I have always loosened and turned the Handlebars closet to the RV, which works great. No worry about making contact with the RV
Bike Racks for E Bikes ON 5TH WHEELS (ADDED QUIKRSTUFF)
- Thread starter Mazboy
- Start date
We have traditional mountain/cross bikes and love our 1-Up dual. The tightening mechanism keeps it rigid in our 5th wheel receiver-it’s off road rated. Not that we take the 5er off-road but bad roads punish bike racks. The bike retention mechanism works easily and holds well. It’s anodized aluminum finish doesn’t rust. And it folds up out of the way when we’re in camp and the bikes are being ridden. We’ve traveled probably 15K with no problems.
Contrast that with the top end Thule dual rack we had previously. The “shepherd hook” retention mechanism actually wore the rubber down to the tire cord during a longer trip. We dumped it at 2 months for several hundred less than we’d paid and never looked back.
You will find “RV rated” and “off-road rated” racks. For the money, I’d go with the latter. Sorry, no experience with hanging racks other than our first entry level Walmart version. It would NOT survive in the RV world.
Contrast that with the top end Thule dual rack we had previously. The “shepherd hook” retention mechanism actually wore the rubber down to the tire cord during a longer trip. We dumped it at 2 months for several hundred less than we’d paid and never looked back.
You will find “RV rated” and “off-road rated” racks. For the money, I’d go with the latter. Sorry, no experience with hanging racks other than our first entry level Walmart version. It would NOT survive in the RV world.
So I chose to skip the exterior bike racks altogether. Bike transport is the main reason I selected the 2022 390MP floorplan.
The entry door is aligned with the mid Bunk room. There is a straight shot up the entry steps into the bunk room. I can roll bikes up the steps using a collapsible ramp. I roll the bikes up the steps into the bunk room and secure them with bungies and straps.
Later model years, the bunk room door is off to the left towards the kitchen. The bunk room door is not aligned with the entry door on these models. Because the entry door is not aligned with the bunk room door getting bikes into the bunk room is not as simple.
MY kids are older and no longer camp , I use the mid bunk room more as a utility room for bike transport and etc. I am seriously contemplating removing the mid bunk sofa to create easier access to the cabinets and to create more open floor space. I use the mid bunk room more as a toyhauler room vs. a bunk room.
The biggest plus of carrying the bikes in the bunk room is that they are not exposed to the elements and they don't have to be loaded and unloaded each trip. The bikes live in the RV! I have rather large heavy E bikes that are not the easiest to transport.
One thing I have begun to despise about RV'ing is set up and break down. I have become a bit psycho when it comes to taking an item out and using it because it becomes one more thing to break down upon departure! Using the Blackstone is an example unless I cook more than 1 meal on the Blackstone I'm not getting it out!
I apply that same principle to bringing along bikes. We ride our E bikes most every trip. We load and unload at the camp site, but we don't load and unload at home. Transporting bikes in mid bunk room has worked out very well for our usage.
I totally understand not everyone wants a mid bunk model, but for me it was the deal sealer for my 2022 390MP because of its ability to transport bikes inside the RV.
For the record I also have bike rack shown below that i use to bring extra bikes along for guests
The entry door is aligned with the mid Bunk room. There is a straight shot up the entry steps into the bunk room. I can roll bikes up the steps using a collapsible ramp. I roll the bikes up the steps into the bunk room and secure them with bungies and straps.
Later model years, the bunk room door is off to the left towards the kitchen. The bunk room door is not aligned with the entry door on these models. Because the entry door is not aligned with the bunk room door getting bikes into the bunk room is not as simple.
MY kids are older and no longer camp , I use the mid bunk room more as a utility room for bike transport and etc. I am seriously contemplating removing the mid bunk sofa to create easier access to the cabinets and to create more open floor space. I use the mid bunk room more as a toyhauler room vs. a bunk room.
The biggest plus of carrying the bikes in the bunk room is that they are not exposed to the elements and they don't have to be loaded and unloaded each trip. The bikes live in the RV! I have rather large heavy E bikes that are not the easiest to transport.
One thing I have begun to despise about RV'ing is set up and break down. I have become a bit psycho when it comes to taking an item out and using it because it becomes one more thing to break down upon departure! Using the Blackstone is an example unless I cook more than 1 meal on the Blackstone I'm not getting it out!
I apply that same principle to bringing along bikes. We ride our E bikes most every trip. We load and unload at the camp site, but we don't load and unload at home. Transporting bikes in mid bunk room has worked out very well for our usage.
I totally understand not everyone wants a mid bunk model, but for me it was the deal sealer for my 2022 390MP because of its ability to transport bikes inside the RV.
For the record I also have bike rack shown below that i use to bring extra bikes along for guests
Fultyme RV 1300 Hitch Mount 2-Bike Rack, 200 lbs. Capacity from
Walmart Bike RackAttachments
Fishfnatic
Well-known member
We bought the Hollywood brand rack rated for 5 th wheels. It seems to work ok but have to keep tightening cross bolt on hitch because it tends to back off. Going to use some loctite to see if it helps. Lots of stress on rack going down road.
Thanks a million for sharing all of that!
Thank you very much and good info on the bolt backing off.
There is really no way for me to store the bikes inside the rig without either transporting them on the bed, maybe the sofa, or engineering another solution, neither is ideal. You are lucky to have that layout. Thanks for the write up and the link. I'm unsure if the rack you are using is rated for fivers. It does say RV ready but i guess we are supposed to confirm if that means motorhomes or also includes fifth wheels (and travel trailers).
I agree that my rack may not be certified specifically for fivers. But I can say its pretty solid and seems capable of carrying my heavy E bikes.
I believe the price dropped significantly from what I paid a few years ago.
It is a decent rack for RV use although I'm by no means claiming it's the best available.
I simply don't use the rack enough to make any serious claims about its durability or long term use.
However for my occasional use the rack has worked well without issue.
I believe the price dropped significantly from what I paid a few years ago.
It is a decent rack for RV use although I'm by no means claiming it's the best available.
I simply don't use the rack enough to make any serious claims about its durability or long term use.
However for my occasional use the rack has worked well without issue.
Appreciate that! It was the least expensive one I’ve come across, for sure; and it gets good reviews too. But I found the Swagman on eBay for not too terribly much more. I used a few AI tools to evaluate all of those posted here and each one picks the Swagman based on my criteria. I’ve personally witnessed bikes coming off racks twice. Once was a platform type rack and the other was the crane/hanger type. That’s the reason I’m interested in what others are using and their experiences. Thanks again, @Lantley .
Edit. 3 times actually. We saw an RV in Alaska lose bikes that were bungeed to the rear ladder. Those bikes just bounced. Forgot about them!
Socal-Paul
Well-known member
Just curious, who decides if a rack is safe for 5th wheel? I would think if a rack doesn't exceed the weight for the receiver or the load for the rack it would be safe for any application. Might this just be a marketing ploy?
The engineers and the manufacturers decide. It is not a marketing ploy at all, based on the research I've been doing. We all know the distance between the rear axle and the hitch receiver is shorter on a car/truck than on most fifth wheels. With extra distance (5ht wheel application) you have to consider lever laws and the amount of force/torque that is placed on the rack because of the longer lever action (torque= force X distance). The rack needs to be able to withstand higher torque if it is farther back from the axle. If you look at Thule, they derate the amount of weight that the racks can safely carry if the devices are used on an RV if they are not RV rated.