indica
Serial flasher
Obviously with the cost of the Cayenne, they can afford the fine.
BIKE RACKS AND CARRIERS FOR CARS MEGATHREAD - all questions asked and answered here
- Thread starter THE Manik Man
- Start date
gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
Of course there are mounting options for the licence plate.
There are five positions available for off-highway operation plus a dedicated hard mount for highway based use. You need the options to deliver the greatest flexibility in mounting style and position because of the mandatory bike rack plates that must be used in most states and territories of Australia. You see the authorised plates are fragile and have sharp edges. The most effective solution for rough work is like that shown on the Hilux with the authorised licence plate free to move just near the bicycle carrier's rear grab handle.
gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
It's ironic but that customer's wealth was built upon hard work and fighting for every cent in their own businesses. After having a good chat there was great deal of respect for their efforts because they started with very little. That black GTS is one of a handful of Porsches that the family owns.... Those bikes on the back are some of ours that we used for the photos when they picked up the carrier.
Kind of chuffed with the response too:
"Just Superb. The bicycle carrier design and engineering is every bit as good as the best from Porsche - but much much stronger!"
The above shot also shows another important benefit of good design for off-highway applications. The two bicycles are configured so that there is no side overhang. Side overhang is a huge problem with many carrier designs that may claim to be off-road worthy because that design forces the operator to push one bicycle to the left and the other to the right in order to have both fit without fouling each other.
With zero side overhang you can concentrate on driving through tight and tricky tracks without worrying about taking out a bicycle wheel on a tree branch or embankment. If the car can get through then the bikes will too. And yes, that GTS does thread its way along tight trails to get to and from some private properties.
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Um, sorry to burst the bubble but the overhang claim isn't entirely true as it doesn't apply to anyone over four feet tall who rides a midget bike. I ride large and extra large frames with twenty six inch wheels and even when carrying one bike on my carrier that is centrally located I have overhang on each side. I've had my wives medium on the rack and can still see the tyres protruding from the sides of my vehicle. For what it's worth, I'm not driving a Nissan Micra either.
The important thing to note for me is none of my bikes stick out past the width of the mirrors of my car which makes it totally comfortable to operate knowing I'm not going to cut a corner and send several thousands of dollars worth of bikes and rack sailing off into the distance. The most distinguishing factor for me is I can safely stagger my bikes, keep them well inside the total width of my vehicle and not have them hanging sixteen feet behind the tail lights of my car.
gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
Dozer here is a 6" travel Reign in a large size and a medium Trance on the back of a late model Subaru Forester:
Now let's look at what part of each bicycle is vulnerable to side impact:
and
The key is to view from the front of the vehicle straight along the side. That will show you what is visible and vulnerable. Moreover, a large 6" travel Reign isn't what anyone would call a small bicycle so with respect, the comment about midget bikes is a misleading exaggeration.
And the ability to not have to stagger the bikes from side to side is one of the key differentiators of an off-road worthy bicycle carrier - which was the point earlier. Traditional bicycle carriers do not allow two bicycles to sit exactly side by side. The diagram below should demonstrate that by pulling the two bikes in either side, one gains a good deal of side clearance.
As far as I am concerned, if you can't keep the load as narrow as possible then it's a show stopper because all it achieves is to consume the driver's attention and provide excuses to not give a narrow piece of track a go. That's not what 4WD travel with bicycles is about. Every inch of clearance is another inch of safety.
Whilst this thread is all about bicycle carriers for 4WDs, very few 4WDs are actually narrower than most bicycles and there is no reason why those who drive a narrow 4WD should be penalised by having a load wider than the car. In those cases, in order to keep the bicycles in that 3D safety envelope behind the car, then a fork mount option can be a viable solution.
In this case, the early model Hilux below was fairly narrow and because it was going to go places most wouldn't, the fork mount delivered the desired clearance.
I guess that the upshot of all of this engineering is to deliver the best clearance possible so that the driver is encouraged to get away from the regular MTB parks and enjoy 4WDing and cycling in the rough - without being forced to take risks with other carrier products. There's more to a 4WD carrier than just a bunch of steel.
My point is that my bikes will protrude from both sides of any vehicle I've seen that would want to carry their bikes off road. One of those bikes is the Specialized Demo you have in the above shots and I can assure you that it will be visible either side, it's quite long.
