Hoping to retire in the next couple years and do a lot of traveling with an Aliner popup. We want to travel with 2 bikes (one for each of us).There is no way my Trek road bike or my Cannondale hybrid can go on -or in- the car or camper while towing the camper (I've already exhausted that investigation.)

So I am exploring folding bikes. I'd like to keep them both in the trailer while traveling and while in storage between camping trips.

Anyone here have experience with that?

I have been lurking on the folding bike forum, but it seems the majority of those riders are doing urban riding and carting their bikes on public transportation or up stairs in city apartments. My needs are not for urban riding or carrying on subways/buses/trains. I want ride paved surfaces but also rails to trails. And the only lifting will be to get it inside the camper, so my needs are different.

So long story short- wondering what advice I might get here on the more mature forum

I think you mean trailer... I have a solution for carrying two bikes on my truck and camper, but..

Have you looked at getting a double hitch receiver? It'll allow you to tow you A-liner and use a hitch mount bike rack.

Amazon.com: Dual 2" Hitch Bicycle Receiver Adapter Extender Extension 4000lb: Automotive

A double hitch is not an option because I need to keep the tongue weight on my tow vehicle down.

Consider hiring a welder to add a place to mount a bike rack onto the trailer frame on the back ,
if not the tongue.


not to dissuade you from a folding bike, I love my Brompton, and Bike Friday's Tikit is also a great folding bike .

But more common is buying low end .. Asia PRC/ROC cranks a lot of them out ..
DaHon & their copiers..

Bike rack on top of fold down camper?

Can't help with the bikes but maybe a bigger tow vehicle might make life easier. At least that's how a friend solved his capacity situation.

Enjoy your RVing.

Has anybody mentioned Ritchey Breakways or S&S couplers yet?

The Aliner is not going to have a lot of room when closed and that space is probably better used for camping stuff (chairs, etc.). A rack on the Aliner roof is a good solution for carrying while traveling and would allow you to choose the bike that best meets your anticipated riding instead of the one that fits into a tiny space.

Now let me take off my BF hat and put on my RV forum moderator hat. If you are so near max capacity that you are concerned about tongue weight, you probably should be rethinking your tow vehicle. Pushing a tow vehicle to the max is not fun and will not only lead to more stressful travel but will shorten the life of your tow vehicle. OK, moderator hat off.

???? RV Forum Mod..... cool. Maybe one I frequent???

I've never heard of either of those- had google to see what you meant. Intriquing options...

Hybrid Explorer. My off-duty-mod name is CACycling.

RE: Tongue weight limit - that is exactly why I am not interested in adding approx 75 or more pounds (25# rack and 2X 25#bikes) on a dual hitch…but I am below the tongue weight for the trailer as is today.

RE: Bikes on Aliner roof - from posts on the Aliner forum, that doesn't seem to be an option - in part due to the large bubble windows...

So far, I have plenty of storage room inside the Aliner - for items small enough to fit under the bed/sofa

I used to belong to a pop up trailer forum, and there were factory racks for some trailers, and many people installed their own - not too difficult. The roof is a sandwich of metal foam and wood, and can handle being drilled if you do it carefully.

I fear you may be right!

Unfortunately- I just bought a new car 9 months ago in anticipation of buying the Aliner.
At that time I did not know that it would not be feasible to mount the bikes on the Aliner

Thanks

Adding plating of some kind to distribute load over a greater surface area when dealing with body/roof mounts and double checking for any bumper restrictions for racks/hitches would be advisable.

There may be a bit of issue with his trailer guys. The ALiner is not the same as every pop-up, or "tent trailer". Apparently many are known for having frames and rear bumpers too weak to support a bike rack. It depends on specific year/model information. Also the roof is not like a regular pop-up roof.

A rack has been added by some owners, just googled for "aliner bike rack" - there is plenty of discussion by Aliner owners.

What about a roof rack on the tow vehicle for the bikes?

I know nothing of folding bikes, so I can't answer the OP question.

I'm well aware of A Liners, I've camped beside them, chatted up the owners. The frames aren't necessarily any better or worse than other popups, it depends on the model. But rear bumpers on many popups are not always attached to the more rigid frame members (the ones the axles attach to, so many people in the popup world caution against a rear bumper mounted rack.

The OP mentioned the skylight windows, that could be an issue.

Most trailers of this type have an A frame up front where the trailer meets the hitch. Often a propane container is mounted on that A frame. The best solution might be to take the propane cylinder and put it inside the trailer or tow vehicle and mount the bikes there. The A frame is attached to the bars of the frame that the axles attached to, so they are pretty strong.

Back to the folding bike idea, and I'd look at Bromptons for a quick, small fold and good comfort on the road. Bike Fridays have the comfort (and then some), but with the exception of the Tikit they don't fold that fast. Having said that, I've taken my Bike Friday (Pocket Rocket) on packed gravel with no problems. Two of them fitted quite nicely into the trunk of our rental car in BC last year, but it was a pretty big rental car. (The Friday does have a quick fold, but it creates a bike that's sort of clunky, while the Brommie folds much smaller).

How far do you plan to ride? What sort of roads/trails?

Typical ride while on camping trip would be approx 20 miles on paved surfaces or rails to trails.

I plan to leave the bikes in the trailer and only use them when camping- so don't want to spend too much $.

Having never been on one - need some place to start.
Based on the difference in ease of riding between my road bike and hybrid -- the road bike is so smooth and easy, but no fun on unpaved surfaces. The hybrid is heavier and just seems to requires more effort. Will a folder require even more effort than the hybrid?

It depends on the folder. My Dahon Jetstream is nearly equivalent to my fastest hybrid bike for comfort and speed. It is set up with skinny tires and is not so great on rough surfaces.

Folders can take up more space than you would think. I would be sure they actually fit where you plan to put them. Sometimes it is almost as easy to take wheels off of standard bikes and stash them away. We have an underbed area in our RV and my road bike is in there, front wheel off. It actually fits in there better than my folder when folded because the folder ends up too "high" to fit under the bed. Though, it would fit there unfolded.

There are so many options with folders. Ones that are more road bike like. Ones that are more mountain like. Ones that are heavy tanks with few speeds. Ones that are fairly light weight. Ones that fold easy. Ones that are a pita. There are enough choices that you should be able to find something that works for your type of riding. However, it might be pricey (folders cost more than standard bikes for what you get) and it may or may not fit in your designated space. I carry my folder in the car trunk when traveling. Easiest place to stash it.

My suggestion is a roof rack for your tow vehicle if you can't find an appropriate folder for your space. The downside is that the bikes are exposed to weather. No matter what, there are trade offs.

You need to figure how how small the bikes need to fold, and start from there -- maybe go back and ask your question in the folder forum, accepting that everyone will favor his/her bike a little. I only really know about the Bike Fridays, and I would have no hesitation about recommending mine -- I've ridden a century on it. But they are relatively expensive, although you can sometimes find second hand bikes on Craigs List or elsewhere.

Thank you for all that information and advice. Lots to think about and consider.

Yes- I having been looking on Craigslist. Have seen several "no name" brands on there and a Dahon once in a while. I will keep watching.

Good advice about deciding how small it needs to be when folded.
Thank you.