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Bike rack for 4 bikes?
- Thread starter Tevvy
- Start date
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
cmarshack
Member
Ecohitch and any good hitch mounted bike rack. I personally prefer 1UpUSA racks for my mountain bikes.
2012-2020 Tesla Model S EcoHitch Stealth
This plus two bike add on:2″ Heavy Duty Double – 1UP USA | OFFICIAL SITE
2012-2020 Tesla Model S EcoHitch Stealth
This plus two bike add on:2″ Heavy Duty Double – 1UP USA | OFFICIAL SITE
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Agree on the hitch. I'd be super hesitant to put 4 bikes on any sort of roof solution for the Model S. As for racks, I can't speak highly enough about Saris. Great company making great products in the USA. We've had a Freedom 4 for a number of years (though we use it with the SUV, not the Tesla) and it's the best bike-toting product I've ever come across.
Bike Racks
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
This guy got 4 bikes on the roof, at least for a while:
Car flex and losing a roof rack with bikes?
But yeah, my general concern is weight. A good bike mount is going to be about 8-10 pounds by itself. The Model S roof rack is rated for 150 pounds max. So you've got 110 pounds left for bikes, 27.5 pounds each. That's not all that much unless you're talking about carbon-framed road bikes.
Best case, you're right up against the weight limit. Sketchy.
COS Blue
Member
Yikes! Scary!
Personally I'm afraid of hitch mounts. Installed an aftermarket one onto my VW Passatt many years ago. Couldn't negotiate my driveway without scraping (just the hitch, nothing attached to it). Had the same problem on speed bumps and parking lots with any steepness where it joined the road. Ended up taking it off and of course the manufacturer wouldn't take it back. I've seen at least one thread here that described the same thing. Between that and interfering with the sensors, cameras, galvanic corrosion, I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to put one on my MS.
Oh well, my wife will be happy we still get to take her SUV for family mountain biking trips
.I've had 4 bikes on top of the older panoramic roof Model S with four Whispbar WB201 trays for over five years. Its install looks the same as the newer all glass roof's. We love it and have no plan so change our setup, but it requires extra effort and planning.
To start, the four bikes need to alternate forward/rearward-facing. Sometimes, a water bottle mount needs to be removed or a seat height reduced temporarily. Bikes with front fenders need to face rearward to avoid blowing that fender off. It also requires some upper body strength to set the bikes into the inner trays. So, my family can't put them up without me. And when parking on a soft shoulder, we need to make sure there's enough footing for me to get bikes up from both sides of the car.
With all four bikes up top, range is cut in half at freeway speeds – and we can't (easily) use chargers in parking garages. So, we had to get a CHAdeMO adaptor for some day trips, although that's less necessary now that the Supercharger network is more built out.
I've never had any concern about strength, but I wouldn't put a heavier electric bike up there unless I could remove the batteries. I don't have air suspension, and already scrape the back sometimes, so a hitch rack is not an option for this car.
To start, the four bikes need to alternate forward/rearward-facing. Sometimes, a water bottle mount needs to be removed or a seat height reduced temporarily. Bikes with front fenders need to face rearward to avoid blowing that fender off. It also requires some upper body strength to set the bikes into the inner trays. So, my family can't put them up without me. And when parking on a soft shoulder, we need to make sure there's enough footing for me to get bikes up from both sides of the car.
With all four bikes up top, range is cut in half at freeway speeds – and we can't (easily) use chargers in parking garages. So, we had to get a CHAdeMO adaptor for some day trips, although that's less necessary now that the Supercharger network is more built out.
I've never had any concern about strength, but I wouldn't put a heavier electric bike up there unless I could remove the batteries. I don't have air suspension, and already scrape the back sometimes, so a hitch rack is not an option for this car.
IndyToronto
Member
I use ecohitch and 1UP as well. Be aware though that because the model S is so low on the ground, the hitch will sometimes scrape against the ground if leaving a steep ramp. The ease of taking out the 1UP hitch when you're not using it is very useful for this application because you do not want to leave the carrier of hitch insert there when it's not needed.
It's still a really good hitch combo for bicycles. 1UP does have extensions for up to 4 bikes as well. Let's face it, if you buy the 1UP, chances that your bikes are going to be a lot lighter than walmart bikes, so 4 light bikes will be well under the limits that 1UP can take.
Last edited:
vapor trail
Member
If we're plugging our favorite bike racks, I'd have to add Thule to the mix. Very solid products.
