It's quite hard work but should be okay. Far easier to close with the bike rack fitted!
Genuine vw rear bike rack
- Thread starter superflyguy
- Start date
It's quite hard work but should be okay. Far easier to close with the bike rack fitted!
Thanks for that - TBH I think once it's fitted it will be very unlikely to be removed, but just in case I wanted to make sure my better half wouldn't end up stranded at the supermarket with the boot wide open!
California struts are £90 a pair, I know they are still more expensive than the SGS ones but i have changed the price in the forum shop recently so just wanted to put it out there.
For some reason the T5 cali struts are more expensive than standard ones but VW have brought the price down on the T6 cali ones, they are actually 1200N now and not 1250 as stated in the shop
Genuine VW Tailgate Struts For All T6 Models
For some reason the T5 cali struts are more expensive than standard ones but VW have brought the price down on the T6 cali ones, they are actually 1200N now and not 1250 as stated in the shop
Genuine VW Tailgate Struts For All T6 Models
For those that have space inside the van for bikes and can't be bothered with new gas struts and worries about theft/salt corrosion, see my post in the 'internal' forum on an alternative solution to bike transportation. Trust it's of interest.
Your idea looks good @Barnstormer but a lot of people using bikes convert their vans to day or even full on camper vans.
We used to be able (and still can in fact) to get 2x MTBs in the boot of our old Calfornia - ideal I thought. Except you need to take out the back shelf which is part of the bed - so you can't sleep there. And the shelf gets battered every time you move it. And however super careful you are, the bikes WILL scratch the interior. And after a really muddy ride - sticking a pair of lagged MTBs in the boot of your £40/50k even 60k van isn't that appealing.
So the bike rack will suit a lot of people; and the salt/muck thing? We live roughly 200m from the North Atlantic. We get HAMMERED by onshore winds bringing salt in everywhere so it's vital to rinse bikes and the van regularly. In the bikes case - every time we use them.
So a good idea and interesting bike solution that will work for some but I don't think there's any need to imply us bike rackers somehow care less about our bikes (mine probably adds up to about £3k - complete custom made). It's just a different way of doing things. Security wise - you need a very specific "lock" driver to take the rack off and each bike is individually locked on and will be secured with a mighty D lock. Muck wise - many covers are available.
We used to be able (and still can in fact) to get 2x MTBs in the boot of our old Calfornia - ideal I thought. Except you need to take out the back shelf which is part of the bed - so you can't sleep there. And the shelf gets battered every time you move it. And however super careful you are, the bikes WILL scratch the interior. And after a really muddy ride - sticking a pair of lagged MTBs in the boot of your £40/50k even 60k van isn't that appealing.
So the bike rack will suit a lot of people; and the salt/muck thing? We live roughly 200m from the North Atlantic. We get HAMMERED by onshore winds bringing salt in everywhere so it's vital to rinse bikes and the van regularly. In the bikes case - every time we use them.
So a good idea and interesting bike solution that will work for some but I don't think there's any need to imply us bike rackers somehow care less about our bikes (mine probably adds up to about £3k - complete custom made). It's just a different way of doing things. Security wise - you need a very specific "lock" driver to take the rack off and each bike is individually locked on and will be secured with a mighty D lock. Muck wise - many covers are available.
All the links are in the thread in the Interiors section. It was, I thought, obviously only a possible solution for panel vans/kombis/day vans.
Yes it will fit so long as you don't have a rear spoiler. As to the gas struts, there are different strength ones out there, and you will no doubt need to swap them.
@Polzeylad may be able to point you in the right direction as I think he has one of these racks and may have had to upgrade his struts. I'm sure he'll clarify for you.
@Polzeylad may be able to point you in the right direction as I think he has one of these racks and may have had to upgrade his struts. I'm sure he'll clarify for you.
Welcome to the forum buddy.
Straight answer is yes the VW bike rack will fit straight onto your tailgate as long as you haven't had a tailgate spoiler fitted. Upgraded, stronger struts are recommended.
I've just fitted my bike rack (pretty easy) and have just had delivered struts from SGS Engineering which I'm hoping to fit one not this week. VW Upgraded struts can also be purchased from the forum shop.
Straight answer is yes the VW bike rack will fit straight onto your tailgate as long as you haven't had a tailgate spoiler fitted. Upgraded, stronger struts are recommended.
I've just fitted my bike rack (pretty easy) and have just had delivered struts from SGS Engineering which I'm hoping to fit one not this week. VW Upgraded struts can also be purchased from the forum shop.
Yep, struts come in four grades, the Cali being the strongest; so I didn't need to upgrade them but any non Cali needs to.
Well after our first holiday in France with bikes and the rack, we have decided we won't take them or the rack on our big Euro trip in July.
While they are ideal if the area is cycle friendly and you are staying on campsites but they are seriously restrictive if you do a bit (or a lot) of wild camping plus they restrict you in towns from being the footprint of a large estate car to MUCH longer.
You just can't put them anywhere with wild camping and not being able to open the boot with them on is a proper PITA.
So we'll use it again for French shorter breaks but for proper exploring/adventuring, we'll be taking it off.
I have to admit, I'm a little sad as I was looking forward to a bit of mountain cycling but there's still hiking, running and of course, surfing to keep up active and smiling.
Just thought it could be useful for anyone else with (or considering) one - just think carefully about what sort of trips you want to do.
While they are ideal if the area is cycle friendly and you are staying on campsites but they are seriously restrictive if you do a bit (or a lot) of wild camping plus they restrict you in towns from being the footprint of a large estate car to MUCH longer.
You just can't put them anywhere with wild camping and not being able to open the boot with them on is a proper PITA.
So we'll use it again for French shorter breaks but for proper exploring/adventuring, we'll be taking it off.
I have to admit, I'm a little sad as I was looking forward to a bit of mountain cycling but there's still hiking, running and of course, surfing to keep up active and smiling.
Just thought it could be useful for anyone else with (or considering) one - just think carefully about what sort of trips you want to do.
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And after using mine for the first time last week I agree with Polzeylad about the length of the van with the rack down. I was also surprised just how high the bikes sit above the roof of the van.
The plus side of the height though is that you don't need to worry about extra light boards and/or number plates.
Yep and it's a decent bike rack but you do need to plan ahead.
Campsites and cycle friendly regions of France; ideal.
Wild camping, exploring cities, etc in Spain and surrounds; not so ideal.
