Surco 2 Bike Carrier for Vans and RVs - Ladder Mount

This carrier works very well for those situations where a ladder-mounted bike rack is the only option. It took a couple of trials to find the best placement of the bikes on the rack. It would be ideal if the horizontal bars were a little longer so the bikes could be kept further away from the back wall of the travel trailer and separated a little more from each other. Nevertheless this rack works well and I use cut pool noodles and bungies to hold the bikes firmly in position and to guard the contact locations between the bikes, rack and trailer. The cradles can be slid anywhere on the horizontal bar for ideal placement with your specific bikes. It would be good if there was way to hold them in place so they don't move while mounting the bikes or after install. Based on the few times we have used this rack, I would recommend it in a ladder-mounted application.1066416

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Vwagner

6/19/2022

Excellent! I now can attach and secure the bikes in under 10 minutes. It would still be ideal if the horizontal bars were a little longer so the bikes could be kept further away from the back wall of the travel trailer and separated a little more from each other. Nevertheless this rack works well and I use cut pool noodles and bungies to hold the bikes firmly in position and to guard the contact locations between the bikes, the rack and the trailer. The cradles can be slid anywhere on the horizontal bar for ideal placement with your specific bikes. It would be good if there was way to hold them in place so they dont move while mounting the bikes and after install. Based on a year of use, I would recommend it in a ladder-mounted application.

by: Glenn 02/17/2023

The bicycle carrier has been great and its design well thought out. Due to the geometry of our bicycles it took us a while the two times to figure out how to hang them with the best balance and minimal overhang with the side of our trailer. Easy to use thereafter, very sturdy and no maintenance.1519862

Glenn

2/17/2024

I have used the rack for over 16000 miles carrying 2 bicycles. It’s been sturdy and there have been no problems. Takes some time to secure bikes and would buy it again.

Pretty Hoakey ! Bikes are 35lbs. Each. In order to clamp bikes on carrier as instructed it bends the chain derailer. Do you cover camper damage & how is your money back guarantee ? Not really impressed.135416

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by: Nate02/19/2024

Did not work on my bikes, tried to return it unused. erailer would not take it back. Not a good purchase at all, do not recommend.1734214

We needed a way to carry a 30 lb steel folding dog fence without having to modify our rv. We rejected the idea of anything that would attach to the tow hitch so that we retained the option of a dingy.
The rack installed easily and after some slight modifications to the dog fence, we were able to load it up and strap it down. We drove 4600 miles on all types of terrain and nothing moved.
We are so pleased with this product.1341879

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Arms bent driving down i10 in Texas
Lucky I had a cargo stap!
Can’t recommend1357809

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Heather A.

8/23/2022

Thank you for the photos Abraham. Please keep in mind the weight capacity of the rack is 70 lbs. It looks like the ladder on your RV is shaped a bit differently compared to the ladders we used during our install video. The clamps of the rack should rest on top of the ladder rungs.

I recieved the Surco 2 Bike Carrier Ladder Mount #SP501BR today and had no problems attaching to the Ladder on my Wolf Creek Truck Camper. The bike mounts easily and is secure. I may have to fine tune the mounting to adjust the bike so it doesn't hang out the right side so much. Also, when locked in the storage position the inner rack blocks the door. Perhaps another pin housing could be added to allow the inner rack to swing to the right and be locked out of the way. Otherwise I am a "Happy Camper" and would recommend this device to other Truck Campers to carry their bicycles with them.101355

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by: Penny02/09/2023

Did not hold up long using 2 kids bikes, we travel full time in our camper and it was about 2 months when the holding mechanism stopped working and another vehicle waved us down to let us know we were about to lose our bike. We have been able to keep using it for 1 kids hike but had to add a rear hitch bike rack for another bike.1515278

Katrina B.

3/3/2023

This has a capacity of 75lbs, so we will need to make sure you are not overloading this rack. Can you send me a picture of how the rack is mounted and how the bikes are mounted on the rack?

