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Now that Summer is officially here, we thought we should invest in some bikes (rides). So what do we need to make this happen when we plan a road trip?
Bikes (duh) - Schwinn Suburban's
Tow Hitch - Curt #13146, 2" receiver. Does not protrude beyond the bumper nor is any ground clearance lost, imho.
Bike Stand - Allen Sports Deluxe (4 bike capable)
After installing the tow hitch yesterday, here is how our setup looks with one and two adult bikes loaded.
The MDX should be an eager hauler, just have to take it easy. Any other precautions/comments?
Let me know your setup.
Last edited by like2ace; Mar 29, 2018 at 04:15 PM.
I'm glad you like it... But it's been pretty well established that the Curt hitch hangs lower than OEM. If that isn't important to you, then that's fine... But to say that no ground clearance is lost... Well... That's not true.
I travel a lot with my bikes around town and out of state. I try to take the bikes inside my hotel room when on the road overnight; but, not always easy to do. I invested in extra heavy duty chain, cable locks, and U-locks to secure the bikes together and to the MDX for overnight stays. I also remove my seat post+seat and any accessories like lights and rack bag. Some things I've noticed when I travel out of town are:
- A lot of mainstream bike rack locks are not hard to break. I would use extra locks like if you need to stop for lunch or shopping out of town.
- check with local areas for driving with license plate being blocked. 1% chance of being an issue; but, they might bring it up if you are stopped for something else
- blocked back up camera
- blocked back up lights at night
- rear back up sensors need to be turned off for Adv models
- I purchased extra straps and extra long velcro strips to secure the bikes with almost zero movement. You get a lot of rocking of the bikes at 70-80 mph on the hwy.
I have the same model MDX but have not installed the Bike Rack as of yet. Very nice setup, I have always had the bikes in reverse when mounted, only because they balance out better.
Any particular reason to have them mounted head to head???
I have the same model MDX but have not installed the Bike Rack as of yet. Very nice setup, I have always had the bikes in reverse when mounted, only because they balance out better.
Any particular reason to have them mounted head to head???
I was just trying it out but will install it in reverse to balance them out. Any ideas on how to secure the bikes when on the rack??
I went with the Kuat and OEM hitch. Holds two bikes with no swaying or swinging and folds up nicely when not in use or if I need access to the rear door. Couldn't be happier with the result.
Nice color matching setup. How do you lock your bike from theft when it’s on the stand and you are inside a restaurant or in a hotel room when traveling??
Nice color matching setup. How do you lock your bike from theft when it’s on the stand and you are inside a restaurant or in a hotel room when traveling??
Thanks! There's a long cable that comes with the carrier that locks in right below the front tire. You wrap it around the bike, wheels etc, and you have a decent deterrent. If I'm at a hotel, the bike comes in. :-)
I liked this because the bike actually had from the tops of the wheels, and there is not much material making up the actual rack, so less weight and less to store. Also, the hanging points are adjustable so bikes of different sizes can hang similarly or how ever you want, so no crossbar adapter needed and no more bike hanging at a 45 degree angle on the frame.
. Any other precautions/comments?
