I use one of these:

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/towbar-mounted-bike-racks/exodus-3-bike-towbar-mounted-cycle-carrier

Looks like the bike is suspended from the crosbar.. mmmm.. An inexpensive rack that takes little room in the garage, but I wouldnt dare transport 1 ebike, let aone 2 on this type of rack. .. Your first link states not suitable for e-bikes..

Seat belt bleepers are the one that really get my goat....)

 

Put your seat belt on then.

Put your seat belt on then.

Maybe he is royalty!

If putting a bag out at the wheelie bin at the end of our long off road drive I'm getting out first to get it out the back before my journey, this stupid bleeper kicks off within a second. It's the same if you get anything moderately heavy from the shops and put it on the seat....they're stupid people inventions, I'm fully aware of the law and fully aware of when it is on or off, and needs to be on. Idiot lights(telling me when to gear change? can it read the immediate road ahead coming up ffs??) and bleepers are a scourge of modern motoring and have even crept into e-bikes from the off (gear changing on the Bosch....NOOOOOOO!)

Everything beeps at you these days, I've got used to it.

What really bugs me is the wailing wenches blaring at you from the PA systems wherever you go, shopping centres, coffee shops, pubs and restaurants.

 

I could cheerfully strangle all the the Maria Careys of this world.........

Looks like the bike is suspended from the crosbar.. mmmm.. An inexpensive rack that takes little room in the garage, but I wouldnt dare transport 1 ebike, let aone 2 on this type of rack. .. Your first link states not suitable for e-bikes..

I've never had a problem and I must have transported my (Woosh Big Bear) ebike over a few hundred miles at least using this type of carrier - though I agree, I wouldnt fancy carrying 2 ebikes. Having said that, it all depends on the total weight.

By the way - this is the one (Halfords used to sell it but, apparently, not anymore). £35!:

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/exodus-2-bike-towbar-mount-cycle-carrier.html

I bought a nice Thule 2-bike rack off Gumtree locally. £160. I find it quite easy to get on/off and the rack has a foot pedal at the rear to allow the bikes to be tilted at an angle to allow access to the boot.

I also made up a plinth that I attach to the rack so it is a level platform for using as a mini-trailer to take stuff up the tip. With this I actually took a front-loading washing machine weighing 60kg to Manchester from Poole, so it has proved a very useful addition. As I have a trailer factory, the first thing I do with a new (to me) vehicle is add a towbar - even though my factory is 12,000 miles away!

 

I bought a nice Thule 2-bike rack off Gumtree locally. £160. I find it quite easy to get on/off and the rack has a foot pedal at the rear to allow the bikes to be tilted at an angle to allow access to the boot.

I also made up a plinth that I attach to the rack so it is a level platform for using as a mini-trailer to take stuff up the tip. With this I actually took a front-loading washing machine weighing 60kg to Manchester from Poole, so it has proved a very useful addition. As I have a trailer factory, the first thing I do with a new (to me) vehicle is add a towbar - even though my factory is 12,000 miles away!

 

[ATTACH]29541[/ATTACH][ATTACH]29542[/ATTACH][ATTACH]29543[/ATTACH][ATTACH]29544[/ATTACH][ATTACH]29545[/ATTACH]

Never thought about using it as a trailer.. good share.. thanks

Using a bike rack as a trailer - insurance would have a field day if you had an accident - type approval and all that!!!!

Using a bike rack as a trailer - insurance would have a field day if you had an accident - type approval and all that!!!!

As long as it is within the certified nose weight of the tow-hitch there is no problem. I was followed up the M5 for about 20 miles by a highway patrol car, they saw no issues.

We had the same dilemma although for only one e-bike and a standard bike.

 

We sourced this for carrying the bikes - £170 from Halfords: https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/towbar-mounted-bike-racks/thule-9403-3-bike-tow-bar-carrier . The 3-bike rack has more space for a bulkier e-bike although we only carry two bikes.

 

The (Berlingo) towbar was £265 fitted via mobile fitters: https://www.towbarsandtowing.co.uk

 

Your estimate of £1000 seems rather high.

