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Eclipse Bike rack
Our Eclipse Bike-rack - an Omni-bike Plus from Brutsaert (Omnistor)
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This is the
bike-rack we fitted to our previous Elddis Eclipse coachbuilt motorhome. I fitted it low down
on the rear bodywork so that the rear window can be opened slightly with
the bikes in place. It is necessary to rotate the handlebars of the
inner bike a small amount to clear the rear window. I leave the handlebar
clampbolt slack (as a possible anti-theft device if someone was to remove
the bike and attempt to ride off!). We also lock the bikes to the rack with
a D-lock and a separate long cable lock threaded through the frames,
wheels and saddles. I moved the outer bike rail inwards as there are
another set of mounting holes and it can take three bikes but they would
be very close together. It was quite an exercise to arrange the bikes on
the rack. The top support rail is adjustable and I purchased an
intermediate length clamp for the outer bike instead of the long one they
supplied. I chose this rack rather than the Fiamma one because it had to
clear the spare wheel mounted on the rear when folded. |
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top mounting bracket
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The top two brackets are
tophat shaped and the rack is hooked onto these with a swinging action so
it locks firmly. The supplied 5mm bolts have been replaced with plated 6mm
high-tensile socket head capscrews. The makers claim the tubing and
fittings are made from aircraft grade aluminium alloy.
The internal mounting plates supplied are
the same size as those visible on the outside. I used aluminium spacer tubes for
the bolts to prevent the bodywork from crushing. These tubes must be
precisely the right length. Inside the motorhome, which has a rear lounge,
I fitted a panel of 10mm exterior plywood about 45cm high across the
complete width of the body. This is covered by the existing fabric trim
panel. This panel stiffens the rear of the bodywork and spreads the load over
a larger area.
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lower mounting bracket
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This is the lower mounting for
our bike-rack which is rated at 50Kg but I would not like to put more than
two adult bikes on it (ours weigh about 35Kg total). In the picture the 6mm
bolts with nyloc nuts haven't been tightened, showing a small gap which
tensions the rack mountings when fully fitted. I've drilled an extra hole
for the padlock. The L shaped bottom support has two bolts passing through
the bodywork. I used normal non-setting caravan sealant spread over the
support plates when assembling. The supplied plastic covers for the top
mounts when the rack is not fitted don't clip on very firmly and are now
lost somewhere!
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