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Date:         Thu, 24 Apr 1997 18:33:24 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Kenneth W. Wyatt" <whyknot@compuserve.com>
Subject:      bike rack stuff

Happy Day,

SOMEONE WROTE IN REGARDS TO RACK SYSTEMS: I'm comparing it to just carrying the equipment inside the van or just getting a <$75 "bike rack". ------------------------------ All this talk about biking and fun stuff in bummin me out. A dislocated shoulder and rehab will slow me down this summer but FWIW, I have a little bike rack deal that lets me mount two bikes inside my vanagon westy or on top. It is basically a Yakima fork mount system. The fork mounts slide into a groove on a flat aluminum plate. The front wheels come off and the bike fork attaches to the clamps on the aluminum plate. Then the plate with a rubber non-skid backing is placed onto the back seat. The bike chains don't even hit the seat and get grease all over it. This has worked very well for me, the bikes are very stable.

If you had more than two people it would be a problem as it takes up the back seat. I like this setup as the bikes are inside, out of the weather, and Outta sight, Outta mind for would be thieves.

I also have a Yakima setup on the Pop top also. I installed the fake rain gutters onto the poptop (Measure a hundred times, then once more and drill once, be careful not to drill into the tent fabric), I then added added the hi rise towers and the bars. This works great. I use the top mounts to carry the canoe or when i am camping or doing shuttles I can put the bikes up top to get them out of the way. I cannot and do not want to pop the top with a canoe up there.

While cruising the highway the bikes are inside (much less wind resistance). I then use the back bench seatbelts to secure this to the seat just in case I do something drastic. (the thought of two bikes hooked together by the front forks, bouncing around all over inside of a flipping vanagon kind of scares me, flippin a vanagon would scare me too.)

If anyone is interested I could check on the part numbers and retail cost for the aluminum plate as I live a block from REI in Salt lake City. I actually bought the poptop setup used for 50 bucks and had to add the hi rise bars. The plate thingy was a gift from my biker girlfriend. All for under $100 excluding the bike fork clamps. Check the local papers or gear stores bulletin boards for used racks, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Happy trippin (BIKING) KEN 82 WESTAGON


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