Bloody brilliant place, as above the Enduro trails in Dunkeld can be very full on but you’ve also got pitlochry and aberfeldy just up the road. And you’ve got Schiehallion if you wanted to ride something more natural. Oh and Glen Tilt. And there’s gravel for days…

I haven’t been on here for a while, and I’ve only done 4 rides since last July and my Alps trip! Pretty much every dry weekend has been spent working on my van, getting the interior built so I can use it.

Anyway, did the gap today in the Brecon beacons. Thought I was ready for 750m of climbing. I wasn’t. Oh god, my legs. I was cramping up coming down the descent!

So long as it’s not the really thick, claggy, clay type mud that sticks to everything and builds up (the type that stops your wheels turning), it’s completely fine. It pushes the mud out the sides when it reaches the cog.

Ooh, forgot to one of mine in ‘gravel mode’

Both raw (titanium and alloy). The raw & black with tan walls is a good combo imo. I’m biased, of course 😁

Haha, thanks – and no thanks! 🤣

It took me a month to do the bike drawer, and I’ve been working on the kitchen pod since the 13th Jan – I’m hoping to have assembly finished on that in the next 2 or 3 weeks, I only get chance to work on it at the weekends.

Should have the van completed in time for spring!

I don’t think the forces will be an issue, but an easier solution might just be to put one of those “spade handle” hooks on the wall (a pair of small hooks), and hook the replaced axle of the fork (after wheels removed) into it (which is way less faffy than trying to attach a fork mount)? there’s no forces like there are in a car so it doesn’t need to be super-secure.

This is the best option, I dabbled with a very similar hook in my old garage, worked well.

I still have my old hook, complete with modifications!

If you really wanted to hold it by the axle, then the rocky mounts drop top would work, but maybe have them mounted vertically so you can just rest the axle on it then close it up.

Oh and tailgate – but only because that’s the only option I had!

Barn doors do allow for more storage though, you can hang bags, or shoes etc off the doors which you can’t do with a tailgate.

But also, if you have a tailgate you can install some LED lights in it so that when you come back from a night ride, you’ve got perfect light above you when putting the bikes away (in the dry, under the tailgate 😉).

There’s some in my thread here

My Ultimate MTB van (Caravelle) build…

But here’s a couple of the bike storage:

I’m working on the kitchen pod at the minute, so that’s a bit away from being completed:

I’ve gone through a couple of designs with the bed but have come up with a decent solution which I’m happy with – just need to order the parts for it (aluminium profile and some sliders). And I’m also going to build up the right side of the bikes with extra storage, up to the window line as I’ll be using window bags that clip into the window frame and black then out and provide a load of storage.

I’d advise getting over onto the T6 forum, just lock your wallet away before you do! 🤣

I’ve got a much bigger thread on there on my van.

https://www.t6forum.com/threads/tallpauls-caravelle-mtb-wagon.43548/

I’ve got a T6 Caravelle that I’m gradually adding (fully removable) bike storage, bed, and kitchen pod with fridge, sink with fresh and grey water containers, and enough worktop for a 2 ring cadac portable gas stove.

Cooking – inside. Opening sliding door windows help with this, you can get midge screens for them too. I wouldn’t want to be cooking under the tailgate when it’s pishing it down as it often does in the UK.

Sink – very handy, you’d need to store a water container otherwise and faff around with it when you just want to fill the kettle up in the morning.

Extra space – I’ve got a wind out awning which I’ll use most of the time on campsites. If I’m staying somewhere for a few days though I’ll get a drive away awning. Not only does it mean extra space for seating, working on bikes, cooking outdoors when it’s raining, it ‘saves’ your spot if you need to go and drive somewhere.

LWB or SWB – I only had the choice for SWB but I would have gone for a LWB if I could.

Mine is my only car so gets used the same as my previous STW favourite, the Skoda Superb, did. Once you get used to sitting further forward and it seeming like there’s about 40ft of car behind you, it’s actually easier to drive than a car.

