6 tips for traveling with a bike rack on a motorhome

Flexibility and freedom like no other form of travel - this is what more and more people particularly appreciate about traveling with a motorhome or campervan. And if you want to get the maximum freedom out of your trip, pack your own bike or e-bike. There are a few things to bear in mind to ensure that your motorhome and bikes remain undamaged and that there are no conflicts with the law:

There are many different bike carrier systems that you can attach to your vehicle - provided it fits your vehicle and your individual transport requirements. With most bike carrier systems, it is advisable to let the professionals take the lead when fitting them. Usually Motorhomes  Nowadays, the rear wall of a car is reinforced as standard, which is a prerequisite for attaching a carrier using screws - however, these reinforcements are not visible from the outside. To avoid unsightly mistakes and possible damage to the vehicle, it is therefore advisable to have the installation carried out by a specialist who knows at which points the attachment is secure.

With Campervans installation is made more difficult for non-professionals by the fact that the carrier has to open with the rear doors. An exceptional bike carrier system, which can also be fitted and removed by non-professionals without any problems, is the Towbar carrier. Our service and workshop team will be happy to advise and support you at any time with any questions you may have about bicycle carrier systems.

Before you buy a bike rack, you should check how much weight it and your bikes will weigh together. All in all, the permissible total weight of your motorhome or camper van must not be exceeded by the additional load. Heavy e-bikes or a large number of bikes in particular can quickly affect the total weight. Therefore, add the weight of the bike rack and your bikes to the weight of your camping vehicle to be sure.

Good to know: Ahorn Camp motorhomes generally have a permissible total weight of 3.5 tons Air suspension optimizes steering and makes the motorhome less sensitive to crosswinds. The air suspension is also necessary for an increase in weight to 4 tons. If you want to take a little more luggage with you or already have a fairly high unladen weight due to extensive accessories, you can therefore consider increasing the weight to 4 tons. The rear wall of our motorhomes can withstand loads of up to 60 kilograms, while our campervans can carry 35 kilograms.

Also make sure that your bike carrier system can hold the weight of your bikes. Our bike carriers have a load capacity of 19 kilograms per rail, which must not be exceeded under any circumstances - regardless of the load capacity of the wall. A tip for e-bikesYou can remove the battery of your e-bike for the duration of the journey and stow it in the vehicle to reduce the load on the bike carrier.

It is also important to think in advance about how many bikes or e-bikes you want to transport, as bike racks usually have limited running rails.

To avoid coming into conflict with the law, you should always make sure that your license plate and brake lights are not obscured by your bike carrier. The least problematic are rear-mounted bike carriers, which are usually height-adjustable and can be adjusted accordingly. Towbar carriers are also usually already equipped with their own license plate holder and lights. However, if you choose a different system, it may be necessary to fit license plates and lights separately.

In some countries (such as the popular travel destinations of Spain and Italy), it is mandatory to affix a red and white warning sign in the prescribed size to any protruding parts that extend the vehicle beyond the length entered in the vehicle registration document. It is important to know that there is no uniform European warning sign, but that each country has its own: in Spain it has three red stripes, in Italy five. For you, this means that before you travel, it is essential to find out which country has which regulations and prepare the necessary signs as a precaution. This also applies if you are only planning to pass through the country in question.

Of course, you should adhere to the prescribed speed limits either way - with your bike in (outside) luggage, this is all the more important to avoid accidents. On the highway, it is recommended not to drive much faster than 100 km/h. In general, however, it is also advisable to take a short test drive with your bike carrier before your journey in order to assess how your carrier system behaves on bends and how you need to adapt your driving style to your extra luggage. This is particularly the case with towbar carriers.

Good to know: The bikes are not visible in the rear-view mirrors. So stop after the first few kilometers and check that everything is secure.

A quick trip to the supermarket or exploring the area on foot? So that you can enjoy every minute of your vacation in a relaxed manner, bicycle thieves should not be given a chance. We recommend making your bike carrier system and the bikes themselves theft-proof. For example, we offer lockable holding arms for this purpose.