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So I've just bought a new van, a 2019 Peugeot expert 2.0, with 60k on the clock its going to have a few uses, primary use if for my village shop, transporting stock and doing deliveries (one or two small local trips a week) and secondly a weekend van / 2nd vehichle for the family and my bike... I started a thread on why I picked this van and if I could go with a smaller van here.
So I thought I'd start a new thread documenting what I'm going to do to the back of the van and also so I don't jump on others existing threads.
This is the van....
Pretty standard in the back when I picked it up last week, but that gave the first issue - it's too big and my stock slides around so I needed a boot mat of some sort, but one that's also suitable for the bike. There are specific ones available for the expert in Europe but not in the UK and they are very expensive. So I bought a sheet of 3mm ribbed sheet (oo er misses), and took the floor out and cut that down to fit at the weekend.
Next it comes to bikes and kit, keeping it off the floor and away from stock. I've got a couple of bits so far but I'm aiming to paint the ply lining in pick up bed liner paint, the rubberised stuff. But the paint hasn't turned up yet.
I bought a couple of bungee storage things from the ply guys, and fitted them. Temporary solution for helmets at this stage, but they are quite secure.
That's as far as I got over the weekend, other than planning where to put a bike wash kit and lights and an extensive weekend warrior tool box.
My next big issue is carrying mine and mates bikes, I've a road/gravel, full sus trail and fat bike. I want to carry at least 2 bikes, wheels on, but store the carrier out of the way in the van mon-fri. I'm currently looking at solutions from Bikestow who have a fatbike version being released soon, and also Sender ramps who I need to email about fat bike compatibility.
Any suggestions or other ideas welcome.
I was design engineer at Locks 4 Vans when these were released. The technical manager got one from a dealership and we went through it.
I recommend you think about additional security.
Same on every van unfortunately - nothing is stored per night and no bikes or stock will be left in the van. There are absolutely loads of insurance write offs available where the rear doors have been replaced. Even so I'll have a look.
Same on every van unfortunately
Yup, i got hook locks on mine and an anti-peel bracket for the side door.
Wheels off, but gives you an easy removal bike mount.
https://www.mtbvans.co.uk/product-page/generic-bike-mount-rail-kit
Unfortunately wheels off seems a bit pointless to me when you have a big van and don't need the extra space wheels off provides.
Good start, and some great points... following, especially for mounting options
Looks good, nice work with the floor.
How's it drive?
It's drives really nicely - closest to driving a car I think a mid size van can get. The 2.0ltr engine pulls really well and it great for all the hill around here - it's the same engine in the 180bhp auto version but restricted down to 140bhp. Hopefully will have less adblue / drp issues than the 114bhp 1.6 - lots of people seem to get the adblue mapped out to avoid future problems. I'll wait and see on the reliability.
The look, cabin and how it drove were the main reason I went with it over a transit custom - also works well for the village shop / post office as RM also use them.
The cabin is relatively posh in feel for a van, not as nice as the 308 i used to have but all of the buttons and controls are familiar. enough storage but tiny cup holders for some reason. The third seat is definitely a only if you must even at this size & the partner we looked originally at was an absolute no go for the three of us.
Looking at internal van bike carrying solutions this week, the two top options being Bike Stow and Sender ramps.
Bike stow is my preference at the moment, but my requirements for multiple bikes including a fat bike solution have put that on hold - they do have a prototype out on social media though so I contacted them and a three bike carrier should be out later this month on their website which will fit fat bikes. No idea on cost at the moment but prob north of £200Their stance rack does fit a fat bike, but I don't think would be ideal for a van.
The Sender ramps option is lovely, but storage when not in use would be a problem and costs approx 50% more than bike stow in the configuration I'd like - plus I'd need a custom set of bolts for a fat tyre. I messaged them last week on their websites messenger service, but had zero response, which also puts me off a bit. The option to later upgrade with a storage solution below would be nice though.
Sooooo, money being also tight (January blues), I bought a temp solution of a Mottez adjustable bike rack. I'll stick some photos up when it's in the van. £80 delivered with a British cycling discount at Halfords and I know I'll be able to get secure removable fittings for it rather than bolt it directly to the floor of the van.
lots of people seem to get the adblue mapped out to avoid future problems. I’ll wait and see on the reliability.