My layout is very specific to me; 4x seats (Inc driver) as a daily car, convertible into a single bed. Storage for 2x long MTB with the front wheels off. Kitchen with fridge, cooking, sink. I’ve also a got a swivel front passenger seat and I’ll have separate water storage for the power wash for the bikes. All inside the van with no pop top. It’ll only be for one person as it is, but if I added a pop top it’d be good for 2 people, 2 bikes, full comfort – only missing a toilet and shower.

I’ve got a basic leisure battery setup at the moment, the VW optional extra, with an excellent eberspacher diesel heater, I’ll be upgrading the electrics too over the course of this year with a lithium battery and solar, which should let me go from the current 1-2 days without driving or hookup to a week or more with ease.

I used to have an Asgard motorbike garage. If you wanted to use it for push bikes only, then the answer is ‘lots’.

They do different lengths and widths too.

Anyone tried one of the new brushless ones? Any good for the car\patio? Don’t really want to buy their batteries or a corded one.

The old brushless one is decent for car washing, it’s obviously not got the power of a mains jet wash though.

That new Nitro version has the same flow rate (220lpa) but 38 bar rated/56 bar max pressure Vs 22 bar rated/25 bar max of the standard brushless.

A proper pressure washer will be 100, 150, 180 bar max pressure, so the more pressure the better.

If it’s anything like the berms I rode in the Alps, there’s nothing in the SE that could even begin to resemble them!

It’s to waterproof the battery, ipx5 rated.

What model (engine) T5? The 180bhp version has severe issues, walk away from any of them tbh.

You will struggle to get a place in a decent site in season unless you book with a bit of notice.

I don’t see this, checking on pitchup for somewhere tonight until Sunday and there’s a wide variety of choice. Maybe on a huge family oriented site.

I’ve got a T6 that I’m fitting out so I can do impromptu trips away, but then it’s just me and my bikes so much easier to say ‘sod it’ and disappear off for the weekend at a moment’s notice.

I upgraded to one of these (for a bit more oomph when washing the car) and it is indeed a lot more powerful.. it also burns through batteries a lot quicker on full power. I’ve not tried it but I assume the low pressure mode is roughly similar to the old one at high pressure.

Is that compared to the brushless or the original one? Tbh I wouldn’t want too much more flow, it’ll go through 25l of water pretty damn quickly but the higher pressure for car washing would be handy.

There’s a new model now too, same flow rate as the brushless but higher pressure and a sealed battery compartment. 56bar pressure.

https://uk.worx.com/20v-nitro-high-flow-hydroshot-cordless-portable-power-cleaner-water-sprayer-tool-only-wg633e-9/

Those look like what we have, ivy mining bees.

They’re completely harmless, don’t sting (females have a sting but rarely use it and it’s like a nettle sting, if they can penetrate the skin, which they have trouble doing). You can mow the lawn over them and they don’t care. My young nephew will happily sit watching them from 1ft away with no issues.

The Intriguing Ivy Mining Bee

We have a colony of thousands on our south facing, sandy soil front lawn.

Invidiframe is like sex. It needs to be much wetter than you first think and you need to be patient and allow plenty of time if you want to do a proper job. It’s not worth rushing it.

Yep, it’s not that hard but to do a proper job your looking at half a day, at least. You’ll need a clean, quiet space with no distractions. Johnson’s baby shampoo is what you need for lubing up yourself and the film. Oh and use a towel for squeegeeing out the edge, this not only makes them stick better but also removes the moisture.

we just stick our bikes in diagonally, pillow between each bike and bungee. Takes seconds and still lots of room, but that is LWB…

Yeah LWB with the bench all the way forward there’s room, but not on a SWB. There’s around 175cm room with one row of rear seats in, and the shortest my biggest bike will go is 190cm with the bars turned.

