E-Bike Rack Recommendation for Travel Trailer to Carry Aventon 500 and Carbon Frame Bike

Question:

We discovered that our newish Thule EasyFold XT which we loved is not RV rated and we will be purchasing later this spring a Grand Design AIM 20foot travel trailer which has a 2inch hitch factory installed. Thankfully the e-bike dealer who told us the EasyFold was okay for a travel trailer refunded us when we showed the email from Thule that said it was not. He suggested replacing it with the Hollywood RV RIder, but I deferred to research more and when I got home and looked at your site, I see that it does not have a green check for trailer? The dealer seems to have a 2nd strike when it comes to knowledge about what would work on an RV travel trailer...? We want a rack that will carry my lightweight carbon road bike and my wifes Aventon 500 step-through ebike, both on the GD travel trailer as well as more often on our SUV when we are just heading to local trails. Wed prefer to have a ramp option if my wife needs to load her ebike herself, but the Swagman E-Spec and Escapee which look good dont seem to have these. Any advice or recommendation?

asked by: Dave S

Expert Reply:

Hey Dave, so the best option for carrying your carbon frame bike and e-bike is the Swagman Escapee part # S39SR with the ramp # S59SR . It has the capacity for carrying an e-bike, is rated for travel trailer use, only touches the bikes by the tires which protects the carbon frame, and works with the Aventon 500 since it doesn't have fenders.

The RV rider that was recommended was probably a good faith recommendation because it is for "RVs" but it's not designed for travel trailers which happen to have the roughest ride quality.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Dave S.

3/7/2024

Jameson - thanks for the help, but I just found out that the GD model we are looking at only has a 1 1/4 inch receiver on the back of the trailer. I do really like the Swagman Escapee, so was looking at the adapters you have. I think we're okay with the 50% reduction in weight, but does using an adapter negate the RV rating of the bike rack anyway??

Jameson C.

3/11/2024

@DaveS Great question. So there's no official rating on 1-1/4 inch to 2 inch hitch adapters when using them in an RV application so best option would be to use your best judgment.

Dave S.

2/29/2024

Thanks so much for the quick response, Jameson - really helpful as I already thought the Escapee looked like a good fit. When my wife is loading her Aventon by herself, is there any way a collapsable ramp sold separately from another manufacturer could be makeshift-used (obviously not attached like the EasyFold?

Jameson C.

2/29/2024

@DaveS Actually I spoke too soon and there IS a ramp that works with the Escapee with the part # S59SR so this would be just what you are looking for.