I have folded (or removed) the double rear seat, of my Berlingo, leaving the single rear seat. I can now get 3 bikes diagonally into the back, 2 adults and a child or 3 adults if a front wheel is removed (not 29" wheels tho!) and have seats for 3 cyclists too. Nice and safe, dry too. I do have a 3 bike towbar mounted carrier too, but since it is of the hanging down bikes, and ebikes are heavy or require false crossbars to hang, I do not use it much. No way would my new Trance E+3 travel outside!!

I've never had a problem and I must have transported my (Woosh Big Bear) ebike over a few hundred miles at least using this type of carrier - though I agree, I wouldnt fancy carrying 2 ebikes. Having said that, it all depends on the total weight.

By the way - this is the one (Halfords used to sell it but, apparently, not anymore). £35!:

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/exodus-2-bike-towbar-mount-cycle-carrier.html

Update: The one I use has now been superceded by the Thule 970. Still a reasonably inexpensive way of carrying 2 bikes (lighten the load for a e-bikes by removing saddle, battery etc etc) - £60. (Although it does need a car with a towbar - and a "trailer board" - still a cheap option)

 

https://www.deporvillage.net/thule-xpress-970-bicycle-carrier-2-bicycles

As said, a lot depends on the car. I got a decent towbar for my 1995 Peugeot from a UK supplier on Ebay for £70 and DIY fitted it (very simple). My 2007 BMW has fully computerised electronics which are tempramental even as standard, any connections to the wiring need to be done using factory wiring kits and the car then "coded" so dashboard warning lights behave as they should, £1500 at a dealer sounds about right

We had the same dilemma although for only one e-bike and a standard bike.

 

We sourced this for carrying the bikes - £170 from Halfords: https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/towbar-mounted-bike-racks/thule-9403-3-bike-tow-bar-carrier . The 3-bike rack has more space for a bulkier e-bike although we only carry two bikes.

 

The (Berlingo) towbar was £265 fitted via mobile fitters: https://www.towbarsandtowing.co.uk

 

Your estimate of £1000 seems rather high.

Ah! but with a Berlingo you can take out the double seat and the front bike wheels and store parallel inside leavinf 1 back seat and plenty of space for the other stuff.

I always thought e bikes were for cycling with the aid when needed of the battery

 

not for transporting Mmm Ok cant be that good or that fit if transporting

 

unless your going a fair few miles

I had a bit of a nightmare with the CAN bus system on my Skoda. Knowing I might tow a trailer or use a tow bar mounted bike carrier I stipulated a factory fitted tow bar when I bought the car new in March 2018.

 

In the end I made no use of the tow bar until last year when I wanted to take an old rear hub bike of mine on holiday to be able to fetch shopping to and from a beech hut in Devon with no close by car parking.

 

 

I bought an excellent and very reasonable tow bar mounted bike rack from Amazon for £85. It did not come with a light board, but I already had one and just simple added a made up plate with the new cars registration.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006WNC5NE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I was only transporting one electric bike, but an old and heavy one, even with the battery removed. This cheap tow bar mounted carrier was excellent, very solid with no discernible movement with the bike on board at whatever speed you decided to go. In my case at least 70 mph where permitted.

 

That carrier is really very good for the money, and its 45kg weight limit should make carrying two ebikes possible if you remove both batteries (advisable anyway) and both seat posts.

 

Job done I thought.

 

However I was unaware that electric hook ups had changed and my new Skoda had a 13 pin electric hook up with Can bus and my old light board was 7 pin.

 

The car would not recognize the 7 pin connector and much more worrying would not even allow you to reverse without slamming the brakes on and setting of a loud warning siren inside the car. We found a way of disabling this in the cars settings, but it reset every time you turned the car of, and more importantly no lights illuminated on the light board.

 

On holiday I managed to buy an adapter, but still had no joy.

 

When back home I bought a new 13 pin light board and it then communicated with the car and all worked as it should.

Edited May 13, 20215 yr by georgehenry

Light ebikes with removable batteries (Fazua-based for example) are no heavier/harder to load than the average bike. We put ours on the top or inside our estate car, depending on the day & number of bikes to be transported.

 

Light ebikes with fixed batteries (Orbea, Ribble, Faro, etc) are slightly more awkward, but only by 2-3Kg.

 

It's not their main selling point, but if you've not yet bought an ebike and you intend transporting it, it's certainly something to consider.

