Roof rack for recumbent tandem
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ferndenpat
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 8 Apr 2012, 8:07am
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
Don't know about THULE. Our hydraulic one is a German make. If we can find the make and where we bought it, we'll let you know. You attach the tandem at ground level and then just give it a slight lift and the hydraulic system does the rest.
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
If anyone is interested I have one of these for sale. Little use and complete with roof rack fixings. Is 80 quid plus post reasonable?
https://www.tandems.co.uk/m10b0s21p55/BTS-Tandem-Lift
https://www.tandems.co.uk/m10b0s21p55/BTS-Tandem-Lift
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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ferndenpat
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 8 Apr 2012, 8:07am
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
We have found the details for our hydraulic lift tandem roof rack - it was the discontinued BTS one, which we bought from John St Cycles in Bridgewater. Not that this information is of any use now, as it is no longer sold! 
It is German manufactured.
It is German manufactured.-
thirdcrank
- Posts: 36778
- Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
ferndenpat wrote:We have found the details for our hydraulic lift tandem roof rack - it was the discontinued BTS one, which we bought from John St Cycles in Bridgewater. Not that this information is of any use now, as it is no longer sold!
I think it's good that you have posted with this info. Even if it's only knowing the right thing to google when trying to buy secondhand.
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
ferndenpat wrote:We have found the details for our hydraulic lift tandem roof rack - it was the discontinued BTS one, which we bought from John St Cycles in Bridgewater. Not that this information is of any use now, as it is no longer sold!
The one I have to sell is the BTS hydraulic.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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ferndenpat
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 8 Apr 2012, 8:07am
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
Finally got round to contacting Thule re a roof rack, but not yet had a reply. Also looked at Pendle website but they didn't have a roof rack specifically for a recumbent, and also their roof racks involved lifting the weight of the tandem.
Looked at the Circe Morpheus, but after much thought, decided to aim at the Hase Pino, as the Morpheus doesn't separate into two, for easier carriage. We are going over to London Recumbents in Dulwich tomorrow to try out the Pino for the 2nd time, and will take our current tandem roof rack with us, to see if we can use it to load the Recumbent. Will also take the roof rack that takes 2 solo bikes, and see if that might be suitable to carry the two halves. So lots of options open at the moment.
Looked at the Circe Morpheus, but after much thought, decided to aim at the Hase Pino, as the Morpheus doesn't separate into two, for easier carriage. We are going over to London Recumbents in Dulwich tomorrow to try out the Pino for the 2nd time, and will take our current tandem roof rack with us, to see if we can use it to load the Recumbent. Will also take the roof rack that takes 2 solo bikes, and see if that might be suitable to carry the two halves. So lots of options open at the moment.
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
Did you purchase a roof rack for your Pino?
We have a Pino and have used several difference methods of transport. On the roof we have used a Thule tandem rack, which was actually manufactured by ATOC and is the same as their tandem topper. The bike is attached to the rack using the front forks the front wheel has to be stowed elsewhere in the vehicle. It works well but if your vehicle is tall then it requires some extra effort to lift the bike up on top. We have carried the bike on the roof using a honda CR-V and a Buick sedan.
We also regularly carry our Pino using a Saris Freedom 2 rack with the optional recumbent bar. I don't know if Saris products are available in the UK (we're in the U.S.) and it is a rear mounted rack that attaches to a trailer/caravan mount. It is the most convenient to use due to its low height and it doesn't require removing the front wheel. Perhaps there are similar products available in Europe.
https://www.saris.com/product/freedom-2
Roof racks limit the ability to park in indoor parking areas and rear racks make me nervous about drivers behind. Several years ago I was hit in the back with a single bike on a rack and the bike was destroyed.
We also have a BTS hydraulic rack which was very expensive here and ours is for a single bike and not a tandem. It has seen little use in the 10 years we have owned it.
We often rent (hire) vehicles and I have become moderately proficient at disassembly and reassembly of the Pino. It is not as straightforward as Hase literature makes it out to be and the first few miles after reassembly have multiple stops to get everything adjusted to our preferences.
The Pino will fit inside our CR-V without complete disassembly. We also have a Honda Fit (jazz) and disassembly is required and there is only room for the driver and one passenger.
On a recent trip we disassembled the Pino and put the rear section in the boot and the front section in a rooftop cargo box. It was a large car and we had four adults and too much luggage but everything fit.
We like our Pino very much and hardly ride our single bikes any more. If you have any questions that we might be able to answer, feel free to send us a message. Hope you enjoy your new bike!
We have a Pino and have used several difference methods of transport. On the roof we have used a Thule tandem rack, which was actually manufactured by ATOC and is the same as their tandem topper. The bike is attached to the rack using the front forks the front wheel has to be stowed elsewhere in the vehicle. It works well but if your vehicle is tall then it requires some extra effort to lift the bike up on top. We have carried the bike on the roof using a honda CR-V and a Buick sedan.
We also regularly carry our Pino using a Saris Freedom 2 rack with the optional recumbent bar. I don't know if Saris products are available in the UK (we're in the U.S.) and it is a rear mounted rack that attaches to a trailer/caravan mount. It is the most convenient to use due to its low height and it doesn't require removing the front wheel. Perhaps there are similar products available in Europe.
https://www.saris.com/product/freedom-2
Roof racks limit the ability to park in indoor parking areas and rear racks make me nervous about drivers behind. Several years ago I was hit in the back with a single bike on a rack and the bike was destroyed.
We also have a BTS hydraulic rack which was very expensive here and ours is for a single bike and not a tandem. It has seen little use in the 10 years we have owned it.
We often rent (hire) vehicles and I have become moderately proficient at disassembly and reassembly of the Pino. It is not as straightforward as Hase literature makes it out to be and the first few miles after reassembly have multiple stops to get everything adjusted to our preferences.
The Pino will fit inside our CR-V without complete disassembly. We also have a Honda Fit (jazz) and disassembly is required and there is only room for the driver and one passenger.
On a recent trip we disassembled the Pino and put the rear section in the boot and the front section in a rooftop cargo box. It was a large car and we had four adults and too much luggage but everything fit.
We like our Pino very much and hardly ride our single bikes any more. If you have any questions that we might be able to answer, feel free to send us a message. Hope you enjoy your new bike!
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ferndenpat
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 8 Apr 2012, 8:07am
Re: Roof rack for recumbent tandem
It is kind of you to write at such length. No, we didn't purchase a roof rack for the Pino because in the end, after trying it out again, we decided the Pino wasn't for us. We didn't feel as comfortable with it as we had done when we tried it out last Nov. We have been up to Circe Cycles in Cambridge and tried out their Circe Helios, which is much easier for me to get on and off than our current tandem with a cross bar, so we decided that was the best option. We went ahead and ordered it, but haven't taken delivery yet as they are adapting a few things to make it even more comfortable for me. Very helpful people. This tandem goes as easily on our current hydraulically operated roof rack as our previous tandem did. We made sure by trying it out.