Once I start building the kitchen pod it’ll show just how tight things are for space!

is there no “nice” solution to keep bikes in a van without taking wheels off? faffing around with QRs doesn’t fit my definition of an “ultimate” solution. There are plenty of bike racks that hold a bike securely by the wheels but it seems like no-one does a solution for inside

Yeah there is, but it leaves zero room for anything else.

Bikestow is one:

So, in mine I can technically fit one bike with both wheels on – I can’t have it mounted with the bars turned by much as the bars hit the roof, but it will go in with the bars straight.

It’s something I can fairly easily add at a later date if I want – tbh removing the front wheel takes all of about 30 seconds so not exactly a huge amount of faff.

Got a Cali Beach (you know like a Caravelle but with an upstairs 🤪), so I’d be able to do some of this. Good stuff.

I did consider a Cali until I saw the prices, and that they’re a bit more basic than the caravelle.

Ultimate, ultimate set up would be a pop top on be the velle, these are hard to do though due to the roof vents. That would allow 2 people sleeping upstairs and a single bed downstairs, along with the bikes!

I would be tempted not to run the fridge 12v when stationary and try to maximise cooling before leaving home, on site EHU and whilst travelling and use ice packs to help.

Yeah I’ll get it down to temperature on hookup before I leave the house, then it’ll just be any campsites without hookup I need to worry about. I think a day or 2 so long as it’s not 30 degrees should be doable. Long term, solar will be the way forward .

An IP 22 smart charger is exactly what I have under my driver’s seat! It only works when on EHU – the 3 pin plug is only live when on hookup, and the leisure battery would be getting charge from the hookup at the same time.

The fridge I’ll be buying has an optional inverter which has both 3 pin (240v) and 12v inputs, then switches automatically, with 240v being the priority. So, whenever I’ve got the van connected to hookup the fridge will be running directly off that. Then when not on hookup it’ll run off 12v and the leisure battery. I’ll be getting solar fitted, probably over winter ready for next summer.

Fridge

https://www.jacksonsleisure.com/alpicool/50/litre/12v/24v/campervan/marine/fridge/

Adapter/inverter

https://www.jacksonsleisure.com/dometic/waeco/mps35/mains/adaptor/

Van looks great @ta11pau1. That’s a lot to fit into a SWB so I’m interested to see how it all turns out.

Yep, it’s all very, very tight and changing one thing by a few cm then affects about 4 other things!!

For instance you’d think raising the bikes up on the drawer and adding storage under the bikes would be a good idea. But if you do that, the rear wheels would then be at a height well above the kitchen pod worktop which means you’re reaching over muddy wheels to do anything in the kitchen. At the current height I should be able to have a kitchen table “extension” which will either mount between the passenger seat and first rear seat to give a table area, or in the gap of the “L”, over the bike wheels, giving extra worktop area for the kitchen.

Is the leisure battery from the factory? One really annoying thing is that if it’s not, all the useful 12v points in the back that you’d like to use for camping are run off the engine battery. The interior lights aren’t run off it either way and so time out after 15 mins.

Have you looked at the piles of stuff available for VW Multivans in Germany?

Yep it’s a factory specced leisure battery under the passenger seat, it was specced with the auxiliary heater. I haven’t worked out yet which sockets in the rear win of the battery, but it’s also had backboards added under the seats with USB/12v/3pin sockets

What bits are they? Got a link to any? I’ll be buying the Vanessa window bags

https://www.campervantastic.com/product/storage-solutions/vw-t6-1-t6-t5-california/van-essa-vw-t6-1-t6-t5-vw-california-beach-storage-bags-for-the-rear-windows/

Here’s the T6 forum link for anyone who wants a long read.

https://www.t6forum.com/threads/tallpauls-caravelle-mtb-wagon.43548/

Fork mounts are the Rockymounts droptop

RockyMounts DropTop

Which sit in alloy T track

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284952349402

With m6 slider nuts (and 14mm caphead screws)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284952349402

Which then attach to the unwin rail with these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37331515268

I drilled out the t track holes to 10mm and then used 2 of the m8 thumbscrews that came with the rail mounts. You can see it a bit closer here

Nice, I might steal the unwin rail idea for fork mounts.

