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| The rack sits just above the back bumper. It is attached by brackets to the back wall of the Airstream. |
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| Each bike is seated in its' own cradle with heavy duty straps to secure the wheels. |
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| The rack allows access to the rear storage area. |
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| ...and to the bumper storage. |
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| These gizmos hold the frame of each bike. |
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| The bikes are seated on the rack. My accessory bag had to be hanged from the frame as it wouldn't fit in its' normal position behind the seat. |
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| The wheels secured to the cradles. |
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| The frame is held securely to the rack. |
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| Even with the bikes on you have access to the storage and bumper areas. But the access is somewhat difficult. |
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| A word of caution. This brace broke. You can see a stress fracture on the lower segment of the brace. |
PROs
It is easy to use.
The bikes are very secure on the rack.
It looks like it is part of the trailer.
There is still access to storage.
The rear awning can still be opened with the bikes in place.
CONs
Very expensive, about $625 installed.
One of the braces broke soon after purchase. I assume that this was a defect and that Airstream will replace this brace ASAP.
Hi Frank - thanks for the interesting post. Just curious - is the rack "permanently" installed, or is it something that is easily removed/stored when not needed?
ReplyDeleteI used to have one of these on an SOB. I really want one on my Euro Airstream, but of course the Airstream/Fiamma rack is US compatible only.
ReplyDeleteWith out far lighter noseweights (tongue weights) some argue that 30kg of cycle on the back is going to affect stability on the road, but my argument is that 30kg represents about 2% of the fully-laden weight of the trailer.
Anyway, will be curious to see how you get on and will keep nagging the Euro brigade!
Tim,
ReplyDeleteThis rack is "permanently" installed. There are 2 brackets that are screwed into the body of the Airstream and 2 into the back bumper, which I believe is an extension of the main frame. If you remove the bike rack you will have 8 holes in the body (which can easily by filled with the screws that hold the brace on.
Incidentally, Airstream sent me via UPS a replacement for the broken brace.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the problem is not the weight but the structural qualities of the lighter European Airstreams. The rack is attached to the body of the Airstream.
Frank