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Old 09-18-2016, 10:34 AM   #41
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Just to clarify, hauling our bikes on interstates and secondary roads we had no sway problems.

We only have had concerns on short sections of severe frost heave sections of road, such as Boya Lake to the Yukon border, Destruction Bay to the Alaska border crossing. Or on roads with miles of bad washboard, and creek crossings, such as the Nabesna road or the Denali Highway, (which can be good or bad). We had zero issues until we hit those areas.

So for most areas of North America, scuffing up the spare won't be a issue. I don't think you can do much better than the 1 UP rack and the Formosa cover, this combination has worked very well for us. Scott

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Old 09-18-2016, 02:26 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Skool View Post

So for most areas of North America, scuffing up the spare won't be a issue. I don't think you can do much better than the 1 UP rack and the Formosa cover, this combination has worked very well for us. Scott

Scott and Lori
I like bikes!

Scott
Thanks to your postings on the 1UP USA bike rack and Formosa bike cover, I was convinced to take the leap and acquire both of those items. We have used them this summer and are really happy with both items. The only thing I didn't like was paying the approximately 30% premium on the US$!! C'est la vie!!

I had enough of using our old bike rack with the mountain bikes bouncing around on the back of the trailer and collecting road grime especially during periods of rain. That problem is now gone.

Over the years we have made several trips which included driving on Highway 40 (paved) from Hinton to Grande Prairie Alberta (340 km or 210 miles) and that road is murder on the bikes mounted on the rear of our small trailer. Both the bounce and dirt, due to frost heaving and being beat up by the rampant oil,gas and mining industries usage, were taking their toll on the bikes.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Formosa double bike cover. It is much more robust that I had imagined. I was expecting something good from the 1UP based on your reports and they were spot on.

I do remove the one pedal on the inside bike to prevent it from damaging the tire cover. Another poster, can't remember who, suggested threading the pedal back into the crank arm from the back side. Have not tried that yet but it is now on my To Do List.

Thanks again Scott for posting your experiences with the products and now making mine that much better, now and into the future.
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Old 09-18-2016, 04:19 PM   #43
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Scott
Thanks to your postings on the 1UP USA bike rack and Formosa bike cover, I was convinced to take the leap and acquire both of those items. We have used them this summer and are really happy with both items. The only thing I didn't like was paying the approximately 30% premium on the US$!! C'est la vie!!

I had enough of using our old bike rack with the mountain bikes bouncing around on the back of the trailer and collecting road grime especially during periods of rain. That problem is now gone.

Over the years we have made several trips which included driving on Highway 40 (paved) from Hinton to Grande Prairie Alberta (340 km or 210 miles) and that road is murder on the bikes mounted on the rear of our small trailer. Both the bounce and dirt, due to frost heaving and being beat up by the rampant oil,gas and mining industries usage, were taking their toll on the bikes.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Formosa double bike cover. It is much more robust that I had imagined. I was expecting something good from the 1UP based on your reports and they were spot on.

I do remove the one pedal on the inside bike to prevent it from damaging the tire cover. Another poster, can't remember who, suggested threading the pedal back into the crank arm from the back side. Have not tried that yet but it is now on my To Do List.

Thanks again Scott for posting your experiences with the products and now making mine that much better, now and into the future.
Thanks John, that cover is a great deal for $40 bucks. I think I paid almost as much as the cost of the cover for shipping to Alaska. I need to order a couple more and stash them in the shed. We also use the license plate holder that we just mounted thru the fabric. We tend to leave the cover on all season, leaving it attached and folded on the rack when using the bikes. Arriving at your destination with a clean drive train is priceless. Scott

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Old 09-19-2016, 03:11 AM   #44
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Originally Posted by Old Skool View Post
Thanks John, that cover is a great deal for $40 bucks. I think I paid almost as much as the cost of the cover for shipping to Alaska. I need to order a couple more and stash them in the shed. We also use the license plate holder that we just mounted thru the fabric. We tend to leave the cover on all season, leaving it attached and folded on the rack when using the bikes. Arriving at your destination with a clean drive train is priceless. Scott

Scott and Lori
I like Fat Bikes!
I had the bike cover shipped to Point Roberts, WA. Made the short drive down there to pick it up at a mailing depot. The cost for the mailing service was $3.50 US.
Shipping to Point Roberts was $14.80 US$

I got the $46 US cover. The Formosa web site says the $40 cover is good for two bikes if they are both facing the same direction. With the $46 cover the bikes can face the opposite direction which is how I load the bikes. I have not tried to load them facing the same direction on the 1UP, should do that some time to see if it works. In the habit of loading them opposite direction from my old rack.

So, I ended up paying about the same cost in $CAN ($83 CAN) to Point Roberts as you paid in US$ to Alaska. We both seem to be paying a premium to get US goods to where we live?? Lol. Oh, and I had to pay GST of 5% on the price of the cover only, not on shipping, when I crossed back into Canada, another $3 CAN.

By also being able to ship the 1UP bike rack to a US mailing address in Point Roberts, I was able to get free shipping. It would have been $75 US to have it shipped to Vancouver, plus most likely brokerage fees for UPS service??

I am happy.

Have not dealt with the license plate visibility as yet. I was not too concerned with the trailer plate not being readily visible but when I eventually use the cover with the rack behind the vehicle it will definitely be hidden. Have only made one trip, but a long one, with the cover in place behind the trailer. Will have to figure that one out??

What is the license plate holder that you mentioned you use?
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Old 09-19-2016, 09:08 AM   #45
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Here is the plate holder that we just attached thru the cover:

https://www.1upusa.com/product-plateholder.html

Even though we have never been pulled over for obstructed plates, one less thing to worry about. Scott

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