Warwick XL Bike rack

I'm sure that you can now get the Fiamma bike rack in black too at additional cost no doubt!

IanH wrote:Looks great.
A word of warning though, our "new" Duo came with one fitted, like Kaspian we removed and sold it. The rails the bikes sit on, even when stowed as seen in your pic are at precisely the correct height to get you on the head every time when open! It hurts too, and males are incapable of remembering so get hit on head every time.
Other than that...enjoy.
(BTW do you also have a crane to get the bikes on/off?)

I have a shed door like that

Like the crane remark, glad I am not the only one.
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Richard

Ian
You have to hold bike rack and not the door handle as you said we have all done it .i always liked the tailgate as it’s a great shelter and works much better for the racks
So was great on the transits I have had over the years

Ha ha, I know exactly what you mean about those rails bashing you on the head 

Fortunately I now seem to have developed a subconscious reaction to duck so I haven’t been hit for a while now.
I wonder how those with the rails fitted lower get on? I can only imagine the pain in a certain area when you walk into them... ouch!

I’m only 5’ 10” by the way and can lift my mountain bike on and reach the top bar attachment without difficulty.

kaspian wrote:I'm sure that you can now get the Fiamma bike rack in black too at additional cost no doubt!

Looks like you may be right kaspian unless I’m mistaken. Seems like a big price jump from what I remember the silver cost just 18 months ago??

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kaspian wrote:Camper x if you do buy a Fiamma dj200 and want to double check before drilling let me know by PM and I will measure exactly the location of the holes on the upper rail above the window . As stated my rack is now removed and the holes plugged with nice stainless cap headed bolts so easy to measure.

Managed to source a black Fiamma 200 DJ for post 2007 Boxer due for delivery next week. An expensive item that's for sure. Maybe supply is low due to Covid. I did look at the Thule option but like the idea of being able to remove the rack and install on future vans! The Thule bonded bars are 230 quid to replace whereas the Fiamma bolts on and off.

I'd be grateful for those measurements if you are still up for sending them Kaspian.

Good news you got the rack you wanted.

I won't get over concerned about mounting position, there is really only one place it fits. The upper mount has to fit as shown by Dbvwt in his photo.

Just put it in place and secure, then drill the securing bolt holes.

But I expect Kaspian will be along soon to help.
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Richard

Look forward to seeing the pics of the rack fitted camper-x

Bike rack questions often come up so the more info on here the better 

glyne lock wrote:This is mine and clamps so I can reach them with out any problem . You also find the bikes stay cleaner when on the higher position when driving in wet conditions [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Exactly the same rack on my Fairford Plus.
I'm wanting to get a good cover to use with this rack to cover 2 x mountain bikes. 
Any recommendations on covers to purchase as there seems to be a variety to choose from   
Ideally I would prefer one that you cannot see the bikes through.

Thanks in advance
Brackjo 

Warwick XL
We like to have the back doors open without removing 2 x 22kg electric bikes. So we had a swing arm fitted to the sub frame. The whole bike rack, with bikes security locked in place, is hinged on the RHS at bumper level and opens like a door. This enables us to effortlessly open up both back doors (barn conversion) for instant complete access to the lounge seating area. The benefit is no weight on the van doors & no vehicle panel drilling of an valuable camper which we want to retain the resale value of. The rack is not high so loading is easier and we put a VFM sturdy German Brunner cover over for bad weather protection & to keep them out of sight. This may be a bit OTT for a single bike but hope this helps you and others.

The fiamma racks at £200-300 are at least £1000 cheaper than the chassis mounted swing racks as sold by RoadPro. We have an altera strada which mounts on a towball and slides to allow doors to open. This was before knew about chassis mounted options. Bikes do bounce about a bit. Found bikes getting heavier to lift onto door mounted racks ( global warming perhaps). Also found some covers as heavy and more awkward to fit than bikes and obscured lights. Now use an Oxford motor bike cover

I have a Taylor made bike cover for sale ,used it a couple of times for my 29” electric mountain bike but now sold

Consider the option of fitting a towbar(circa £500). This avoids holes in the van door and stress on the hinges. A towbar single bike rack is also less expensive. When you don’t need the bike it’s more compact to store. Putting the bike on and taking it off is much easier than with a higher mounted door rack, and the towbar provides other towing options for you or the next owner. Worth some thought.

no way would i fit bike rack to rear door i fitted bike rack onto tow bar.

RABBIT18 wrote:no way would i fit bike rack to rear door i fitted bike rack onto tow bar.

Any reason? Might be helpful to others if you added some detail please.
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Richard

I had read the stories regarding the door mounted racks before I bought mine but went for one anyway and don’t regret it. It has had plenty of use and there are no signs whatsoever of any issues so far.
Yes, towbar racks are great but a towbar isn’t cheap and then you have the cost of the rack on top of that. Personally, the convenience of having the bike/rack on the door out of the way works much better.

I understand the arguments about hanging heavy objects on the door and admittedly my bikes are pretty lightweight but I feel a lot of problems are caused by poor installation in the first place.

Also don’t forget the weight of the tow bar and then the bike rack come of your payload which maybe already small

rgermain wrote:

RABBIT18 wrote:no way would i fit bike rack to rear door i fitted bike rack onto tow bar.

Any reason? Might be helpful to others if you added some detail please.
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i feel it puts to much strain on door hinges also if you do not need bikes i would not like to open door with bike still on.my bike rake opens out like a gate so i can leave them on if not needed

rgermain wrote:

RABBIT18 wrote:no way would i fit bike rack to rear door i fitted bike rack onto tow bar.

Any reason? Might be helpful to others if you added some detail please.
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Richard

forgot to add to reply /.my friend had a water leak on rear door seal Peugeot did not want to know because of rack on the door

FreelanderUK wrote:Also don’t forget the weight of the tow bar and then the bike rack come of your payload which maybe already small

As you say Freelanderuk a lot of weight before you even add the bikes .if the racks being sold to fit on the o/s door damaged the doors claims would have been made against  the sellers of the racks .lots of campers are sold with the racks fitted by the dealership as part of the sale .so myself like lots of other campers will not be fitting a tow bar when the rack fitted to the door is much less weight and holds my bikes safe as required