Any aerodynamics experts in the house?

What is it without the shed? Enough to add to campsite fees and stay somewhere nice?

It’s about 52mpg without the van. Big hit! Caravans are better than hotels and tents – this is an absolute fact.

You’re planning to put bikes on the roof of a VAN?

Nonononono.. van in this case means caravan.. now they go inside the caravan but it’s a pain in the bum when you want to stop to have to get them out to get inside the caravan – plus they add weight and tend to move about inside the thing.

Anyway, this thread was a specific question about aerodynamics. If you don’t know about aerodynamics please don’t post 🙂

MLC – that is cool 🙂

Or get lucky and drive in a gale that is always perfectly from behind

I once got lucky and rode in a gail that was perfect from behind, if that helps?

Sell all bikes and buy new at nearest bike shop to destination.

I once got lucky and rode in a gail that was perfect from behind, if that helps?

I once got lucky and rode a Gayle that was perfect from behind, if that helps?

I rode a Gail for a while too

just wang one of these on the roof…
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEYLAND-DAF-45-WIND-DEFLECTOR-/110714244600?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CommercialVehicleParts_SM&hash=item19c7154df8

Don’t you have an apps on android to implement?

Thinking along the lines of hydrodynamics being similar to aerodynamics, and that a fish is pretty hydrodynamic, I conclude that a bike shaped like a fish is the way forward in this case.

PS: I know hydrodynamic may not be the correct term, but it sounded right and I don’t really care. 😀

Hydrodynamic is indeed the correct term, and that bike is indeed awesome.

I saw this on the ‘anti-roadies’ thread in the Bike Forum.

Thought it might be a solution:

You might need a hatch somewhere to chuck the bikes in…

As someone else suggested, motorpacing larger vehicles is the answer. When planning a weekend away with the bikes, phone up and order something very big to be delivered to your holiday destination so you’re always assured of a nice big lorry to slipstream.

If you dipped the bikes in a giant vat of superglue, then dipped them in a giant vat of golf balls, would the dimples not solve all your aerodynamic problems?

You’re pulling a large bluff body behind you, the extra drag of the bikes on the roof is going to be minimal.

There’s a caravan round the corner from us with a two-bike wheel-support rack mounted on the front of the ‘van chassis where it sticks out from under the body. I think it might be a slightly unusual caravan design, though. I know it’s not answering the question but it might be an option 🙂

Yeah those are often seen on the continent, where caravans have longer A frames so you can fit two bikes on there. Your neighbour’s van is probably a continental one. You also often see them on the back of caravans, which I can’t understand at all because from a load balancing point of view that’s the worst possible place to put them.

You don’t see vans so adorned snaking all over the road though, so something must be working.

Mm, I think it’s something German. Might be a Knaus. Some name I associate more with motorhomes, anyway.

Can’t see all that much wrong with hanging bikes off the back as long as you put something heavy right up the front too. In fact, the bikes might happily balance out the 60kg of gas bottles and leisure battery that most caravans seem to have at the front 🙂

Caravans are supposed to be nose heavy, it makes them more stable. If you put all the weight at the front and at the back it’ll be less stable though cos it’ll have a greater moment of inertia once it starts swinging.. the middle is the best place.