richard60 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Want to buy a tandem but even if I take front wheel off I can,t see how to carry it without it blocking the lights on my autotrail tracker. I currently have a standard two bike carrier. Advice please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Saw this at the CC Bunree site. David http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/BunreeView1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 We carry ours across the back, wheels off, on a Fiamma rack. It sits on its bottom bracket shells on a wooden former fixed into the Fiamma channel. However, having a bike rack that sat above the rear lights was one of our criteria when choosing the van as we rarely travel without the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard60 Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Hi, that looks a really neat and tidy set up you have. Unfortunatley we did it the other way...have had the van for a couple of years first!! So what do you rest the forks on...did you make up siomething with wood?? Alway ready to pinch someones ideas!! getting the bike delivered next week so at least we'll have it at home to play with.... Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 It's just a piece of CLS studding timber chamfered on its bottom edge to sit securely in the standard U-channel and held in with the Fiamma straps at the end or by screwing through the channel. Then there are a couple of indentations cut, one for each BB shell, and a few timber spacers to pad out against the chainrings. The forks are free but are stopped from turning by tying the mudguard to the same wooden base. I think it was a quick fix and first prototype when we got our first van 6 years ago but 50,000 miles later I still don't think I could improve upon it! The rear lights are a problem on a lot of vans - I don't think that tandem riders are at the forefront of designers' minds when they are penning a new motorhome.. We quite liked some of the Chausson vans but had to put a big cross through the entire brand because they do this bizarre thing of offsetting the bike rack right over to one side of the back panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard60 Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Hi again. Many thanks for the info and extra photo...much appreciate it. We're new tandem riders....our first buy hence the angst about getting it on the van.. newver mind the motorhome designers....not many bike shops will touch a tandem either!!! Good cycling and travelling... and thanls again R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clanjones Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Hi, I have just been through this very problem with our motorhome. We are completely new to this game so this is what we came up. The motorhome was specified with a 3 bike rack with one of the Fiamma rails being extra long for the tandem. The issue I had was that the rack was offset so I was unhappy with the flex in the overhanging rail. I therefore have riveted one of the short rails inside the extended tandem rail at the weak point to strengthen it. The bike was also just a slightly wider than the vehicle so was unhappy with that as well. Bolted a Delta Bike Hitch Pro to attach the forks onto (it is lockable as well) and fashioned a bracket to fix it on the end of the rail so we only have to take off the front wheel which will go in the garage. My other half made a tandem cover as well - we are away for a week so will report back on how it has all performed.I'll post some pictures when I get the van at home, hopefully the above will all make sense but sounds like the fashioned piece of wood may be a lot cheaper!We also had the same problem finding a tandem as well and eventually went to JD Tandems in Gargrave. I can't speak highly enough about them. Worth checking them out on the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard60 Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 I'm glad there is a few other people with similar issues but have managed to solve them. Would be interested to hear how you got on with your trip. Not being much of a metal worker..never done riviting before! but like the idea of the hitch rail though. I might be able to do something with timber using it. It will depend whether I need to take both wheels off. Will see when the bike is delivered. If your method is successful let me know...maybe you could patent the design!!! Before you do, post a photo of what you've done so I can get mine made before you sell it to Fiamma!!!! and make a million! Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clanjones Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 Hi Richard, Just back from 10 days away and very pleased with the tandem rack I concocted. The bike is very securely mounted with the 2 Fiamma supports and front fork support. Note the handle bars had to be slightly skewed to avoid clashing with the back of the motorhome. The front wheel goes in the garage. The home made cover worked well also so all in all pleased with the result. If you need any more details let me know. Riveting the two rails together is very easy so don't be put off by that! If your rack is centrally mounted the strengthening shouldn't be required though. Now lets see if I can upload some photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clanjones Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Posting photo's now I have reduced them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard60 Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 Really glad you had a great few days out and about! Thanks for posting the photos. That looks a really good set up. That T bar looks a great idea. I'll see if we can use a combination of the wood idea and the T bar.. We have 2 other bikes - we use sometimes, but won't be carrying all 3 at the same time so will experiment Get Fiamma to look at your set up!! I'ts been a great help talking it through with everyone. There's been a delay getting our tandem delivered...so we'll be getting it next week now, so will let you know how we get on! thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard60 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 thankyou for all suggestions we have now gone for Steves wood option which works really well with the two wheels off, tried it out today and it works well, next issue, cover for tandem , to keep it dry, any suggestions as I am scratching my head over this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhippetVFR Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 Just want to thank you guys for the ideas on this thread, very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaleymike Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 really helpful information as just got a motorhome and need to get my orbit tandem on it!! Couple of questions. What are the white slabs under the fork mount....some kind of plastic spacer? How do you rivet the two channels together. Can I just drill them and add a couple of bolts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Welcome to the OutandAboutLive forums. “Clanjones” (who you are directing your questions to) has not logged on to this forum for almost two years - so you may not get an answer. His Forum Profile does carry an email address, but who knows if it’s correct? I notice that Clanjones has participated much more often on the MotorhomeFun forum https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum and some of his postings are quite recent. So if you don’t get a reply here, you might try asking on MHFun. From Clanjones’s photos above it would seem that a spacer was required at the tandem’s front-fork end to gain the necessary clearance between the front chain-wheel and the channel beneath it, and he has just used a couple of thick pieces of white nylon to form the spacer. As he said in his posting of 22 October 2015 10:11 PM above, he employed one of the rack’s original three channels to strengthen the two channels that carry the tandem, riveting the strengthening channel on top of the other two channels. Although riveting is probably the neatest approach, bolting the channels together should be just as effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaleymike Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 thanks for the further advice. I didn't realise the post was so long ago!! I have been able to remove the gully from my original tandem carrier and then modify as shown in the earlier posts. Using the front fork holder means the bike doesn't overlap the motorhome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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