Hitch bike racks
Hitch bike racks
I second all that @NotAJeff reported: 5+ years with the Whispbar on the Pano Roof and 4 Thule FreeRide here.
Went from 2 adults bike & 2 child ones to same 2 adults + 2 full size MTB.
Challenges are indeed
- Remove anything that will be blown away easily
- Basically divide by two range estimates from the nav
Went from 2 adults bike & 2 child ones to same 2 adults + 2 full size MTB.
Challenges are indeed
- Remove anything that will be blown away easily
- Basically divide by two range estimates from the nav
cmarshack
Member
My 1UP and EcoHitch are on a Lowered Model S. It WILL scrape on driveways/entryways with steep angles which is why I would recommend this setup only if you have adaptive air suspension. If you do, this works very well! Just raise the suspension when entering/exiting these scenarios.
Just noticed this thread. We had an EcoHitch installed about four years ago on our 2012 Model S, and my only complaint is that the receiver sits a bit low and scrapes at times, even with the air suspension on "very high".
For a bike rack, we are using a Saris with mounts for four bikes, and I've been very pleased with the ease of use, durability, and safety. It has built-in cable locks. We've often carried four bikes without difficulty, though we're getting pretty close to the 200 pound rack limit for the EcoHitch when including the weight of the Saris rack along with bikes.
For a bike rack, we are using a Saris with mounts for four bikes, and I've been very pleased with the ease of use, durability, and safety. It has built-in cable locks. We've often carried four bikes without difficulty, though we're getting pretty close to the 200 pound rack limit for the EcoHitch when including the weight of the Saris rack along with bikes.
Cheburashka
Active Member
I had a 2017 pano-sunroof with the whispbar system that failed after about 10k miles on it with 4 bikes (I also had TWO tandem kayaks on it for 900ish miles). The amount of wind force is astounding and your range will be cut in half with the bikes on the highway and more than in half if you decide to go with 2 kayaks (but who would do that on a Tesla?!).
Honestly, it worked great until the mounting points rusted out. Several folks, including the tesla body repair shop said that if Tesla used such low quality steel that would rust that quickly, then it doesn't matter if you used any anti-corrosion materials or not, it would be bound to fail given the exposure to weather and the amount of force put on them. If you aren't using the OEM mounting points, you should be ok - but just be careful how you mount them and inspect them regularly. I've moved on to a Model X with a Thule Apex 5 hitch mounted system and no issues after 13k miles in 2020.
I'd recommend a hitch designed for contact with an aluminum frame and not using a tray. A tray with 4 bikes would put a huge amount of force/torque (insert engineering word) on the hitch due to sticking out so far horizontally. See the pics below on the difference between a pole mount and tray with 4 or 5 bikes.
My original post with the fail points (the oem mounting points on the roof - the aluminum bolts from Whispbar did not fail):
Car flex and losing a roof rack with bikes?
Honestly, it worked great until the mounting points rusted out. Several folks, including the tesla body repair shop said that if Tesla used such low quality steel that would rust that quickly, then it doesn't matter if you used any anti-corrosion materials or not, it would be bound to fail given the exposure to weather and the amount of force put on them. If you aren't using the OEM mounting points, you should be ok - but just be careful how you mount them and inspect them regularly. I've moved on to a Model X with a Thule Apex 5 hitch mounted system and no issues after 13k miles in 2020.
I'd recommend a hitch designed for contact with an aluminum frame and not using a tray. A tray with 4 bikes would put a huge amount of force/torque (insert engineering word) on the hitch due to sticking out so far horizontally. See the pics below on the difference between a pole mount and tray with 4 or 5 bikes.
My original post with the fail points (the oem mounting points on the roof - the aluminum bolts from Whispbar did not fail):
Car flex and losing a roof rack with bikes?
Attachments
cmarshack
Member
[QUOTE
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Is this yours? You really like to push things beyond the intended use...
22919F0A-A362-4407-98CB-6B0B63495753.jpeg
[/QUOTE]
Is this yours? You really like to push things beyond the intended use...
COS Blue
Member
cmarshack
Member
1UPUSA does not make a 5 bike carrier. Adding a 1 bike extension to a 4 bike carrier is beyond the intended use. "Increase bike capacity to 4 bikes max with additional Add-Ons" - 1UPUSA Webpage
COS Blue
Member
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