New member

[brosewell]

I have a T6 Cali Ocean which I love except for the bike rack. I'm a single woman and I cannot easily lift even an ordinary bike onto the rack, let alone my e-bike (without the battery). Even two guys helping when I moved house found it hard. Any ideas welcome on this one.
Bridget

 

[Karlos]

Bridget, they are high and i always thought it was a bit of struggle but found the best way was squat and pick the bike up by the frame and lift straight up, if I was to buy another I would opt for a tow bar mounted carrier

Cheers
K

 

[B J G]

Only solution is a towbar mounted one, a ramp can be found on some to simply wheel a bike on.

Negative is the very low tailgate restricting clearance to open when a bike is carried. 3 bike versions needed to tilt far enough away from the tailgate.
If you don't need tailgate access whilst the bike is being carried then a cheaper 2 bike carrier/rack can be used.
All a compromise.

Some reading

Thule Cycle Racks Explained Which is Best? – e-bikeshop.co.uk

A brief review of the Thule tow bar/tow ball range and explain what sets each E-Bike car rack apart. Focused on electric bikes but useful to all cyclists as a guide

www.e-bikeshop.co.uk

 

[Sad]

Towbar mounted rack here

 

[Graham T]

 

[Baldrick]

Welcome!
Plus one for the tow bar mounted rack. We have a MaxxRaxx which also lays down out of the way of the tailgate. Their website has short video demos. This was recommended by the main dealer rather than the factory fitted one. This would take most of the weight out of lifting as well as accessing the boot etc.
Hope you can try a few likely options before you buy

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

I have a T6 Cali Ocean which I love except for the bike rack. I'm a single woman and I cannot easily lift even an ordinary bike onto the rack, let alone my e-bike (without the battery). Even two guys helping when I moved house found it hard. Any ideas welcome on this one.
Bridget

Hi @brosewell We’ve got a Thule Velospace XT3 towbar mounted bike rack. Out of the box it can accommodate 3 bikes but a 4th rail can be added. It folds down far enough to allow the tailgate to open and also our slide out rear tray to fully extend. It’s quite heavy to put on/take off the van but I can manage it on my own. Good solid rack.

We bought it from Halfords who were offering 20% off if you bought a bike. So we bought a kids ‘balance bike’ for £20 and received over £100 off the price of the rack . Gave the balance bike away. Not sure if they’re still doing that deal?