We have a large tandem that actually fits on the back of the trailer. Awesome product!64999

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by: SteveT09/18/2019

I was able to install and use the bike rack on my RV ladder for 6 months. My only complaint about the product is that the rack itself began to bend over time, in spite of the fact that the weight of my two bicycles was below the limit advertised by the manufacturer. I have attached a picture that shows how the right side of the rack sagged over time, which makes me worry a little bit about using the rack going forward.705154

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The product looks to be constructed very well with good materials that won't rust. I read a review about someone's experience of having the bar bend down after use. This essentially happened to me on my first use. I mounted the bars as directed, and for my first trip with my 40' fifth wheel RV, I placed two Trek mountain bikes on the cradles and strapped them in with the short rubber straps. I used the one enclosed fiber strap as an additional tie down. I also had two U-joint bike locks of which one I could lock through the RV ladder, but the second one I had to settle on locking bike-to-bike. I got on the road, and about one hour into the trip, a kind soul gave me hand signals to let me know my bikes weren't doing well. I pulled over and inspected. One of the mounts on the right L-bar had managed to slip over a screw stop and fell off the L-bar. That bike held on to the RV ladder by the fiber strap and the U-lock. Fortunately, the bike didn't make contact with the ground. I later figured out that I should or could have tighten down the four mounts on the L-bars. They were pretty snug on the L-bar, but I thought they would be fine, and stopped by the end cap. But that end cap screw isn't very big. Also, the incident caused about a 1" bend downward on the right L-bar that I bent back into place. When I bring my RV back to home on my next trip, I'll make sure that I have a second strap for extra security and holding power on the RV ladder. I already tightened the mounts on the L-bar. I don't believe the directions that came with the bike rack talked about tightening the mounts, but make sure you do tighten them down! (That was my biggest mistake) The pins on top of the rack are very tight when you try to lock them into their receptacles. You probably will need a hammer to tap them in/out. There is a 70 lb limit for the rack, and was probably approaching the limit with my two mountain bikes. Sorry, no pics this time. I'll try to include pics the next time I'm out with my RV. 711209

Bradley D.

10/1/2020

Same problem still. I only put one bike on the rack at a time now.

by: Gerald 07/28/2023

Works great oh the back of my RV, will need a motorcycle tie down to secure it from swinging but overall ... a great product. This has been from MI to FL and back 2 times.1634487

by: Kaye05/11/2021

I love this rack. It is very strong as advertised. I carry my Aventon Pace 500 Ebike on this rack - it is perfect.1034581

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by: Lincoln01/02/2024

I tried to use this carrier 1x and the bikes hit the camper and scratched my camper I dont not recommend this item and would like a refund1706944

As the seat posts tubing is too short to mount onto the carrier, I had to settle on nesting the bikes on the horizontal tube between the seat post and the handlebars. This in itself, lends itself to having to remove the tires and wheels off the bike during transportation. Also, as I am an engineer, I did not feel comfortable with only 3/16 thread engagement in aluminum for a 1/4-20 bolt. Typically, the standard thread engagement would be 150-200% deep based upon the diameter of the screw. Therefore, I replaced the shorter 1/4-20 x 1/2" screw with a Stainless steel 1/4-20 x 3/4" socket head and once fulling engaged and positioned correctly, I installed a 1/4-20 Stainless Steel Lock-Nut to ensure full engagement on the threads to prevent backing off or stripping of the aluminum threads due to stresses during travel, leading to loss of bikes while under transportation, potentially eliminating or significantly reducing injury to other travelers on the highway or pedestrians. Overall cost for upgrading 8 fasteners, around $20.1266364

by: Moises 01/28/2023

Used it in combination with half of a bumper mounted rack which supported the front wheels. Eliminated bouncing. Easy to mount.1509396

I purchased this rack after spending considerable time on the phone with the eTrailer.com rep. She was very knowledgeable about all types of racks, including hitch and ladder racks. I might have gotten this rack for a few bucks cheaper on eBay, but the support from the rep more than makes up for that!

The rack went on easily, although it was help to have a second pair of hands to hold the clamp during installation. The only problem I had was installing the two rack pieces in reverse. I wasn't aware until after I tried to pivot the rack off to the side that there was a definite left and right side. I don't think I saw anything about this in the instructions. But luckily, it was easy to remove and reinstall them on the correct sides.

