It looks like you've done your homework!

We decided to install a slide-out bike rack to carry our mountain bikes inside the van (for thief/weather protection), but i am curious to see what solutions will come up here.

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Nice summary.

Please let us all know about the test with a RakAttach. Note: Walter told me that the locking handle could be flipped to point down instead of up, which would help. I ended up delaying purchase as it turned out we didn't need it right away. But I'm still interested.

For my purposes it'll be key to swing to Drivers side - much better for camping, and more important to get in right door more easily. Also important is if I could open both doors without bike rack attached and not swinging the RakAttach. And I really don't want to add a 2" drop to the hitch, which Sprinters do. With my measurements it seemed like all this would work if the lock handle pointed down, although I don't like that it would stick down a few inches below bumper. Wish he would design a different lever.

Btw I believe one of the generic Fiammas would work; look for a CarryBike for vans with two rear doors. Only holds two, requires drilling, a bit funky. Loved the Fiamma on my Westy.

Let us know if the RakAttach works and then he'll have lots of Transit customers! Would be good for not just bike racks but storage boxes etc etc.

 

i know nothing about bike racks so all i can offer is a possible attachment point, Aluminess makes a replacement bumper with dual swing outs: http://www.aluminess.com/ford/transit-van/rear-bumper/

more of the same, no need to put the spare tire on there, may work for mounting other things like bike racks: https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate-solo/

 

1up. Only way to go. Very well manufactured and durable. Pivots flat against vehicle when not in use

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Springsyeti: which rack are referring to?


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Btw all: the Yakima and Thule hitch-mounted bike racks that have an integrated swing out feature (SwingDaddy, Apex Swing or Vertex Swing) will NOT work on our vans because the cross bar is too high and blocks the doors, given the bumper is relatively thin.


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I should have put the link in for 1up USA. They are put together solid and don't move at all, especially if you use a no wobble hitch pin, we used this locking one.

http://www.discountramps.com/silent...Z7GBRC1srKSv9TV_iwSJADKTjaD8JUJluCwKSw-Z47jf_P3PoFPI4wUjkKhA9hqrGxY2RoCXPbw_wcB

This is the rack we have in the picture. Will probably go with a North Shore because our bumper build will have the receiver for the bike rack about abdomen high.

https://www.1upusa.com/product-quikrackblackdouble.html

North Shore.
http://www.northshoreracks.com




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Could you please explain why you want to avoid "frame friction points"? I never gave much thought to the bike rack. I just stuck the old school Thule 5 bike rack carrier I've had for years onto my Transit's trailer hitch receiver, attached bikes, locked them up with various locking mechanisms and took off. Now you have me looking at the carbon frame on my road bike for wear marks. I don't see any obvious issues and I put a lot of miles on all types of road surfaces on my bike and bike rack combination.

FWIW, the biggest transport related blemishes I have are from not really having a well planned locking strategy. I threaded the various u-locks, thick cables and cuff style locks I had on hand though the bikes, carrier and van frame as tightly as possible. I didn't really think about how those items would interact through 1,000 miles of bouncing. Fortunately, the only issue is cosmetic.

I think this picture is the only one I have with the rack folded down to allow the doors to open up. With 3 bikes on the rack, it is quite the beast to swing up and down solo, but it is possible and the van doors can open and close.

 

IMO on not going with "frame friction point" or a rack my bike hangs from.

With some higher end bikes you have to be careful with the pressure you put on down tubes with squeezing the tube set. I have seen seat tubes cracked (on a repair stand) or crushed with over tightening the jaws on high end carbon and thin walled aluminum.

