I always lock/secure the bike and the rack to the towbar. Theft being one reason, and the second is that if the worst happened and the bike/rack fell off, at least I would be dragging it behind the car, and not having it potentially hit any vehicle that might be following.
I would not be worried about the Overall weight on the towball. I think that caravans are expected to exert up to 60 to 100kg downwards if memory serves. A fully loaded ebike including battery would typically be 25 kg , and without battery 22 kg or less. Since ordinary bikes not racing bikes could be 15 to 18kg , there is not much difference. The racks are capable of handling 3 to 4 bikes, depending on brand, so 1 to 2 ebikes should be ok. The greatest load is the pressure on the clamp, and the Thule models look very robust. The internal railings and mounting structure is likewise sturdy.
Thule raceway 2 would be ideal. But I notice that it's only rated at 15kg per bike. My Haibike is 23kg, so around 20kg with battery removed. I guess I could trim more weight by removing the wheels.
No problem with weight. The Thule raceway comes in 2 / 3 bike mode. Hence it's designed to carry 2/3 normal weight bikes which equates to more than the weight of your bike battery removed.
I think we all agree, but as stated if someone can't afford this option or is reluctant to fit a towbar then what are the other options if any.
.. there is .. insert a sheet of plastic, lino or similar in the boot space, for protection of the carpet , remove the front wheel and insert the bike with the saddle inmost. Then should the unthinkable happen, the driver will not be impaled by the front forks. That pleasure will be reserved for the radiator of the colliding car..
The problem would be the nose weight most likely. You can get a list of allowable nose weights on the caravan club website, but for our last car, a large Citroen Grand Picasso, the limit was 60kg. That wouldn't cover three bikes plus the carrier itself. Some 4x4s do go much higher so depends on the car, but you might have to do two on the back, one on the roof.
It's not just the fact that it's hard metal tubing that's the issue. It's more the fact that the bike takes up all the spare space in the car with the front of bike pushed up close to the front seats. As such, in the event of an accident where I was badly rear ended the bike would have nowhere to go except forward, crushing the driver. No amount of pipe insulation is going to make it any safer!
. If the back of the car got such a wallop as to start moving the bike forward, it would collapse the wheels , against the steel frame of the seat. If the amount of rear ending was such that the back had chrushed 26 inches, cycling would the least of your concerns.
The front of the bike is pressed hard against the front seats. The front forks are at an angle and litterally pressing into my back. With the sort of forces involved in vehicle accidents the merest of forward movement and I'd be impailled, in such circumstances the seat frame such as it is would do nothing to save me. Even if the wheel did collapse, and I'm really not sure that it would, the flesh and bone in my back isn't tougher than a 27"+ MTB wheel!
