4 Berth, 4 Bikes – Possible?

[Stebbo]

Hello all, I’m new here and this is my first post.

I’ve been weighing up the pro-s and con’s of various vans, conversions and coach built motorhomes – but I keep coming back to the VW simply because I can use it as a daily driver. That said I’m after something that can sleep four and store four bikes inside. It doesn’t need a full conversion, but I’d like room to plug in a fridge/cooler.

We’re a family of four – kids are 6 and 8
Van needs to seat 4, kids not in front seats
Vast majority of the time it’ll be used in place of a car and will transport mountain bikes regularly

Camping usage:
1. Summer holidays travelling to Europe, taking four bikes, will have an awning, but would prefer to sleep in the van.
2. Occasional weekends away/overnights with four bikes

Having read some posts and hunted around the nearest conversion I can see is this from CJL: MTB Conversion - CJL Leisure

However – it’s 2 berth only. I’m wondering whether I could get something similar commissioned but using the Exploria Kombi (or similar) in addition to the pop-top – essentially lowering the garage roof when I need the bed. Most of the time I’m thinking that I’d probably take the kombi bed out and store it just to make it easier to take bikes in/out when not on holidays.

Finally – I’d like to do this to a 4Motion – wondering whether I’d lose any internal space through the floor height being raised to allow for the extra running gear?

Has anybody else done this?

If so – what was the base van – kombi, panel van etc?

Thanks in advance
Phil

 

[Pete C]

Are you happy to have the bikes outside the van when you sleep ?

Pete

 

[Stebbo]

Hi Pete, no - that's really the issue that I'm I'm trying to resolve.

 

[Insert Coin]

We're a family of four, four bikes (mine's a 29er XXL) and we manage ok in my lwb Kombi 4-Motion.

There's a full length, full width Kombi type bed for me and the wife (I'm 6ft 7"), the kids sleep up in the HiLo pop top and I use a Thule 4 bike tow bar rack to transport them.

At night I leave the bikes out, but I have a very thick, very long chain that I pass through all 4 bike frames and then through the spokes on the back wheel of my van.

If we are just off out riding for the day I can easily squeeze all 4 bikes in 'top to tail' and a cushion in between each one to stop them scuffing.

You don't need any kind of bespoke MTB van if you don't want to spend the cash.

If you're spending more than a night away then an awning is essential, when the rear bed is in place there is nowhere to lounge about without pulling it all out again.

 

[Stebbo]

Hi - and thanks for the reply, nice set-up.
I've got a Thule 4 bike tow bar rack already for my car and am almost resigned to the fact that I'm not going to make this work - I think the only real way of doing it is to buy a coach built motorhome with an integrated garage, but that means it's not going to be a daily driver and is going to cost a fortune.

Out of interest, your kombi - other than the kombi bed, what have you done with the interior?

 

[t0mb0]

It's extremely difficult to sleep four people inside the van along with four bikes, because however you do it, the bikes will prevent you from using a rib style bed. The only way I can think of that it would even be possible is two adults in the pop-top and two kids in a double decker cab bunk like this:

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It could be extremely limiting though, you'd lose so much storage/living space to the bikes.

It's easy to do using an external bike rack though, as others have said. Why do you particularly want the bikes inside the van rather than the classic bike rack arrangement?

 

[t0mb0]

Oh hang on, have I misunderstood? Do you want to sleep four inside at the same time as having four bikes inside? Or do you just want to be able to transport the four bikes inside, and then sling them outside to get the bed down? If it's the latter, then a LWB with a Reimo Variotech sliding seat would do it - slide the seats forward all the way to transport the bikes and then slide back again after removing the bikes to make up the bed...

I still think the classic four bike external rack would be much more practical though.

 

[Broadside]

I just can’t see how you can get 4 people in with 4 bikes unless all the bikes have both wheels removed etc which is an unreasonable faff. 2 people and 2 bikes it would be fine but 4 is too much.

I assume your bikes are nice bits of kit which is why you won’t leave them outside.

Before going up to a Meet the Fokkers style RV could you get an enclosed trailer like an Anssems GT750 with side height extensions and lockable lid, all the bikes could go nicely in there away from prying eyes.

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[Paynewright]

I’ve just made a rack to hold 4 bikes inside the van (SWB with Kombi seating arrangement) and its full! You can get soft bags inbetween the bikes and generally pack stuff around them.

 

[Stebbo]

T0mb0, Broadside, Paynewright.
Thanks for your responses.

T0mb0 - yes, ideally I did want four bikes inside whilst sleeping - but I do recognise this is really out of the question especially with a SWB - and taking both wheels off is a faff too far. I just had to ask in case someone had somehow figured it out. I already have a 4 bike tow bar Thule rack so will do similar to Insert Coin and buy a decent chain/lock - and likely get a cover made too.

