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A hoy hoy
Friend is toying with the idea of making a bike rack for the inside of vans or for the garage/cella etc to sell on-line. He's made up a prototype (has a LWB Transporter) and ideally would like some people in Yorkshire to take it for a some R&D and report back.
Just an idea at present so you'd need to collect from Halifax if of interest.
Photos of it below. PM me your details and I'll pass them on.
[img][url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3950/15414131457_37f5f89a0a_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3950/15414131457_37f5f89a0a_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pu6sgc ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/126516346@N08/ ]sandwicheater1[/url], on Flickr[/img]
[img][url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15576453886_963d84af50_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15576453886_963d84af50_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pJrp4L ]image[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/126516346@N08/ ]sandwicheater1[/url], on Flickr[/img]
missing a trick .... would be very easy to make that easy to fold flat and make it unfold/lock into place simply by picking it up.
that would make it a welcome addition to my van. as it is i wouldnt put it in my van.
He's planning on having it collapse/fold up. At the moment he wants to know about durability, spacing for bikes (at the moment it will take 6 at a push, may be better off having space for just 5 comfortably) etc.
Glad to know you would at least consider it TR.
OP, yes 5 spaces might be better - you could carry 1 or 2 or 3 easily that way and it could be a little narrower overall. I am thinking about bodging something and I would need it to be at an angle as vehicle not long enough for them to go in straight.
Having done something similar with a pallet, it might be better at more of a 45 degree angle (or concave to clear mechs/discs) as this will provide wheel support higher up and reduce wobble.
Perhaps 4 or 5 slots for mtbs with 3 narrow road tyre slots in between? Thats how my pallet is set up, three widths alternating to allow flexibility.
Great idea about the thinner road wheel slots, cheers spooky, I'll pass that on.
How is he solving the bar clash problem?
I found with anything I made to store bikes like that there was no way to get two side by side the same way around. Even top'n'tail they still clash with the bike two slots over!
Damn these wide bars!
Dave
How is he solving the bar clash problem?
Uurrrmmm, magic? Yes, definitely magic.
I'll pick his brains. I get the issue though, wide bars cause the issue. Perhaps have a small friend, a tall friend and a couple of in-between friends so cockpits are different heights.
@jambalaya - as I said, that still won't solve it, look at the width of the bars in the picture, they reach all the way to the 3rd slot, so a bike in the 3rd slot is going to want to have its bars in exactly the same place.
Nice idea, but it's going to suffer from the same problem as every other rack of its kind. I reckon you'll fit 4 bikes in that without turning the bars; maybe 5 if you respaced the slots.
Happy to be proved wrong, but POIDH.
Dave
Like anyone on STW has four friends 🙄sandwicheater - Member
I'll pick his brains. I get the issue though, wide bars cause the issue. Perhaps have a small friend, a tall friend and a couple of in-between friends so cockpits are different heights.
I like the possibility of it folding flat, so that it's a pop-up carrier.
Bar clash - angling the slots slightly should solve that ? Stops you putting any bikes in rear wheel first though.
Back to my pallet version, works best rear wheels first and front wheels/bars at 45 degrees. Certain combinations will cause brake lever/top tube clashes but generally OK - in a van with the bikes wobbling about, might be more of an issue?