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A bicycle-carrying device for motor-vehicles comprises a frame which is mounted on the rear part of a motor-vehicle and is provided with receptacles for supporting one or more bicycles in vertical planes parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor-vehicle, without hiding from view substantia

A bicycle-carrying device for motor-vehicles comprises a frame which is mounted on the rear part of a motor-vehicle and is provided with receptacles for supporting one or more bicycles in vertical planes parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor-vehicle, without hiding from view substantial portions of the rear plate and/or the rear lights of the motor-vehicle.

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1. A bicycle-carrying device for motor-vehicles, comprising a frame having a pair of laterally spaced apart upright frame members and a cross-member extending therebetween,means for mounting the frame on the rear portion of a motor-vehicle, andsupporting means carried by the frame and adapted for su

1. A bicycle-carrying device for motor-vehicles, comprising a frame having a pair of laterally spaced apart upright frame members and a cross-member extending therebetween,means for mounting the frame on the rear portion of a motor-vehicle, andsupporting means carried by the frame and adapted for supporting at least one bicycle, provided with both its wheels, in a vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor-vehicle so that each of the at least one bicycle defines an upper wheel and a lower wheel when the at least one bicycle is supported by the supporting means,wherein said means for mounting the frame on the rear portion of the motor-vehicle includes a plurality of feet carried by the frame and configured to rest on the rear portion of the motor-vehicle, wherein the plurality of feet includes a pair of adjustable feet, wherein each adjustable foot is movably mounted for movement along one of the upright frame members, and wherein the means for mounting the frame on the rear portion of the motor-vehicle further includes a plurality of hook members carried by strap elements which are connected to the frame, said hook members being for engaging portions of the body of the motor-vehicle, andwherein said supporting means includes at least one upper receptacle and at least one lower receptacle carried by said frame, wherein the upper and lower receptacles are configured to receive the two wheels of a bicycle respectively and are provided with means for clamping the bicycle wheels thereon, the at least one upper receptacle having a portion extending along at least a segment of an outer circumferential surface of the upper wheel of the respective bicycle to engage a downwardly facing portion of the outer circumferential surface of the upper wheel for supporting the bicycle at the upper wheel from below, and wherein at least one of the upper and lower receptacles is movably mounted for movement along one of the upright frame members, wherein the adjustable feet and the movable one of the upper and lower receptacles are separately mounted to and movable on the upright frame member to variable positions along the upright frame member independently of each other. 2. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 1, further comprising at least two pairs of receptacles, each pair comprising an upper receptacle and a lower receptacle, the upper and lower receptacles of the two pairs being aligned along two vertical longitudinal planes which are spaced apart from each other so as not to hide from view substantial portions of the rear plate and/or the rear lights of the motor-vehicle. 3. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-member of the frame defines a pair of ends, and wherein each pair of receptacles comprises an upper receptacle mounted adjacent to each end of said cross-member, and a lower receptacle mounted on each upright. 4. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein said feet include two upper feet carried by the cross-member and two lower feet respectively carried by said uprights. 5. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 4, wherein the adjustable feet comprise the two lower feet that are adjustable in position along the respective uprights. 6. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein said lower receptacles are adjustable in position along the respective uprights. 7. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein said lower receptacles are orientable around a transverse axis. 8. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein said cross-member is adjustable in length. 9. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein each upper receptacle is carried by the cross-member so that it can be oriented around the axis of the cross-member. 10. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein each upper receptacle comprises two separate elements whose mutual angular position around the axis of the cross-member is adjustable. 11. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein said hook members comprise at least two upper hooks carried by respective upper strap elements connected to the cross-member and at least two lower hooks carried by respective lower strap elements connected to the lower ends of the uprights. 12. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 11, wherein said hook members also comprise two side hooks carried by respective side strap elements connected to said cross-member or said uprights. 13. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 12, wherein each side hook has an aperture for passage of a side strap element having its ends connected to two portions of a respective upright which are spaced from each other. 14. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 12, wherein each side hook is connected to one end of a side strap element whose opposite end is connected to a respective upright. 15. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 13, wherein the two uprights are connected to each other by a transverse strap element, whose ends are connected to the two uprights substantially at the same positions at which the two side strap elements are connected. 16. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 3, wherein one or more of said strap elements are connected to the cross-member or one of said uprights by means of a buckle for tensioning the strap element, said buckle being connected to the respective cross-member or upright and being engaged by the strap element. 17. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 11, wherein said frame and said feet are shaped and arranged in such a way that in the mounted condition on the motor-vehicle said upper strap elements are out of any interference with a spoiler or other projecting part provided along the rear edge of the motor-vehicle roof. 18. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 17, wherein in the mounted condition on the motor-vehicle said upper strap elements extend substantially horizontally from the respective upper hooks. 19. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper and lower receptacles is adjustable in orientation relative to the frame independently from the other ones of the at least one of the upper and lower receptacles. 20. A bicycle-carrying device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-member defines first and second ends and the at least one upper receptacle includes a first upper receptacle mounted adjacent to the first end of the cross-member and a second upper receptacle mounted adjacent to the second end of the cross-member, wherein a first one of the upright frame members extends downwardly from the cross-member and supports a first lower receptacle and a second one of the upright frame members extends downwardly from the cross-member and supports a second lower receptacle, and wherein the cross-member defines an adjustable length and is configured so that a bicycle supported by the first upper and lower receptacles or the second upper and lower receptacles can be arranged in a plane not hiding from view a substantial portion of a rear plate and/or rear lights of the motor-vehicle. 21. A bicycle-carrying device for motor-vehicles, comprising: a frame for mounting to a motor-vehicle defining an upper end arranged relatively higher with respect to the motor-vehicle and a lower end arranged relatively lower with respect to the motor-vehicle, wherein the frame includes an upper cross-member and a pair of laterally spaced upright members interconnected with the upper cross-member;a pair of receptacles mounted to the frame that are aligned with each other along a vertical plane parallel to a longitudinal axis of the motor-vehicle to receive a pair of wheels of a bicycle to support the bicycle by the wheels with the bicycle in the vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor-vehicle so that the pair of wheels on the bicycle defines an upper wheel and a lower wheel when the bicycle is supported by the pair of receptacles, the pair of receptacles including an upper receptacle having a portion extending along at least a segment of an outer circumferential surface of the upper wheel of the bicycle to engage a downwardly facing portion of the outer circumferential surface of the upper wheel for supporting the bicycle at the upper wheel from below, and a lower receptacle aligned with the upper receptacle, wherein at least one of the receptacles is movable to varying positions along the length of one of the upright frame members; anda support arrangement carried by the frame for supporting the frame on the rear portion of the motor-vehicle, wherein the support arrangement comprises a plurality of feet including a pair of adjustable feet, wherein each adjustable foot is movably mounted for movement along one of the upright frame members, and wherein the adjustable feet and the movable one of the upper and lower receptacles are separately mounted to and movable on the upright frame member to variable positions along the upright frame member independently of each other.