[EDIT] too slow
How about time saving?? Quicker to get 5 bikes over the tailget of a pickup or get 5 bikes with the front wheels off in a van?
So don't take the wheels off?
Anytime I've been in a van for uplifts or transfers the bikes go in sideways with the front wheels up the sides of the van and a bit of foam between each bike.
Pickups look great if want to live out a New World Disorder uplift wet dream in summertime BC shredding the loam and throwing you bike carefree over the sponsor branded tailgate pad. But I imagine that lasts about as long as the paint on the downtube/fork when exposed to one of those tailgate pads and average British gritty mud conditions.
road bikes don't take up as much room either. i reckon you'll get them sideways wheels on in a T5 or vito. i used to get a roadie wheels on in to the bike of an old mk1 clio.
Best check a couple of roadie threads in here about how precious they get about their bikes, no way most roadies would pay to have their bike strapped to the back of a pickup and think of the danger of prancing in and out in those shoes!!
It will be largely rental bikes, and most likely hybrids - not drop bar road bikes. Too hard for beginners to reach the brakes with drop bars.
the correct vehicle is T5 LWB kombi or lwb vito combi. or even xl wheelbase vito if you don’t care about selling it, but that would likely allow all the bikes to be wheeled straight in.
This is the correct answer.
One minor point, a Vito XLWB is the same size as a VW LWB. A Vito LWB is an in between size.
Just found an old thread I posted pictures on, mines an old 2006 xlwb, you can see the space inside.
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/vito-swb-or-lwb/
The only issue now is that with modern bikes you have to turn the bars slightly as they’re that couple of inches longer.
I regularly take 5 of us to Rev’s Bikepark with 5 bikes straight in the boot and all of our gear.
hmm. thought it went vito swb, t5 swb, vito lwb, t5 lwb, vito xlwb.
but hey. :shrug:
Cheers Colp. I've been looking at the Vito brochure online now. Guessing the XL and XLT are still both the same length, hopefully!
For four or five people you will get away with a crew cab van, no need for a trailer.
You could probably manage with a SWB Vivaro/Trafic, removing front wheels and stacking bikes transverse with old curtains/blankets for protection. That's what I own and I've done similar in the past, however it'd be a bit of a PITA if you were shuttling short-ish runs.
A LWB would probably be better all round, but yeah - get a crewcab van.
I`ve just got a long wheelbase crewcab vivaro.
it will easily hold 5 persons bikes and kit. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">You wont even need to take the wheels off the bikes.</span>
as its a crewcab the rear has no windows and can be left ply lined for muddy kit. The front cab area is nice and comfy.
in terms of size - its only just bigger than a regular parking space.
alternative equivalents are MWB transit or LWB VW T5/T5, Trafic, Primastar etc etc.
Van Halen (name seems fitting) - do the bikes go in lengthways and is there room for a campbed in the rear?
The vehicle will mostly be used for road touring and guiding to start with, I should probably mention if I haven’t.
Yes, that's kind of vitally imporant to note. You've still not really described what sort of trip you're doing, where you are (ie climate), how far you're driving.
Is this load up, drive for a few hours, unload, ride for the day, load up drive home? Multi-day trips with luggage?
Look at how companies doing what you're use and copy that - these problems have been solved.
Basically -
3 adults in the back seat of a car or pick up is not fun for any lenght of time, especially if anyone is wet, dirty or smelly.
Mountain bikes -
Transporting bikes any great distance - box trailer. reasonably secure, out of the weather, space for spares, tools and kit but can be slow to load as needs lots of blankets and stuff
MTB uplift - proper uplift trailier. Quick to load and unload. keeps bikes apart. no security, not weather protection.
Quick and dirty mtb uplift for mates on dirt roads - crew cab and pick up with tailgate. 4 bikes will go in a stanard crewcab deck.
People -
Some sort of people carrier with proper seats for all passengers and space for luggage. Look at what taxi firms run.
http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/recommended/best-large-mpvs
Road bikes -
A big roof rack look at what the TDF teams use (and maybe a step ladder for loading). The bikes are light
Did Glasgow to Chatel last summer in a LWB, low roof, crew cab Trafic. Two people, 6 bikes (road, XC, enduro each), riding kit and a week of camping kit for my cousin. All bikes went in fully assembled and came out unscratched. Two bikes were pretty new and I'd have known if it had picked up a scratch! That would be the main point that stopped me getting a pick up for this business model, 5 bikes will be tightly packed in a pickup and can't see them coming out unscratched every time.
Trip was surprisingly comfortable, think it did low 30s mpg sitting at 80+ (in France) with air con on all day. Parked up at a roadside motel overnight without having to leave someone guarding the bikes.
My old van was a SWB Transit crew, it was ideal with 26" tyre bikes as they fitted in longways, the newer longer bikes need the LWB to do that. The old Transit did a trip with 5 full sized adults from Perth (Scotland) to Aberystwth and we all got there in one piece. Leg room was really good, comfort not as good as the newer Trafic but was slightly wider and I could sleep across the back seats.
I'm no pickup hater but would be a van for me every time for transporting that many people and bikes.
