Blue Ox Bike Rack

[RickO]

We're now getting serious about cycling and have replaced our K Mart bikes with the real thing so I wanted to make sure I could protect and secure them better than I could with the tray style bike rack I had mounted on the hitch on our toad.

I opted for a two bar mounted rack from Blue Ox in order to store the bikes more securely and out of the way than they could be on the toad. I bought the extended version of the rack so the bikes are high enough to allow the tow bar to be raised and stowed without removing the bikes. This does require a rather high lift to get the bikes on the rack but I love how they are out of the way and can be locked very securely.

I purchased two hitch adapters so the rack itself can be popped off the coach and stuck on the toad for more remote bike outings. This rack is, as they say, "strong as an Ox"... and I'm very pleased with it. I have a cover on order which is supposed to go over both bikes and the rack and then zip at the bottom to keep the bikes clean and dry too.

[Brigadoon]

Please tell us more about the bike cover. I've been looking for a good cover for our bikes. Also, is there a model number for the bike rack? Thanks.

[RickO]

Hey Brigadoon. I'll be glad to share more about the cover when it arrives and I have a chance to fit it. I haven't received it yet.

The bike rack is called "Hitch Mount Extended 3-Bike Rack Carrier sku:BXJR117". I think it's the only one Blue Ox sells, although there are two versions... a short and extended one to allow room to raise and stow the tow bar without removing the bikes. I bought two adapters for it. Once mounts to the tow bar and the other to the hitch on my toad so se can just pop the rack from one to the other.

[Brigadoon]

RickO,

Thanks for the response. Will be watching for your evaluation of the cover.

[FlyingDiver]

We have the same carrier. We don't have covers for the bikes, but I was thinking about just getting a large grill cover. The ones made for the big grills with side tables ought to be about the right size.

joe

[RickO]

Ok here's the deal so far with the cover;

I've only spent about 10 minutes finding the best way to arrange the bikes for the cover to work but we're now in No Calif and the big storms are hitting so it's not very nice out there right now. I'll work on it some more in a few days when the weather clears and maybe post a couple of pictures.

However, initial impressions are that this cover

Amazon.com: Dual Bike cover for transport on rack , for 1-2 bikes. with clear see through PVC for the tail light. Cover size :84" L x 36" W X 52"/42"H: Sports & Outdoors

is very well made and of high quality, heavy grade canvas. The zippers seem to be stout and there is an "arm reach opening" on each side so you can reach in to fit the cover over the bikes. It looks like they are supposed to be closed with a draw string when not in use but the material is still so stiff that this doesn't really work well.

Since I'm 6'6'' tall my bike is very tall as well. In addition, my wife's bike is a "girl's bike" so doesn't have a high cross bar and is currently mounted at quite an angle. These two facts result in a fairly odd profile around which to try to fit the cover. With only a few minutes of trying under my belt, the cover won't yet zip closed at the bottom. It almost makes it but not quite, at least yet. I'll work on this more once the weather allows.

My feeling is that even if I can't ever get the cover to zip closed at the bottom as designed, I'll still be happy with the purchase. The cover is of such high quality, and the price (I think is marked down from $99 to $35) is so competitive that I'll even be happy if I end up just putting a few gromets on the bottom of the cover and securing them together with short bungee cords.

Stay tuned for more but it sounds like the weather might be bad for a week!

[RickO]

Ok, we now have a couple of months and about 1500 miles of experience with the rack and cover and we still Love it.



As I mentioned, it is a very stout rack. I got the extended model so my tow bar can swing up and out of the way without having to move the bikes.



I'm tall and so is my bike. This presents a little challenge for the cover.



With both bikes on the rack, there is no way the cover will completely zip closed as it is designed to do. I believe this is because of the over sized bike as well as the angle which my wife's "girls bike" has to sit. I could probably solve that with an adapter designed to be used on these types of racks but I'm still not sure it would fit over my tall bike.

Not visible in the photo are the two straps I use to secure the cover. Watching it in my rear view camera, the cover seems to be very secure without filling with air and blowing all around.

I also bought a second adapter for the bike rack to mount on the back of our Toad. We can just move the rack upright from the coach to the toad and take the bikes with us in the toad. It looks a bit funny because the rack is so high but it gets the job done. Bottom line is we're very happy with the purchase of both the rack and the cover.

[Brigadoon]

Thanks for the update. The setup looks good. Now it's time for me to get the rack.

[JCM]

There is a bar addaptor for your wife's bike available at Camping World. It allows the bike to be mounted like a "man's" bike.

[RickO]

Thanks JCM. I know about the adapter bars and am going to pick one up. I suspect it won't make a big difference with how the cover fits because, even with my wife's bike mounted at its current angle, it doesn't stick above the back on the back of my bike, but I'm sure it'll make loading them a lot easier.
Thanks again...

[Brigadoon]

Update: I ordered and received the 3 bike carrier. It is stoutly built. When I mounted it on our hitch, the rack was up against the rear of the motorhome just touching the paint. Fortunately a friend of mine had an unused receiver extension. The receiver extension sticks out farther than necessary, therefore, I decided to drill a new pin hole in the extension so that I can seat it deeper in the receiver. However, I discovered that I did not have a drill that would accept a bit large enough to drill the proper size hole. So off to Home Depot I went and purchased a new larger hammer drill (I'll use the hammer drill feature on other projects). This is typical of most of my projects in the sense that they usually cost more in the end than anticipated. But hey, why change things now. Besides, I got a nice drill out of it!

In a couple of days I'll drill the new pin hole and have the rack at a proper distance from the back of the motorhome.

Rick, thanks for the info and pictures.

[JCM]

Please post pictures when done.

[bandmbrown]

just out of interest.....how do you check your oil?

[RickO]

To check the oil, the rack will tilt forward. It's tougher with the bikes mounted but the rack itself isn't much of a problem. I also use the same rack on our Toad... a Ford Explorer... and it tilts forward enough to open the rear gate.