Carrying 4 bikes- how do you?

swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
So I have a 29er, wife a 26 heavy steel steed, kid 1 a 20" and kid 2 a 16" soon to be 20"

Currently have a home made single carrier for my bike, Rola roof bike mounts (2x) which attach to the forks and a small trailer with mesh enclosure that I can modify, somehow, to take all 4 bikes. All bikes have non-QR front wells and mine is an thru axle.

I want to go on regular rides with everyone. Be it bike path, fire trail or easy single trail. Have had a look online at the cheap Torpedo7 ones, iSi and Gripsport and the iSi looks be best because it hinges so I can use to boot which is a must! The weight and bulk of the iSi is a downer though. Torpedo7 ones appear not very solid and I would rather buy just the once.

Interested to hear others opinions.
 

SF Trailboy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
ISI no questions asked.

What sort of vehicle do you have? I am fairly sure that they would be engineered to not have a concern on the weight on the vehicle. There is so many hitch options that they produce to distribute the weight differently dependent on your vehicle.

I dont care what people think about the price, I have spent good money on my rack options. I can mount a 4 bike or 2 bike rack to my ute or my wifes outback. I can carry 6 bikes on the camper trailer (4 over the draw bar and 2 off the rear hitch) It has been worth every cent. Its quick, convenient and very safe.

I had the torp7 4 bike rack for 2 years prior to the ISI one. The isi had been used more times in 4 weeks than the torp7 in 2 years because of its convenience.

Totally recommend this rack as anyone who owns one can attest.

The other racks that look good would be one of the 2+2 options. Gripsport, Yakima, Kuat etc all do one. This way you would at least be able to take just your bike when needed (2 version) and the 4 version when the family tags along.

Dont under estimate the ease of use. The simpler it is and the more options you have the more likely you are to get the value out of the rack.

There is a reason you never see ISI's for sale second hand imo....
 
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Ezkaton

Eats Squid
ISI will probably be the best for your needs.
Personally I'd rather support the smaller guys, more so now that GripSport racks pivot too.

But their 4 bike rack can only be used on a hitch mount, if I recall correctly.

Either way, it's definitely between those two.
The details and features vs. cost is your dilemma now. :caked:
 

scblack

Leucocholic
Gripsport and ISI both make great 4 bike racks. Not cheap though.

I transport four bikes without a four bike rack. I have a Gripsport DH Highride carrier for two bikes on the back - that does not need a 50mm hitch. And two bikes on the roof using a "ute carrier" quick release on the roof racks.

I also use the ute style ones on my camper roof racks so can carry four bikes even when towing my Jayco:
Bike 1.JPG
 

Asterope

Likes Dirt
We got an ISI rack system - They now offer the option of an interchangeable beam so you can carry either 2 or 4 bikes depending on which beam you use.

Used the 4 bike carrier to shuttle 4 DH bikes around for a day on a proper 4WD shuttle road and had no issues whatsoever, dropping the rack to get to the boot whilst fully laden was interesting... very heavy, depending on the bikes you may need 2 people :)

Getting the interchangeable system was not cheap, but totally worth it.
 

swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Didn't know iSi could do a morphing 2+2. I would go a Grip sport if it tilted but only the 2x tilts at the moment.
 

KouraKoura

Likes Bikes
Just chuck 'em all on the back of the hilux. Front wheels hanging over the back, bit of carpet over the tailgate to protect the bikes. Fast, easy, perfect excuse to get a ute.
 

SF Trailboy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Didn't know iSi could do a morphing 2+2. I would go a Grip sport if it tilted but only the 2x tilts at the moment.
Essentially its one base, one 4 arm and then a separate 2 arm. You can then buy as many cradles, holders and base tubes that you want. I.e. you can buy 1x complete 4 bike carrier and the 2 mid section but will have to swap everything over. Wheel cradles, base tubing and frame cradles etc. I was initially doing this but just ended up buying the extra's of George in the end. Much more convenient and faster having both complete.

Talk to George - you wont regret it..
 

