RE: [A/S] Bicycle Carriers

["Perry Joe Scudder" <perryjoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Question for those who haul bicycles when towing --

What have you found that works well? I'm interested in recommendations
for racks/carriers to accommodate three bicycles on both roof top
carriers as well as the kind that would fit in the hitch receiver.
Thanks.

Strange you should ask this question!!!! I have just spent 4 months, and
now $800 in that pursuit, but now have our two bicycles mounted
crossways just behind the cab and above my Pace Edwards Rolltop cover so
they take up no usable space. I started with a 2000 GMC 2500 Extended
Cab that had the round bars mounted along the sides of the bet to use if
you needed to tie down anything. The bars are about 1 1/2" in diameter,
and the Roll top cover fits over the bed area and about flush with the
edge of the bed.
I started with a through search of the 5 local bike shops to find
something that would work. I bound a "Hollywood" brand carrier that
works wonderful when plugged into the square receiver on the truck,
$300, but that spot gets taken by the Airstream when we travel. I
thought I could use it in a front mounted Square receiver, so had a
Reece class III receiver mounted on the front of the truck, $200. Worked
great, but I could not deal with the bikes in my field of view when
driving down the road, so back to the drawing board. I designed two bars
out of heavy Aluminum pipe that mounts between the side rails, and has
mounting brackets where I can bolt on working parts of the Hollywood
bike carrier, $300 at the local marine fabricators shop. These bars fit
straight across the truck at the same level as the side rails, and are
mounted with ends maid of clamp on fishing rod holders rod holders
welded on the end of each pipe. The bikes are rendered theft proof by a
cable that is looped around the truck frame between the cab and the bed,
and runs through the bikes in a fashion to hold all 4 wheels and both
frames under lock. The bikes are rock solid in their ride position, and
the complete setup will get road tested on a two month trip to Montana
starting 9-6-02.

Joe Scudder
WBCCI 8624