|
Well I got the tandem on Sunday, made a few adjustments and changes when we got home and then spent the next 2 hours giving rides around the neighborhood to my kids, my nephew, and my wife. It was a lot of fun... now the kids are asking me to get a triplet or a quad. Baby steps to the tandem, baby steps to the triplet, baby steps to the quad.
I ended up using three load bars and two single bike racks staggered front to back. It was not easy getting that sucker off the rack. (Had help getting it on). I'm considering building a swiveling fork mount rack out of 80/20 and a leftover Thule roof tray figuring I can make something for less than Thule or Yakima charge that is as good or better... plus the exercise of designing and building it will be fun (for me anyway... maybe not everyone's cup of tea).
Thinking of a 3"× 0.75" 80/20 channel for the base, the slots underneath for adjustable mounting hardware to the roof rack... similar to Thule with long washers in the slots and carriage bolts sticking down for wing nuts. That allows the rack to move easily between cars. The thule tray will get bolted to the top side with enough room under the tray for the wheel strap to slide back and forth from single to tandem length. Then a second 80/20 foot long piece on a swivel with a locking fork mount attached... similar to the Yakima tandem mount. Of course as soon as I spend my time designing it and buying materials one will pop up used for next to nothing so the sooner I start, the better. If someone here has a better idea, which I'm all ears, chime in as right now it's still very much in the "drawn on a napkin" phase.
|