E-Bike and suitable rack

[Cali2013]

Hi All

We have a Cali T5.1. We want carry 2 e-bikes on the vehicle using a suitable rack. it seems most e-bikes are 25kg there and there abouts - so 50kgs of bike weight.


It seems a Fiamma Pro (tailgate rack) is able to carry max 60kgs and they sell e-bike upgrade carriers.



The Thule Velospace XT / Easy Fold XT - say max load 60kgs and per bike 30kg capable. (£700/800 for the Thule plus a towbar fitted at say £500 = total £1200/1300). These racks are pretty hefty and need storing.


It seems to me, the fiamma tailgate rack is more compact and stores on the van. the down side - you've got be able to lift that 25kgs up onto the rack (which is probably do-able with some to support. and a little cheaper.

the Thule option - easier to load, more expensive, can open tailgate???

few questions - I wont be the first to consider this. what are peoples experience and suggestions to consider. as yuo'll all know - these things are expensive, bike and racks - and its difficult to try before you buy too

 

[66tim99]

Hello
These are fantastic, are lower, so easier to load than a tailgate-mounted rack, give a better rear view out of the van, and give full access to the tailgate. Although heavy, the rack is foldable once removed so can be more easily stored than many towball mounted racks.
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/r...LOPKuiKD1gM1mORMnm2YRfWijGfFRbYAaApfJEALw_wcB

 

[Jim2007]

Hello
These are fantastic, are lower, so easier to load than a tailgate-mounted rack, give a better rear view out of the van, and give full access to the tailgate. Although heavy, the rack is foldable once removed so can be more easily stored than many towball mounted racks.
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/r...LOPKuiKD1gM1mORMnm2YRfWijGfFRbYAaApfJEALw_wcB

Agreed. We have one. Can vouch for all the above.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi All

We have a Cali T5.1. We want carry 2 e-bikes on the vehicle using a suitable rack. it seems most e-bikes are 25kg there and there abouts - so 50kgs of bike weight.


It seems a Fiamma Pro (tailgate rack) is able to carry max 60kgs and they sell e-bike upgrade carriers.

View attachment 92623

The Thule Velospace XT / Easy Fold XT - say max load 60kgs and per bike 30kg capable. (£700/800 for the Thule plus a towbar fitted at say £500 = total £1200/1300). These racks are pretty hefty and need storing.


It seems to me, the fiamma tailgate rack is more compact and stores on the van. the down side - you've got be able to lift that 25kgs up onto the rack (which is probably do-able with some to support. and a little cheaper.

the Thule option - easier to load, more expensive, can open tailgate???

few questions - I wont be the first to consider this. what are peoples experience and suggestions to consider. as yuo'll all know - these things are expensive, bike and racks - and its difficult to try before you buy too

My ebike weighs 20kgms but has a removable battery.

 

[jonr71]

I think all options for bike racks need to consider the reverse camera and sensors. The boot mount racks have the issue of loading/unloading, whereas the towbar fitted racks can affect/obscure the sensors.

 

[jonr71]

Hi All

We have a Cali T5.1. We want carry 2 e-bikes on the vehicle using a suitable rack. it seems most e-bikes are 25kg there and there abouts - so 50kgs of bike weight.


It seems a Fiamma Pro (tailgate rack) is able to carry max 60kgs and they sell e-bike upgrade carriers.

View attachment 92623

The Thule Velospace XT / Easy Fold XT - say max load 60kgs and per bike 30kg capable. (£700/800 for the Thule plus a towbar fitted at say £500 = total £1200/1300). These racks are pretty hefty and need storing.


It seems to me, the fiamma tailgate rack is more compact and stores on the van. the down side - you've got be able to lift that 25kgs up onto the rack (which is probably do-able with some to support. and a little cheaper.

the Thule option - easier to load, more expensive, can open tailgate???

few questions - I wont be the first to consider this. what are peoples experience and suggestions to consider. as yuo'll all know - these things are expensive, bike and racks - and its difficult to try before you buy too

If the rack can support 60kg and each ebike would weigh 25kg, why do you need the ebike upgrade?

 

[66tim99]

I think all options for bike racks need to consider the reverse camera and sensors. The boot mount racks have the issue of loading/unloading, whereas the towbar fitted racks can affect/obscure the sensors.

The towbar fitted racks do deactivate the sensors when you plug them in. I'd argue that that is the safest option, as although the sensors continue to work with tailgate mounted racks, they shouldn't be relied on whilst reversing!

 

[Ting Tong]

We have a Pro User Diamant SG2 Plus rated to 60kg and it has carried our 2 Cube eBikes for 5000 miles without issue. We do remove the batteries.

 

[Cali2013]

We have a Pro User Diamant SG2 Plus rather to 60kg and it has carried our 2 Cube eBikes for 5000 miles without issue. We do remove the batteries.

View attachment 92625

View attachment 92626

this really helpful. we are looking at two cube e-bikes - Nuride for me and Kathmandu for my wife. the Kathmandu is a step-through type and i was wondering about the top securing bar on the rack - i guess it rotates and grabs the seat tub instead of the cross bar

 

[Polomint]

Vaguely remember that one of the thule tail gate racks had a ramp to roll the bikes up therfore negating any lifting>

 

[Multi1100]

We have e-bikes also which weigh 20 and 21 kg each with removed batteries. We travel with them on the "VW" tailgate bike rack, no problems so far

 

[Ting Tong]

this really helpful. we are looking at two cube e-bikes - Nuride for me and Kathmandu for my wife. the Kathmandu is a step-through type and i was wondering about the top securing bar on the rack - i guess it rotates and grabs the seat tub instead of the cross bar

Hi yes the clamp jaws rotate. Both ours are Kathmandu and I have to clamp mine (the one nearest the Cali) at the bottom of the seat tube. We had them on the VW rack originally but it was a heavy and dangerous faff opening the tailgate when touring Spain for 5 weeks, so i ordered the cheapest tow bar one to the next campsite and was surprised how good it was. You need the Diamant plus as the Diamant doesn’t tilt enough.

