Questions about bikes, cars, tow bars, bike racks

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timmmay

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#303099 16-Jan-2023 16:58

We need a tow bar to put a bike rack on. We can't use a clip on bike rack because of the car design. It's going to cost about $490 to get a towbar without wiring at Towbar Express, we don't need wiring but that'd be $630. Does anyone know if there's a cheaper way to get a lightweight tow bar to use only for a bike rack? I also asked East Coast Tow Bars, who cost about the same, or a bit more.

Also interested in general tips and recommendations.

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Technofreak

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#3022219 16-Jan-2023 17:22

Bear in mind the weight of the rack and bikes on the towbar and the fact the bike rack will hang out well past the end of the towbar will mean there is quite a vertical load imposed on the towbar. While in your use case the towbar may not have any towing forces applied it will need to be strong enough to support whatever weight you hang on it that will be bouncing up and down when the car rides over undulations in the road.

Also those forces will need to be transferred to the cars structure in a manner that wont compromise the body integrity. While a towbar is likely over engineered for what you need it is probably still the simplest and cheapest option. It's already been designed and approved for your car. No need to reinvent the wheel.

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networkn

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#3022459 17-Jan-2023 00:20

Once your kid(s) get a bit older, it's likely you will have a Bike each so potentially 3-4. It's an investment, but a good quality towbar and an easy to use easy to load and unload bike rack is extremely important, trust me. We cheaped out the first time, ended up with the Enduro 4 and whilst it's not perfect, it's a damn sight better than what we have tried before. Bite the bullet, do it once and properly and know you are sorted for a long long time.