Thule trunk bike rack + e-bike = okay?

[seinberg]

Hi all,

I've got a Thule Raceway PRO 3 that has a weight limit of 100lbs. It has a per-bike weight limit of 35 lbs. I would like to bring my Gazelle CityZen T10 Speed on a trip with me, and it would be the only bike on the rack. It weighs about 48lbs with the battery in, and around 41-42lbs without the battery (which I can stow in the car). What do folks think about the realistic risks of putting the Gazelle on there to bring with me on a ~3.5 hr car ride? The ride will be almost exclusively on Interstate 95 between NYC and Pennsylvania with a few last-mile roads on either end. I've brought two bikes each with heavy Topeak seats + racks on similar drives in the past and it's been totally fine (see attached photo). I estimate that the mountain bike probably weighed around 33-34lbs with the Topeak seat on it. This time it'll just be the Gazelle.

Thanks.
Dave

 

[TaraBara]

I just ordered a bike rack....because I would not think about hanging my Ebike on a rack that doesn't meet the weight requirements. Search on Amazon for the Overdrive Sport 2 Bike hitch mounted bike rack. It's the least expensive $250 ebike rack I could find. I'll let you know if I like it.

 

[seinberg]

I just ordered a bike rack....because I would not think about hanging my Ebike on a rack that doesn't meet the weight requirements. Search on Amazon for the Overdrive Sport 2 Bike hitch mounted bike rack. It's the least expensive $250 ebike rack I could find. I'll let you know if I like it.

Thanks, although living in NYC we don't own a car. Hitch mounting is not an option for us as it's too much of a tossup as to whether there will be a hitch to connect the rack to. What I'm trying to understand is why it matters whether there's 100lbs distributed between 3 bikes vs 1 bike that's 41lbs. I just have a hard time imagining that it's actually going to make any difference at all.

 

[Eheller]

I was wondering the same thing about distributing the weight allotted for two bikes to a single bike - in my case, I wanted to buy a rack that was spec’d for two 35-lb bikes, and mount a single 65 lb bike. It seemed logical. I emailed the manufacturer (Saris) and they said absolutely not. They said the straps themselves that hold the bike in place are not designed to hold that much weight. You’re only a few pounds over, but imagine if it came off while on 95, I mean it could kill someone...

 

[champignon]

I was wondering the same thing about distributing the weight allotted for two bikes to a single bike - in my case, I wanted to buy a rack that was spec’d for two 35-lb bikes, and mount a single 65 lb bike. It seemed logical. I emailed the manufacturer (Saris) and they said absolutely not. They said the straps themselves that hold the bike in place are not designed to hold that much weight. You’re only a few pounds over, but imagine if it came off while on 95, I mean it could kill someone...

There's a fair amount of road debris out there, at least where I drive. The most common problem is, of course, those retread tire shards one finds everywhere on the interstates. I think the liability would be enormous if you were carrying a heavy object like an e bike and it came loose, especially at high speed. I wouldn't risk it.

 

[nublar]

Use a tray mounted hitch rack which usually has a 50-75 lb bike per tray limit. On that model prius, installing a hitch rack is as easy as moving the muffler out of the way and tightening a few bolts.

 

[champignon]

Use a tray mounted hitch rack which usually has a 50-75 lb bike per tray limit. On that model prius, installing a hitch rack is as easy as moving the muffler out of the way and tightening a few bolts.

The only negative is that you have to drive a prius

 

[ListWeevils]

I just have a hard time imagining that it's actually going to make any difference at all.

I'm with you on this, especially if you mounted the bike as close to the car as possible. You could remove the wheels if you had room for them. You would have to shim the brakes during transport. Not a huge deal but maybe more hassle than it's worth.

 

[Marci jo]

Hi all,

I've got a Thule Raceway PRO 3 that has a weight limit of 100lbs. It has a per-bike weight limit of 35 lbs. I would like to bring my Gazelle CityZen T10 Speed on a trip with me, and it would be the only bike on the rack. It weighs about 48lbs with the battery in, and around 41-42lbs without the battery (which I can stow in the car). What do folks think about the realistic risks of putting the Gazelle on there to bring with me on a ~3.5 hr car ride? The ride will be almost exclusively on Interstate 95 between NYC and Pennsylvania with a few last-mile roads on either end. I've brought two bikes each with heavy Topeak seats + racks on similar drives in the past and it's been totally fine (see attached photo). I estimate that the mountain bike probably weighed around 33-34lbs with the Topeak seat on it. This time it'll just be the Gazelle.