Where the bike hangs..
I have played Tetris trying to get some mountain and road bike designs in this style of rack and then one wheel hangs pretty low and has to be removed. Yes, there is a adapter you can use but it is another thing to carry and i not recommend attaching anything to a dropper post that could mar the surface. Or you show to get a buddy and they have "that" bike and you don't have the adapter. Several bikes also have bare cables running along the top or bottom of the top tube and the finish can be marred from repeated attaching or small movements of the bike. Speaking of movement, you have to bungee or affix the bike to the rack if there isn't another attachment to prevent this, another accessory to carry. There are several pivot points or areas where these racks are put together and many jiggle (technical term) too much for me. One of my peeves is driving along and seeing wheels spinning at crazy speeds with the wind on these carriers. How much life are you taking from the freewheel body or bearings on those hundreds of miles with your wheel spinning at 60mph? Again, just me and my anal retentive bike maintenance personality.

I see my bikes on the 1Up rack move back and forth a bit but there is only contact with the tire and not damaging the finish, crushing tube sets or cables and not allowing my wheels to spin while road tripping. The only accessory I need is a cable lock and I can load my bike in seconds.

Just my $0.02 from my experience and how I prefer to carry my bikes. Well, I would love to build a tray like @antoine but our needs require the space.


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We've got the Rack Attach connected to our Chevy Express right now, and plan on porting it over to our Transit when it is delivered (this summer).

We love the NV, and the Rak Attach works great as a platform to allow us to use the NV. We went with the Driver's side swing out, for camping, easy access to the right door, etc.

Modern handlebars for MTB are pretty wide, so we sometimes get some interference with the Driver's side door. If the swingout was a tiny bit wider....maybe, but that is our only complaint so far.

If it meets your needs, we can say enough good things about Walter, customer service, and their product. It was delivered with the locking hitch pin, and the anti-rattle bracket. He probably could have gone without (and recommended customers to buy off-the-shelf), but coming complete was a pleasant surprise to us, and added value to the product.

 

This is exactly the follow-on discussion I was looking for.

1upusa makes a stellar product, and if I have to stick with a tray style, non-swingout, it's the next rack in the arsenal.

Good to hear the positive experiences with Walter. I'll post pics as soon as I get my hands on one. I can also fit a 1up during the Fruita trip. Lots of pictures to come.

My preference to tray style, and keeping from hanging off the frame is based on poor experiences with hardtails and a Softride carrier. Personal preference only.

If I wasn't so committed to my interior, I would 100% carry my bikes inside. It's ridiculous how much crud I pull off them after driving to Gooseberry Mesa.


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I just got my Rack Attach this week and already have a Kuat NV. I got the drivers side swing, since that seems to make more sense.

After a couple camping trips last fall, I got tired of needing to unload everything, take off the rack, just to access the back doors. Plus once spring/summer gets here, the rack is going to stay on the van all the time, so I need access the doors.

I'll get some pics once I get everything in place.

 

Lionmonster - What Transit do you have? Have you installed the RakAttach on your Transit and do the doors open at least 90 degrees without hitting anything?
I have a Saris 2 bike tray rack. And on a recent 2 month 7000 mile trip to CA,AZ,NM,TX, etc, I removed the Saris at least 15 times to gain access to the rear of the van. Thanks

 

I have the 130 XLT wagon. We slipped in place quickly just to check stuff out, but I haven't mounted the bike rack yet. I'll confirm the door opening when I get stuff mounted. My only potential concern right now is the door hitting the bike rack when everything is open. I might put some kind of protective bump stop on the door or rack.

 

Check out Recon Racks. Similar to North Shore racks as they hold vertical but they hold the bike from the tire, so there's no frame contact.
They have a great pivot mechanism and you can open the doors, although you still have a big rack to walk around to get to stuff. He is developing a swing out hitch right now that I'm looking forward to as he constantly has great ideas.
Next time I have my rack on I'll take some photos of it on my 250HR 148"

recon-racks.com

 

Here's some pics with the Rackattach and Kuat set up. You can open both doors 90 deg with just the rack but no bikes. Handle bars stick out too far. It's a little lopsided cause I didn't tighten everything.

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Here's some pics with the Rackattach and Kuat set up. You can open both doors 90 deg with just the rack but no bikes. Handle bars stick out too far. It's a little lopsided cause I didn't tighten everything.

