Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

[Milwaukeedad]

I tow a pop-up with my Honda Odyssey and struggle with how to bring 5 bikes for my wife and I, plus 3 kids. The best solution that I have come up with is to put the back seats down and shove three in the back of the minivan (leaving no room for coolers and luggage) and using a less-than stable strap on carrier on the back for the last two bikes. I am planning a cross-country road trip this summer and am looking for a better solution. Every site I visit tells me that a hitch is the most stable, but I cannot use a hitch based bike rack with my camper. I have a Rockwood from the early 1990's and I have been told that it is not designed to carry anything on top or the back. Has anyone come up with a solution for this? The last thing I want to do is endanger other travelers with a system that risks flying bikes on the interstate. I think I can strap the smallest bike to the camper between the camper and propane tanks, I am confident I can make that stable, so I need a 4-bike system for the remainder of my inventory. Does anyone have experience with a roof system on a 2007 Odyssey?

[CMPR1966]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

I to have an Odyssey. The strap on racks will break your spoiler over the rear glass. I did some serious modification to one to make it work for a 800 mile trip last year, but would not want to put more then two bikes on it. We had two strapped down inside and two on my custom rack.
Here are two better options while towing

http://www.discountramps.com/towing-hitch-bike-rack.htm

http://www.discountramps.com/pop-up-...-bike-rack.htm

I just pulled these up with a quick search there may be better with more research. This may give you some direction.

[Bigdog57]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

I have seen a Hitch-Haul variant that has an extended receiver to enable towing behind it - some Google-fu should turn it up. Also, do you have roof rack mounts? Could use Yakima roof racks fo ra couple bikes(?).

[astrowolf67]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

There are many, many options, if you have knowledge/access to a welder, or someone who does. My first choice would be to have a receiver tube welded to the rear of the popup, and haul a couple of bikes back there. You could also have a rack fabricated to span the roof, but mount from the frame of the camper. It would have to be removable or course, but, it can be done. The key thing you need to watch, with what ever method you choose, is weight distribution.

[tplife]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

There are double hitch ball setups that give you both the Class II trailer ball receiver and a 2nd on-top receiver for a hitch bicycle carrier.

[actad]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

Try kick scooters. I just came back from a 15 day camping trip and barely used my bike.

Mine is a Razor A5 Lux. The handlebar folds down and takes up little space.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

Try kick scooters. I just came back from a 15 day camping trip and barely used my bike.

Mine is a Razor A5 Lux. The handlebar folds down and takes up little space.

This is my solution to the "I can't rent cars with bike rack" problem. Razors and skateboards make for easier to carry wheels.
A Honda Odyssey can carry up to....3(and possibly 4) bikes on the roof w/o a really cool yet expensive rack like HS showed.

[CMPR1966]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

Milwaukeedad
Just wondering if you decided what would work for you.

[WanderinWhitlows]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

I have seen a Hitch-Haul variant that has an extended receiver to enable towing behind it - some Google-fu should turn it up. Also, do you have roof rack mounts? Could use Yakima roof racks fo ra couple bikes(?).

This sums it up pretty well. My local trailer supply place sells a receiver mount with a second receiver bracket welded to the top of it that allows mounting a hitch mount type bicycle carrier above the regular hitch allowing you to still tow your trailer safely. Along with a roof rack and the earlier mentioned suggestion to see about getting a small load bearing hitch welded to the rear of your trailer to allow the mounting of a second hitch mount type bicycle carrier. Just keep in mind when approaching someone to weld that receiver bracket in that they may try to throw you out of the shop if you don't specifically state that you intend to use it for a bicycle carrier only and not to actually tow from. Liability is an ugly monster and many people see it before they even hear the end of your common-sense request.

Do yourself a favor and consider keeping your tool kit equipped with wrenches to fit the pedals of the bicycles that you are carrying so that you can remove them from the crank arms to allow you to fit the bicycles closer together and since your safety straps down tight.

Best wishes,
WanderinWhitlows

[jhat]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

Keep in mind that the Oddy suspension is pretty soft and you are only rated for 350 bounds of tounge weight. I have an 07 Oddy and I do not think it is up to having a pop up and a hitch mount bike rack at the same time. The hitch mount rack introduces quite a bit of leverage without even factoring in the camper

Edit. I should note that I have carried 4 bikes on a platform rack, two kids and two adults, normal vacation luggage, the van squated more than I would have liked with spring rubbers installed. Three bikes, one adult and two kids plus camping gear for one night without the spring rubbers put me on the bump stops. Not a pleasant drive. I am going to air bags to fix my sagging issue and that is with only the bikes and rack in the hitch

5 bikes on the roof are no big deal other than the gas mileage, the bug splatter on the bikes and the risk of smashing the bikes into a low roof.

One big advantage to bikes on the van roof is that you always have secure storage for the bikes.

I should note that I carry bikes quite a lot going to bike races with the family. Rooftop would be my recommendation if pulling a trailer. Do not put bikes on a hitch on the trailer. The bikes might rip the hitch out of the trailer or damage to the bikes and/or rack from the trailer's rough ride.

[camping for fishing]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

I have tried the bike on the rack on back of camper ,it only went one way. When you hit dips in the road it dose what I,ll call a whip effect up and down. I did not have a hitch bolted to frame tho. Keep in mind the brake lights are somewhat blocked by doing this also.
Have you thought about turning the handle bars side ways and strapping them to the top of the camper? That's how we got ours home.

[Mountaincheeseduck]

Re: Bringing 5 bikes with a popup

Interesting ideas! We put our five bikes on the roof of our Coleman for a vacation once but it was a real pain to load and unload them all every time! Now we don't take them but I love biking as much as camping and would like to find a simple way to bring them along.