rooster63 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 I have a campervan conversion on a Citroen Relay base. Due to an underslung water tank the cradle for carrying a spare wheel was removed and I have to rely on the 'gunk'. I have a Fiamma bike rack fitted to the rear door but although the 2 bikes being carried weigh 28kg, well below the 35kg max weight I became concerned on my travels in France this year that the bounce caused by the speed bumps in 30kph zones had started to distort the door slightly so ended up carrying the bikes inside the van. Luckily I caught it in time and any distortion is minimal and hasn't affected the seals. As we have plans to buy e-bikes am looking into getting a tow bar fitted and a rack fitted to that. I plan to remove the other bike rack and am wondering about fitting a spare wheel carrier like the one from Vanbitz https://www.vanbitz.co.uk/Universal-Spare-Wheel-Carrier/6137.htm I know I will need to check the loading on the axles, I did go to a weighbridge when I first bought the van and fully loaded had 200kg spare payload but the bridge wouldn't let me weigh separate axles! I believe a spare wheel is in the region of 30kg so with 2 e-bikes, tow bar and rack it may be too much for the rear axle. Amy thoughts/comments much appreciated. I don't want to fabricate something to attach the wheel to the existing bike rack (as would have some potential for distortion/damage as the bikes)but would look at reinforcing the door where the Vanbitz carrier is fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 You have to take into account thr fulcrum in the distance from the rear axle to the where the rack is mounted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 weldted - 2019-10-09 11:16 AM You have to take into account thr fulcrum in the distance from the rear axle to the where the rack is mounted. SV Tech have a very useful feature on their website where you can enter existing details of your MH, eg axle weights, wheelbase, etc. and then 'add on' any features you are considering, eg your rear door mounted spare wheel, and the programme will then calculate the effect on your axle weights. http://lda2.svtech.co.uk/design?type=type1 Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 rooster63 - 2019-10-08 9:17 AM I have a campervan conversion on a Citroen Relay base. Due to an underslung water tank the cradle for carrying a spare wheel was removed and I have to rely on the 'gunk'. I have a Fiamma bike rack fitted to the rear door but although the 2 bikes being carried weigh 28kg, well below the 35kg max weight I became concerned on my travels in France this year that the bounce caused by the speed bumps in 30kph zones had started to distort the door slightly so ended up carrying the bikes inside the van. Luckily I caught it in time and any distortion is minimal and hasn't affected the seals. As we have plans to buy e-bikes am looking into getting a tow bar fitted and a rack fitted to that. I plan to remove the other bike rack and am wondering about fitting a spare wheel carrier like the one from Vanbitz https://www.vanbitz.co.uk/Universal-Spare-Wheel-Carrier/6137.htm I know I will need to check the loading on the axles, I did go to a weighbridge when I first bought the van and fully loaded had 200kg spare payload but the bridge wouldn't let me weigh separate axles! I believe a spare wheel is in the region of 30kg so with 2 e-bikes, tow bar and rack it may be too much for the rear axle. Amy thoughts/comments much appreciated. I don't want to fabricate something to attach the wheel to the existing bike rack (as would have some potential for distortion/damage as the bikes)but would look at reinforcing the door where the Vanbitz carrier is fitted. Oooh! I'd be wary of this! Looking at the advert on Vanbitz, the product's description is written in such bad English, I'd wonder if the makers know what they are talking about. Even if it's any good, it's only as good as what you fit it to - you mention strengthening the door, but the door is only as good as its hinges and lock, probably not made for such a weight. You've already had trouble with the bikes, only a little lighter than a spare wheel. For what it's worth, I had the same concerns about no spare wheel and the value of the emergency gunk stuff, and bought a spare which just fits in the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster63 Posted October 10, 2019 Author Share Posted October 10, 2019 Unfortunately having a pvc there is no space for a spare wheel anywhere in the van as none of the lockers are big enough. Although the previous owner apparently carried a spare wheel loose in the van and hoiked it out when he pitched up. I suppose it might be possible to fix some sort of restraining straps so it doesn't become an 'unguided' missile in the event of an emergency stop. Would mean removing it every time and shifting a 30kg dead weight is not ideal, especially as we like to pitch up for a day or two and move on so that might be a bit of a pain, but maybe less pain than having no spare wheel. There would also be the issue of securing the wheel against theft when pitched up. Another option maybe would be just to carry a spare tyre as one of the issues in the event of a blow out is that you can't just pop into a tyre place and get a spare. In the 3 years we have had the van we have only had one puncture when a bolt pierced the tyre. In that instance the tyre was repairable and the the breakdown guy took the wheel off and back to the depot to be repaired and we were back on our way within an hour. A spare tyre would be lighter and maybe could be mounted on the redundant bike rack. Good idea or a waste of time? I'm due to get a new set of tyres sometime in the next year so could easily keep one of the old tyres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevec176 Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 I'm on the same boat as you, no space to locate a spare. I toyed with the idea of just taking a tyre but still could find a suitable space for it. I've got the gunk in the tyres that is suppose to make them self sealing and recently received a TPMS so will know of any drop in pressure. All I can do it keep everything crossed, especially as I'm currently touring the Spanish Pyrenees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Maybe worth looking to see if you can at least lighten the load by seeing if you can get a space-saver wheel/tyre for your vehicle. I tried for our Transit based van but couldn't as it's too heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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