I cant fathom why people do this. Its a clear MOT failiure if they detect it (i believe), and so many people DO do it, that they will clearly up-rate the test to check more throroughly in the near future, at which point youve got to pay to have it reinstated.
Following your van build though 🙂 they look like great little vans.
I cant fathom why people do this.
It seems to be quite a major well know fault/issue with all of the PSA group vans (expert/dispatch/vivaro/proace/scudo). Either the adblue tank developing a leak or repeat ad blue warning on the dash and injector? problems. The 1.6 114bhp (most popular) engine seems to be particularly susceptible, but.... Many don't have any issues at all and as with many things the owners groups and forums are always filled with issues rather than praise. Unfortunately the manufacturers have been useless and the only permanent fix people have come up with is a £300 remap of the engine.It still passes the MOT emissions tests, but Id have thought would no longer be Euro 6 compliant although the v5 would say otherwise.
So the (temp) bike rack is in.
Also installed a couple of cubbies for gloves and gear, spare batteries and the like.
And got the bike wash fitted and strapped in.
The rubberised paint for my ply panels has turned up but will take a full weekend to apply and dry, as I'm off riding and it's -2 outside it will have to wait for now.
Looking good, watching to get a few ideas as well. Where did you get the glove/gear cubbies about?
eBay: Link
More expensive than I'd like (price is each) but I couldn't find anything similar with a similar look for less money. Only temporary fitted at the moment as I just wanted to work out where to put everything - hence not being level.
I'd have thought bungee net type storage makes better sense than rigid door bin type storage
https://amzn.eu/d/gHfTK5 s" rel="noopener" target="_blank">This kind of thing
I made this folding rack from half a sheet of 18mm ply and some spare 3x2 I had around.
You could cover the top/back in rubber for stock.
👍 Thanks monkeyboy, i think for up the sides of the van that's a neater idea. Was thinking of the bungee style that cookeaa is on about would be good for the back doors
Good to hear it drives well, I do like the look of these. Somehow they seem smaller than other mid-sized vans externally, but I guess that's just a design trick?
I’d have thought bungee net type storage makes better sense than rigid door bin type storage
That's what I use - good for bunging pads, shoes & helmets in. OP's van looks 500% neater than mine though.
I'm going to bungee net the top two sections of the rear door ply - bungee storage makes sense on door where your opening and closing (slamming) them. But the pocket bins work well on the fixed internal panel.
Van had it's first multi bike trip to windhill (hour and a half from me) and did well. The temp bike stand is ok, but not great as I still had to bungee the bikes down.
Also I need to find a place for and a way to secure my tool kit. It's a big heavy lump and kept rattling about.
You sure you want to rely on that bungee cord to keep ~20kg of water in place?
Ratchet strap maybe?
Ratchet strap maybe?
Its temp measure - only had a bungee in the garage a strap is on order 👍
Love reading the van threads and seeing what people are doing to theirs. With this one and the weeksy thread I have to keep looking at them both so is it not time we had a dedicated van thread so it’s all in one place?
Inspired me to finally get my expert sorted!
Looking like a tidy build so far, what are you using to clip your Worx to the interior panel please?
Just some velcro straps screwed with a washer to the ply.
Little bit of an update. Had a couple of trips with the cheap temp bike rack and although it fits all my bikes tyres it definitely doesn't provide enough support for van duties with out significant strapping. The rack also has to be permanently screwed down and takes up lots of storage space. So It'll get put in the garage and used as a bike store.
That leaves me with the van, there are two options really. The Sender Ramps system, a platform 900 with three racks and one custom sized for the fat bike.
It's about £300, looks great and has good reviews. But my main concern is how and where to put it when not in use - I'd like to keep it in the van, but that takes useable space away from the van day duties. I've also contacted Sender ramps through there web site about the custom sized bolts required for the fatbike and had no response, which in typical British consumer fashion, put s me off.
Soooo, I've ended by spending similar money on the other option. A BikeStow 'fatstow', this hasn't been officially released yet through there web site, but I've seen it doing the rounds on social media and someone I know was testing a couple of versions with great feedback. So I contacted Julie and after a few emails have just bought one of the first off the production line.
