Pushbikes and caravans

Author
Discussion

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
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Hi all,
How do you transport your pushbikes when caravanning? We have 2 bikes. What are our options and what’s best?
Thanks.

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
we have used one of these...

https://www.practicalcaravan.com/reviews/accessory...

No longer produced, but I'm sure something similar must be available.

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
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Thanks Surveyor. Looks great that. Where do you store the bikes when camped?

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
Back then I would use the carabike in the awning...

I tow with a van nowadays so usually just chuck it back in...

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
Haha is it safe to leave bikes in an awning? Are they padlocked to anything? Sorry if it’s a daft question, we are new to this.

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
JapanRed said:
Haha is it safe to leave bikes in an awning? Are they padlocked to anything? Sorry if it’s a daft question, we are new to this.
depends on the site, although I would always lock them to something.

PH5121

1,963 posts

212 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
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We transport four bikes on the car roof and chain them together with a motorbike chain and numerous bike locks when stored.

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
PH5121 said:
We transport four bikes on the car roof and chain them together with a motorbike chain and numerous bike locks when stored.
Cheers guys

Chrisgr31

13,440 posts

254 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
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I use something similar to Surveyor. Our caravan has a "garage" at the back of it, the bottom bunk lifts up to create space for storing bikes. If you put Cycle Stand or Cycle Rack in to the search on Amazon you'll find a number of options. The only issue I think about with the bikes in the garage is the weight, as its putting the weight in just about the worst place. I have also tried using it in the gangway down the middle of the caravan, but its inclined to slide up and down the caravan then! I have therefore found a way of wedging it in place.

I do also have a bike rack https://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/bike-racks/flange... so can carry bikes on the car whilst towing the caravan, however this has the disadvantage of potentially exceeding the vertical weight limit on the towbar.

I use the rack to store the bikes in the awning, using one of those armoured cables to link the bikes together. Possibly incorrectly I assume campsite to be relatively safe so its more a deterrent.

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
Chrisgr31 said:
I use something similar to Surveyor. Our caravan has a "garage" at the back of it, the bottom bunk lifts up to create space for storing bikes. If you put Cycle Stand or Cycle Rack in to the search on Amazon you'll find a number of options. The only issue I think about with the bikes in the garage is the weight, as its putting the weight in just about the worst place. I have also tried using it in the gangway down the middle of the caravan, but its inclined to slide up and down the caravan then! I have therefore found a way of wedging it in place.

I do also have a bike rack https://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/bike-racks/flange... so can carry bikes on the car whilst towing the caravan, however this has the disadvantage of potentially exceeding the vertical weight limit on the towbar.

I use the rack to store the bikes in the awning, using one of those armoured cables to link the bikes together. Possibly incorrectly I assume campsite to be relatively safe so its more a deterrent.
Most are. Some (bizarrely Clumber Park Caravan Club site have a real problem. They provide secure bike sheds for people to use.

snake_oil

2,039 posts

74 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
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Used to transport in the van but now use a Thule roof rack. On site I lock them to a table in the awning.

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
Thanks all.

Surveyor - could you expand on the issue with Clumber Park? We are about 45 mins away and we had planned, once we’ve bought a ‘van, to make our first few trips there as it’s relatively easy for a beginner to tow to. No narrow lanes etc to contend with until we find our feet.

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Saturday 17th November 2018
quotequote all
JapanRed said:
Thanks all.

Surveyor - could you expand on the issue with Clumber Park? We are about 45 mins away and we had planned, once we’ve bought a ‘van, to make our first few trips there as it’s relatively easy for a beginner to tow to. No narrow lanes etc to contend with until we find our feet.
It's a nice site. but they had an issue with bike thefts. The result is they built secure bike sheds.

Another site to look at is Sherwood Forrest Holiday Park = http://www.sherwoodforestholidaypark.co.uk/

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Sunday 18th November 2018
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Thanks very much smile

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

144 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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Roof rack on the car.

I wouldn't consider putting them in the caravan, too heavy. Remember my Dad once put our bikes in the caravan, must have been a bit of a rough journey as they escaped whatever they'd be secured to and made a right mess of the caravan.

agent006

12,029 posts

263 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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I see an incrasing number of caravans with rear mounts for bike racks, like you would see on a motorhome. Never actually seen one with a rack on it though.

I like the eurpoean style of having a bike rack on the front of the caravan.

JapanRed

Original Poster:

1,559 posts

110 months

Monday 19th November 2018
quotequote all
Surely 2 pushbikes can’t make that much of a difference to the weight of a large twin axle caravan?

Regardless of whether in front or rear or actually in the ‘van?

surveyor

17,767 posts

183 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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That’s my thinking too - although some manufacturers have allowed far too little for payload so the issue may be the total weight of the van...

Chrisgr31

13,440 posts

254 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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It depends on the bike, but a road bike might be around 10 kg, with a mountain bike twice as much.

dterry

282 posts

275 months

Wednesday 21st November 2018
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surveyor said:
It's a nice site. but they had an issue with bike thefts. The result is they built secure bike sheds.
The bike sheds at Clumber are easy enough to use and well protected, I left a padlock and chain wrapped around one of the racks there in January 2017, it was still there when I visited last month (but I've thrown the keys away!)

Its the only site I have known which has problems, but I still lock bikes up at other sites.