Bring Mountain Bikes

My absolute favorite way to explore a new place and our best shared family activity is, without a doubt, mountain biking. Bikes are especially useful if you're traveling without a car in tow and want a way of getting around without moving the motorhome. Many of our itinerary stops are planned around bike rides that I've read about in mountain biking guides, and they usually are some of our trip highlights.

A good quality bike rack is a must. We use a Yakima bike rack that hooks into a trailer hitch and holds 4 bikes .

Rob on July 18, 2008

We are pulling a trailer with a pick-up. I mounted a hitch on the rear bumper of the trailer and attached a Yakima rack. Worked well on smooth roads, but don't try this in New Mexico. We were driving past 4 corners and the roads had "waves" that caused the truck and trailer to begin oscillating up and down. From the passenger compartment is motion was only mildly annoying, but it’s another story from the back of the trailer. The bikes took the brunt of the oscillations, and one just about self destructed. We stopped at the 4 corners display, and while the family entertained themselves in four states at once, I disassembled the bikes and found homes for them in the trailer compartments and in the back of the truck. I have seen a few options in campgrounds for mounting bikes to trailers. One allows for mounting the bikes above the front propane tanks. Anyone have experience with this type of bike mounting?

Herb on July 19, 2008

Hi Rob, I don't have any experience with that type of mount. However, I have traveled with 2 bikes mounted to the front of a Suburban bumper, and also using a Thule Rack (or Yakima) roof mounted rack for up to 4 bikes. (Although there might be a problem attaching it to the cab). Finally, I've cobbled together a roof rack that sat in the back of a trailered boat cockpit with 4 bikes. This would work with your pickup bed, but I suspect you've already filled it with other gear. Safe travels!

Leigh on January 3, 2011

My husband and I just bought a Roadtrek this past summer and are planning on doing a cross country trip in summer of 2011. We want to take our bikes but not sure of how to carry them on our RV. Any ideas?

Herb on January 12, 2011

Hi Leigh, I'm not sure about the Roadtrek, but if it has a trailer hitch receiver you could use a Yakima or Thule bike rack that mounts in the receiver like we did. It will be painfully expensive to get a quality one, but I had gone through a few cheaper racks to learn that this is not the place to save $. Good luck, Herb