I need some advice on a bike rack for a motorhome does anyone have any experience. Bear in mind neither my hubby or I are very strong but Wilma is only about 23kg before the battery is out (would be taking the battery out for transport) but still heavy if having to lift a fair distance!
Hi Morag
I have a 2-channel Fiamma Carry-Bike rack attached to the back of my truck. There is a label on the rack which warns that 60Kg is the limit. Unfortunately, there are two problems.
The first problem I encountered was that the wheelbase of my bike is longer than regular bicycles and a vertical line drawn through the hub centres actually coincides with the extreme edges of the channel, perhaps slightly outside the edges and the tie-down straps are therefore at the channel ends; not ideal!
Weight is the other problem as I'm sure, somewhere in the small print, I read that the single channel limit is 15Kg. The rack frame can take up to four channels, hence the 60Kg overall limit but I only have two.
A degree of physical strength is required to lift a 27Kg (in my case) bike to head height and while I'm a big, strong bloke and can manage, many people would find the lift required to locate the wheels in the channel simply impossible.
Fortunately, my truck has a large garage, (boot area for non-motorhomers) and I can accommodate my ebike in there where there are convenient lashing points. After considering that if I used only the channel closest to the truck body and lashed the bike really securely, thinking I might just get away with it, I then thought it would be reckless in the extreme. I am more than happy to carry two regular bikes, each about 15 Kg or so, and have driven across France and Spain without any problem.
You haven't indicated what type of motorhome you have but if you don't have a "garage" model and necessarily have to fit a rack to the rear body panel, you should seek specialist advice from a Fiamma dealer or the manufacturer of any other rack you may consider. Folding bikes or very lightweight ebikes with standard wheelbase are the best choice for motorhoming. To overload a rear-mounted rack, risking possible carnage behind your truck, would be criminally negligent and reckless so don't do it.
Regards,
Indalo