailer you can find. Maybe there's a NASCAR team looking to trade up on their car carrier and you can buy the previous model...

Hi54putty · March 2016

I have a 4 bike hitch rack and it works fine...but it is heavy as crap. I dread loading and unloading it to the point where I delay taking it off for extended periods of time. It wasn't terribly expensive and I'm sure a more expensive one would be lighter but I failed to consider that when purchasing this one (off Amazon).