Recumbent - Badger vertical bike rack?

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View Full Version : Badger vertical bike rack?


Dan Smith
05-16-05, 07:47 AM
I have an Easyracers EZ-1 which is a fairly long, quite heavy "recumbent" with a seat and seatback that are about 18 inches wide. I'm trying to figure out how to carry the thing on my new Toyota Prius. I learned the hard way on my last car that I am not strong enough to lift the thing car-roof high, and it's a struggle even with two people.

Toyota doesn't want people towing with the Prius and there's no official hitch receiver, but an outfit called Coastaletech sells one that they swear bolts into existing holes.

I'm thinking very seriously of installing one and using the Badger vertical bike rack: http://www.badgerrack.com/vertical.htm, probably the tilt-mount.

Has anyone had any experience with these things?

Does anyone understand what's different between the "tandem" and "recumbent" models? (Yes, I'm going to call them... they don't have an email address and it's too early to call California right now!)

Could you look at picture of the EZ-1, http://www.easyracers.com/ez_1_sc.htm and tell me whether there are any obvious problems with carrying that thing on the Badger rack?

Ditto the Giant Revive DX, http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?range=206 I have one on order; not really a recumbent, and it's smaller and less of a problem than the EZ-1 but it's still a little awkward for traditional bike racks.


aikigreg
05-16-05, 08:41 AM
Before I got bent, the prius was going to be my next car :) Now it's gotta be something else.

Dr. Moto
05-16-05, 09:03 AM
Yakima's got a cool new rack system that has a pantograph mechanism so the entire rack comes down to around chest height for loading, then slides back up on the roof. I saw it in a Yakima brochure at the LBS ... unfortunately I couldn't find reference to it on their website.


sch
05-22-05, 10:43 PM
Looks like the tandem grabs the frame in the vicinity of the BB for the stoker and lets the rear wheel
hang off the back in the air where the recumbent carrier puts the the rear wheel in a V trough and straps the wheel in the trough. Both carriers require the front wheel to be removed and the fork dropouts are clamped. Since bents have enormous variance in wheel base the carrier is adjustable in length. Tandems have a much smaller range of variance between the front fork and stoker BB. For the method of BB clamping see "Loading a Bike" on the Badger web site. Both the bikes you mention (EZ1/Revive) would have to use the recumbent rack. Neither has the BB where a BB clamp would fit. Putting a bike on a vertical carrier might require some dexterity unless the carrier slides off the holder, you would still have to pick up bike+carrier and slide it on the holder.
Steve