[zed0077]

Hi all,

I know there's been many discussions in the past about a bike rack for the leaf but I find myself in a position where I'm heading to wales with family in a couple of weeks and then maybe to the Lake district mid August. Both of my kids want to take their bikes. I've never had a bike rack nor a tow bar on a car.
For some reason I'm not confident in having a bike rack on the Leaf and taking it on a long journey. Are there many people here that have a bike rack and taken a couple of bikes on a long journey?
I would have been more comfortable with a tow bar but I guess the cost is over £300 for both tow bar and bike rack

Any suggestions ?
Worst case scenario I'll have to leave the bikes at home

 

[DBMandrake]

Haven't tried it but I would imagine bikes above the roof would be horrific for added drag and loss of range on an EV, especially on the motorway.

Mounting behind the boot in the low pressure area in the slipstream would have far less effect on range, but isn't easy to do safely without a towbar mount of course.

If it were me I wouldn't be taking bikes on a bike rack on a short range EV on a long journey. A few miles to the park, yes.

 

[Hitstirrer]

Leave the bikes at home. They will get over it.

 

[Scorzon]

Didn't I read recently that you aren't allowed to fit a towbar.

Have seen a few with roof racks but I'm with Hitstirrer on this, Leaf the EV at home. Sorry.

 

[dk6780]

That sounds like an excuse for petrolheads to say that EVs are rubbish and incapable of being family cars.
All LEAFs can be fitted with towbars but they cannot tow - it can be used for a bike rack or you can use the hatch mount type.
Note that roof racks have a very low weight limit, 35kg on the Gen 1 & 2.
Most accidents happen in the first or last mile, so long distance isn't the issue.
Whether the cost of the kit is worth the kids enjoyment is for you to decide. Alternatively consider hiring once there.

 

[zed0077]

That sounds like an excuse for petrolheads to say that EVs are rubbish and incapable of being family cars.
All LEAFs can be fitted with towbars but they cannot tow - it can be used for a bike rack or you can use the hatch mount type.
Note that roof racks have a very low weight limit, 35kg on the Gen 1 & 2.
Most accidents happen in the first or last mile, so long distance isn't the issue.
Whether the cost of the kit is worth the kids enjoyment is for you to decide. Alternatively consider hiring once there.

I would prefer to get a tow bar fitted. Each time we'll go to places bike hire would cost around £100+ per visit

Would I need anything else in addition to this tow bar?

You are being redirected...

Never had a tow bar fitted in any of my cars in the last 19 years of driving. Are they straight forward to fit?

Also just having a look at this Thule bike carrier, would this do the job?

You are being redirected...

 

[dk6780]

Perfect combination unless you want ridiculously heavy ebikes.
To fit the towbar you need to drill the rear "chassis" outriggers with large drill bits - read the instructions first to check if your drill is up to the job.
The hardest part will be wiring the electrics - there's not a proper kit and it requires some splicing. A quick and cheap job for an autoelectrician if you don't fancy it.
Note that you also have to relocate the fog lamp.

 

[JohnMars]

Perfect combination unless you want ridiculously heavy ebikes.
To fit the towbar you need to drill the rear "chassis" outriggers with large drill bits - read the instructions first to check if your drill is up to the job.
The hardest part will be wiring the electrics - there's not a proper kit and it requires some splicing. A quick and cheap job for an autoelectrician if you don't fancy it.
Note that you also have to relocate the fog lamp.

My Vado 3 is ONLY 25kg!

 

[zed0077]

I think I'm going leave the bikes for now but will consider the tow bar option

 

[dk6780]

My Vado 3 is ONLY 25kg!

Which x 2 + the weight of the bike carrier is over the limit for the Brink towbar.

 

[Barfly]

Zed- Checkout this thread on here re-towbars: Tow bar on Leaf to carry bike
It is a very long thread now up to 7 pages started in 2017 with a few minor contributions by yours truly in the last few pages, but it will give you an idea of thoughts on towbars and the leaf.
Until my towbar arrives in a few days, I bought a Saris Bones 2 from Halfrauds. It is a bit of a pain to fit, restricts access to the boot and I somehow managed to crack the plastic on the left rear light cluster when closing it one day. I affixed felt tape to each of the door clamps so as to protect the paintwork. I also put a couple of old plastic number plates one on the glass to spread the load and one on the boot lip where the legs rest. See pictures


My e-bike started life as a 20kg Specialized road bike, by the time I fitted the crank-drive motor and battery it's up to almost 32kg. Luckily I made the battery removable. On the first journey I had with the bike onboard to the New Forest I spent more time looking in the rear-view mirror than at the road ahead! However, it has proved to be reliable and safe (so far). It is just a real pain to set up. I use masking tape to fix the clamps and number plates in position.
Cheers Tony.

 

[dk6780]

How legal would you say that is with your bike on it? I'd be worried that I'd need a lightboard with that which is then more complicated than "just" the Saris Bones. It may be different for the OP with smaller bikes.

 

[Barfly]

How legal would you say that is with your bike on it? I'd be worried that I'd need a lightboard with that which is then more complicated than "just" the Saris Bones. It may be different for the OP with smaller bikes.

The bike must not cover any of the rear lights or obscure the number plate. That is the legal position. Luckily the leaf's rear lights are high enough to make this a non issue. The number plate is slightly more problematic in my case, the front wheel can make it a bit difficult to see from the left rear of the car. Directly behind and from the right no problem. I haven't been picked up on it yet (fingers x'd). Since taking this picture I adjusted the bones arms to now raise the bike considerably so it is easier to see the number plate. This picture was taken from only a few feet away so I was looking down on the rack.