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Old 02-19-2015, 08:07 AM   #41
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Carl, what I usually bring for a bike, is an older mountain bike with hybrid tires, seems to do the trick, just pressure them up to the max for roads, and take them down to 30-35 psi if on trails. You will do good with your bike. Only if I know we are going to be doing a lot of hardcore mountain biking, will I bring my good bike.

I know a couple ladies with Townies, and my wife borrowed one. While she found it very comfy to sit upon and toodle around one, it was not great for longer trips,as the pedalling geometry is meant for comfort, not for performance. Lots of women I know now use a hybrid bike, which is much better for longer rides. I guess what I am saying, is if you are just going for short rides around the campground, and not going on longer rides, the Townie is quite nice (heavier though, no?), and if you plan to do lots of longer rides, maybe not the best. Just my thoughts.
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Old 02-19-2015, 08:43 AM   #42
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Question

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Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
Carl, what I usually bring for a bike, is an older mountain bike with hybrid tires, seems to do the trick, just pressure them up to the max for roads, and take them down to 30-35 psi if on trails. You will do good with your bike. Only if I know we are going to be doing a lot of hardcore mountain biking, will I bring my good bike.

I know a couple ladies with Townies, and my wife borrowed one. While she found it very comfy to sit upon and toodle around one, it was not great for longer trips,as the pedalling geometry is meant for comfort, not for performance. Lots of women I know now use a hybrid bike, which is much better for longer rides. I guess what I am saying, is if you are just going for short rides around the campground, and not going on longer rides, the Townie is quite nice (heavier though, no?), and if you plan to do lots of longer rides, maybe not the best. Just my thoughts.
Jim

I like the Giant as the geometry is more conventional. Complaints I have heard with the Townie is you have to pull yourself into the pedals because of the more reclined position. Will see what my wife thinks after a test ride.
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Old 02-19-2015, 01:51 PM   #43
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My wife found the more upright position of the comfort bike no good for uphills, could not get enough torque. Sold it and bought a hybrid.
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Old 02-25-2015, 03:28 PM   #44
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[QUOTE=skiman;79057]We are planning on taking bikes with us on our 21'. I plan on buying a Kuat or 1Up receiver rack. Wondering what kind of luck folks have with their bikes on the back of the trailer. The Kuat or 1Up should protect the frames but what about bearings and such in the rain and dust?


[FONT[/FONT]
I have also had this same question. We have had the Swagman on our last two trailers and they have served the purposes but not without doing some damage to our bikes. For our 21 we wanted to find a better option. With the help of our local bike shop guru and a lot of research we are going with the Kuat. The frame system looks to be a little stronger for the times it is on the trailer vs the truck. Just my opinion.
As for the bearings and gears I'm hoping to make covers for them similar to ones I've seen in the past but can no longer find.
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Old 02-25-2015, 04:38 PM   #45
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We are planning on taking bikes with us on our 21'. I plan on buying a Kuat or 1Up receiver rack. Wondering what kind of luck folks have with their bikes on the back of the trailer. The Kuat or 1Up should protect the frames but what about bearings and such in the rain and dust?


[FONT[/FONT]
I have also had this same question. We have had the Swagman on our last two trailers and they have served the purposes but not without doing some damage to our bikes. For our 21 we wanted to find a better option. With the help of our local bike shop guru and a lot of research we are going with the Kuat. The frame system looks to be a little stronger for the times it is on the trailer vs the truck. Just my opinion.
As for the bearings and gears I'm hoping to make covers for them similar to ones I've seen in the past but can no longer find.
Are you talking about covers for the whole bike or just the bearings?
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Old 02-25-2015, 05:00 PM   #46
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I had seen a cover with Velcro for the sprockets and chain. Shouldn't be to hard to fashion one for other areas of concern.
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Old 02-25-2015, 05:04 PM   #47
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I have also had this same question. We have had the Swagman on our last two trailers and they have served the purposes but not without doing some damage to our bikes. For our 21 we wanted to find a better option. With the help of our local bike shop guru and a lot of research we are going with the Kuat. The frame system looks to be a little stronger for the times it is on the trailer vs the truck. Just my opinion.
As for the bearings and gears I'm hoping to make covers for them similar to ones I've seen in the past but can no longer find.
I dumped my Swagman for the same reasons, damage to the bike. Plus, it was not real solid. The Kuat was in the front running for me too, and you definitely can't go wrong with it, but after finding the 1UP USA rack, I decided on it, and am really glad I did. These two racks are at the top of the quality ladder in my opinion.

