Ski Bike Rack

This registered German utility model (Gebrauchsmuster) covers a bicycle baggage carrier built to carry skis, snowboards, and poles without wrecking handling. The official title is Gepäckträger für ein Fahrrad sowie Fahrrad mit einem solchen Gepäckträger — baggage carrier for a bicycle, and a bicycle with such a carrier.

Utility Model Snapshot

Classified under B62J 7/02, 7/04, and 7/08. The application was filed on 14 May 2024, entered in the register on 23 May 2024, and published in the Patentblatt on 4 July 2024 (file number 20 2024 102 461.3). Registered holder: Daniel Ensminger, Scharbeutz, DE.

A Gebrauchsmuster is an unexamined registered right. Registration confirms that the filing met the formal requirements; it is not a patent grant or an examination of novelty, inventive step, or legal validity.

The Problem

Carrying elongated winter gear on a bike creates tradeoffs in common improvised setups:

• Crossbar hold — skis or a board across the frame can affect balance and handling.
• Lengthwise mounting — gear running along the bike can obstruct pedaling or steering.
• Improvised straps — generic fixing points may not keep poles, edges, and a ski set aligned.

I wanted a carrier that keeps the bike rideable while the full ski set travels with you.

The Solution

The utility model describes a baggage carrier with a support structure and side holding devices that secure elongated gear beside the rear wheel — preferably vertical or cross-vertical — so the load stays clear of the pedals and bars.

A dual-side layout balances a ski set left and right of the wheel. Holders are modular and swappable. Shaft-like receptacles drop the gear’s center of gravity low in the frame, with fixing means to keep everything locked in for the ride.

Design Ideas

What the registered claims describe, in practice:

• Side-of-wheel mounting — elongated gear rides beside the rear wheel, not across the cockpit.
• Ski-set balance — dual-side mounting so left and right loads cancel out instead of leaning the bike.
• Modular holders — swappable receptacles for different gear shapes and seasons.
• Deep shaft receptacles — shaft-like pockets that seat poles and ski tails low for a stable center of gravity.
• Positive fixing — dedicated fixing means so the load stays put on rough paths, not just “wedged in.”

From Registration to Product

I developed the filing into a physical product concept and public project site. See photos, features, and current development information at skirack.x70.one.

Engineering & Manufacturing

Before registration and the project site, the design went through structural load checks and ABS injection-molding analysis — fill time, pack density, and tooling layout for the modular holders.

The published Gebrauchsmusterschrift, including the specification, drawings, and registered claims, is available below.