The History of Our Pendle Bike Racks (1989 to date)
In this gallery there are pictures from each of the stages in our 30-year long love affair with the Pendle Bike Rack. Keen travellers while still at work, for 25 years of our retirement we lived full-time in a series of three motorhomes, always accompanied by our bicycles. It was great to know that they were safe and secure and ready for use, wherever we were throughout the countries of Europe.
Prior to 1995 a Pendle rack on the car enabled us to take our bikes with us on a 15-country, summer holiday-long return journey to the Black Sea. Used to support local day and weekend rides, the rack was also often left with the car at an air or sea port in the UK while we cycled in European countries, North Africa and in 1992 across the USA.
1994 On retirement, the Pendle Bike Rack was fixed to our first motorhome made by Foster & Day on a second-hand Mercedes chassis.
1995 The Pendle Bike Rack was soon transferred to an American Four Winds motorhome which served us well for the first thirteen of twenty-five fulltime years on the road.
1997 In Corinth a trio of Greek workmen, well beyond their comfort zone, converted the rack to carry a 100cc Yamaha motorbike weighing some 100kg. The bicycles were elevated to a Fiamma rack posted to us by Brownhills of Newark and fitted across the back window of the motorhome.
2010 Changing to a Fleetwood Flair motorhome, we ordered a new bike rack from Pendle. It was fitted by Motorhome Medics in Cheltenham who overcame problems caused by quite different American electrics and hitches. The fully illustrated story of this fitting can be found here.
2014 We exchanged the Flair for a German-built Carado motorhome that had a place for the bikes inside its integral 'garage'.
2021 Growing weary of being locked down in England and with the motorhome in store, we were limited to local cycling. So we bought our third Pendle Bike rack which arrived 'flat-packed' and ready to be assembled on our car's freshly fitted tow bar. Now we are ready for the road again and we hope it will be soon ready for us.
Among much that has changed in 30 years, the Pendle bike rack has remained as good as ever: it is simply the best. Sturdy and strong, it has always done everything we have asked of it and that includes now alternating between Paul Hewitt touring bikes and a pair of e-bikes at 23 kg each!
(click on a photograph to enlarge it and progress through the collection)
Prior to 1995 a Pendle rack on the car enabled us to take our bikes with us on a 15-country, summer holiday-long return journey to the Black Sea. Used to support local day and weekend rides, the rack was also often left with the car at an air or sea port in the UK while we cycled in European countries, North Africa and in 1992 across the USA.
1994 On retirement, the Pendle Bike Rack was fixed to our first motorhome made by Foster & Day on a second-hand Mercedes chassis.
1995 The Pendle Bike Rack was soon transferred to an American Four Winds motorhome which served us well for the first thirteen of twenty-five fulltime years on the road.
1997 In Corinth a trio of Greek workmen, well beyond their comfort zone, converted the rack to carry a 100cc Yamaha motorbike weighing some 100kg. The bicycles were elevated to a Fiamma rack posted to us by Brownhills of Newark and fitted across the back window of the motorhome.
2010 Changing to a Fleetwood Flair motorhome, we ordered a new bike rack from Pendle. It was fitted by Motorhome Medics in Cheltenham who overcame problems caused by quite different American electrics and hitches. The fully illustrated story of this fitting can be found here.
2014 We exchanged the Flair for a German-built Carado motorhome that had a place for the bikes inside its integral 'garage'.
2021 Growing weary of being locked down in England and with the motorhome in store, we were limited to local cycling. So we bought our third Pendle Bike rack which arrived 'flat-packed' and ready to be assembled on our car's freshly fitted tow bar. Now we are ready for the road again and we hope it will be soon ready for us.
Among much that has changed in 30 years, the Pendle bike rack has remained as good as ever: it is simply the best. Sturdy and strong, it has always done everything we have asked of it and that includes now alternating between Paul Hewitt touring bikes and a pair of e-bikes at 23 kg each!
(click on a photograph to enlarge it and progress through the collection)
