Van / MPV bike storage solutions – pictures please.

Found this old thread – http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/in-carvan-bike-racks

Have just bought a small van (Renault Kangoo) for bike transport and want to kit the back out with some sort of racking (will need to take the front wheels out). Have a few ideas and got some more from that thread, but after as many ideas as possible before I start buying/building.

What are the off-the-peg solutions around now? What have you bodged together yourself? If you have a self-build solution pictures would be most welcome.

Cheers.

Always fancied making one of these but I’ve found that just bungeeing the bikes to the side of the van works well enough.

You can get bikes with both wheels on in a Kangoo by rollng them in backwards with the rear wheel between the seat and the door pillar. Tie down with an bungie to stop them falling over or moving about and you’re good to go. Easy, and no faffage.

This is the back of my Berlingo that I kitted out for a Euro road trip. Basically it’s just a false floor with a pull out central section.
Dead simple really and increases the storage and adaptability quite a lot.

It was still a bit of a squeeze for 3 of us, 3 bikes and all our camping gear.

We experimented with various racking for the back of our Caddy. In the end decided they were best lent against the side and tied down. Blanket between them. Most secure and take up least space

racking just takes up room

5 bikes(2 large 20″ 29ers and 3 medium 26″) with just the front wheels off in my mk2 Peugeot partner is no issue – infact we did just that at the weekend to go to strathpuffer.

if you used a rack you would be unlikely to get three in.

3 bikes go right way up – 2 go upside down.

normally its just the 2 of us so as above 1 bike down each side with both wheels on -rear wheel between seat and b piller and a bungee cord at the front to stop it falling over

I got Pendle to make me two fake roof bars, so that I could attach two of their carriers, these replace the lashing points in the back of the van.

Contrary to the info in that link it didn’t cost an arm and a leg 😀

This is an arrangement that has worked really well in my S-Max

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2nd June 2013[/url] by -Cheesyfeet-[/url], on Flickr

double post

TBH I Can see merit in using one in car – carpet doesn’t an as easy as sweeping out my van 🙂

Plenty of food for thought there. Thanks.

Intrigued by the PVC pipe rack.

Cool to hear that a Kangoo will take a bike with both wheels, but not sure in my case – it’s an ex-British Gas van and has a weird semi-bulkhead fitted that I think would stop the wheels going between the seat and the B pillar. Picking it up tomorrow so will have a play around once I’ve stripped all the racking out that’s currently bolted int to it.

Any more ideas?

Remove bulkhead. Likely only a couple of bolts and will just get on yer tits.

Ive got a ladder bulkhead behind my seat to stop unsecured items twatting me in the head if braking hard but having seen aftermath of a crash where the stuff came forwards i tend to make sure everythings secured down now.

Not overly fussed about maximising space, so removed all the racking and screwed a couple of cheap Halfords roof carriers to the floor. Will probably also screw in a couple of axle clamps for the forks. Probably also going to add a few tethering loops for bungeeing loose stuff down.

Might knock together a removable false floor to give a flat bed for non-bike cargos.

Before.

After.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hJ2RUnpI_oU/UuVMflvU0iI/AAAAAAAATuo/I4zBkS7FDmg/s1600/%25255BUNSET%25255D.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

Just chuck em in… 🙂

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IMAG1101[/url] by pten2106[/url], on Flickr

This is my SMax solution. The bikes attach to an extruded aluminium rail bolted to the back of the middle row of seats and attach via T-bolts (the same a roof rack ones) to a quick release fork attachment. Works great. There is no reason why you couldn’t improvise a similar thing in the back of a van or other car. You could take the bar off a roof rack for example and cut it to length, attach it to the floor and use the same quick release adapter.

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IMG_0303[/url] by wobbliscott[/url], on Flickr

This is what it looks like….

http://www.caraccessoriesplus.co.uk/product/ford-s-max-bike-carrier-interior.html

I go for the chuck ’em in approach, strapped or bungeed to something secure.

