Hello All,Looking for some first hand experience and suggestions. We have a 2018 Outback 325BH that came with a luggage rack mounted to the back. The rack is called "bike rack" in their marketing and is welded directly to the frame and carries a 250lb load capacity. We have used this many times to mount 4 bikes by alternating direction of the bike and ratchet strapping them to the vertical pole that installs on the back side of the rack. The problem is, no matter what we do the bikes destroy each other. Some have areas rubbed down to metal and we have broken cables as well. We have tried pool noddles and blankets but nothing works when they are pulled tight so we are searching for a solution. What I have seen so far is well mount things like this https://www.amazon.com/Stromberg-Carlson-CC-125-Cargo-Adapter/dp/B007VUXP1S/ref=asc_df_B007VUXP1S/Has anyone used these? And, if so, how could I fit 4 sets? We know we can actually fit 5 bikes on our rack but that is super tight. Any other ideas for mounting and securing safely but without destroying bikes? We seem to have bad luck with bikes. Seems like any type of rack we buy including some expensive Thule hitch mount for our other car end up causing some sort of damage. Anyway, thought are appreciated. Thanks!EDIT: Shortened the URL

The design is pretty simple and mimics what a parking rack would do. But bikes need to be secured in 2 places - the wheels and the top tube. The bikes not only need to be secure, but in such a way that they stay away from each other. There is a reason good bike racks exist and they are specific to the task. You have a few things competing against you as well. 4 bikes on a single rack is a lot to ask and all the way back at the back of the RV they are subjected to a lot more bouncing around. You may want to look at something more like this:tray rack

How about two bikes on the back and two in the front of the tow vehicle as we do and have for years. Search this Forum for `bike rack' for much more.

I would venture that your issues are all caused by your lack of knowledge or skill, and I mean that constructive, not to be mean. Drop by a bike shop and give the guy $20 to come assist you. you should be able to mount bikes so they touch yet do not cause harm. Pipe insulation over frame tubes helps a lot and is used even by those owning $10,000 bikes! Bungee things together so there is no clanking. Keep pedals out of the other bike's spokes. I have never heard of breaking a cable, something went terribly wrong if a cable gets broken (I assume you means the black calbe HOUSING, not the thin wire cable?)Do you have a receiver hitch on the back of the trailer? I am not sure what you mean by "luggage rack". I assume a receiver hitch with some sort of tray inserted.At the bike shop again, look at their "tray" type mounts. The ones that hold the bicycle wheels in cradles and hold again at the top of the tire.The best is the One-Up bike rack, or "1UP". Each bike tray steps up one higher, so when you go up that steep driveway the rear of the rack does not drag as it will if all the trays are the same height. The One-Up can take 6 bikes I think. Each bike tray is modular and can be added or removed.

You need 4 sets of the wheel holders as posted in the link above. Then figure out a way to attach each bike to the next with some type of spacer clamp. This will keep the tops of the bikes away from each other. Something like this.Spacer arm

I don't pull a TT, so you can tell me if this is a bonehead idea . . . but why not just transport the bikes inside the trailer? You won't use them until you reach your destination anyway, will you?Wouldn't having them inside, specifically close to being over the axles, give them a smoother ride than bouncing all over the place hung on a rack on the very end of a trailer?Plus, it would keep them dry, and free from road grime, debris, and rock chips, right?Just a thought -- but a thought from 'an outsider looking in' -- might not make sense, but it seems logical to me.

4 Bikes on luggage rack | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Jun 28, 2021
What you have is a "cargo rack", not really a good bike rack and that is the problem.

Found a pix that should look pretty much what your cargo rack looks like..

There is no way to keep the bikes from moving around or rubbing and trying to tightly strap them into one big bunch is going to result in what you are seeing, damaged bikes.

You need a bar like a bike rack that goes all the way out to the end of your cargo rack that has two mounting points for each bike.

Like this..

Each bike is tied at two points and cannot touch any of the other bikes.

Each bike must have space between the next bike.

You do have a bonus with that cargo rack, you can bungie the wheels of each bike down to the cargo rack. That insures there is zero movement of the bikes and they can't swing back and forth.

To use a rack like the one in the pix above you need either a hitch receiver installed on your cargo rack or some modification to the floor of the rack to allow mounting the vertical part of the rack to the cargo rack floor..
SKroamcampgroun
Explorer
Jun 28, 2021
etrailer.com is my favorite place to search for bike trailers. you can put in the make and model of your car and it'll give you its top bike rack suggestions based on what youre driving. good luck!
RetiredRealtorR
Explorer
Jun 28, 2021
I don't pull a TT, so you can tell me if this is a bonehead idea . . . but why not just transport the bikes inside the trailer? You won't use them until you reach your destination anyway, will you?

Wouldn't having them inside, specifically close to being over the axles, give them a smoother ride than bouncing all over the place hung on a rack on the very end of a trailer?

Plus, it would keep them dry, and free from road grime, debris, and rock chips, right?

Just a thought -- but a thought from 'an outsider looking in' -- might not make sense, but it seems logical to me.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jun 28, 2021
You need 4 sets of the wheel holders as posted in the link above. Then figure out a way to attach each bike to the next with some type of spacer clamp. This will keep the tops of the bikes away from each other. Something like this.

Spacer arm
mr_andyj
Explorer
Jun 28, 2021
I would venture that your issues are all caused by your lack of knowledge or skill, and I mean that constructive, not to be mean. Drop by a bike shop and give the guy $20 to come assist you. you should be able to mount bikes so they touch yet do not cause harm. Pipe insulation over frame tubes helps a lot and is used even by those owning $10,000 bikes! Bungee things together so there is no clanking. Keep pedals out of the other bike's spokes. I have never heard of breaking a cable, something went terribly wrong if a cable gets broken (I assume you means the black calbe HOUSING, not the thin wire cable?)

Do you have a receiver hitch on the back of the trailer? I am not sure what you mean by "luggage rack". I assume a receiver hitch with some sort of tray inserted.

At the bike shop again, look at their "tray" type mounts. The ones that hold the bicycle wheels in cradles and hold again at the top of the tire.

The best is the One-Up bike rack, or "1UP". Each bike tray steps up one higher, so when you go up that steep driveway the rear of the rack does not drag as it will if all the trays are the same height. The One-Up can take 6 bikes I think. Each bike tray is modular and can be added or removed.
Dick_B
Explorer
Jun 28, 2021
How about two bikes on the back and two in the front of the tow vehicle as we do and have for years. Search this Forum for `bike rack' for much more.
way2roll
Navigator III
Jun 28, 2021
The design is pretty simple and mimics what a parking rack would do. But bikes need to be secured in 2 places - the wheels and the top tube. The bikes not only need to be secure, but in such a way that they stay away from each other. There is a reason good bike racks exist and they are specific to the task. You have a few things competing against you as well. 4 bikes on a single rack is a lot to ask and all the way back at the back of the RV they are subjected to a lot more bouncing around.

You may want to look at something more like this:

tray rack

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4 Bikes on luggage rack

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