Bike Rack on the Tow Bar!
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Wow! And that's stable?!
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As stable as 60kg+ handing of your rear end by a clamp around a large knob. 😂
Joking aside, I was nervous but I can even tilt the bikes away from the boot to gain boot access. The Thule bike racks are the best out there.
Well I only went 12 miles total, so 6 each way. I did floor it ... it's like the bikes were not there. Also I didn't go faster than 60mph.
Total for the trip was 45kw/100mi ... however it's this high normally for the first 15miles anyway.
Next year I might take the bikes to the Lake District. That's a 275 mile trip ... that will give a much better idea of loss of range, however I don't expect it to be massively different.
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64 Posts
I’m liking this. That’s what it’s all about- putting it through it’s paces as a tool.
I dare say more efficient on the back than on roof bars too.
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297 Posts
Are you intentionally provoking a fight here? Because those are fighting words in the MTB community.
Entire forums exist to discussion of the finer points of various hitch-mount bike racks. In the end, there is probably no clear winner here, and people will spend hours discussing the merits of various racks while drinking a post-ride beer. But I have to say that I have never heard anyone claim that the Thule is the best option. It's a fine rack, nothing at all wrong with it. But most people (in Colorado at least) end up with the following racks at the top of the best-of list (given here in no particular order):
- 1up (www.1up-usa.com)
- Kuat (kuatracks.com)
- Recon (recon-racks.com)
- North Shore (northshoreracks.com)
what’s the net weight of the bikes/rack you’d carry? Is it really >90kg? That’s the nose load for the P*2 hitch and with my 80kg ish body weight it seems to hold it solidly (even with my stresses while balancing on it with one leg).Are you intentionally provoking a fight here? Because those are fighting words in the MTB community.
Entire forums exist to discussion of the finer points of various hitch-mount bike racks. In the end, there is probably no clear winner here, and people will spend hours discussing the merits of various racks while drinking a post-ride beer. But I have to say that I have never heard anyone claim that the Thule is the best option. It's a fine rack, nothing at all wrong with it. But most people (in Colorado at least) end up with the following racks at the top of the best-of list (given here in no particular order):
Anyway, glad that you are happy with your rack, and I'm excited to see your picture with 3 bikes on the back of the P2! I'm sure the rack market is also fairly different between the US and UK. FWIW, I own the 1up, mostly because I'm a sucker for anything that is CNC-machined. My whole family rides mountain bikes, and my kids both ride on a local team in Boulder. Most of our vacations are centered around traveling to ride (e.g., Crested Butte, Moab, etc.) So we often travel with 4 bikes on the rack, but that requires a Class III (2" receiver) hitch. I'll probably stick with 2 bikes with the P2, or 3 in a pinch. By the time we go to 4 bikes, we'll be happier in my wife's bigger ICE car anyway. Many of places we travel to ride are fairly remote and might provide range anxiety in the EV.
- 1up (www.1up-usa.com)
- Kuat (kuatracks.com)
- Recon (recon-racks.com)
- North Shore (northshoreracks.com)
glad to see there’s as much fanboyism around bike racks as EVs!
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297 Posts
Getting off-topic, but here's a photo of the 1-up rack on my wife's car, with the Collegiates in the background---Mt. Princeton, Mt. Harvard, and Mt. Yale, all over 14,000 feet. As is often the case in Colorado, the value of the bikes on the rack probably exceeds the value of the car. Priorities.
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It's really more about the large moment you create by cantilevering the bikes so far off the back. And yes, fanboyism runs strong in the bike community.
Ace. Thanks!👍
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31 Posts
Exactly the same decision I made between the two. That and somewhere for the dog of course.
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1 Posts
Hi, I have the ps2 with towbar nd the same rack but for 2 e bikes, did p/s supply you with the rear number plate for the rack?
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1,071 Posts
No, I got of number1plate.
Did anyone say Model S? Anyway ... it was a solid reason I didn't get a 2nd hand S.
The Model 3 has a nose load of 60kg, and an accessories load of 22.6 kg.
The Polestar has a nose load of 90kg, and an accessories load of 29.8 kg
My Bike Rack is 23.1 kg, My Bike is 21kg (it's Electrically Assisted due to a bad knee), My Wife's is 15.5kg, and my son's is 10kg - However at some point my Son will grow to take a full normal adult sized bike so around another +5kg
So a total of 70 now and 75kg in the future, hence why the Model 3 was not enough for me.
So before I just get the cheapest rack available (Allen), as I've always done since grad school, oh oracle of the bike racks, which should I get?Are you intentionally provoking a fight here? Because those are fighting words in the MTB community.
Entire forums exist to discussion of the finer points of various hitch-mount bike racks. In the end, there is probably no clear winner here, and people will spend hours discussing the merits of various racks while drinking a post-ride beer. But I have to say that I have never heard anyone claim that the Thule is the best option. It's a fine rack, nothing at all wrong with it. But most people (in Colorado at least) end up with the following racks at the top of the best-of list (given here in no particular order):
Anyway, glad that you are happy with your rack, and I'm excited to see your picture with 3 bikes on the back of the P2! I'm sure the rack market is also fairly different between the US and UK. FWIW, I own the 1up, mostly because I'm a sucker for anything that is CNC-machined. My whole family rides mountain bikes, and my kids both ride on a local team in Boulder. Most of our vacations are centered around traveling to ride (e.g., Crested Butte, Moab, etc.) So we often travel with 4 bikes on the rack, but that requires a Class III (2" receiver) hitch. I'll probably stick with 2 bikes with the P2, or 3 in a pinch. By the time we go to 4 bikes, we'll be happier in my wife's bigger ICE car anyway. Many of places we travel to ride are fairly remote and might provide range anxiety in the EV.
- 1up (www.1up-usa.com)
- Kuat (kuatracks.com)
- Recon (recon-racks.com)
- North Shore (northshoreracks.com)
needs to fit the Polestar hitch would want to have capacity to eventually hauling 4 bikes - although given the size of my youngest, we probably can do with 3-bike capacity for a good long while.
Expanding on this, I'm reading stuff like this indicating that a class I hitch shouldn't carry more than 2x bikes at a time on a rack:
But - Polestar/Volvo pretty clearly indicates that a 4x bike carrying capacity is possible:
So - what's the deal? Can or can't I carry a rack with 4x bikes on it, so long as the total load is <90 kg/200 lbs (and it would likely be much less than that)?
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1,071 Posts
In the UK it's simple. TowBar can carry X or pull Y. That's it - same as the EU.
In the US though from what I understand each state can have it's own laws & regulations.
Assuming you are not putting an Electric or Electrically Assisted Bikes on the back, the car tow/bar will handle 4 bikes - no idea if this breaks any US legalities.
Accessory Weight is just the Bike Rack on it's on.
Max Tow Ball Pressure is the total weight.
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Most Bike Racks (even 4 wide one's) weigh less than 20kg's.
Most non-Electrical Racks will have max load of 60kg's.
@15kg's max per Bike x 4 = 60kg's.
This bike rack is from the UK:-
(note Polestar is a 13pin so you'll need an adaptor for some racks)
So yes you can carry 4 safely on the Polestar Towbar technically. Legally in the US ... that's out of my league.
Edit: Apologies, I just read the article linked. If Polestar / Volvo say you can have 4, and the manufacture of the bike rack says you can have 4, then I trust these that some guy on the internet! (and that includes me as well!)
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