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Topic Closedbike rack on front of tow vehicle
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3325 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: bike rack on front of tow vehicle
    Posted: 29 Dec 2019 at 4:45pm
We opt for either inside the bed of our truck or inside our 177.  Our road bikes are worth around $ 3k together and I don't like the thought of cleaning off bug juice, recleaning/lubricating the chains and derailleurs, road oil residue off before taking a ride on our road bikes.  Obviously if you have a simple road/mountain bike that you replace on a regular basis, it probably wouldn't be a big deal to put out in front of your TV.
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Posts: 12 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Dec 2019 at 9:47am
I have a 2004 F350 TV and I use a front hitch mount bike rack. My son in law had to cut off about 4” of the vertical tube,  otherwise the bike ride up too high and blocked visibility. The wheels block a little of the headlights after dark, but not much.  I don’t drive after dark very often, so it didn’t bother me.i get terrible gas mileage anyway driving a F350, so I don’t think one baby blue beach cruiser makes it much worst! I like being able to see it, and know that it didn’t fall off or get stolen.
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Posts: 1452 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Nov 2019 at 1:56pm
Originally posted by mjlrpod

Originally posted by john in idaho

Can you put the bikes inside the pod for travel?

Not sure if thats a question, or a suggestion. Of course you can put them inside the pod to travel. I just ordered 2 new Radcity Electric bikes, and that's probably how I'll transport them. Just have to be sure they don't go flying. 

It's a great time to buy Rad bikes right now.  I have a RadRover.  I might be able to get it in the Pod by taking both wheels and the handlebars off.  Not happening.  The RadCities would be easier, I'm sure, but even if it works (with 2 of them!) then you have a Pod full of bikes which might interfere with pit stops on the road..

I saw a rack on an RPod at the Hatteras Light last yeah that held the bike vertically (front wheel up, back wheel down) on the front of the Pod.  The rack used suction cups to stick itself to the Pod.  I don't know that I'd trust that at all, but certainly not with a 60-70 lb electric bike!

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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Posts: 1221 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Nov 2019 at 12:56pm
Originally posted by john in idaho

Can you put the bikes inside the pod for travel?

Not sure if thats a question, or a suggestion. Of course you can put them inside the pod to travel. I just ordered 2 new Radcity Electric bikes, and that's probably how I'll transport them. Just have to be sure they don't go flying. 
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john in idaho View Drop Down
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Posts: 613 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Nov 2019 at 9:59am
Can you put the bikes inside the pod for travel?
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Nov 2019 at 9:59am
Originally posted by mcarter

Bum, I would ask you "splain" how a bicycle effected aerodynamics. I've seen a ton of uses for front hitches including heavy duty bumpers, winches, fishing holders, even a deer stand.

All those bicycle metal parts sticking into be breeze are certainly going to mess up the nice aerodynamics the manufacturers design into their vehicles. The question is, will you notice it. The lower your fuel economy is to start with the less noticeable impact adding a bike and rack (or other non-aerodynamic feature) will have. 

Prius owners report getting about 50 mpg at 60 mph without a rack and bike, and about 45 with it. Very noticeable. So, they go through about 4 gallons of fuel in 200 miles without the bike and about 4.4 with it. That means that dragging the bike through the air at 60 mph uses .4/200 or about 0.002 additional gallons per mile. 

Let's assume for a moment that a rack with a bike on it creates the same additional drag on a tow rig as it does on a Prius. Then if you use 1 gallon to go 13 miles without the bike you would use 1+ 13*.002= 1.026 gallons to go 13 miles with it. That works out to about 12.7 mpg. Probably not noticeable at all. Interesting though how a 5 mpg difference on a 50 mpg vehicle becomes a .3 mpg difference on a 13 mpg rig. 
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john in idaho View Drop Down
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Posts: 613 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Nov 2019 at 9:58am
Can you put the bikes inside the pod for travel?
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Posts: 72 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Nov 2019 at 9:25am
We have had a rack on front for years and driving at night is definitely an issue due to reflection and reduced light.  I plan to add a set of auxiliary driving lights strategically placed so as to not reflect off the rims and frames.  I also pull the bike seat on the drivers side to aid in visibility. 

We are looking at the tongue mount racks but probably not till we move to lithium batteries.
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Posts: 1014 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2019 at 9:31am
We came across another couple on our last adventure across Canada and I liked what they did to carry their bikes. He also had a pair of kayaks on the setup. Home-build and done very well.

Theirs was on a full size P/U and I drew it to fit my Tacoma and see what was possible. They also had a tonneau cover (trip-fold much like mine) And it opened with all in place. I drew mine slanted and believe I may just have to go straight up (like they did). It just looks better slanted... Oh well..

Just another idea.
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Posts: 2702 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Nov 2019 at 10:16pm
Bikes on the front would most certainly mess with the aerodynamics. Especially on newer vehicles that use air dams and other tricks to smooth things over. OTOH, it can't be worse than pulling a travel trailer.

We put our bikes in the back of the truck and close/lock the tonneau cover. There is a ton of space back there.
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