Our bikes (Trek) fit fine, although we had to remove my husband's water bottle cage, because it was installed on the vertical part of the frame where the bike rests on the rack. We reinstalled it on the diagonal part of the frame (as in product photo), where it doesn't interfere with the rack.

We'll be heading out soon with our bikes on the rack and don't anticipate any problems.

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Deb N.

4/10/2014

Thanks for the follow up. We used the rack a few times and it worked fine. However, we have since sold the RV it was attached to and left it on the rig for the new owners to enjoy.

by: Dick H11/25/2019

This rack performs as advertised. It fit our trailer's rear ladder just fine and holds our two heavy bicycles without problems. The arms swing aside as needed to make the ladder accessible. I do add some additional cushioning material (large rags) to keep the bicycles from rubbing each other's paint off and to keep them from touching the camper finish.....but I think that is necessary with about any bike rack that suffers the up and down and side to side motion that the rear of a 23 foot trailer creates. It is no problem and works fine. Our bicycles are full-size adult bikes and we cannot hang them vertically, so have to hang them horizontally, which makes them a bit more susceptible to trailer pitch, roll, and yaw movements. But the rack holds them securely. 727681

D. H.

12/1/2020

It continues to serve us well. It is important to recognize the weight limit posted for the product, but within that range it does great.

Product design is good, the build quality very lacking. There were many sharp burrs on the aluminum pieces that required filing and deburring. The tapped holes were very poorly executed and required me to run a tap through them before they would accept a bolt. The holes the pins slide through to hold the arms in position were several thousands of an inch too small for the pins to fit. I had to ream these holes in order for the pins to fit. The bolts to attach the arms aren't really long enough for the job. I followed another suggestion and bought longer bolts and lock nuts rather than trust the threaded aluminum pieces to hold up while travelling down the road. Frankly I would have a hard time recommending this product.1402581

by: Charles 04/05/2023

Simple installation and simple to secure bikes.1550276

This bike rack was very easy to install on our motorhome and it holds our two bikes very nicely and securely. It does not interfere at all with the vehicle we tow on a car dolly behind the motorhome. Have been on several trips with it already and no problems have occurred. We also received it within days of placing our order.294191

Chas J.

9/13/2017

Great. No negative issues. Easy to install and works just like we had anticipated.

by: Carl P.08/14/2019

This bike rack was a good buy. It holds our two bikes securely and is a lot quicker to load and unload than racks we've had in the past. It only holds two bikes, but that is all the weight that you ought to have on an rv ladder.688185

Carl P.

8/15/2020

The carrier has performed as expected and I have been very satisfied. Transferred it to another motorhome we just bought, and it went on without any problems.

Just returned from a 3300 mile trip out west. We took two of our 4 bicycles on the ladder rack without any problems at all. The only ‘negative’ was that I could not align the lock pin to completely pin in place. However, with only the tip of the pin in the lock tube, the arm was stable. Performed great over many rough rough miles. Highly recommend1049462

Sierra K.

6/8/2021

Thank you for your reply. Here is a video explaining the easiest way to pin the rack: It shows it at the 0:47 mark. If they are still sticking, you may need some lubricant, like WD40. Please take the rack off when not in use as long exposure outside can rust inside the pin holes.

Helpful Links

tv-review-surco-van-and-rv-ladder-2-bike-rack-sp501br.aspx

So far have only installed the unit and found that it installed easily as described by etrailer and is of good quality. I am looking forward to using it on my next trip when I can better assess its usefulness and ongoing quality.230735

Bob S.

10/24/2016

I have used the bike carrier multiple times in the past year including a 5 week road trip. It has held the two bikes I carry very securely and it was easy to get the bikes on and off. Overall very pleased with this product.

by: Rick B.10/28/2016

I use a 29' travel trailer. The back bumper has this big warning label against mounting anything over and above the spare tire on it. The internet is full of pictures of broken welds on back bumpers so I heeded this warning for a bike carrier.

This carrier mounts on the ladder easily and holds my 2 bikes. Good product - well made. There are a couple of spots where the bikes touch parts of the ladder. Application of a little electrical tape and some sheet gasket material help protect the bike frame. I also found that with the bikes off the carrier the carrier makes a perfect spot to mount the "Cube" satellite dish (pending view of the southern sky.) 311469