Do the Caravelle rear seat backrests fold flat to be part of the bed?

Yep, the bed base will sit on them but will also be supported by a couple of vertical sections which I’ll fit into the rails on the floor.

And yeah the unwin rail is great, it’s a shame you can’t mount many/any fork mounts directly to it but then I wouldn’t have the side to side adjustment I have – the Rockymounts droptop fork mounts can slide in the T track. It also gives me the option of putting something in if I want to be able to carry other things on the drawer, or a bike with both wheels on – I’m going to see if I need that as tbh whipping off the front wheel is barely a 30 second job so not really an issue.

I can also strap other stuff the rail worthy the right mounts, I may do that for the wheels.

For privacy and security of the bikes I’m going to be adding rear window bags which will block out the rearmost side windows, then curtains on the rear window and sliding door windows. Then an external windscreen and door cover for the front.

Why do you have a travel indicator rings on both stanchions?

Ha, for when ones breaks. Also useful for seeing the travel usage for different runs/descents and the overall days usage.

Cheers!

Long wheel base variant (do they even do one)?

No, just the std SWB.. They did technically do a LWB Caravelle but only in SE spec, which are like rocking unicorn poo. Tbh it wouldn’t have changed my layout anyway, would just have meant more room for a kitchen pod.

The uplift drops you off in what seems to be a random layby on a fire road with nothing actually there…

My advice? Take trailforks on your phone. The official red and orange trails are marked but the rest of the off piste aren’t marked. And the official DH tracks criss cross each other so much you’ll probably never ride the same trail twice, unless you’re riding angry sheep or similar (recommended as a warm up to the off piste).

As above though, everything pretty much end up at the same place so you can’t really go wrong.

I believe the Fillmore valves are actually insert compatible, as the plunger will push the insert away from the rim, and the air flows around the side of the plunger. Unless the insert is so tight that the plunger can’t be pushed, which I expect the OP would have mentioned.

Ahh oh, so they should be – but I bet the poppet thing isn’t actually moving the insert enough to break the seal, or just pushing into the insert. A quick Google shows others with the same issue, resorting to modifying the rimpact inserts.

This now leaves me with options of 70to900meg.

Now i know more is best but…

I don’t game. Theres only 2 of us that WFH and we stream TV and music.

Is there any benefit to going over 100meg connection?

The speed you need is so very much down to your personal circumstances, I do love these threads as there’s a sort of reverse willy waving contest going on – ‘I’m a graphic designer and upload 5gb files daily and have 6 people streaming at 4k and 4 people gaming and my 10mbps connection is more than adequate…’

In your current circumstances, 100mbps is probably enough. But might your usage change at any point over the next 2 years (presuming a 24 month contract)? Streaming at 4k uses 15-25mpbs, WFH issues 5mbps for video calls (I’m guessing you don’t need to upload/download large files regularly).

Gaming doesn’t actually require fast speeds, only a few Mbps up and down – but latency and connection reliability is more important. What does benefit from fast speeds however is the size of games and updates. A recent update to a game I play was 60gb. At 50mbps you’re looking at 3hrs to download.

I’ve recently gone from 5g broadband with 600-700mbps download and 50mbps upload (and increased occurrences of DNS drop outs) to Youfibre 1000/1000mbps. It’s bloody brilliant. The 500mbps package was £3 a month less. That 60bg patch I spoke about above? Took me about 12 minutes to download.

Do I need 1000mbps 99% of the time? No. But God damn it’s nice to have when I need the speed. And the latency is cracking, sub 5ms ping most of the time, and of course a rock solid connection.

