Rear Bike Rack

[Early Member Find all posts View Profile Close Early]

Anyone found some new awesome bike carriers?

[Auscanclan Member Find all posts View Profile Close Auscanclan]

Yakima makes on you attach to the spare wheel.

I just bought one from SuperCheap which accounts for the spare. Stanfred Bike Carrier

[rvator2 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close rvator2]

If you are looking for some high quality Australian made bike carriers......GripSport would be my choice.

http://gripsport.com.au/products

I have a Thule for the Prado and would never by another Thule again.

Our next one will be a GripSport for sure.

Cheers,

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

I like Grip's work but since getting the fatbike I have been using one of these:

http://www.isi-carriers.com/isi-4x4-...e-carrier.html

It really is quick and easy to use and very solid. Gets my vote these days.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

I like Grip's work but since getting the fatbike I have been using one of these:

http://www.isi-carriers.com/isi-4x4-...e-carrier.html

It really is quick and easy to use and very solid. Gets my vote these days.

So the ISI pivots down and allows the rear door to open? Can this be done with bikes on and how hard is it? I was looking at roof mounted but can see it's going to be a pain, so now looking in other directions.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Yes. Quite easy, I put lights and an auxiliary number plate on mine and I just have to roll this up out of the way when I lower the rack. Door doesn't open fully (from memory) but you can easily get to the fridge etc. The best part is you can reach in and take the top pin out and the rack is still supported by the catch. Then you lift up and release the catch and down it all comes. Lift back up until the catch connects and then put the pin back in. At the beach I took the rack off and used it as a stand as well. I will put the rack on tonight and throw a bike or two on and take some pictures.

With the fatbike I cannot run the bikes facing opposite so run them the same way, no problem just a bit different to the photos on George's site. Fabrication quality is excellent.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Must be easy then if you'll just put it on and take some pics, plus you are the second person who as mentioned ISI to me. I have the kaymar, and they are the only ones I know of that make one to fit with it, others are all too close to the vehicle.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Left it a bit late so light wasn't in my favour and as I left my laptop at work I couldn't upload the shots off the camera... And I cooked supper, lightly killed chicken breast, chilli, vegetables, chilli. Anyway here is a quicky with the pad. I will have a go at editing the ones on the camera tomorrow. I suspect (know) I forgot to change the white balance...



That should give you an idea on the space in and around the back door with the bikes on the ground.

I am comfortable using the iSi carrier with the carbon frame on the Bronson. These bikes are large frames. The Muru is running the skinny 4.5" trail tyres at the moment.

Guess it took all of 10 minutes to bolt the hitch adapter on, fit the carrier with the pins and then put the bikes on.

[Early Member Find all posts View Profile Close Early]

Left it a bit late so light wasn't in my favour and as I left my laptop at work I couldn't upload the shots off the camera... And I cooked supper, lightly killed chicken breast, ...

that's a badass typo, guessing you meant 'grilled'

After seeing your photo of the iSi rack and the open rear door, you might have converted me to get an iSi. And a fatbike.

[REN470 Member Find all posts View Profile Close REN470]

If you are looking for some high quality Australian made bike carriers......GripSport would be my choice.

http://gripsport.com.au/products

I have a Thule for the Prado and would never by another Thule again.

Our next one will be a GripSport for sure.

Cheers,

Hi rvator2,

Why would you never buy a thule again? What model do you have and what issues are you having as I'm looking at a swing away as I want to be able to open the backdoor while the bikes are on?


Ta

[rvator2 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close rvator2]

Hi REN470,

We have a model similar to the 9502 RideOn two bike. Ours does not have the tilt option.

My main gripe is with the design, which makes loading the bikes by yourself very hard. BTW, I'm nearly 70 and one of the bikes is an electric model.

The angled down wheel holders are not user friendly, due to the bike wanting to roll off, until secured by BOTH straps.

Also, the wheel holders have very little lateral adjustment, so the wheels are 'sitting' on the ends of the wheel holders.

Overall, not a user friendly design at all.

BTW, we do not have a need to open the rear door when carrying the bikes on the Prado. When we are traveling, we have a bike rack on the caravan.

Cheers,

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Some more dodgy pics. Will grab some in the daylight on the weekend.

This is the pin arrangement that holds the rack to the hitch. Removing the top pin allows the rack to rotate down, take both out and the rack comes off leaving a small hitch attachment. The rack will actually allow the door to fully open when the ground is flat.



Door opens fully allowing access inside the back.



This shows the space between the spare (a 275/65 17 with an amts spacer on the back) and the rack/bikes.



And how it looks from the back.



My Gripsport rack is a heavy duty downhill version which is heavy and awkward to use. It holds the bikes by the crank which means adding some protection to the crank arm or inside the holder. I don't want to put a bike with carbon crank arms in the rack and there is no way the fatbike will fit so I needed something else. The iSi carrier has much more off road clearance and being able to pivot the rack down gives plenty of access. Putting the bikes on is very easy, you could even leave the vertical holders out while you put the inside bike on. That bike can lean against the spare while you fit the holder on the top tube. Then the outside bike will sit in the wheel supports and only takes a gentle touch with shoulder to hold the bike in position while the holder is fitted. The number plate sits in the middle of the aluminium C section that holds the lights. A lot of people don't bother with lights but the sand tyres on the fatbike are almost 5" diameter and they pretty much cover the Prado lights and that isn't worth getting pulled over for. I bought some LED taillights from Sunyee for about $30 from memory. Run these on my trailer now too.

My bikes aren't heavy, the Bronson is under 12kg while the Muru is about 15kg but the effort to rotate the rack is minimal and you can get good leverage with the bike holder frame. George (iSi) also makes an adapter to allow the rack to bolt onto trailers and campers. I already have a hitch block for mine so I will just modify that which will let me put the rack on the back of the trailer or on the drawbar.

At camp we take the rack off and sit it on some logs and use it as a bike stand as well.

And this is what the fatbike is for:

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Cheers for that mjrandom, really informative and looks like a great rack.

So the door opens almost all the way by the looks, and it really must be easy to remove/refit. That is a big tick in the positive box for the isi. Just have to get it past the minister for war and finance now

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

The hitch part has a square nut inside the hitch which the bolt goes through. You tighten the head of the bolt and pull this nut and the hitch hard against the side of the hitch receiver. Then the lock nut goes on the other side to stop it coming loose. The hitch is solid in the receiver with no rattling or movement. It is a great system. It is an M16 bolt/nut so you will need a 24mm socket/spanner.

The bike supports slide in and out on RHS so you can easily adjust for different bikes and wheelbases. I have fitted my wife's small frame Giant 26" bike as well as a mates XL Spec 29er. Each of the holders has two allen head bolts so again very easy to adjust.

I don't think I have anything else to add!

[REN470 Member Find all posts View Profile Close REN470]

Hi REN470,

We have a model similar to the 9502 RideOn two bike. Ours does not have the tilt option.

My main gripe is with the design, which makes loading the bikes by yourself very hard. BTW, I'm nearly 70 and one of the bikes is an electric model.

The angled down wheel holders are not user friendly, due to the bike wanting to roll off, until secured by BOTH straps.

Also, the wheel holders have very little lateral adjustment, so the wheels are 'sitting' on the ends of the wheel holders.

Overall, not a user friendly design at all.

BTW, we do not have a need to open the rear door when carrying the bikes on the Prado. When we are traveling, we have a bike rack on the caravan.

Cheers,

Thanks, thats helpfull.