I said that anything that is close enough to the back of your car and within the limits of the vehicles mirrors is just fine but if you have to have them hanging a long way behind your car then it changes the dynamic. My idea of needing to take a wheel off to achieve this kind of defeats the purpose of having a quality rack.
I said that anything that is close enough to the back of your car and within the limits of the vehicles mirrors is just fine but if you have to have them hanging a long way behind your car then it changes the dynamic. My idea of needing to take a wheel off to achieve this kind of defeats the purpose of having a quality rack.
gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
A long bike will poke out around a narrow car. It comes down to how far the carrier forces you to have it poke out. I will however pull you up on the first sentence. Wasn't that Subaru wider than the Large size Reign above?
Dead right on fork mounts Dozer. I too find them a pain when compared to just a handful of seconds to load and unload both bicycles. That said, the only way to make a long bike short is to make it short. The neat thing with the ISI fork mount is that it just sits there if required. The normal front wheel cradle which supports and centres the wheel is the primary support.
There's no reason why you can't have your cake and eat it too.
gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
I just had to share this one. Ready to hit the outback with a pretty pink 16" bicycle on the back - complete with tassells!
The other interesting one was a Fuso Earth Cruiser - now, that's a desirable vehicle to travel up into the Gulf and the Kimberleys! Talk about jealous!
These guys demand bulletproof equipment that just works. The rigid CroMo frame is an interesting choice in bicycle. Dead reliable though.
The other interesting one was a Fuso Earth Cruiser - now, that's a desirable vehicle to travel up into the Gulf and the Kimberleys! Talk about jealous!
These guys demand bulletproof equipment that just works. The rigid CroMo frame is an interesting choice in bicycle. Dead reliable though.
roof racks and bike carrier
Hi everyone , there maybe a thread for this already but am looking for someone who installs roof racks and a good bike carrier for a GT Force 3 . Live in the Lithgow area ,will travel as far as Penrith say and out Bathurst way .
Anyone with any help , contacts or ideas greatly appreciated . Car is a 2011 Toyota Yaris 5 door hatchback .
Many Thanks
Hi everyone , there maybe a thread for this already but am looking for someone who installs roof racks and a good bike carrier for a GT Force 3 . Live in the Lithgow area ,will travel as far as Penrith say and out Bathurst way .
Anyone with any help , contacts or ideas greatly appreciated . Car is a 2011 Toyota Yaris 5 door hatchback .
Many Thanks
charlieking97
Likes Dirt
I personally would got for a towbar and rack over a roof rack setup. There is a lot more danger putting a bike up on top. If someone rams into the back of your car with the bikes on the back, which is one of the only ways a bike could get damaged on the back, insurance should cover it. If the bike falls off the roof or something hits it, probably not.
nonch
Likes Bikes
As in your car insurance? I don't know if that's right or not, but I wouldn't have thought so...
Mywifesirrational
I however am very normal. Trust me.
I personally prefer the roof mounted racks, out of the way so easy access to boot, no cost to install a tow bar, lights and another licence plate, no chance of getting booked without bikes on there, I also get to use the racks for my kayaks and luggage box (I would find being able to tow shit pretty handy at times).
So far I haven't forgotten my bikes are up there. I have a sign that hangs down from the carport / garage entry way so if I drive in and forget the bikes are there the sign is hanging down blocking my way fool-proof. I also have my bikes insured so if I did forget they are there they are covered any way - something you REALLY should do if you are putting them of the back of a car any ways.
Back to the OP, no help on where to go, but I installed mine (wing bars + thule bike carrier) in less than 30 minutes, it's really straightforward if you just have a read of the manual, otherwise my local outlet from these guys had excellent service and advice + free installation if needed http://www.roofracksuperstore.com.au/ - not sure if they have one local for you.
charlieking97
Likes Dirt
Sometimes car insurance can cover any damage caused to your possessions in an accident. It all comes down to whether the company offers it, or combined insurance is an option.
indica
Serial flasher
Really, and why?
Car insurance would not generally cover bike damage when getting hit from behind.
If that is the main issue, get decent house insurance coverage and a tow ball mount - if you have a tow ball. Hi Ride from Gripsport is the way to go.