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Man, this is exactly what we needed. If you notice the assembly on your Kuat has the forwardmost bike's front tire to the left, I assembled mine to the right. If they're swapped, would long MTB bars fit?

1up owners get to choose their own adventure!


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I have a 1-up being delivered tomorrow, and I'm picking up my Quigley Transit next week. I'll test fit in probably 2 weeks, and post pix.
I also have a Thule T2 (damaged from being rear ended), I can test fit once I have the van.

 

Lionmonster:

sweet!

Can you open both doors with the RakAttach attached but not swung open (with no bike rack attached)? I.e. Does the red lever or red pin get in the way?


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yes - it low enough that is doesn't interfere with the doors.

 

thanks for the education in bike racks! back in the early 70s i was a high mileage touring cyclist but it has been 30 years since i have even been on a bike. i am thinking it is time to buy another one, (easy stuff: old railroad bike paths) i just bought a trailer hitch without trailer lights.

 

So since it was warm this morning, I switched the direction of the bikes to see how it would work.

And it does, but the front tire holder will be in the way when the rack is folded up. Not a big deal since it will rotate the other direction.


2nd issue is when the door is opened, the pedal will hit the door. It would work if the pedal is always rotated so it's at it's lowest position, but I know that will not happen and I'd end up with a big dent in the door. I'd rather let the handlebars hit the windows first

So I put everything back the way it was.

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Back in CO with my van, and had a chance to check out the two racks I have.

The 1up should work, but you can't open the doors when its "parallel" to the ground:

When its rotated down, doors open!

The Thule T2 (classic) won't work either way...

One note, both are the 1 1/2" receiver type. The 1up comes with an adapter, and the Thule I had to buy an adapter. I'd expect similar results with the 2" versions.

 

We checked the clearances on a RakAttach with a Kuat and a 1up. Both work, but some interference at the back door. We decided to go with storing them inside the van, but hanging up.

Barn door bikes anyone? Kuat Dirtbag fork mounts.


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VERY cool idea!
Do you get any noise/bouncing with that setup?
Have you had any issues with the brakes with bikes hanging like that for a long time (and bouncing around on the road)?

We tossed around many different ideas, and want to be able to carry at least 4 bikes. Depending on the bike, I'm thinking we can stash 5 with this setup:

We'll probably still mount the 1up on trips. Even with a similar setup in my Xterra, we found it nice to have an external rack on trips to just throw the bikes up there after a ride... especially when we hit mud.

 

Chatski, that's exactly what I want to do with our bikes, except it would be best to have them both on the driver's side... which holes did you use? Any chance you could post a close-up of the mounts?

 

I used the holes near the top rear of the rear windows, dropped a Plusnut in. It's not secured that well, we're trying to figure out if that's a good or a bad thing. I'll post up some better pics this weekend.


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Jollyman:
Seeing your rear-camera barely clearing that rack has me a bit disappointed. I'm afraid I'm going to see nothing but rack in the screen.

Looks like next year is getting the high camera which will probably perform better.....Maybe there will be a way for all of us to retrofit the new parts...

 

Chatski:
Seeing your rear-camera barely clearing that rack has me a bit disappointed. I'm afraid I'm going to see nothing but rack in the screen.

Looks like next year is getting the high camera which will probably perform better.....Maybe there will be a way for all of us to retrofit the new parts...

I don't have a rear camera yet. Plans to put a high camera in with a replacement rear brake light. So far, I just use mirrors, talent, and a lot of luck.


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Thanks for the discussion. We are trying to tackle this same issue. Had a thought - can you install a front end hitch and use a bike rack up front? That way no door, back up camera issue and minimize dust, etc. Just googled it and this popped up http://www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/Thread-single-bike-rack-for-the-front-of-a-van. Thoughts?

 

There is a guy who put a 2" receiver on the front of a Transit. I've not seen info on here, but there's a FB group with some info on it. I also asked the guy for pics of how it attached to the frame... short answer - custom job!

I'm planning on putting a 2" on mine, but for a winch hook-up... good thing I know a fab guy!