which rack to buy for a Econoline passenger van?

(jason) said:

I have one of those extended 15 passenger vans. I've got 5 kids, so
potentially 5-7 bikes to lug with me on a trip. Any advice on racks
or something to tow instead?

I used to have a rack on a minivan (several kids ago) and it would
cause this annoying whistling sound when I went above 60 mph, I'm
looking to avoid that too 🙂

TY
Jason Shohet

http://www.sportsrig.com/

Have one of the older ones, when they were sold as Howling Dog
trailers. Other than some very minor issues that the professional
assembly guy took care of without any problem, it completely
functioned as advertised. Problem? The extra charge for the extra axle
at toll booths. Otherwise, its on in a minute before the start of a
trip - you can even load the bikes the night before and store it in
the garage - and off the minute you get home. Load at waist level.
I've gotten six diamond frame bikes and three recumbents (two singles
and a tandem). Very little wind noise and they are protected by the
vehicle.

Works a lot better than the 8' x 4' (actually 100" by 50"😉 trailer
that I set up for bikes before. Easy to add racks to one that type
utility trailer and its cheaper, but it is real hard to weigh the
trailer to have the springs work right - bikes are simply too light.
Hit a railroad crossing at speed and it looks like the bikes are about
to launch. This trailer is sprung for the 3-5 bike weight and rides
like a dream.

Extra value: with the Yakima tandem mount, you can do most work on a
regular or recumbent tandem at a comfortable height.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I have one of those extended 15 passenger vans. I've got 5 kids, so
potentially 5-7 bikes to lug with me on a trip. Any advice on racks
or something to tow instead?

I used to have a rack on a minivan (several kids ago) and it would
cause this annoying whistling sound when I went above 60 mph, I'm
looking to avoid that too 🙂

TY
Jason Shohet

I would suggest a trailer for the bikes and a Vasectomy.

--

Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

[email hidden] (jason) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have one of those extended 15 passenger vans. I've got 5 kids, so
potentially 5-7 bikes to lug with me on a trip. Any advice on racks
or something to tow instead?

I used to have a rack on a minivan (several kids ago) and it would
cause this annoying whistling sound when I went above 60 mph, I'm
looking to avoid that too 🙂

TY
Jason Shohet

Is there some reason why you can't carry the bikes inside? It seems to
me that by removing the rearmost seat, you could pack all the bikes in
the back.

As to roof racks whistling, most manufacturers offer a fairing to
reduce wind noise, such as this Yakima:
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8007047.html

I *wish* I had an extended Econoline. As it is, my extended Aerostar
will carry me and my wife and our Tour Easys... and that's it.

Jeff

(Jeff Wills) said:

As to roof racks whistling, most manufacturers offer a fairing to
reduce wind noise, such as this Yakima:
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8007047.html

Those have to be mountee carefully and then watched. If you check a
few that have been left on any length of time, most will have damaged
the paint job from rubbing.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Curtis L. Russell <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

(Jeff Wills) said:

As to roof racks whistling, most manufacturers offer a fairing to
reduce wind noise, such as this Yakima:
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8007047.html

Those have to be mountee carefully and then watched. If you check a
few that have been left on any length of time, most will have damaged
the paint job from rubbing.

Curtis L. Russell

Yeah, but who's going to see it on the *top* of an Econoline van? ;-)

Jeff

"Jeff Wills" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Curtis L. Russell <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

[Yakima rack fairing] will have damaged
the paint job from rubbing.

Yeah, but who's going to see it on the *top* of an Econoline van? ;-)

The accident investigation officers. The 15 passenger vans
are reportedly more susceptible to roll-over. Adding five
bike to the top, even if it were practical could exacerbate
that problem.

I have enough problems getting bikes on and off a minivan
roof rack. I can't imagine loading and unloading bikes from
a full-size van roof rack would be anything put a royal
pain!

Light weight trailer seems like a much better choice.

Jon Meinecke

"Jon Meinecke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Jeff Wills" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Curtis L. Russell <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

[Yakima rack fairing] will have damaged
the paint job from rubbing.

Yeah, but who's going to see it on the *top* of an Econoline van? ;-)

The accident investigation officers. The 15 passenger vans
are reportedly more susceptible to roll-over. Adding five
bike to the top, even if it were practical could exacerbate
that problem.

Uh, no... the extended-van rollover susceptibility is *real*, but only
when the the 15-passenger vans are loaded to capacity. When the
passenger load is less (the OP said 7 people maximum), they're no more
dangerous than standard-length vans. Also, I can't see 200 pounds of
bikes causing more problems than 200 pounds of passenger.