 

[Wildcamper]

We have the Diament Plus, works well for us.

 

[vmaxkiddy]

Definitely go for the Atera GENIO PRO Advanced, easy to use, and very easy to store. Fits in the boot when folded. The arms can be used on the vertical or horizontal part of the frame. Best price I found is here https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/r...LOPKuiKD1gM1mORMnm2YRfWijGfFRbYAaApfJEALw_wcB​

 

[haydnw2]

Vaguely remember that one of the thule tail gate racks had a ramp to roll the bikes up therfore negating any lifting>

Optional extra, but well worth the money in my experience. As is the additional wheel which allows you to just roll the 20kg rack out to the van from the shed, rather than having to carry it (it's both large and heavy).

I don't think the convenience of being able to access the tailgate while bikes are mounted can be underestimated. Changing from a tailgate rack to a towball one is hands-down one of the best Cali-related decisions I've made.

 

[Cali2013]

Hi All

many thanks for advice and posts here - really useful info shared, experiences and pictures.

interesting to see we arent the only ones with the E-bike bug. I have Beene really really impressed with a recent test ride - kinda wow!! Really good (despite the ££££)

 

[Ting Tong]

Hi All

many thanks for advice and posts here - really useful info shared, experiences and pictures.

interesting to see we arent the only ones with the E-bike bug. I have Beene really really impressed with a recent test ride - kinda wow!! Really good (despite the ££££)

Excellent investment and get the largest battery they do now. We’re in the Netherlands atm and they’ve taken us on long adventures we wouldn’t have done otherwise. I upgraded one of them myself to a Nyon MK2 controller with satnav and then plan trips or edit library trips on Komoot and sync to the Nyon. We did a 30km sightseeing trip around Amsterdam last evening then had a lovely dinner and wobbled back.

 

[Ilovemycaravelle]

Always take out the battery when travelling. Why leave it in? It’s super expensive.

 

[Polomint]

I have a small bosch plug cover for when i remove the battery for travelling on bike rack, it is made of rubber i think and seals the terminals to stop moisture getting in.

 

[Photo Nan]

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-endurance-sl-e/. Or https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-urban-e-apex/ lighter e-bikes are available mine is a Ribble Endurance that weighs in at 12kg and my husbands bike which is so light I can pick it up with two fingers
we have the tailgate rack which works well. However when looking at taking 2 heavy bikes it would be hard.

 

[keith morris]

Hi All

We have a Cali T5.1. We want carry 2 e-bikes on the vehicle using a suitable rack. it seems most e-bikes are 25kg there and there abouts - so 50kgs of bike weight.


It seems a Fiamma Pro (tailgate rack) is able to carry max 60kgs and they sell e-bike upgrade carriers.

View attachment 92623

The Thule Velospace XT / Easy Fold XT - say max load 60kgs and per bike 30kg capable. (£700/800 for the Thule plus a towbar fitted at say £500 = total £1200/1300). These racks are pretty hefty and need storing.


It seems to me, the fiamma tailgate rack is more compact and stores on the van. the down side - you've got be able to lift that 25kgs up onto the rack (which is probably do-able with some to support. and a little cheaper.

the Thule option - easier to load, more expensive, can open tailgate???

few questions - I wont be the first to consider this. what are peoples experience and suggestions to consider. as yuo'll all know - these things are expensive, bike and racks - and its difficult to try before you buy too

I have a VW tailgate mounted rack, dealer was vague about weights. But said technically you could carry an e-bike. Back to a more practical point lifting an e-bike onto the rack is far more challenging. With hindsight I would have opted for a tow bar fitting rack. Our T6.1 is 18 months old and I went to load bikes last weekend the thread on the VW rack has rusted and wouldn’t turn on one of the clamps so all in all not a good choice. Applied WD 40 hoping it will open this weekend

 

[Stevecadiz1234]

Choosing a bike rack comes with many different factors. In my experience I too have an ebike and with the battery in it weighs 24kg but as a previous poster says "why leave the battery in" these weigh about 4kg. You will need all your strength to lift and position an ebike onto the tailgate. Another thing to consider is when traveling with bikes on the tailgate racks if you stop somewhere and want to open up the rear door you need to remove the bikes first also remember that with bikes on you have to watch out for height restrictions too. For me having a towbar already fitted a towbar mounted bike rack was the obvious choice as these can also tilt to allow access to the rear of the van. Don't rush into buying a bike rack think about the pros and cons of all the different options. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Alistair Hardy]

I think all options for bike racks need to consider the reverse camera and sensors. The boot mount racks have the issue of loading/unloading, whereas the towbar fitted racks can affect/obscure the sensors.

Sensors are no use with a 750 mm rack on the back anyway
If the rack takes additional lighting through a tow electrics plug it should cancel the rear sensors as it does if a trailer is hooked up.

 

[66tim99]

Sensors are no use with a 750 mm rack on the back anyway
If the rack takes additional lighting through a tow electrics plug it should cancel the rear sensors as it does if a trailer is hooked up.

It does cancel the rears, but front sensors unaffected

 

[GrannyJen]

It does cancel the rears, but front sensors unaffected

Exactly what I said to the woman in the car park yesterday, as she was inspecting her bumper and I was straightening my bike rack