I would say, check that the 100mbps package is using the fttp infrastructure as that speed is normally done over fttc, which is less reliable. And look at the prices – you might find that 500mbps from one provider is cheaper than 100mbps from another. It’s always nice to have the headroom, to liken it to riding a bike, it’s much nicer to be riding nowhere near your limit, be that talent or heart rate/fitness, rather than being on the ragged edge with no allowance for increasing your speed.

Also, WiFi speeds – yes WiFi 5 is only 550mbps or so max but if you buy any new laptop/phone etc then it’s going to be WiFi 6 or faster which allows for well over 1gbps. So I wouldn’t worry about that too much.

Those valves are not compatible with rimpact inserts. They only have a hole on the top, which means the insert will be sitting directly on top of the hole. When adding air the pressure will force the insert away from the valve, but when removing air it’ll be sucked onto the valve, creating a seal.

Rimpact inserts have holes on the sides for this very reason…

Haven’t used them but first result on Google is these guys, they have vans in Winchester and the surrounding area.

Home

For guiding, I’d recommend getting in touch with Rob at Wildbike.co.uk they’re pretty local to the area and do guided tours across Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Quantocks.

This. They’re based in Devon (Barnstaple I think) and Rob & Finn know the Exmoor, Dartmoor, Quantocks like the back of their hand. Excellent riding, quite brutal in places (especially Dartmoor) but awesome. I’ve been with them twice down there.

They’ll do a private trip too if you wanted that.

The fork leg also may not be the true head angle.

Measure at the steerer – on the head tube if it’s not tapered, or on the stem bolts if it is.

Ok so what 4G signal booster then?

It’s a touring caravan it goes loads of different places all the time. I’m looking at something like a cheap device with a PAYG sim.

Well, don’t search for ‘4G signal booster’ for starters… 😁

A signal booster is just that. What you need is a 4G router. Some routers for caravans/motorhomes come with signal boosters (external antenna) included. But you need the router as well.

Do you have 12v or permanent 240v on the caravan? And do you want something just on the inside of the caravan or do you want to install antenna etc on the outside? There’s lots of options out there depending on what you want to install, or not install.

I’ve been using 5G broadband at home for the past 2.5 years ago have some real hands on experience with it.

Distance: 5G is very susceptible to trees, houses, or land blocking the signal – however with uninterrupted line of sight you can get 100mbps download over a 2.5km distance. Similarly, 600m distance whilst being blocked by houses and trees will see a similar speed. Both these examples are based on my own experience and speeds I’ve achieved on my set up.

Upload is still handled by 4G, so you’ll also need to be in range of a 4G mast for this. You may find the router connects to a different 4G mast same not the one provided 5G.

So yes, it can work and work well. However… For use in a caravan (I’m presuming you mean a mobile, not static so staying in different places) it’s probably not going to be ideal, for a couple of reasons:

Network coverage. Three has the most coverage I believe, but there will be places that don’t have Three but do have EE, or Vodafone… Basically you’ll need a sim for each network to truly get decent 5G coverage.

The other biggest issue is that most 5G masts are installed in urban areas. If you’re camping out in the countryside you’ll be very, very lucky to have a 5G mast even 5 miles away. More likely is that there won’t be one even 20 miles away.

This is the Three coverage map in Kent, as you can see it’s all centred around towns.

So unless you stay in your caravan in the middle of a town, forget about 5G.

Tbh, unless you’re doing work which requires fast download speeds, 5mbps up/down would be enough for most WFH purposes. Which you’d get with a readily available 4G router.

£598.50 for the first 5 years then £189 a year. 2018 so based on the post April 2017 rates.

£320 pa on pre- April 2017 is Band I: 176 to 185g/km

A secondhand ebike of some description. That will reinvigorate his love of bicycling.

This.

I’ve got a Boardman hybrid 8.9e for sale on behalf of my dad (also in his late 60’s) if you’re anywhere near the SE, currently at £1200 but tbh I think £1k would get it.