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i hate to start ANOTHER van thread but i want some advice.
i work away during the week, have been travelling by train for years but starting to want a mode of transport to get around while im away.
given that i have always wanted a van for biking / mobile shed duties, and for general purposes at home, tip runs, dog walking etc.. it makes sense to get one now, however it must be comfortable enough to drive up and down the country in.
im therefore thinking some kind of car-derived-van, and the ones i find most aesthetically pleasing are the Sportive Astra vans.
are these any good for hauling bikes around? was thinking id probably bolt a couple of those front axle mounts and store bikes with front wheels off, still leaving room for tubs of gear in between?
I've been using my MK4 astravan for a couple of years as a bike carrier and commuting it. It's a bit noisy, but it is a 10 year old van. The newer sportive models are much nicer and have enough grunt to make cruising on the motorway and ok experience.
I usually lay bikes down, cover them and stack them, but I've had 3 road bikes in the held up pretty much as describe. I can't remember if I had to take the rear wheels off but it might be a bit tight for large 29'ers?
Not sure an Astra will be tall enough to stand bikes up ? Go measure your bike.
I wanted a van for bike stuff, imagining bikes stood up as you have, ended up with a LWB T4 😳 But it does mean bikes can go in fully assembled, upright, and I still have six seats.
Dirty, dirty van:
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You won't get one stood up in an Astravan. Not even the newer version.
Just about get a 26" in there with the front on lay down.
its doable with the fronts off to stand them up but its still tight and you'll need to drop the seatpost.
hmm, just found this http://www.astraownersclub.com/vb/showthread.php/662340-My-astravan-finished-for-now-pics-inside-) looks to be pretty much what im after, althought the rear wheel looks pretty tight against the bulkhead and there doesnt appear to be much room when the door is shut? they are only 26" wheels n'all...
Currently running about in a 61 plate sportive 130, it handles well and goes like stink. It warms up quickly which is a bonus in the winter. Of course the load area is small but there is extra storage under the floor where the rear seats would be. It does pull to the left for some unknown reason (brakes and alignment are fine). The radio has no aux in and the speakers have failed, not the end of the world to replace. No other problems in 84k miles. It is noisy but I quite like the chirps from the wastegate.
Had a 10 plate caddy before which was better as a van and I do miss the side door but it's nowhere near as nice to drive and had one less gear, plus in the winter it took an age to warm up. That may seem like a small point but vans are cold places to be if the heater is crap. It also suffered clutch problems every 40kmiles.
can you fit a relatively slack 650b mtb in the back tho?
im thinking now i might be just as well looking at an estate...?
No idea all my bikes are 26". Yep estate car would be easier to load, less noise and just as much space plus the Severn bridge is cheaper.
You will get a bike in the van , just go buy a Saris/Thule fork clamp , I use a astra estate , same thing really and bike fits in nice.
Is there much advantage to a car based van? seems like the worst of both worlds to me, lacks both a real vans load capacity, and the flexibility of a car...
Why not simply get an estate and just leave the back seats permanently folded flat? Having rear doors makes loading bulky stuff a wee bit easier, it has the added bonus that it can be used as an actual car for transporting friends and family now and then should you need to...
1/3rd - 2/3rds split seat are handy too, as you can seat 3 people and get their bikes in, rather than only ever having seating for a driver +1...
No need to try and insure a "Commercial vehicle" for private use, etc, etc...
Either that or just get an actual van and learn to love it...
My mate used to have a Astra van and we easily fitted 2 bikes kind of standing up in the back. Front wheels and seat posts out and then he had a diy qr system to put the forks onto. Worked well and left loads of room for our gear. If I was in the market I'd get one.
I have use of a Kangoo van a lot of the time. Can get a large 29er in the back no problems, just need to turn the front wheel 90 degrees. I think if a bike was very long it'd struggle.
Quite a comfy van too, been on 300+ mile trips without feeling like I'd battered myself. Much comfier than the Tucson I have now.
Worst thing about a astravan is the access for tying down the bike , an estate is way better for that .
Worst thing about a astravan is the access for tying down the bike ,
why do you need to tie it down. just put it in, it'll still be there when you arrive. I don't really get the need to clamp and strap and tie bikes. In my astra - stick the bike in, drive, bike stays put. In my sprinter lean the bike against the side of the van - drive - bike is still leaning against the side of the van at the other end of the journey.
