Just bought my first e-bike...

[flipa]

Hi Everyone,

Just arrived home after purchasing my first e-bike - a Focus Thron2 6.8 EQP.
Picking it up on Friday and can't wait to get out on it this weekend.

First bike I've owned in about 15 years which I'm planning to use this to commute to work and back when (if) offices re-open. Plus something a bit more exciting at weekends.
My commute will be 8 miles each way over the West Yorkshire moors so hoping to find some interesting routes as I start exploring what is on my doorstep.

Couple of questions if anyone can point me in the right direction:

I'd like to get a bike rack for my estate car that will be able to handle the weight of my bike, but also be able to carry my wife's bike and the kids bikes as they get older. Any ideas where to start looking?

I'd also like to find a child seat for my youngest (3yo) so she can hop on and join family friendly rides, but again don't know where to start.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[steve_sordy]

Welcome to the Forum

Thule do lots of good racks. They do tow bar racks as well as roof racks. and you can get them from Halfords. Order on line, opt for click and collect and save 10% at the till (where you pay).

Fitting a roof rack is a lot cheaper and less hassle, than a tow bar rack if you don't already have a tow bar! But a load of bikes on a roof rack increases your fuel consumption more than they do on a tow bar. Tow bar racks have a greater carrying capacity in kg, mine is 60kg, but I'm sure you can get more. Find out what the carrying capacity of your roof rack can be for your car and check it will be enough.

Unless you are tall, you may need to carry a folding step to load the bikes on the roof rack. If you fall off the bike and injure yourself, especially to the arms and shoulders, you may be unable to replace the bike on to the roof rack.

Do not rely on the clamps to secure your bike! I now use Gorilla straps to make sure that my bike will not come off, like it did twice. (Once the first time, and once when I forgot to use the Gorilla straps, never since!! )

 

[Quinterly]

The minute you start putting e-bikes on racks, you have to limit your choices to those racks which take a 60lb bike. Those are limited and the ones you will find will only support e-bikes for the inner two. I have the Saris SuperClamp EX in the two bike version and think it's really good. The 4 bike version is here: SuperClamp EX 4-Bike Hitch Car Rack.

Other really good options would be the Kuat NV 2.0 and the North Shore Racks NSR 4-bike. But, if any of those bikes have fenders, neither of these will work properly. You are getting into severely limited choices that can take an e-bike and any fendered bikes. The Saris is about the only one.

I would not suggest roof racks if adding a hitch is possible. It's so much easier to attach the rack and to mount the bikes. Especially considering the weight of an e-bike.

 

[PJ27]

Hey Flipa, CONGRATULATIONS on your new ebike. I agree with what has been said by Steve and Quinterly (Thule, Saris Kuat racks), you need to ensure whatever rack you get it can support the weight of an ebike. I have a Saris Superclamp EX 2 rack and it's great - well made easy to load and remove from the car and folds up for easy storage too. So I would consider the Saris 4 bike version, based on the quality and my experience so far.

 

[Sean1.0]

I'd also like to find a child seat for my youngest (3yo) so she can hop on and join family friendly rides, but again don't know where to start.

When I got my first emtb my nipper was also 3yo and we got a Weehoo trailer so we could go on long rides on a big euro motorhome trip we did ... it worked very well with the ebike but wouldn't fancy tugging it around without assist. I never got round to selling it and we actually went on a 40 mile ride out recently with her in it for the first time in ages and she still loved it even though she's now 8 and ripping trails on her Orbea MX24.

Never been a fan of the kiddy seats at the back ... prior to the Weehoo I had a seat in front of me on my mtb which was great but too small at 3 I think.

Well worth considering the Weehoo ... UK Weehoo | Kids Bike Trailers

Tip... I changed the Weehoo tyre out for a chunky BMX one.

 

[Akelu]

Awesome! I bought my first e-bike yesterday, and funny you mention it, I also got the Focus Thron but I went for the 6.9 spec.

Should be getting it in about 2-3 weeks (Australia).

How exciting!

 

[PJ27]

Awesome! I bought my first e-bike yesterday, and funny you mention it, I also got the Focus Thron but I went for the 6.9 spec.

Should be getting it in about 2-3 weeks (Australia).

How exciting!

Hey Akelu, CONGRATS, that's awesome. I am in Aust too and bought a Jam2 in Jan this year. Which bike shop did you get your from?

 

[flipa]

Thanks for all the information guys, really useful!

With regards the the bike rack it will have to be something that goes on the back as we do use a roof box for camping trips etc.
Unfortunately the car doesn't have a tow bar fitted at the moment so I'll need to get that sorted first. Geez this is going to get expensive
At least there's no holiday abroad this year !

The kiddy trailers do look good, and there are quite a few on ebay.

Another question I have is around insurance. Would you say insurance is a must?
When my office reopens there is secure storage in the car park with individual lockable 'pods'. But they are just secured with a padlock.
I don't think I would be leaving the bike anywhere but imagine these are very 'nickable'.

 

[Jamze]

agree with what has been said by Steve and Quinterly (Thule, Saris Kuat racks), you need to ensure whatever rack you get it can support the weight of an ebike.

Also, be careful that the weight of the rack with the bikes does not exceed the nose weight of the towbar/car.

That 4-bike Saris is over 110kg when loaded up if I've done my sums right. Something like a Passat Estate is limited to around 90kg nose weight.

Congrats on the new bike BTW ??

 

[steve_sordy]

Whatever rack solution you get, ensure that the "V" racks where the wheels go are wide enough for your tyres. If you don't, you may find that not only is the bike perched on them rather than sitting in them, but the straps will not be long enough either!

Tow bars: By all means get a quote from your vehicle main dealer to supply and fit a tow bar, integrated into your car's electrics so that everything still works as normal. But also do an internet search for tow bar fitters that can come to your house or place of work, and also specialist tow bar fitters that you drive to.

Audi wanted over £1400, which was about £1000 more than everybody else! The guy at the Audi dealer was apologetic but could offer no explanation. I can: £100/hour labour charges and very high profits on accessories!
After searching and ringing around to to talk to them all, I went for a specialist that I drove to rather than a truck that visits. I wanted to know exactly where to go if I had problems. But I should have chosen somewhere closer! The car I had was a bit of a special one as it was a showroom spec and had all the bells and whistles that have to be experienced rather than just looked at. Head up display, adaptive cruise control tied in to your sat nav, auto emergency braking, auto lane guidance, parking cameras, and more. Their first attempt left the navigation display working erratically. It was fixed very easily and without fuss by the company (they said they learned something and altered their standard procedures as a consequence), but I still had a second 3-hour round trip to get it fixed. Lifetime guarantee though. No problems since, and that was 18 months ago.

To make room for the bit they are going to fit, they will have to unbolt a large cross member. That will be replaced with something similar that has a tow bar integrated into it. Make sure that you retain the bit they remove in case you need it later for some reason. You can guarantee that if you need one later and have to buy one it will cost an arm and a leg. Keep it somewhere safe and if you never use it, toss it in the boot when you sell the car.