Hitch Rack for Electra Townie Commuters

[olderbiker]

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can help me with the purchase of a hitch type bike rack for our two Townie Commuters. As you know Townies are a bit longer wheel base, Commuters have fenders on both wheels and the flat foot design results in sloping frames.

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[bab2000]

For a hitch rack, a platform type is likely your best option for the Townies.

I saw a man loading his four bikes on to a Thule at LBS a few weeks ago and was impressed by the ease of the load and secure for his variety of bikes, including wife's Townie. http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=990

He added an extension for bikes three and four. If only two required, then the setup is comparable in price to other like designs.

I have a Thule 914, because of the design allowing the single unit to fit either a 2" or 1-1/4" receiver. And it is worth considering for this newer platform style rack.

I am certain there other makes available, all the best.

[HauntedMyst]

I'm not sure you need a special rack for the Townie. I just use my Allen 4 bike and Saris Bones as I would with any other bike and strap te bike in on the top bar. Sure it makes the rear sit higher but its stable.

[olderbiker]

Thanks to all - I'm still trying out various model (Thule, Xport, Yakima,etc) but haven't select one yet. Let you know what works for us.

[sunflowerflyer]

You can buy custom racks for the townie's direct from Electra. My wife has one on her 700c Townie, but we haven't used it enough to give a real opinion. Seems solid enough.

[Bobd20011]

I just purchased a sportrack hitch rack from etrailer for my two townies. I will let you know how it works. It should arrive on Monday.

[Bobd20011]

I just used the Sportrack to transport my wife's Townie 21 and a men's Townie 21 up to Tahoe on Saturday. It worked flawlessly. The bikes do not touch each other and they are held securely in place. I highly recommend this rack to townie owners. This is my first bike rack ever, so I was a little nervous, but it worked like a charm.

[ff72lamb]

I have delivered townies and other bikes with a long wheelbase. I use the Saris Cycle-On ( http://www.saris.com/p-303-cycleon.aspx ) and have no problems at all. It is a bit pricey but is also very secure & stout.

[electrafreak]

My wife and I both have Townie 21s -- I have the "normal" one, and she the female model. The female model has a slightly shorter wheelbase.

They have been something of a pain to transport due to the frame geometry, as I have a cheap old trunk rack.

However, I have been able to use the Saris Bike Beam (http://www.saris.com/p-170-bike-beam.aspx) to transport them sucessfully.

It requires using the beam in a slightly unorthodox way. I put it on normally, but when i load the bike, I put one of the rack arms under the Bike Beam, and the other under the bike's frames - which results in the bike being fairly level on the rack.