99_FGT

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yakima holdup gives you the option of 2 + 2 as well (but at a similar cost to ISI)
Good design, but it sits very flat and a long way out on the back of the car - is fine on my CX5 with 2 bike, unsure about the +2, , but would be too low (departure angle) on my 3 even with the 2 bike. That is a feature I really like about the ISI, not so much the price tag (refer comments above - I usually only have one or two bikes on mine) - or their marketing approach
 

gnarly_rider

Likes Dirt
Personally I'd rather support the smaller guys, more so now that GripSport racks pivot too.
They do? Can you provide a link: Looked all over their site, and cannot find a pivoting rack (I assume you mean pivoting down from the hitch like ISI, so you can access the rear door of SUVs). Also looked on their Facebook site briefly, but couldn't see such there either...
 

Mrlinderman

Likes Dirt
I went with an iSi, if i did it again I would go with another iSi, if I wanted something different I would buy an iSi and spray paint it

Seriously though i'm stoked with my 2 carrier and i like how i can just buy the extension now to make it a 4 carrier, George was also very easy to deal with and made sure i got everything i needed to specifically fit my vehicle and shipped to my door in speedy time

It is heavy yes but with the way it tilts and has the auto clamp it can easily be done with one person for two bikes and two people for 4 bikes

I also like the Gripsport racks, seen a few in person and they look great
 
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swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
They do? Can you provide a link: Looked all over their site, and cannot find a pivoting rack (I assume you mean pivoting down from the hitch like ISI, so you can access the rear door of SUVs). Also looked on their Facebook site briefly, but couldn't see such there either...
Grisport Tilty they call it. AFAIK, they offer it on their 2x carrier only.
 

gcouyant

Farkin Advertiser
Tough crowd this one....

Swaz, I reckon that in your case with an Xtrail, the most important thing is to keep the load as slim and as tight as possible to the rear of the car. The rest of the benefits are just a bonus.

Slim as possible means that you're not forced to push bikes left and right to make them fit. This Prado below is a good example:



The Xtrail is not only sensitive to the total load out the back but also how far back that load is - hence the recommendation. The ideal solution is to keep all four nice and tight to the rear of the car and maintain the minimum rear overhang.


Other than departure clearance one of the reasons why we design bicycle carriers with a departure angle is to deliver vertical offset as well as horizontal spacing between the bicycles. It allows us to deliver a shorter overall load but with superior clearance between the bicycles. That main beam is only 700mm long.....

Hope that helps. Regardless of your choice, we're happy to assist now and in the future.
 

swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Tough crowd this one....

Swaz, I reckon that in your case with an Xtrail, the most important thing is to keep the load as slim and as tight as possible to the rear of the car. The rest of the benefits are just a bonus.

Slim as possible means that you're not forced to push bikes left and right to make them fit. This Prado below is a good example:



The Xtrail is not only sensitive to the total load out the back but also how far back that load is - hence the recommendation. The ideal solution is to keep all four nice and tight to the rear of the car and maintain the minimum rear overhang.


Other than departure clearance one of the reasons why we design bicycle carriers with a departure angle is to deliver vertical offset as well as horizontal spacing between the bicycles. It allows us to deliver a shorter overall load but with superior clearance between the bicycles. That main beam is only 700mm long.....

Hope that helps. Regardless of your choice, we're happy to assist now and in the future.
Thanks George, was going to email you but it might help to answer here. Is it possible to have one of your 2 bike carriers with a slip on extension to make it a 4 bike? 70% of the bike carrying I do is just my bike, however I want to whatever carrier I get to be able to carry 4.
 

Lazmo

Old and hopeless
When we got away on hols, I use a QSpear 4-Bike Rack... but I drive a sedan and it bolts straight onto the towball... so, it doesn't meet your 'must hinge' scenario.

I don't use it week to week as it's a bit fiddly for just two bikes, but it certainly does the four bike thing well.
 

gcouyant

Farkin Advertiser
Thought it best to avoid creating a potential conflict is all. :)
What rubbish! You may want to target us but please, get the chickens and eggs lined up properly.

When we designed this bicycle carrier:



The other option was this:



That carrier project was a clean-slate design based upon satisfying the demands of off-highway travel in 4WD vehicles. No other carrier did that then - or now. 4WD product design is what we do for a living.
 
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