Then that £500-600 could go towards a better/different bike, rather than being absorbed by ancilliary equipment.

Edited May 12, 20215 yr by richtea99

We don't usually try to carry bikes by car any more; lots of shortish rides near home, and holidays are generally for walking. Slight change this year as my wife's knee is still playing up after a slip and broken kneecap in January; walks are very limited, but a bit more freedom with rides on the electric tandem.

 

So we though we'd take the tandem on holiday with us this year and did some experiments loading on the roof. After some experiments we found a fairly easy way to get it on; remove pedals etc from left side and turn bars, by tying it to a sheet of ply we could lift the front over the back of the car and slide it forwards. However, we have a short car (Skoda Roomster) so with the back of the tandem level with the back of the car the front was protruding well over the windscreen and I decided there was no way to make it really safe for a long motorway drive.

 

Looks like a real old persons' holiday for us this year; maybe we'll be younger again for autumn or for next year.

I always thought e bikes were for cycling with the aid when needed of the battery

 

not for transporting Mmm Ok cant be that good or that fit if transporting

 

unless your going a fair few miles

Sometimes you might want to take them with you when you go away on holiday

Or maybe you just want a change of scenery

They need to be transported for the same reasons as normal bikes - but as they are heavier you have to take this into account

As I said above, take the batteries off, remove the seat post and saddle and the tow bar bike rack I bought should take two bikes and is just under £90 on amazon, so very affordable. My lardy 2011 Oxygen Emate travelled to Devon on it and was solid as a rock.

How to answer this?. Getting a towhitch is the single most useful accessory for a car. So yes bite the bullet and get one. And if it needs garage fitting ..so what?. If you DIY, you could be buying trouble. The Halfords do have half decent 2 and 3 bike tow hitch mounted racks. I have used it for 2 heavy Ebilkes. Word of warning , remove the battery pack and the controller gizsmo ,if it detaches and carry these in the boot.

Or for a few quid extra you can buy a full blown trailer. Once you have it , you can drop the bikes into it, bring stuff to dumps, go camping .. make friends and influence people.

Buy a Van.

I changed my vehicle for an electric Leaf a while ago. They do not come with towbar homologation from Nissan so I bought one from a shop in Las Vegas off ebay, a really nice Hayman-Reese hitch 1 1/4" detachable neck Curt hitch. As there are no wheels on the ground it is perfectly legal according to VOSA.

The Thule rack fits beautifully stable and rock-solid.

Edited March 27, 20224 yr by vidtek

I always thought e bikes were for cycling with the aid when needed of the battery

 

not for transporting Mmm Ok cant be that good or that fit if transporting

 

unless your going a fair few miles

My way was some years ago I bought a small trailer for carrying the luggage, as the dog sits there in the car, and takes up the whole rear of our Estate Car.

 

For bikes I added Roofbars to the trailer, and I can fit two bikes on it, which are then msotly in the wind shadow of the car, and as we are legally limited for speed with a trailer, the difference with the MPG is not worth mentioning! Possibly less than my normal driving possibly. It would save money on MPG compared to most vans I feel.

My car is a 6 seater, and we can still take passengers, and have travelled to and from the UK with 4 adults and the dog!

The trailer is used often for other things as well during the year and has a good "lid" that has never let water in, but I always pack stuff into plastic bags, just in case...

Regards

Andy

I always thought e bikes were for cycling with the aid when needed of the battery

 

not for transporting Mmm Ok cant be that good or that fit if transporting

 

unless your going a fair few miles

I just pootle along 6-10mph on my e-bike. I don't understand the lycra louts - head down oblivious to their surroundings getting the last possible bit of speed as they belt along.

 

I like to take the electric car with the bike on the back to Hengistbury Head on a Monday when all the grockles aren't there, but don't want to cycle all through the town from Poole to get there. That's unpleasant, riding through urban areas. I also like to take the bike to the New Forest once again not pleasant in the urban areas. With my ev and ebike I reckon I've got the environment sussed. I can no longer do long walks since a vehicle write-off but I can get on my bike. It's really great in the Spring and Autumn when there are fewer grockles in the New Forest, you can hear and see all the wildlife on your bike.