Curious how the rear door carrier works. I heard that the hinges are not designed for carry that additional strain. There also could be no truth to that what so ever.

 

There is truth to it. After installing and having bikes on it the top seal is going to have a tough time sealing. Best way is to power wash it and see if any water will get in. Probably minor but if you are meticulous it will bug you. Us with E350 and Express vans got used to it. Mostly just dust gets in.

 

Thanks for chiming in Simple. (Anyone reading this be sure to check out his van tour, one of the sickest build I've seen!) Yeah I'm sure there is truth to it. Hinge carriers seem to have been around for awhile though so it wasn't anything I was ever concerned with for the kind of roads I'd find myself on. I do have the Aluminess rear door hinge tire carrier and it feels pretty solid to me. Being able to exit through the rear door from the inside is worth the for me.

 

Agreed, I love the concept and the look. Currently have a 1up 2 bike with their swing arm and its great. Having owned many different bike racks, 1up has been one of the best I've owned. I likely wont need to exit through the rear since I'm installing FlareSpace flares (very soon, just ordered) and bed system. But may reconsider as I use the van more / figure out what my needs are.

 

Your 1up with the swing out is also a pricey setup. Are you ever concerned with theft when you're parked at the trail head? That's kinda part of the reason I'm afraid to shell out more money for the tray rack. Seems like anyone can easily unbolt and take away? I also considered getting Flarespace, we're short people though so decided not to.

 

Came to check out the rack but I gotta chime in on 1up. It was worth it for me. It's been bumped, dragged, left on my car for a few years and it's basically perfect. Basically... the Aluminess of bike racks?

1ups are funky - would be a pain in the ass for an opportunistic theft if wheel locks are used. A specialist could get your frame with effort, so I use an ABUS chain for longer stops.

 

I've heard nothing but great things about 1up bike racks... Wish I can find them used though. Its about 3-4 weeks on backorder though, but it's snow season anyways. I got off the phone with Aluminess and regarding their bike carrier, the price did go from the preorder price I paid so that helps me justify spending the extra money and not selling it I guess. I'll make a new post and update my setup once I have something worthy to show. Honestly this van has been a dream come true for me and I'm so close to having my dream setup, I can't cheapen out now right? .

SO, thanks to the above posters the Aluminess rack is no longer for sale haha....
250 for both Yakima bike racks. OR 150 for the black one and 120 for the Grey one. I'll put it on Craigslist at some point.