The main advantage over the sender version is, like the regular four bike version, it flat packs, so I can store it flat against the bulkhead of the van. The other advantage is that I can put the fatbike and other MTBs in any slot (rather than dedicated like the sender).
Hopefully it'll turn up before the weekend for a riding trial. Im also hoping to start painting some of the rear panels this weekend.
nice design, I mad a rack out of plastic pipes, it clips to the floor using the wall fixings so you can pull it out in seconds to park the bikes ouside the van and its just 6 screws if you need to remove the clips to have a smooth flat load space. being bendy it holds a variety of size tyres pretty well and I use a bungee from the grips on the outside bikes bars to the rear facing middle bike, not had any issues with them flopping side to side. used spare bits to fit horizontal and vertical rails on the sides to hang kit from with bungees and cargo net stuff.
something like this
I have a Nissan nv200 and I can fit 2 bikes in, wheels on no bother ( it’s only a 2 seater so it’s all I need to fit in ) but could fit 3 in if I needed to. I have two securing hooks on the side of the van and I put the first bike in front wheel forward then I secure it with two bungee straps. Next bike goes in rear wheel first tight up to the first bike ( with an old duvet cover between them to stop them marking ). Bungee strap this one to the same points. I’ve been transporting them like this for 10 years and never had a problem.
The sender system looks fantastic but this is my work van and as above it’s storing it when not in use.
I used to have a nv200 7seater, but sold it a couple of years ago (wish I'd kept it as it would be worth what I originally bought it for now). It was fine for two bikes, but the folded seats got in the way and I had put them in with the wheels a little kinked.
One of the goals this time around, was to transport the bikes with out bungees, so the bikestow seems to be the winner.
@monkeyboyjc
Where did you get the red hoze/attachment from for your worx..looks like exactly what I'd be after..i want to add an attachement at the bottom of my water canister too
DrP
@cogglepin Any chance you could do me a favour and measure the load area of your NV200? I am looking for something that has a load area that's a minimum of 1.4m wide and as close to 2m long as possible.
Where did you get the red hoze/attachment from for your worx
It was the hose that originally came with the hydroshot - I got the accessories pack with it. Took the pond filter off and squeezed it onto the end of the tape with some rubber hose tape for good measure.
Looks like it's now a white or clear hose rather than orange (makes sense if clear).
Willard, will do
I really enjoy a van thread. I am an aspirational van owner.
I really enjoy a van thread. I am an aspirational van owner.
Quality sentence, could be read two completely different ways...
Do you mean you aspire to own a van, or that you own a van which others aspire to own?
🙂
Willard, 1.4 mtr wide, 1.9 mtr long.
Awesome, thank you!
Do you mean you aspire to own a van, or that you own a van which others aspire to own?
Or that you own a van and just have general aspirations in life
Well the Bikestow fits far better than the cheaper metal rack and best of all I can keep it in the fan out of the way for day to day van duties. (Terrible nighttime blurry picture)
Jesus that's a lot bigger than it looked in the pictures! 😮
Yeah it's pretty wide, over a meter at 110cm - it's the same size as their biggest 4 bike carrier. Unfortunately when your regular bike is a 5"tyred fat bike everything else seems to put on girth as well....
The height too, I was expecting something 2-3ft tall - that's what, about 4-5ft tall when folded?
Unfolded, when in use it's about 2.5feet (74cm), folding It up makes it taller.
@willard
Have a look here... https://www.nissanusa.com/interactivebrochures/commercial/nv-200-compact-cargo/nv200-cargo-versatility/index.html
It's the US version but I don't think that it's so different. The 60:40 door split is the other way around in RHD form, and UK NV200s vans tend to have a steel bulkhead which is shaped to follow the seat back. 2m+ at the base, but intrudes into the load area at the height of the top of the seat back. It's bolted in.
Scroll down and it talks about 12 floor-mounted D-rings, I'm sure that mine has 6, as shown
You've done a great job with that
The back of my Kombi is plylined, not pretty but so functional. Those screw in things look pretty useful!
Well I can highly recommend a BikeStow - had a couple of trips, easy to put up and down. Very stable and bikes are super secure.