Out of interest colournoise – can you get the bike in with both wheels on?

Been looking at small vans for bike stuff but would like to be able to just chuck the bike in, tether it down and drive off or I will keep chucking it in the car with the front wheel off.

Would doubt it with that bulkhead.

Without the bulkhead you can get 3 in without removing wheels

Yeah. With the bulkhead a wheel needs to come off.

Dispatch Combi swb.

Loads of height was wasted above the bikes, so made a phenolic plywood shelf (part of an old van floor liner) 2/3 the depth of the “boot” (with supporting steel tube underneath). Shelf height so my saddle just clears the roof.

Paranoid about handlebars smashing side windows, so bought a single Fiamma bike rack rail and wheel supports. Cut in half to hold just back wheels (plus rubber ball on end of bars).

Kids are much older now, so can just squeeze 4 full size bikes on the shelf. All camping gear, bags etc underneath and behind shelf. Been to Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden Denmark etc so has been worth the effort.

Made the bulkhead myself as wanted kids and luggage separated.

Everything bolts to existing mounts (already there for 9 seat variant) so my insurance company was happy it wasn’t a permanent modification.

Extra bolt in tie down loops from ebay (Transit ones I think)

I think the most we’ve carried is 6 bikes and 6 adults plus luggage for a weekend tour 🙂

Mike – that is what I plan when we finally kill the Touran and buy a van car thing…

How do folk organise bikes & rest of kit so it doesn’t end up in a massive muddy guddle? Getting a transporter Kombi, & was wondering about spliting the space holizontally. Either by putting a false floor in with hatches, bikes above, or a ‘shelf’, with bikes under – front wheel off. Anyone done anything similar?

Oh, and see my first post here for more ideas I want to play with
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/5-bikes-across-van-with-underfloor-storage

Oooh like those!

Hi Matt – We’ve been running a small van of one type or another for 20 years, and with kids for the last 11 yrs. From your other posts I know we do similar stuff with kids (i.e. proper family mtb). All I can say is JUST GET A VAN 🙂 . Once your Mrs gets used to reversing off mirrors she might even prefer it.

We changed the layout of the old vans about a bit to suit needs. With the Dispatch (running it since 2008) I decided to do it just once and do it properly – so spent a long time getting sizes right to maximise storage etc. We almost went for a Renault / Vauxhall crew van with built in bulkhead.

The Vauxhall style crew van and bulkhead conversion is available for lots of vehicles http://doublecabin.co.uk/ – it was about £2k last time I enquired (expensive but worth it from a safety point of view – especially if you are keeping the van for a long time). I’d keep any shelf simple and easy to clean (not fully boxed in). I also found a firm that does a spray on plastic loadliner coating if that appeals. Industrial non-slip vinyl is also good (like bus flooring).

Kitebikeski – Rubber floor helps a lot (one reason we didn’t go for a Caddy Life). Gear, food etc goes in plastic boxes. On holiday, clean clothes in cheapie Gelert versions of North Face vinyl duffel bags. Dirty shoes etc go on the bike shelf in Ikea bags or 100% waterproof roll top bags from Aldi. Waterproofs, muddy camelbacks etc draped on bikes.

Looking forward to the van arriving – after mulling it over for too long. Anyone know – do bikes fit in behind seats in VW SWB combi front to back, with front wheels off?

Mick r – I just got the rubber load liner from VW in my MaxiLife
£100 and a couple of hrs fitting it in properly under everything rather than laying over as the instructions show.
Tempted to mod a carrier to take the bike but it goes in so easily anyway I am in two minds as to whether it’s worth it.
Tbh – I can’t be arsed taking the front wheel off, etc

Kitebikeski to answer your question yes, only one that needs to go slightly on the wonk is my cotic xl 29er.

Great cheers. Just want the thing to arrive – mr vw seems kinda busy at the mo!