Thanks.

Hi all,

I've got a Thule Raceway PRO 3 that has a weight limit of 100lbs. It has a per-bike weight limit of 35 lbs. I would like to bring my Gazelle CityZen T10 Speed on a trip with me, and it would be the only bike on the rack. It weighs about 48lbs with the battery in, and around 41-42lbs without the battery (which I can stow in the car). What do folks think about the realistic risks of putting the Gazelle on there to bring with me on a ~3.5 hr car ride? The ride will be almost exclusively on Interstate 95 between NYC and Pennsylvania with a few last-mile roads on either end. I've brought two bikes each with heavy Topeak seats + racks on similar drives in the past and it's been totally fine (see attached photo). I estimate that the mountain bike probably weighed around 33-34lbs with the Topeak seat on it. This time it'll just be the Gazelle.

Thanks.
Dave

Dave

I’m in agreement with the other commenters. Hanging an ebike on a trunk rack has disaster written all over it. A wrecked ebike might be the least of your problems.
A side note, Saris makes hitch racks for ebikes. I found my Freedom rack to be great. You may not have a choice but to put a receiver hitch on the Prius.
Hope you find a workable solution.

 

[seinberg]

Thanks, all, for your responses. A few clarifications.

1) the Prius is not mine. That's a picture of a Prius we used with our old bikes to show that we'd already mounted bikes at our possibly over the single bike maximum without issue in the past. I'll be putting it on a rental car which will not have a hitch for mounting the bike.

2) the bike isn't a 62lb ebike. It's around 41 lbs without the battery, which is 6lbs over the single bike limit, but 59lbs under the overall limit.

3) the rack has rubber straps, which I agree might be a risk with the single bike weight limit, but also has a much stronger nylon strap you use to tighten the bike to the rack to reduce movement. There's no way the nylon strap is going to allow the bike to move.

4) interestingly, I called three local shops that sell ebikes and asked them their opinion. One gave me the answer I was expecting from everyone, which is what most responses on here are saying: don't go over the maximum stated per bike because there's a lot of liability if the bike falls. The other two said off the record that they had put lighter ebikes on trunk mounted racks frequently, that the tolerances are pretty wide, and that I'd be fine if I took the battery out first. And didn't drive like a total maniac, as with any bike mounted on the back.

I'm going to give it shot this weekend for a short distance to see how it fares.

 

[opimax]

Each component of the rack is maxed at 35 lbs. the , the size of the bolts , each resting place for the wheels, the latch , all components!! one gives and the bike goes. You are a losing law suit waiting to happen!! Please have your family members follow you so their car gets to run over your bike, crash or rear ended when they slam on the brakes. I dont want to be the one, isnt worth the money for the pain involved. Consider a ebike rack part of the cost of owning an ebike. I didnt like watching my bikes bounce on my rack even though I was compliant. My bike last rack cost me almost 35Gs, came with a van wrapped around it . Now they are inside when traveling and no bouncing.. I have had my bikes comes loose about 5 times, twice when the rear tire went flat in the rack and 3 time in 30 min until i noticed the arm was bent and not holding the bike properly. one time i was doing over 75 in the left lane, had to get over QUICK! wasnt fun

I doubt you will have an issue but you could and you have no back up if it becomes an issue, insurance wont cover, bike rack manufacture wont cover it will be you against an army of people after anything you have. To me it just isnt worth it.

If you are going to buy an ebike and want to transport it make an ebike carrier solution part of the cost of buying the ebike.

 

[seinberg]

Each component of the rack is maxed at 35 lbs. the , the size of the bolts , each resting place for the wheels, the latch , all components!! one gives and the bike goes. You are a losing law suit waiting to happen!! Please have your family members follow you so their car gets to run over your bike, crash or rear ended when they slam on the brakes. I dont want to be the one, isnt worth the money for the pain involved. Consider a ebike rack part of the cost of owning an ebike. I didnt like watching my bikes bounce on my rack even though I was compliant. My bike last rack cost me almost 35Gs, came with a van wrapped around it . Now they are inside when traveling and no bouncing.. I have had my bikes comes loose about 5 times, twice when the rear tire went flat in the rack and 3 time in 30 min until i noticed the arm was bent and not holding the bike properly. one time i was doing over 75 in the left lane, had to get over QUICK! wasnt fun

I doubt you will have an issue but you could and you have no back up if it becomes an issue, insurance wont cover, bike rack manufacture wont cover it will be you against an army of people after anything you have. To me it just isnt worth it.

