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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#3022160 16-Jan-2023 17:04

You could possibly ask an engineering firm to manufacture something specific for you, that would take a custom fitting for a bike rack, and not a tow ball - but I would suggest that would cost around the same if not more (design, build, materials etc).

Worth remembering that a company isn't going to want to build and fit something with a towball, that isn't going to be rated to tow a trailer - otherwise when you, or the person you sell the car too, tows a trailer and it parts company with your car...

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timmmay

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#3022213 16-Jan-2023 17:10

Yeah custom doesn't make sense, just wondering if there's a commonly used alternative.

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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RunningMan

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#3022233 16-Jan-2023 18:39

timmmay:

[snip]'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.

Might be better to include the wiring - not very many cars that you can hang a bike off and not cover the rear lights on the car, meaning you need a trailer board or extra lights on the bikes.

Handsomedan

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#3022237 16-Jan-2023 18:44

Also bear in mind (aside from all of the above): you will probably fail a WOF if you have an alternative to a certified towbar on your car.

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Ge0rge

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#3022244 16-Jan-2023 18:59

Handsomedan: Also bear in mind (aside from all of the above): you will probably fail a WOF if you have an alternative to a certified towbar on your car.

No. There is no requirement for certification for a WoF.

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timmmay

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#3022260 16-Jan-2023 19:31

Getting my wife a bicycle for her birthday is getting pretty expensive! Thanks for all the tips everyone.

RunningMan

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#3022266 16-Jan-2023 19:48

You might need a supplementary plate too if the bike or rack covers that up https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/number-plates/

mudguard

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#3022277 16-Jan-2023 19:53

timmmay: Getting my wife a bicycle for her birthday is getting pretty expensive! Thanks for all the tips everyone.

Wait until you start looking at racks.

It's probably a a bit of a begrudging purchase, but having a tow bar put on (for previous cars) has made me ride much more than when I had to remove wheels and put inside the car. And my rack has lights, indicators and a supplementary plate too. But it ought to last numerous cars.

What kind of car, are roof racks possible instead? Personally I don't like them as I'm so used to tow bar mounted racks I'd probably plow into the garage with the bikes on.

Jase2985

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#3022280 16-Jan-2023 20:03

dont be that guy who puts a towbar on and doesn't get the wiring done.

scuwp

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#3022290 16-Jan-2023 20:18

When we had our tow bar done, the place added an extra gusset to take more downforce, mind you, we were carting 3-4 mountain bikes so there was a lot of weight hanging off it. Stopped it flexing so much.

That price seems pretty good, but I would get the wiring done.

Alternative could be a roof rack system. but they can be pricey also.

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timmmay

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#3022296 16-Jan-2023 20:28

Not keen on roof racks. Yeah I know the bike racks can be expensive too, I'll try to get one with lights built in. It'll have two bikes on initially, one kids, maybe three eventually. Yeah I'll get the wiring, sounds like I have to.

Technofreak

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#3022380 16-Jan-2023 22:40

I'm not keen on the roof rack option either for several reasons.

Primarily the effort required to lift the bikes up onto the rack and the possibility/probability of damage to the car if you drop the bike onto the roof especially with the type of racks where you remove the front wheel.

Then there's the possibility/probability of driving under/into a structure that is lower than the said roof rack mounted bikes. There's those that have done it and those that are yet to do it.

Finally when I look at the mounting points for the roof rack on one of my cars, eight 5 mm bolts doesn't look to be a lot to hold things in place up there.

We recently bought a Thule Velo Compact 925, two bike, rack which we're pretty happy with. You might want to consider a three (or more) bike option of what ever make/model you settle on depending on your future requirements or just upsize later when the need arises. I think our one can accomodate an extra (third) bike with an "outrigger" attachment.

You might also want to consider a removable hitch style towbar which has a square receptor where the towball tongue fits into. That's assuming that style is available for you car. It wasn't for mine.

You can buy bike racks which have a tongue which slides into the receptor. This style of towbar are probably a bit easier to fit a bike rack onto plus when you're not using the towbar or bike rack there isn't anything sticking out the rear of the car to hit your shins on when you're accessing the boot space.

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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.

timmmay

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#3022483 17-Jan-2023 07:07

Thanks all. Any recommendations for bike racks, ideally ones with light extension built in?

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