I use the DH rack for my Force, Sanction and Fury.
charlieking97
Likes Dirt
Just if you have combined insurance. For instance, if my bike gets damaged at all, it is insured. After paying the 100 or $150 excess, I get my insured amount no questions asked. I have just heard of many instances where handlebars have hit bridges etc. It all just comes from them having no protecting from any direction (except from below of course). On the back, damage can only be caused from the back, unless the wheels overhang from a stupid rack design or its just longer than the car - if the front wheel is left on
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gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
Just on the issue of insurance if hit from behind, I am not aware of any claim that has not been paid by the party at fault. It's new bike time - current model at retail price!
On the Yaris, if you do have the opportunity to install a tow bar then the perfect solution is available to you kilaton.
As Charlie indicated, clever and highly versatile loading configuration for a slim silhouette and with the ability to simply lower the assembly, dead easy to gain access to the back of the car in seconds.
The photos below will give you an idea on a Corolla.
Good fun bike you have too. The GT Force 3.0 has a perfect top tube with a natural saddle for the frame support cradle to sit right in the lowest part. With the two offset frame support positions, the carrier grasps the bicycle frame right at the strongest point instead of at the middle of the top tube where it is at its weakest.
Whilst the bikes shown are a different brand, it's clear that by moving the vertical support points away from a single centre configuration, you're moving to the strongest point on the top tube - and with the frame cradle support that has a nice flat and very wide contact patch with the frame, zero chance of hurting thin wall hydroformed or carbon fibre frames.
So if at some point you do decide to upgrade to a rear of vehicle carrier solution then I'm happy to assist.
Try giving the boys at Bike Minded a call, they are pretty on the ball and if they can't help you themselves they will certainly know where to send you.
As for what type of rack, as others have mentioned, go for a tow ball mount. I've worked warranty for a few companies and spent a few years running a shop, you'd be amazed how many people forget they have bikes on the roof and have run into their garage, drive through, shopping centre, etc. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. No such issues with a towball mounted rack as you'll notice they're there the moment you look in the rear view mirror.
There was also a fellow (A 'burner I think) who didn't secure his bike properly/mechanism failed and he lost his bike off the roof rack, just flew off and landed on the road. Didn't know about it till he got to work or where ever it was he was going and discovered his bike wasn't where he left it. Oops.
Lastly, you'll use a heap more fuel with roof mounted racks. We did a trip down to Canberra from Sydney with 5 bikes on the roof and used about a 1/3 more fuel than on the return journey with all the bikes in the van rather than on the roof.
As for what type of rack, as others have mentioned, go for a tow ball mount. I've worked warranty for a few companies and spent a few years running a shop, you'd be amazed how many people forget they have bikes on the roof and have run into their garage, drive through, shopping centre, etc. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. No such issues with a towball mounted rack as you'll notice they're there the moment you look in the rear view mirror.
There was also a fellow (A 'burner I think) who didn't secure his bike properly/mechanism failed and he lost his bike off the roof rack, just flew off and landed on the road. Didn't know about it till he got to work or where ever it was he was going and discovered his bike wasn't where he left it. Oops.
Lastly, you'll use a heap more fuel with roof mounted racks. We did a trip down to Canberra from Sydney with 5 bikes on the roof and used about a 1/3 more fuel than on the return journey with all the bikes in the van rather than on the roof.
Don't ever assume that your insurer covers your bike in an accident between your car carrying a bike and another car. I've asked this question of two insurers and they've said no, your roof mounted accessories and your towbar mounted accessory are not factory fittings and not an item you can claim on. I asked if the bike on either of the racks is covered and they said nope, not at all and it would require additional insurance cover. I told them to jam it up their arse.
gcouyant
Farkin Advertiser
Here's how it works Dozer.
We work with insurance companies and in the event that your vehicle is hit from behind by another vehicle then the insurance company of the driver at fault will pay for all of your damage including bicycle and bicycle carrier. The insurance company pays quickly, pays full price and pays for the latest model bicycle and bicycle carrier. Sometimes they buy directly from us but usually reimburse the insured directly. It's dead easy.
If you are comprehensively insured and cannot name the other driver then you must pay the excess and then the insurance company will pay for the bike, carrier and damage to your vehicle. Again dead easy.
Gee, thanks for the handy info captain obvious. Did you not read the part where I said I spoke to a few insurance companies who said they don't cover it? To be precise, it was whether you were at fault or not.