Is this load up, drive for a few hours, unload, ride for the day, load up drive home? Multi-day trips with luggage?
True. Plan is to pick up my clients from the city centre or a tram stop not far from the city, and bring them to the start location of the tour. This would be about a 30 - 60 minute drive, depending on traffic and what length tour the clients want to do (I plan on offering three different options). The tours would go from about 10 km in length and upwards from there, trying to have mass appeal for people wanting to get outdoors but with not much fitness. Enjoy the views, etc. Thinking of getting a couple of E-bikes as well as standard bicycle hybrids. So I'd expect total time including transport to roughly be a half day.
I'm in Dublin Ireland and hope to expand to different parts of Ireland. So can expect all kinds of weather!
I’m in Dublin Ireland and hope to expand to different parts of Ireland. So can expect all kinds of weather!
Well being able to get inside the van at a lunch stop and get changed would be a great thing, pulling the easy up out or van awning over to give shelter at the start/end/food stops etc. will make a huge difference,
With a well thought out van you can have a table, folding chairs, few beers for the end and all the bikes inside, if it's your bikes you can pack them as you want and get that really efficient for space too.
Thanks Steve, helpful answer. So an LWB or XLWB could fit me and possibly 5 other adults and 5-6 bikes, by the sounds of it. So six people total (me included) or five. One of the Vitos I saw in the brochure has three seats front and back. How cramped is the middle front seat though I wonder.
Good point Mike!!!
Is the Vito Long actually LWB, or just extended out the back? I’ve got a 55 plate Traveliner and I think it’s the same wheelbase as the regular.
Five seats, one or three fold down so there’s enough space for you to sleep in the back. I prefer this option over a combi as the lack of bulkhead makes the space more flexible.
I’ve had four bikes plus three people in easily enough, and it’ll swallow more without much hassle, especially shorter bikes like hybrids.
Why don't you get a hire van to try it out. If you are thinking of E Bikes it will be much easier to live them 500mm and roll into a van than hoik them up over the sides of a pickup (assuming you may already have bikes slung over the tailgate which prevents you from dropping it)
You can still smarten up a van with some chunky tyres etc, there is even a Transit AWD that apparently is fairly handy offroad.
Most Vito Combis (Dualiners) don’t have bulkheads.
The Vito compact and long have the same wheelbase, as said above, the long has an extended rear.
The extra long is longer wheelbase.
The compact and long won’t take 5 people and 5 complete bikes, you’d need to take front wheels off.
The extra long will but they are very rare as a Dualiner.
A T5/T6 LWB is about 2 inches longer in the rear load space which is great for modern bikes but they aren’t as roomy in the cabin.
Yes a Medium or Long Wheelbase Vito/Transit/Vivaro/Traffic would work.
I will also say again - having a medium top bus was great to be able to fully stand up, not just crouch or sit, especially in wet weather.
Good points.
Important point - I will want to go for a petrol vehicle and not diesel if possible. I'm pretty sure diesel vehicles are getting phased out over the next number of years.
Important point – I will want to go for a petrol vehicle and not diesel if possible.
I think a shark just jumped over your moon on a stick.
Have a look at welfare/mess vans. I bought an ex network rail LWB Transit, had 3 middle row proper rated seats with seat belts so 6seater in total, microwave, ebersacher heater, small sink, brewing water ern, 240v inverter and with the back still as a load area. All properly factory converted.
The van had FSH and was cheaper than a normal cargo van as Network rail flood the market every few years.
Edited to add ^^^^ your being unrealistic now in wanting petrol as well.
So currently, all the vehicles that would fit my needs are Diesel? I just can't imagine Diesel vehicles having much resale value in another few years?
I just can’t imagine Diesel vehicles having much resale value in another few years?
Commercial ones will. Either buy used now or lease if its a big worry. If diesel vans are going to be near obsolete in 3 years then a lot of people hoarding the residuals in their VW vans will be crying. The change in the used value will be when the manufacturers stop making diesel vans.
So currently, all the vehicles that would fit my needs are Diesel? I just can’t imagine Diesel vehicles having much resale value in another few years?
By which time your van will have reached the end of its useful life and been scrapped. You’re looking at probably a decade at least, and even Mercedes have just announced a new Diesel engine.
Cha****ng,
Bikes go in lengthways. If you have an enduro gnarpoon you might need to turn the bars a bit but I had 3 in the other day and I didn't need to think about how there were stacked. Just lobbed them in and strapped them to the wall.
1800mm from bulkhead to doors so bed sized. We can fit a double inflatable mattress in the back. Without the bikes obviously!
Good to know thanks.
Would be nice to have seats for the family and have the option of a bit of stealth camping when required.
Selection of crew cab pick ups at work , the hilux' have the softest seats, but are like sitting on the floor with knees around your ears. Most spacious is the Land Rover 130 as your knees aren't anywhere near your ears and there is space for your head unlike the 110 which has your ear pressed to the roof and barely has enough space for its space wheel in the back of the pick up.
I would rather sit in the middle seat of a transit than the back of any of them.
If you really want petrol , might find an old 130/127 with V8. Japanese import Vitos can be had with petrol V6, but tend to be from the rusty phase .
