[Closed] The new bike Transporter...finished!

Now that is a VAN! Fab work, did you kit it out yourself?

nice, you do it yourself?

I am thinking about getting a Van as I have just landed a new job so have some cash spare, so do you have any tips?

Very nice. And you are going to let muddy bikers in the back of that?

i have seen kits somewhere for kitting out vans

Very nice- what insurance company are you with? Im still thinking of kitting out a Toyota Hi Ace.

Sadly I can't claim fame to kitting it out myself but its my design and ideas. Company in Manchester did it called Premier Creations.

Bikes will be going on a towbar rack on the back. Only concern is when I stop at night and the security of them.

Insurance I am with Adrian Flux, got a fantastic quote and was actually cheaper than the car I just sold.

I WANT ONE! really nice job

do you mind me asking, how much you paid? as I am trying to work out if getting a transporter and it converted is in my price range (12k mark)

Nice!

I'm slowly going off the idea of having one but when I see cracking examples like that it makes start to to think again. Must resist though.

sorry to ask but hey what can you do 😉 whats the sort of 'ball park' figure for one of those?

Makes my little Kangoo van look a bit naff 🙁

Your van looks fantastic though, you must be over the moon 🙂

Is the door in the rear quarter for storage?

I think a basic conversion including the bed can be done from around 2k, but I specced mine up a little with some different finishings, better bed with memory foam, speakers, extra plugs, a wet locker in the rear for wet mountain bike kit etc, SMEV hob and sink units and an awning rail on the outside.

It's literally a case of how much do you want to spend, but the rock n roll bed is the biggest expenditure out of the final bill. If anyone is around Manchester and wants to take a look, feel free to ask.

It looks very nice, but surely the whole point of getting a van specifically for biking is to put the bikes IN the van, not hung off the back for some dozey twonk to smack in to at the lights, otherwise isn't it just a fancy MPV?.... (or am I missing something?)

is that your house? 😯

cookeaa....the idea is to disappear into the middle of nowhere, camp up, have a decent bed, full cooking facilities and be on the doorstep for some fantastic riding!

wors, thats next doors house, ours is pretty much the same but I built a double garage/shed for my bikes with a workbench in.

I want one - what can I get for £6500

Whats wrong with sleeping in a tent or in the car and cooking your food on a fire. Wheres has peoples sense of adventure gone? Will it be mostly found parked in llangdegla car park?

Nice van though, good effort

It will be found mostly in areas of the Cairngorms, Wales and the Alps as well as a few surfing and kiteboarding trips to Cornwall!

With my back, I need a decent bed!

carbon337, you'll be able to get a van for however much and just spend the rest on a cool interior!

carbon 337 - £6k will get you a nice basic t5 van to convert in the future.

Whats wrong with sleeping in a tent or in the car and cooking your food on a fire. Wheres has peoples sense of adventure gone?

depends on if you want to be tied to campsites or not really.

Also after doing a few 2 week camping holidays in the UK/abroad the ability to chase the sun without having to try and dry your tent everyday would be a godsend

I want one - what can I get for £6500

carbon 337 - £6k will get you a nice basic t5 van to convert in the future.

Equally, buy any other brand of van that's not endorsed by the NAZI party and its £1k-£2k less. That's my plan I reckon, buying a van for £4k ish and doing a basic conversion, probably put the bed at the front end so the bikes can live in the kitchen end at the back.

Lol, a Nazi brand rescued by the British Army remember!

Just trying to weigh up the pros and cons of swapping my Zafira sri - which has plenty of power and can sit loads when required (but rarely). Bike goes inside upright.

We are planning a family so not sure if we will be camping for long with baby on way.

Also need somehwere for a dog cage.

Maybe a self design/install might be better.

Whats wrong with sleeping in a tent or in the car and cooking your food on a fire. Wheres has peoples sense of adventure gone?

Nowhere, but if you've never experienced the joy of mountainbiking from a motorhome/campervan then you wont see quite how good it is.

Chuck bike on very sturdy and easy to use permanently fixed bike rack. (no boot and wobbly fittings to contend with).

Get in, 1 person drives, others cook/eat bacon butties (this may or may not be legal.....)

Get change indoors in the warmth.

Fiddle with bikes (you've got space to carry and entire toolkit and selection of spares).

Ride.

Get back, have a hot shower, cup of tea, more bacon.

Hitch bikes up.

Drive home, whilst the passengers sit around the table drinking the post ride beers.

Tents and estate cars are both good, but camervans are just immense!

carbon337 - best idea is to get a floor plan of a van, and come up with some ideas. I have the short wheel base version, but a long wheel base might suit your needs better. Having a little one shouldn't put you off, I have been camping since I was 6 months old and I am now 25. See so many places its awesome.

thisisnotaspoon - do you work in advertising? 😛

thisisnotaspoon - do you work in advertising?

