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I want to add a rear mountain bike rack that allows me to open back doors without removing the bikes. If you have a bike rack like this and would recommend, let me know.
Recommendation on bike rack.
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Rockymounts backstage
We have this rack by Heininger:
![1596055466008.png]()
Heininger Sportsrack Glideaway 2.
We got it on Amazon for about $170 but it doesn't seem to be there anymore; however, I found it on some other sites. We've only used it on one trip but it worked well. It was a bit tricky to assemble but it's very flexible, moving straight out or to left or right, allowing you to open doors either way. It is for a 1 1/4 inch hitch, which is too bad; it did not fit as snugly as I wished into our 2" hitch with the provided shim. For the price, it is great. Someone else on this forum also uses one. I can recommend it.
Bikes get pretty messed up on the back of the van, so you might want to find some way to cover them. I'm working on that this year.
Heininger Sportsrack Glideaway 2.
We got it on Amazon for about $170 but it doesn't seem to be there anymore; however, I found it on some other sites. We've only used it on one trip but it worked well. It was a bit tricky to assemble but it's very flexible, moving straight out or to left or right, allowing you to open doors either way. It is for a 1 1/4 inch hitch, which is too bad; it did not fit as snugly as I wished into our 2" hitch with the provided shim. For the price, it is great. Someone else on this forum also uses one. I can recommend it.
Bikes get pretty messed up on the back of the van, so you might want to find some way to cover them. I'm working on that this year.
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Thanks. I appreciate your response.
There are lots of swing-away racks on the market now. We recently bought the original: Rockymounts' Backstage for our two heavy ebikes (60lbs each). It was the cheapest and appeared to be the most rigid. Before you buy, make sure you check the rack's weight limit against the bike(s) you plan on carrying.
Also, our ebikes have wide handbars that hit the back doors. We have to loosen and rotate the handlebars on the inside bike. Here are a couple slick solutions for that:
For old-style threaded headsets
For newer threadless headsets like ours
Also, our ebikes have wide handbars that hit the back doors. We have to loosen and rotate the handlebars on the inside bike. Here are a couple slick solutions for that:
For old-style threaded headsets
For newer threadless headsets like ours
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Awesome. This is super helpful.
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Thanks for the picture. It helps. This looks like exactly what I need. Question: without the Kuat Pivot, what would be the challenge? Also, do the trays take fat tires?
The Pivot is needed to have access to the rear doors easily by swinging everything out of the way.
You can tilt the rack down, but you can't open the doors, that feature is mainly for SUVs to get into the hatch area.
For the Sherpa 2.0 it says max tire width is 3". The NV 2.0 says max tire is 5", but you have to buy an additional kit (of course).
When I was buying my setup I believe Yakima and Thule both had options to swing away for rear door access.
You can tilt the rack down, but you can't open the doors, that feature is mainly for SUVs to get into the hatch area.
For the Sherpa 2.0 it says max tire width is 3". The NV 2.0 says max tire is 5", but you have to buy an additional kit (of course).
When I was buying my setup I believe Yakima and Thule both had options to swing away for rear door access.
The kuat pivot and Sherpa are great, but after you buy both parts you're out over $800. Look at the rockymounts backstage. It's a single piece, heavy duty rack that swings completely wide of the van with the bikes on it allowing you to open both doors at least 90 degrees, holds tires up to 5" wide and comes in at $650.
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Does your pivot bounce much under load? Mine is terrible using it paired with a Thule xt Pro
The Pivot doesn't really move a whole lot, it was the bike rack that flexes a lot for me.
Don't get me wrong it moves, but nothing drastic. You might want to check that bolt securing it to the hitch, sometimes it needs re-tightened.
Hey,
I am having the same issue. Horrible bouncing. I see other bike carries on the road and they are stiff.
Did you ever figure it out what is causing it to bounce?
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I got rid of the Pivot. Sad but the reality is that it is probably 80-90% less bounce without it. When they're back in stock, I'm going to suck it up and buy a Thule elite van XT door mounted rack. For now I'm doing the thule hitch rack.
oh man. That sucks, I don't want to get rid of mine. I have electric bikes, so the Thule one won't work out of me.
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I've read that the RacAtack is much stiffer. There are also other heavier duty swing arms from what I understand. Maybe another brand would work better for you? For this summer at least I have just decided that access to my back doors will be limited. Sucks, but the Pivot made me way too nervous. When I arrived in California from Seattle my front wheel on my gravel bike (thru axel) was loose; thats how bad it was.
Lol mine bounced so much my bike flew off on the road. Lucky it wasn't on the highway!
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