Theres not much advantage of an astra van over an estate unless you never use the back seats in which case Astra vans benefit from just being really cheap to buy than the car version and astras are cheaper to run than just about anything else, being lower profile than berlingo style vans gets you an extra 10mpg. The other benefit if you are tall is estates don't allow often don't allow you to get the full adjustment of the drivers seat when the rear seats are folded forward so a van is more useful if you want to use all that load space.
my XL Prime goes in fine with the front wheel off, and thats pretty much as long as bikes get. While you don't have the height of berlingo/kangoos you do have a bit more length in the back.might be a bit tight for large 29'ers
for general purposes at home, tip runs, dog walking etc
check if you'll be welcome at the tip in a van, rules will vary from one authority to the next but typically commercial vehicles aren't allowed in. Where I live they want advance notice that you'll be coming, in glasgow they take you over the weigh bridge and charge you by the ton, with a minimum £100 charge per trip. Down at my mums place I have an arrangement with the guys in the tip to park outside and carry stuff in from the street as they have number plate cameras at the entrance which flag any commercials going in.
you have an astravan then Maccruiskeen? good to know your banshee fits in.
yeah ive read this concern on other van threads but ive borrowed vans for taking stuff to my local tip without any hassle before.
[u]why do you need to tie it down. just put it in, it'll still be there when you arrive. I don't really get the need to clamp and strap and tie bikes.[/u]
Chucking a bike in , + a canny size spare's ,clothing etc , would be a mental option , take's 2 min to whip the front wheel/seat post out and pop in the fork clamp and a strap over the top tube .
happy to take front wheel off and lock the crown in an axle mount but wont be whipping no seat posts out, not with stealth reverbs! you reckon it will still be tight with these fully compressed?
In my opinion, if you're going to get a van you might as well get a proper one rather than just an estate car with panelled sides and less seats, which is all the Astravan is. Quite a few mates have had astra vans over the years and they're a nightmare for carrying bikes, one will just about fit in lying down yes but you'll have a struggle fitting two in and will have to lie them on top of each other risking damage.
The whole point of a van for mountain biking is it makes things so much easier and simpler. I could never go back to mucking around squeezing bikes in at funny angles or removing wheels and seatposts whenever I want to take a couple of mates somewhere. Couldn't go any smaller than my Vivaro now I don't think, though you don't need to get anything that big just something big enough that bikes will stand up inside. It'll be the best decision you make.
Astravan= back ache from hell if you are a taller longer legged person as there is a low bulkhead that stops the seat going back far enough.....I know from experience!
I have a Vauxhall Combo in 1.3cdti as I wanted economical bike hauler but it also comes in 1.7 engine. The cabin/ fascia is standard Vauxhall parts bin. It runs at motorway speeds no problem and is returning 55mpg.
As for the tip, our local councils will not allow vans in without permits and you can inlet a permit if it's the only vehicle registered to your address, £1000 fine if you're caught out lying signing the declaration as you also are signing for the council to check!
I have had three full sized MTBs and all the holiday luggage wheels on and I could have fitted five in to be honest with careful loading.
Youd be far better with a connect, or estate with roof bars. Stuff bolting bike racks in the van! Takes up precious load space. Bungee to side instead.
They're not very big (Escort vans had way more space back in the day). I personally think that if you're going to get a small estate sized van you should just get an estate car as it can take the same amount of stuff (inc bike) but can still seat up to 5 people, if needed. And it doesn't cost £13 bloody quid to drive across the bridge to Wales!
They're also not very tall so doubt you'd be able to stand a bike upright (BMX maybe). The Peugeot Partner and similar shaped vans are a bit bigger but at those sizes you still have the all disadvantages of a van without many of the advantages.
And vans tend to have more cabin noise than cars. And are often less comfortable
Tom KP
you have an astravan then Maccruiskeen? good to know your banshee fits in.
Indeed - a sprinter for making money and an astra for saving money. The Banshee I've only ever put in with the wheel off I think. Road bike and 26er (both in extra large flavours) will go in whole, but better with a wheel off if you're putting two in. I just lay one bike in, throw a blanket over it then put the second in carefully. I don't then travel with any more paraphernalia than I'll actually carry when I'm riding so space for anything else isn't a problem
happy to take front wheel off and lock the crown in an axle mount but wont be whipping no seat posts out, not with stealth reverbs! you reckon it will still be tight with these fully compressed?
Get your tape measure out - floorpan to ceiling inside the van (with no ply lining on the floor and no headliner) is 90cm at best, but the door opening is only about 82cm. Thats for an Astra G. You're probably looking at an Astra H but I don't think they're significantly taller (a quick google suggests they're not).
Astravan= back ache from hell if you are a taller longer legged person as there is a low bulkhead that stops the seat going back far enough.....I know from experience!
Half and hour of swearing and a spot weld drill-bit gets that out and reveals a bit more storage space under the floorpan too. But if the bulkhead is a problem then driving with the seats folded in an estate car is going to be a bigger problem.