I have a Kuat Transfer 2 bike rack I've used to carry our manual bikes. My wife want's an e-bike, I'll keep my manual one. Our bike rack holds 2 bikes and is limited to 40 lbs for each bike. Any e-bike we buy will weigh about 55 lbs. My manual bike probably weighs about 25 lbs. What do you guys think, should I keep the rack I have? I probably will since the total weight of both bikes will likely be about 80 lbs.
Bike rack, should I get new
- Thread starter timjet
- Start date
You will exceed the rating still. If you bikes come off at 70mph will your insurance company cover the the pile up on the freeway? I dont think so, you did not follow the manufacturer recommendations. Would you want your significant other following behind you when this happens? Do you want to pay for the new ebike even if you dont kill anyone?
ok enough of the scarry stuff. Your rack has limitations at many different points.. total weight, the weight on each contact point to the bike, cradles, arms , clamps, straps . Each one is only designed for a 40 lb bike. If anyone of those fail the whole system fails. The bike starts to fall. i have had a bike flat tire once when i was underway in my rack, fell half way off went across 3 lanes of traffic in a split second very scary, made it off the hwy
A second time one of my clamp arm had gotten bent and I did not realize it , came off 3 times in a short distance while driving from Ga TO DC .
I personally do not think that saving the money on the rack is worth peace of mind and the additional safety.
I ended buying a van just because of the ebikes, I didnt like the rack for long trips even done correctly..I enjoy my $35G "bike rack"
Weigh you bike , do not take manufaturer info to be sure
ok enough of the scarry stuff. Your rack has limitations at many different points.. total weight, the weight on each contact point to the bike, cradles, arms , clamps, straps . Each one is only designed for a 40 lb bike. If anyone of those fail the whole system fails. The bike starts to fall. i have had a bike flat tire once when i was underway in my rack, fell half way off went across 3 lanes of traffic in a split second very scary, made it off the hwy
A second time one of my clamp arm had gotten bent and I did not realize it , came off 3 times in a short distance while driving from Ga TO DC .
I personally do not think that saving the money on the rack is worth peace of mind and the additional safety.
I ended buying a van just because of the ebikes, I didnt like the rack for long trips even done correctly..I enjoy my $35G "bike rack"
Weigh you bike , do not take manufaturer info to be sure
ebikemom
Well-Known Member
I bought an "upright designs" rack rated at 250 pounds, to put four Pedegos on. We remove the batteries and seats. Probably they still are a bit heavy. I did call the company to inquire. They said that to get the 250 pound rating, they had to drive that rack offroad, loaded up with about 350 pounds, and nothing ever broke, so he felt comfortable with me putting four Pedegos on it. Some here thought I was being unsafe to do that, but I felt okay with it. When we do this, we are traveling on nicely paved roads, and not racing around. So, I think some may be comfortable with this advice and others might think this is an unsafe practice.
I do think that going with double the rated weight of the rack would make me uncomfortable. I'd suggest getting a rack rated for the weight of two ebikes. Hey, you may want an ebike, too, someday, huh?
I'm in the same boat as you.. My Yakima Two-Timer is rated for 45 lbs. per bike.. My soon to be delivered Evelo Galaxy ST weighs 46 Lbs. without the battery.. My wife's manual bike weighs about 40 lbs. It's close but I really like the Rack.. I guess I'll try it and see how it goes..
Anyway, If your rack is rated at 40 each, I don't think I would go 15 lbs. over that..
Joe
Anyway, If your rack is rated at 40 each, I don't think I would go 15 lbs. over that..
Joe
Well my wife picked the Trek verve + lowstep weighing in at about 48 lbs with batt, probably about 43 lbs without. That's pretty close to the 40 lb limit. And the bike shop has a demo in my size, same bike but not a low step, so we're now at both bikes 43 lbs ea w/o batt. I talked to the salesman and he said go for it. The Kuat is a quality bike rack. I may remove the seats saving a lb or so each.
That Galaxy ST with CVT and belt drive looks interesting but a bit over our budget. Have you ridden one yet?
No I haven't, It's on its way.. I was originally going to get the Aurora but the Galaxy is 9 lbs lighter, has the Belt Drive, and comes in a cool color, Toasted Almond.
Maybe if you have Quick release wheels you could try removing those on one or both, the seat and post and battery Then weigh just the frame and see if you can bring the weights down enough for the rack ? I know that's extra work but you sure wouldn't want to lose those on the drive . ?
steve mercier
Well-Known Member
If you need to upgrade in the future the Saris Freedom 2 is rated to carry heavy ebikes up to 60 lbs and comes in at the lower end of the price spectrum under $300. https://www.saris.com/product/freedom-2
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Tars Tarkas
Well-Known Member
Yes we got the bikes and took them across the street from the bike shop which just happened to have a bike trail and rode 9 miles in gusty winds, Nice! The fender on my wife's Trek is preventing the Kuat bike rack bar from securing the front of the bike so it won't roll so I'm adding a bungee cord and strap to secure it.
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