I recalled that one couple had a setup like that. They hung their tandem on
the hitch-mounted rear rack. They were cited by the cops because their bike
extended a foot on both sides. I understand that the legal limit is six
inches. You might check this out before committing to a hitch-mounted rear
rack.

I, myself, use a Thule tandem rack where the front bracket pivots. You
install the front fork on the bracket and it turns as you lift the rear end
of the bike on to the V-groove. However, we have a SUV which makes it
necessary to prop up the rear end by about foot so that the fork will reach
the bracket. But, I do not worry about being pulled over.

Also, even with single bikes, I have had problems with hills (think Laural
Street) and driveways with rather sharp bends that if a bike is too far out
on the hitch-mounted rear rack, the tire will hit the surface and literally
get lifted right off the rack!

And one more thing: Watch that exhaust!! There will be hot air coming out
of it. I've had a tire blown from heat expansion generated by the car's
exhaust.

--Steve McNeil
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Willetts" <ben@...>
To: "Fred Chambers" <regenerative@...>
Cc: <SanDiegoTandem@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2006 6:51 AM
Subject: Re: [SanDiegoTandem] Rack ideas?


> On our 4-runner we use a hitch-mounted rear rack, as Chris suggested.
> Swear by it.
>
> On our Corrola, though, we use a regular ol' trunk mounted strap-on
> rack, the kind that hooks onto the trunk hinge joint and under the
> back bumper. Will your hatch back accept one of those racks? Ours
> probably cost in the $40 range.
>
> The bike does stick out past both sides of the car, even with the
> front wheel/bars turned 90 degrees, but we just watch those side-view
> mirrors and have not had any problems. As one might expect, it's a
> little wobblier than with a single bike, but the balance point of our
> bike is very near its center so it's not precariously unstable or
> anything. It holds just fine on surface streets & freeways. We've
> driven this setup to LA and back no problem. I personally might not
> plan for it on bumpy gravel/dirt roads if it's that kind of camping
> you plan, just because it might get to wiggling and the rack could
> possibly do some cosmetic damage to the vehicle. Our rack is actually
> pretty old and relatively wimpy, so a new unit might even dispel
> those concerns. But like I said, for regular roads, can't beat the
> price and minimal hassle.
>
> --Ben (& Jenny)
>
> On Jan 27, 2006, at 11:45 AM, Fred Chambers wrote:
>
> >
> > Hey again tandem buddies,
> >
> > My wife and I own a hatchback. (BTW: I recently promoted one of my
> > girlfriend captains to wife, and she promptly broke her
> > foot. ;-) :-( I forget whether I mentioned the wife
> > development...)
> >
> > On to the topic at hand: tandem racks! Our car is a cool little VW
> > GTI. We can fit our KHS Alite mtnbike in the car, with the back seat
> > folded down. That works for day trips. How about for camping? Has
> > anyone come up with an affordable, flexible rooftop rack solution for
> > a little hatchback?
> >
> > When I ride with my other captains, they've got little SUVs, and
> > we've whipped-up good tandem racks bolting angle iron to the existing
> > roof racks. This GTI doesn't have any roof rack...
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Fred
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>