Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > GENERAL DISCUSSIONS > Tow Vehicles & Towing
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-11-2009, 07:44 PM   #1
Bud and Monty
Established Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Bakersfield
Posts: 21
M.O.C. #6978
bike carrier

Hey, we've been thinking of buying a couple of bicycles to take along with us. But not sure what kind of bike carrier to purchase. Have heard the ladder mounted one doesnt work real well. Is this true or does anyone have a better choice.Would sure appreciate some feed back Thanks in advance
 
Bud and Monty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2009, 08:27 PM   #2
harleyrider
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Drexel Hill
Posts: 897
M.O.C. #627
I have a "Thule" bike carrier that is on the top of the truck(cab area)Holds 2 bikes and can be locked in place.Works for me.Their are other options,I think theirs one that hooks up on the king pin,some people keep their bikes inside the trailer,some keep them in the bed of the truck if you have a long bed.Some have a receiver hitch on the front of the truck that works also.And of course a receiver hitch on the back of the Montana.
harleyrider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2009, 01:28 AM   #3
tim43
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fayetteville
Posts: 657
M.O.C. #9178
We got the E-Z Bike Carrier from Cabelas. Easier to use than the previous carrier we had. Camping world has one like it that was recently on sale.
tim43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2009, 04:34 AM   #4
Emmel
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Troy
Posts: 1,980
M.O.C. #808
On our previous two Momtanas, we carried the bikes on the ladder bike rack. I was going to install a rear hitch on the last Montana because I didn't like the weight bouncing on the ladder mounts. Luckily, our 2010 model has the rear hitch and we've used it twice so far and love it.
Try to stay away from using the ladder bike mount if possible, but if you have to use one, make sure the bikes are as tight as you can get them to take out as much bounce as you can.
Just my opinion and my experience!
Emmel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2009, 07:25 AM   #5
TLightning
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Kville
Posts: 2,865
M.O.C. #7871
I would not use the ladder. Ours go in the bed of the truck up against the cab.
TLightning is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2009, 08:14 AM   #6
dsprik
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Fort Myers
Posts: 5,933
M.O.C. #4282
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by TLightning

I would not use the ladder. Ours go in the bed of the truck up against the cab.
Ditto. But then I admit we, like Tom, have the long bed which allows us the 2 bikes, Kipor 3000 gen, and aluminum ladder all in the bed...

Just have to make sure the the bikes are very secure back there, I have a ding in the back of our cab at the top where a bike handle rested/rubbed against it for way to many bumpy miles before I noticed it.
dsprik is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 11:45 AM   #7
busterwms
Established Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: ALTOONA
Posts: 39
M.O.C. #6931
Please do not hang your bikes on the ladder. You may be lucky for some time but sooner or later you will collapse the ladder. And, trust me, it is very expensive to replace the ladder! Put the bikes inside the 5-W if nothng else works for you.
busterwms is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 06:13 PM   #8
washley1
Montana Master
 
washley1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 932
M.O.C. #9053
We solved the issue with a pair of folding bikes from CW. We bought larger, well padded seats and also big heavy duty canvas storage bags, all at CW, and we keep them in the "basement". they work great!
__________________
Walt and Carol Ashley, with fond memories of Bailey the Chesapeake! Land O Lakes, FL
2009 Big Sky 365REQ 10th Anniversary Edition
2008 Ford F350 King Ranch Super Duty
washley1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2009, 07:10 PM   #9
Art-n-Marge
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
Send a message via MSN to Art-n-Marge Send a message via Yahoo to Art-n-Marge
Like Thule, Yakima also sells bike racks that mount on the roof of the cab and can hold 2, 3, 4 or even 5 bikes (if you pack them in tight enough). But it might be inconvenient to reach up that high. Here is another way and a link that sells a 2 or 3 bike carrier mounted to the 5er front hitch - http://toppoprails.com/. In all these cases, they can be a significant investment. Expect to spend several hundreds of dollars by the time you have all the equipment to carry your bikes, but IMO these are the hardiest systems around.

There are MANY bad luck stories for mounting bikes on the ladder rack. No matter how firmly you attach them to your ladder, that first really bad road bump you hit and something about the ladder will break. There have been plenty of members' real bad stories recently, The ladder mounts just aren't strong enough for bad jolts over time and the repairs are costly. Folks carry ladders or folding chairs on ladders, but they are nowhere near as heavy unless you have a Titanium bicycle and I wouldn't mount one of those on the back of my Monty.

If the hitch is not currently on the Monty's rear end, most will say to avoid this, HOWEVER, there have been several successful stories from members who have shored up their bike receiver to take the punishment. In fact a member, just posted pictures about how he did it. I think it was "Kathy and Dave" from Canada.

If you have room in the truck bed, taking off the front (and/or rear) wheels of the bike might gain you some room in the truck bed. But if you don't secure and pad them somehow, they could get damaged.

There's also investing in a FRONT hitch receiver ($100-$150), then purchasing a 2-4 bike carrier and mount the bikes in front of your truck, but when I've mentioned this to several bike shop owners (just for affect), you should have seen the looks on their faces like I said something blasphemous. (But we only paid about $450 for both DW and my bicycles). A real bicycle truist does not like to hear about owners putting their bikes in front in a broadside position. I say, what's the difference, since many of them carry on top, but at least they aren't at the broadside.

If you search the web long enough, you'll find creative people who have found ways to carry their bicycles inside their rig, including lashing to furniture, removing wheels and pedals and even seats and handlebars and putting them on the bed on a blanket or between furniture. Some have built contraptions or homemade bike stands to carry them somewhere on the rig's floors. The options are limited to the creativity of the bike owner.

Wherever you mount them make sure the weight of the bicycles and mounting gear do not increase your weight substantially, like at the pin/rear wheels of the TV where most of our weight problems might rear their ugly head. If your TV is a beast, then you have nothing to worry about.

Anyway, here are some ideas. Let us know your how you solve your dilemma. Can you tell I am still trying to solve mine?
Art-n-Marge is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Bike Carrier Question chris199 Additions & Improvements 14 05-30-2015 07:27 PM
Ladder Bike Carrier anglerdad General Discussions about our Montanas 11 03-28-2014 04:13 AM
Pinbox Bike Carrier TheJeep General Discussions about our Montanas 10 02-26-2012 04:52 AM
OK it's done. Bike rack/Carrier Ozz Additions & Improvements 10 12-27-2010 11:55 AM
gen carrier/bike rack drjjj Additions & Improvements 2 10-27-2008 09:33 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:43 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.