Using a Bike Rack for a Bike with Fenders on an RV

Question:

I noticed the ad said it would not work for trailers and RVs. Why? The rear of my trailer has a 2inch receiver and I use a bike rack on it now. Can this rack be used for bikes with fenders? Can the wheel clamp go far enough forward to miss the fender?

asked by: Rick Z

Expert Reply:

Thule, and most other manufacturers, don't recommend using bike racks behind a trailer or RV that aren't designed for it because the amount of motion caused by the distance between the bike rack and the axle of the trailer or RV. This distance causes there to be more bounce and motion applied to the rack, and can cause the racks to fail.

The Thule T2 Classic, part # TH69TX will not be able to work with bikes with fenders, because to position the wheel clamp where it could actually hold on the bike risks the bike bouncing or being pressed by the clamp's pressure out of its wheel cradle and potentially fall.

For a solid RV rated rack that's also useful behind regular passenger vehicles, I recommend the Swagman Dispatch, part # S44FR. This is a frame mounted bike rack, letting you mount to the actual center part of the bike using a pressure clamp. This works well for a wide variety of bikes. If you have an aggressive or particularly low framed bike, you may find a frame adapter bar, part # 64005 as a way to make mounting the bike easier and more effective by providing an alternative mounting point.

The Swagman Dispatch includes integrated bike and cable locks for easy, secure transport and the anti rattle pin helps limit the amount of motion that the rack experiences.

expert reply by: Jacob W