I too plan to do something to protect the bikes better. I was thinking a simple bag shaped close to what the bikes mounted would be, with a drawstring and tightening draw straps to take up the slack. It would be tough just to protect just the components like the entire drivetrain. I would love to see some solutions others come up with.
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Old 02-25-2015, 05:41 PM   #48
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... what about bearings and such in the rain and dust?
A good bike with sealed hubs and bearings shouldn't be a worry. I've ridden bikes through, and had bikes on the roofs of cars through hundreds of rainstorms and never a problem. Sitting on a rack behind a trailer will mostly shelter the bikes from the rain and what water does get back there won't be hitting the bearings, hubs, shocks, etc. at anywhere near the velocity as if the bike were on a roof rack.

The chains should be wiped dry and lubed after being drenched in a rain. Regular chain care is just a part of normal bike maintenance anyway.
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Old 02-25-2015, 09:27 PM   #49
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Bike Cover

We bought this and the plastic ripped immediately. Etrailer T'OD us to the manufacturer who immediately admitted there was a design flaw and sent us another(new-improved one) right away without wanting the old one back.

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Old 02-25-2015, 10:12 PM   #50
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That cover looks interesting. What is the purpose of the clear plastic anyway. I would much rather have it all fabric. Is the replacement holding out fine?
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Old 02-25-2015, 10:22 PM   #51
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That cover looks interesting. What is the purpose of the clear plastic anyway. I would much rather have it all fabric. Is the replacement holding out fine?
Hi Jim- not sure what the purpose of seeing the rims is....and due to the drought here we haven't yet had a chance to use it.
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Old 02-25-2015, 10:30 PM   #52
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Purpose is to see the tail lights if necessary.

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Old 02-25-2015, 11:01 PM   #53
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Purpose is to see the tail lights if necessary.

ken
Brilliant. I would have never thought of that.
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Old 02-26-2015, 06:23 AM   #54
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A good bike with sealed hubs and bearings shouldn't be a worry. I've ridden bikes through, and had bikes on the roofs of cars through hundreds of rainstorms and never a problem. Sitting on a rack behind a trailer will mostly shelter the bikes from the rain and what water does get back there won't be hitting the bearings, hubs, shocks, etc. at anywhere near the velocity as if the bike were on a roof rack.

The chains should be wiped dry and lubed after being drenched in a rain. Regular chain care is just a part of normal bike maintenance anyway.
I will second that. It has been my experience that environmental hazards are now worse when the bikes are on the back of the trailer than when ridden in rain, or in the case of a mountain bike, on a wet, muddy trail. If you want to avoid chain maintenance, you can always acquire one of the new shaft driven, chainless bikes (www.dynamicbicycles.com).
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Old 02-26-2015, 09:34 AM   #55
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Purpose is to see the tail lights if necessary.

ken
You is one fart smeller, that makes good sense.

A couple reasons for wanting a cover. Even though I well from experience that the mechanical workings can handle mud and the such, as I have put lots on while riding, I don't want to have to regularly clean when not riding, just towing. I clean and lube my chain after any long, hard ride. I also just want to keep the entire bike clean while driving. It doesn't have to be a rainy situation, lots of the gravel roads I travel leave a heavy coat of dust on everything at the back of the trailer. Another reason is should I have my good bike on, at least it hides it from view, so the a casual look will reveal nothing.
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Old 02-26-2015, 11:16 AM   #56
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...Even though I well from experience that the mechanical workings can handle mud and the such, as I have put lots on while riding, I don't want to have to regularly clean when not riding, just towing. I clean and lube my chain after any long, hard ride. I also just want to keep the entire bike clean while driving. It doesn't have to be a rainy situation, lots of the gravel roads I travel leave a heavy coat of dust on everything at the back of the trailer...
A cover would definitely help to protect your bikes from damage, particularly when driving under corrosive environments (salted roads in winter or spring). When I worked in downtown Calgary, I rode a bicycle to work through several winters without any severe degradation to the components on my mid-quality mountain bike. I then moved to St. John's, NF where they use a huge amount of salt on the roads in the winter, and one winter season of riding essentially destroyed the bike.
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Old 05-23-2015, 04:25 PM   #57
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We have a rack on the back of our Escape to carry my husband's motorcycle when he goes hunting and fishing. He was getting ready to leave on one trip when the rains kicked in. He was going to cover the bike in plastic when I remembered I had an x-large heavy duty barbecue cover we never use. It fit over the bike just like it was custom made for it and easily secured under the mounting straps so it didn't block the tail lights or license plate.
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Old 05-23-2015, 08:21 PM   #58
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I am surprised you can carry a motorcycle, I always thought the limit for the rear was 100 pounds.
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