I did think about the cab bunks - and perhaps for a couple of years I might get away with them, but they're not a long term solution - good though
Broadside - Trailer is a good idea, but it's a faff having to tow.

So - that leaves me with how best to configure a day van for four people whilst leaving enough room for four bikes in the back when just using instead of a car - taking the family to the trail centres etc

Paynewright - do you have any photos please? What seat/bed arrangement do you use?

Any advice of best seating/double bed arrangements that will save as much space in the back as possible for the bikes when using the van instead of a car would be appreciated. Ideally I'd like to fit in a powered fridge/cool box, and some level of inbuilt storage for when travelling.

Thanks again to you all, great group

 

[Paynewright]

No beds in mine (yet) I think its going to be either / or!

This is with 2 adult bikes in and I’ve done the brackets for 2 more (but no photo) and the space is chokka!

 

[Insert Coin]

Hi - and thanks for the reply, nice set-up.
I've got a Thule 4 bike tow bar rack already for my car and am almost resigned to the fact that I'm not going to make this work - I think the only real way of doing it is to buy a coach built motorhome with an integrated garage, but that means it's not going to be a daily driver and is going to cost a fortune.

Out of interest, your kombi - other than the kombi bed, what have you done with the interior?

It’s just a Kombi with 2+1 rear seats that fold flat for the bed frame to extend over the top.

I’ve got a variant of this padlock, it chirps if there’s any movement, it’s not the actual padlock I use for locking the bikes, but I use it as a movement sensor.

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And this through my van wheel

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[nealfairfield]

One company that specialises in getting bikes into vans and solving this kind of problem is Home - CJL Leisure
I know you mention them in your initial post but they do do a 4-berth sleeper: VWT6 Competition Adventure LWB - CJL Leisure
No affiliation to me. Just passing on what I've found in my own searches.
Good luck.

 

[fidav]

I’m trying to do the same in my lwb van -sleep 4 with 4 bikes in the van, no kitchen but a fridge and some storage. Not sure it’s going to happen! However there is no way my bikes are being stored outside so may have to rethink it sleeping 4!

My kids are too old for this but it might work for you:
Make front seats into a bed (check kiravan)
Make back seats into bed by fitting seats that fold over and place mattress over
Pop top for you and misses

Would be good to hear what you do!

 

[Stebbo]

Hello fidav
I've revised my requirements slightly - I still want to transport 4 bikes inside the van, but I recognise that it's impossible to sleep in there too.
My requirements are this:

I want to be able to use the van like a car - so have a boot, but a boot big enough to transport four bikes with two people upfront and two people in the back
I want to be able to make a cup of tea, and have lunch inside the van around a table when four bikes are inside and four people are seated - so want a fridge and burner, sink and storage

I think - and I need to go see one on person that the answer is a Reimo Variotech 3000 bed/seat. It slides on rails so allows the back seats to be moved up towards the front seats, thus leaving a large boot area at the rear. I'll go for the mid-size width which allow room enough for a slim cabinet to be fitted don the one side of the van - no wardrobe, just single height. It'll hold a fridge or cooler, single burner and small sink.

I'll swivel the front seats and am hoping that there will be enough room for a table to fit between the front and rear seats whilst the bikes are in the back. I'm sure that lengthways in a SWB that will not be possible, but I'm exploring getting a rack made by a local fabricator to fit (removable of course) to the side wall of the van opposite the cupboards. I'll have off the shelf brackets incorporated to fit the front forks in to (so front wheel off), and strap (somehow) the rear wheels to the floor. So basically, fix the bikes crossways to the side wall with forks in the air.

I think that will afford me a little more space - you may well be able to fit your bikes lengthways in a LWB

My next issue to resolve is how to line the side wall that the bike is to be fixed to - I want it waterproof so that it doesn't matter about dirty/wet bikes - although I am also looking in to getting a larger water tank and pump fitted in the rear cupboards to allow hosing of bikes down.

If I decide to stay overnight in the van whilst with bikes then I've got a Thule rack and I'll get a cover and decent lock as Insert Coin recommended
Anything more than a single overnighter is going to mean awning anyway and more kit, so again will use bike rack and cover

 

[Village]

I want to be able to make a cup of tea, and have lunch inside the van around a table when four bikes are inside and four people are seated - so want a fridge and burner, sink and storage

I just cant see this all fitting in a SWB. Not sure what bikes you're talking about but i'd have thought that if you have 4 bikes in the back then the rear seats need to be in the usual kombi position, even if they were on rails I don't think you'd have the spare space to push them back with the bikes there, which means no room for a table even with swivelling front seats. And you still need to fit the fridge, burner, sink and storage in there somehow. Maybe if you dismantled the bikes you could buy more space but that just sounds like an almighty ballache to me

 

[Pete C]

I think you need a Crafter.

Pete