If you are going to buy an ebike and want to transport it make an ebike carrier solution part of the cost of buying the ebike.

I appreciate your alarmed concern, and will certainly be cautious with it, only doing the longer drive if the shorter one shows no issues, but I’m decreasingly worried the more I speak to experienced people. I just spoke to a downhill mountain biker (also a professional bike mechanic) who said he takes his 40+ pound downhill mountain bike on a similar trunk mounted rack all the time, once from NY to Michigan with a second bike on as well, and it’s always fine. Said the Thule could probably accommodate a 50 lb bike without any real additional risk as long as it was the only bike.

 

[seinberg]

Here's an update with actual data after experimenting with trunk-mounting the ~42lb e-bike. It was a success! It's completely secure and doesn't budge even at 80-85mph on the highway. I also went quickly over some speed bumps to get a lot of bouncing going on and the bike doesn't move. It's really firmly in place. I had a person at the local bike shop double-check it and he recommended a couple of heavy-duty bungees to keep the wheels/handlebars stationary and to add a bit more security to the attachment to the rack (which I did, just in case) but said even without it'd be fine.

See attached image. There are a total of 8 straps holding the bike in place, which frankly is probably overkill but better to be on the safe side - five rubber straps keeping the bike frame close to the arms of the rack, one of which is vertical and four are on the horizontal downtube; two heavy-duty bungee straps holding the frame and wheels stationary, which are also wrapped around the center of the rack; and finally, one nylon strap holding the pedals stationary and also wrapped around the rack. The rack itself is literally locked to the rental minivan -- once the straps are secure, you lock it into place with a key so nobody can mess with the configuration without the key.

Suffice it to say, the bike will be fine.

 

[seinberg]

Final update: took it on i95 today on our trip to NJ and PA and it was completely fine. Almost no movement, and nothing out of sorts. Everything and everyone arrived in one piece without incident.

 

[champignon]

Final update: took it on i95 today on our trip to NJ and PA and it was completely fine. Almost no movement, and nothing out of sorts. Everything and everyone arrived in one piece without incident.

I had a hungry plaintiff's lawyer on the case, but I've told him to back off

 

[seinberg]

I had a hungry plaintiff's lawyer on the case, but I've told him to back off

Ha, I'm just glad I didn't have to buy a $35k accessory van for my new ebike!

 

[Rmplstlskn]

I use a Saris Super Bones 3-bike trunk rack, but will only do 1 Trek Police/Powerfly5 eBike and then my daughters regular MTB. No problems yet! Naturally, battery is out.

Really love the Saris rack! Well designed and uses a much more higher quality strap than the rubber bungee-wrap Thule/Yakima uses.

Rmpl

 

[opimax]

Everybody makes choices , I would not make the same choice . On top of the no bounce to worry about it falling off, it is weather proof and better theft protection. and LEGAL and still not over taxing a system. ...would you use crappy brake parts too ?

"It is the cost of doing business" applied to ebikes.

 

[seinberg]

Everybody makes choices , I would not make the same choice . On top of the no bounce to worry about it falling off, it is weather proof and better theft protection. and LEGAL and still not over taxing a system. ...would you use crappy brake parts too ?

"It is the cost of doing business" applied to ebikes.

Well, I'm glad that buying a $35k van isn't ACTUALLY the "cost of doing business" for using an ebike - that defeats the whole purpose of having the bike in an urban environment in the first place!

 

[opimax]

You have a car and a bike rack how much does that cost? The real “cost” of doing business ie 200-400 dollars for a safe and legal transport using the proper tool (safe rack)

You are taking decision from me that is not your right. When I am behind you I am in “danger” of some kind. Now if you were to add a sign to your vehicle stating something like “unsafe at any speed! Maybe you shouldn’t follow” then at least my right to an informed decision on PUBLIC highways has been partially restored.

I don’t know that the rack company you have has done verifiable research on how much it really can hold but I haven’t read where you have either. I would have to side with their best guess over yours.

Lastly I have to say the straps holding the bikes in the vertical plane help considerably on weight and stress on the rack... so you got that going for you...but still not the same as spending on the right legal tool