So just done the deal on a T5 camper van and considering the bike carrying option. I can get two burly mountain bikes inside with the front wheel off no bother (forks on the seat) and when they’re dirty I will use an external rack. I like the VW 4 bike rack but the wheel channels look quite close together and though I wouldn’t expect it to take 4 burly full suss mountain bikes (2 at the most) what about a families bikes? I’ve got a road rat, the wife will soon have a hybrid style bike and the kids both have Frog bikes. I take it the rack should be able to accommodate that lot?

I do have a 4 bike tow bar carrier and could fit a tow bar and use that, but a mate of mine has one of those two bar mounted storage box things so when we’re on longer holiday’s i’ll probably borrow that for extra storage space and use the tailgate mounted rack.

Cheers.

We have one on our Caravelle. It can be a challenge getting the four family bikes on there (FS, HT, HT and 24″ HT), needs a little practice to the get the right sequence and clamping points. The wheel channels are close together and this can mean that some bits of foam are needed where parts might touch. No major issues with them and regularly carry four bikes, stable and secure. I do need a small folding step to reach properly as I’m only 5’8.

Roofbox for bulky light stuff, 4 bike tow around carrier like atera strada dl3 plus extension. Means you can get in the boot !

Thanks. Don’t mind it being a bit of a fiddle as it won’t be a routine thing – it’ll mostly be two bikes for my usual weekly rides. Not sure about the loading on the pop-top for a roof box, its not the type that has the integrated rails or any signs of any mounting features. But again only envisage needing the additional external room infrequently so happy to borrow my mates tow-bar box.

I guess i’ll soon learn what’s what as soon as I’ve been on a few trip with it.

Went to look for one but apparently they won’t fit with a rear spoiler
Going to look at towbar racks but need to find one which will let boot open

You can now buy bike bags that fit full bikes inside, no wheels off, worth considering I’d say.

The reason I won’t be fitting a conversion kit into my LWB, no space for bikes. And having bikes on the outside of a van seems nuts.

Atera Strada dl3 lets you open the boot on a T5/6, Thule eurocarrier did as we just. If you have wife bars on the inside bike you may have to loosen the ratchet first.

The interior will get shitty pretty quickly if you are regularly putting a filthy bike in it.

If you do get a tailgate rack don’t forget you may need upgraded gas struts, depending on your van model. The weight of the rack alone means the door will not stay up. Cost you 100-150 but are trivial to fit.

Getting 4 bikes on any rear rack is always a jigsaw puzzle.

The VW one is silly money (no surprise there)

I could get 2 large full sus bikes transversely across the back of the seats in my swb.
Used a tow bar mounted Thule rack if we had camping stuff etc in it.

For roof mounting bars there are screw holes along the troughs on either side of the roof covered by plastic water seals. You need specific legs for the racks which bolt into these holes. We have the Thule version.

It’s a campervan first and foremost so not purely a bike van so unfortunately have to carry bikes on the outside sometimes. I wouldn’t be putting filthy bikes inside. Just like with my current SMax I’d only put bikes inside if I need to for security reasons so usually if I’m on a ride after work and have clean bikes in the car during the day In the car park. When I return to the car after a ride with dirty bikes they go on the roof. Similar with the van but with the dirty bikes going on the tailgate mounted rack.

I’ve got an internal rack system on the SMax which i’ll take out, mount on some plywood or something so I can mount the forks on the seat on the plywood so only need to remove front wheel. Not a major hassle.

When away with the family then clearly can’t fit bike inside so all four will have to go outside.

Tow bar rack is an option but just another hassle as I can’t leave it attached when it’s not in use.

I have the Atera Linea tailgate one. As standard it is set up for 3 bikes but there is the option of getting a 4th wheel tray and support arm. Four adult bikes would be a very tight squeeze if not impossible though. I regularly carry 2 bikes (Usually 1 MTB & 1 road) and have had 3 road bikes on it for long journeys.
I think its of equal quality to the VW one, quicker to fit & remove (less than 5 mins) and cheaper as well. (especially from roofbox with the 5% CTC code).
As mentioned above tailgate ones wont work with a spoiler unless you are handy with a saw and plastic padding. The Atera one also wont work fit if you have the chrome trim on the bottom of the tailgate.

I have a T5 and had the tailgate rack (VW). It is very high up and a huge bit of kit if you ever want to take it off and store it anywhere.

I now use a tow ball rack. It is so much easier to load and unload, it takes a minute or 2 to fit and remove and is much smaller.

I have had a T2 and a T4 both with Fiamma tailgate racks in the past.

I would never go back after using the tow ball type.

As an alternative to the VW racks Thule also do one for the T5 that hangs from the rear door. It doesn’t look as nice as the VW one but it takes less than five minutes to fit and can hold three bikes with the option of buying an extension for four bikes. It is what I use with our family. You can actually open the door with the bikes on the rack, too although I’m not sure how good it is for the door.

I do need a small folding step to reach properly as I’m only 5’8.

+1 😆

I bought a LWB specifically so that I could get the bikes inside. After the first muddy ride I was on eBay looking for a rack. Got a VW one relatively cheap.

It can be a bit of a puzzle getting four bikes on there, what with various saddle /bar heights, pedals and 20mm/boost axles.

My old forks have rubbed against the GF’s rear and worn some paint off. Am going to have to be a little more careful putting my new bike on there.

Still put the bikes inside if doing decent miles. Tonight for instance we’re driving to Italy. The roads are salty, snow is falling and we’ll be bombing down the autobahn. The bikes will be inside.