I have a trailer, not a caravan so 2 bikes are on the roof of the car on Thule racks as the tent in on the roof bars in between them. The other 3 are on the boot on a Saris Bones 3 which keeps them above the drawbar but you would have to be carefull depending on where the bikes come in relation to the caravan drawbar.
------------- Gary
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Different users get different results using rear carriers when towing. I have a Witter rear carrier and don't feel comfortable using when towing, so I safely stow both bikes in the van itself and they transport well in there. This keeps my tailgate free for dog access etc.
We use roof carriers and they work pretty well. Not tried the towbar mounted ones because the roof carrier works well for us.
Find the rear mounted carriers a bit flimsy and a pain if you want to access the boot. They also block the rear lights on the car so if you plan to use it without a caravan on tow it means you need to add a trailer light board otherwise your rear lights are blocked.
I carry 4 bikes on the back when not towing but always put them on the roof when towing, this spreads the weight evenly and won't effect nose weight.
Remember 2 bikes plus rack will weigh in the region of 30 to 40 kigs dep on bikes if you then add a caravan with 75 to 85 kgs nose weight you will need a big 4x4 to safely take that total nose weight. Plus if the bikes are on the back you can't always open the boot!
Another thumbs up for the roof mounted cycle rack :) Much prefer it to the old carrying it on the back way :( They never felt as safe and as soon as we got a caravan we got the roof rack for the bikes :)
We got our roof bars and cycle racks from www.roofbox.co.uk We went for their pacakge deal of bars and 3 racks the Atera Giro AF bike carriers with Atera roof bars. They are German and the quality is superb. Also quick to put on and release and they came with free matching locks for the cycle carriers.
Hi, we bought one of these last year www.carabike.com and has suited us. We place it in the middle of the van so the weight is over the axle, and place our awning and water carriers around.
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Topic: bike carriers
