A'Van bicycle rack (long)
Submitted: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 18:33
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westonpaul
This isn't a question but it might be useful for anyone owning an A'Van and wanting to fit a bicycle rack.
Siggy Nowak fitted a rack and there is an article on how he did it.
Check it out in the www.aroundoz.com archives.
I didn't want to alter the chassis. I'd have to shift or remove the spare wheel from the rear or reposition the gas bottles to the back.
This left me with a big problem because there just isn't anywhere else that's sensible. You could fit them on top, but you'd have to take them off to open the van and the windage would increase fuel consumption a lot. The A'Vans don't have nice lumpy wooden frames either so fitting anything to them is a bit fraught because the alloy skinned panels won't hold anything unless you bolt through.
I opted for this 'Saris Bones' trunk mounted bicycle rack
Saris Bones bicycle rack mounted on a Fairlane AU
I got it from Ivanhoe Cycles and the service was lightning fast.
Note that it holds the bikes very high (higher if you want, the arms are adjustable.) $300 bucks. Maybe that's expensive - I don't know what it costs to cut and weld a chassis.
Reply By: westonpaul - Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 22:30
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 22:30
With regards to racks on the rear.
I put a Thule rack on the back of my (late) Roadstar. On that van I was able to stabilise the rack by fitting straps to eyebolts high up on the corners of the van. The straps hooked onto the corners of the rack. Even then, the bikes had a tendency to jerk around and it needed extra straps on the wheels to stop them moving out of the wheel cups.
Following that I made a rack that fitted into the centre jockey wheel clamp. The A frame is a good place for bikes, but the A'Van has no room, unless you shift the gas bottles.
The A'Van is a single axle. While you can hang stuff off the back, it's generally a bad place because you're putting about 40 kilos behind the spare wheel which will affect the handling and with the jolting of the rear of the van, you risk damage to your rack, bikes or chassis. A'Van could mount the spare about 70mm farther forward by welding the post to the front of the rear member and then the 'Siggy' solution of a spare mounted rack would work easily without cutting the chassis.
I know fitting a rack to the back can be done but I'm very conservative and I want to retain the predictable towing and not risk cracking the chassis.
It's also possible to fit Rhino racks on the A'Van roof - but then you'd have to take the bikes off before you lifted the roof which I intend doing for morning and avo tea! Also bikes in that position create a lot of drag and destroy the fuel economy that was the reason for my buying an A'Van in the first place.
My reason for posting my 'solution' was to show that there is a method other than rear or top loading. The Saris Bones rack is easy and it doesn't affect the integrity of the A'Van.
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