No, but he young and full of vim. That and about half a ton of sugar if my limited experience of his post-ride diet is anything to go by 😉

spkye - think i would just rear mount any bikes so i can keep a swb for everyday use - need to park it at a train station a few days a week.

If you have any handy links can you email them to me - in profile? ta.

What sort of links you after carbon?

Where are you based?

Nice. Looks proper if you get my drift. Not like some home made jobs.

so how are people transporting there dogs in these things? a cage or a seatbelt contraption?

Newcastle - links for flooring/wood/seats. Any tips on diy installs - gas - electrics.

Just anything you may have picked up whilst doing yours.

Nice Van mate

Got to be loads better than camping i.e having to fill your car up with loads of gear and pitching your tent in driving wind and rain 😉

I'd have one in a flash if i could afford it.

Seems like there's a few jealous people out there!! 🙂

No, but he young and full of vim. That and about half a ton of sugar if my limited experience of his post-ride diet is anything to go by

not today, just getting over the last of a bout of flu, got the bike back down from my parents loft so might be out for a ride again sometime soon.

spoon's post ride diet:

2x friji milkshakes (BOGOF so it'd be rude not to)
12x penguins (99p, again it would be rude not to)

I eventually made it back to Reading and went on that Date, she turned out to be a bike hating horesy type, very disappointing, still got a poke though.

carbon, just sent an e-mail to you.

The van has kind of been a dream of mine since I was 8 and got the chance to do it due to some inheritance. Not the circumstances I would have liked but I know my grandma will be looking down pleased with what I have done 🙂

spyke85,

i am doing one identical to your van DIY style, got it lined out insulated and with the riemo pop top roof.

Can i ask where ya got the seat bed? and i see it has seat belts fitted.
Is that a crash tested and DVLA approved passenger carrying seat., as i have been told only the RIB system is legal and thats £2500 😯

Looks very nice mind...

transit with a mattress and camping stove would do me. looks nice though!

Looking at that again and the seat/floor fitting it could be one of cannons forge beds.. http://www.cannonsforge.co.uk/

Looks nice.

Don't think it'll stay that white inside for long though. 😕

Nice van!

Can i suggest something from here?

http://www.townandcountrycovers.com/

I'd love a camper but also love my kombi just the way it is, most of the time i just chuck all my filthy kit in the back. Roughing it with a sleeping bag in the back if camping is required is fine.

Someone has parked a lovely t4 conversion with a pop top outside my house to make me jealous.

Seats aren't actually crash tested - they are put through a static seat belt anchorage pull test.

Camper vans are still a bit of a grey area but lots of new regs are being put in place at the moment which will make things trickier for small converters / diy / dodgy rock roll beds. If you want to be 100% safe in that van then the seat should be type approved to M1 standard (highest passenger car loads).

This alone does not make it safe - the installation also matters. If fitted to a brand new unregistered vehicle, then one sample should have been pull tested and type approved in a bodyshell (which scraps both the seat and the shell). I think camper vans currently escape this as a legal requirement (but not for much longer - and most major manufacturers test anyway to show due dilligence).

If it is fitted to an already registered vehicle, then it does not need testing but should be installed with the intention of being able to pass the test (e.g. it needs more than a few bolts and washers through the floorpan.....)

Reimo's seat is approved but also uses the body structure for the upper anchorage. The RIB seat looks good, and Scotseats do an M1 approved bed seat (the test cert on the website was signed by the guy sitting next to me...)

http://www.scotseats.co.uk/bedseats2.htm

We gave up on camper vans after having kids (wanting to strap something precious in the back). Now got a new tent and Dispatch Combi (factory fitted M1 seats but no bed) with a grille and extra bike lashing points to keep kids and bikes safely apart!

Looks very nice. Similar to the vans my mate converts. I have just bought a Smev two ring hob for my van conversion. Need a sink and fridge then I can start builidng it.
Its a LWB Renault Master that I paid £1600 for with 72k on the clock. Should have enough room for a small workshop/garage with bed over, another double and small kitchen area. No room for a loo/shower though 😐

Nagsnog, it is indeed a Cannons Forge bed.

As for security, I'd run a heavy duty motorbike chain throught the frames, a heavy duty cable through the wheels, and also lock the bikes together with d locks. whilst they are mounted. I'd feed the motorbike lock through the towing lug of the chassis.

The new bike Transporter

I'd personally refer to that as the shag wagon unless your married 😉

Take a friend with you and go pullin birds
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