BA typed: > Wow. I dunno ... > > We have three ways to carry our two single-rider bikes with our > 'Esme'. >

Hi B,

One of the things that we love about Vanagon camping is how easy it is to convert from driving mode to overnighting mode, just by opening the hatch, pulling out our gear, and making the bed. We sleep downstairs. When I travel alone, I sometimes put my single bike inside, but if the two of us are traveling, two bikes inside becomes a nuisance, making it harder to pop into the kitchen to make a sandwich or set up for a quick overnighter, so we use a hitch type bike carrier which plugs into a receiver I had welded onto the front of Mellow Yellow to carry the two bikes. The bikes get dirtier up front than they would if they were carried behind the van, but our camping bikes are not fancy ones, and not having them at the rear makes opening the hatch miles easier.

It bothered me no end to finally have a tandem and not see a way to carry it that didn't cost three to four times as much as I paid for it. The tandem I bought is 68'' long when the wheels are removed, and the van is 68'' or so wide, so I'll just carry it crosswise back there. Stephen pointed me to the not super-expensive Saris Bones bike rack which straps to the rear hatch. That looks like it'll do the job quite nicely should we decide to bring it along.

-- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano KG6RCR