Quoted message said:

I have enough problems getting bikes on and off a minivan
roof rack. I can't imagine loading and unloading bikes from
a full-size van roof rack would be anything put a royal
pain!

Yep- the Cycle Oregon SAG vans are set up with multiple roof racks,
ladders up the sides, and walking platforms on top. They'll carry up
to 12 bikes and riders, I think.

Quoted message said:

Light weight trailer seems like a much better choice.

Jon Meinecke

I agree- but a trailer setup could be much more expensive than a rack,
depending on the user's abilities at construction and juryrigging.

Jeff

"Jeff Wills" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Jon Meinecke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Jeff Wills" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Curtis L. Russell <[email hidden]> wrote
>
> [Yakima rack fairing] will have damaged
> the paint job from rubbing.

Yeah, but who's going to see it on the *top* of an Econoline van? ;-)

The accident investigation officers. The 15 passenger vans
are reportedly more susceptible to roll-over. Adding five
bike to the top, even if it were practical could exacerbate
that problem.

Uh, no... the extended-van rollover susceptibility is *real*, but only
when the the 15-passenger vans are loaded to capacity. When the
passenger load is less (the OP said 7 people maximum), they're no more
dangerous than standard-length vans. Also, I can't see 200 pounds of
bikes causing more problems than 200 pounds of passenger.

200 pounds worth of bikes on the roof would cause more problems than 200
pounds of passengers in the cab due to a higher center of gravity although
how much I don't know

I'd be more concerned about low bridges tho

I used to carry 5 uprights on my older Econoline van, one of which was a
Schwinn tandem. I never had a bit of problem. Used a performance rack back
then, about 10 years ago. I only carry 4 bikes now, 2 being 'bents, on my
Windstar minivan. One is a RANS Screamer. I use a Saris rack, with an Atoc
tandem topper mounted to it for the Screamer. Not any problems in about 3
years.

Jim Vincent
RANS Screamer - Vision R50

"Mark Leuck" <[email hidden]> wrote>

Quoted message said:

"Jeff Wills" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

"Jon Meinecke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

[...] The 15 passenger vans
are reportedly more susceptible to roll-over. Adding five
bike to the top, even if it were practical could exacerbate
that problem.

Uh, no... the extended-van rollover susceptibility is *real*, but only
when the 15-passenger vans are loaded to capacity. When the
passenger load is less (the OP said 7 people maximum), they're no more
dangerous than standard-length vans.

Yes, loading is a large issue. SUVs and full size vans are
reportedly more likely in general to be involved in roll-over
accidents than lower profile cars. The fact that they may be
driven by people who don't fully appreciate the handling
differences of such vehicles (particularly in emergency
situations) is a potentially large factor.

So yes, adding 5 bikes may have only an incremental effect
on handling. As I said, "could exacerbate"...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Also, I can't see 200 pounds of bikes causing more problems
than 200 pounds of passenger.

The laws of physics? %^) Leverage.

Quoted message said:

200 pounds worth of bikes on the roof would cause more problems than 200
pounds of passengers in the cab due to a higher center of gravity although
how much I don't know

As Mark points out, adding weight well above center of gravity
will have a proportionately larger effect than weight closer to the
ground. Our old church vans had luggage racks on the top. The
new ones do not. I suspect this change was at least partially
related to safety concerns.

Quoted message said:

I'd be more concerned about low bridges tho

Yes. And concern for my back for lifting bikes onto
and off of the top.

From my experience with minivans, those bikes on top will have
*certain* effect on fuel economy. Perhaps more than a
lightweight trailer.

Jon Meinecke

Curtis,

The sportsrig is expensive (phew). Also, it seems like just the basic
rig. Does it come with locks to hold down a few bikes? Or do I have
to in any case buy a Yakima rack and mount it onto the rig?

Thanks
Jason

Quoted message said:

http://www.sportsrig.com/

Have one of the older ones, when they were sold as Howling Dog
trailers. Other than some very minor issues that the professional
assembly guy took care of without any problem, it completely
functioned as advertised. Problem? The extra charge for the extra axle
at toll booths. Otherwise, its on in a minute before the start of a
trip - you can even load the bikes the night before and store it in
the garage - and off the minute you get home. Load at waist level.
I've gotten six diamond frame bikes and three recumbents (two singles
and a tandem). Very little wind noise and they are protected by the
vehicle.

Works a lot better than the 8' x 4' (actually 100" by 50"😉 trailer
that I set up for bikes before. Easy to add racks to one that type
utility trailer and its cheaper, but it is real hard to weigh the
trailer to have the springs work right - bikes are simply too light.
Hit a railroad crossing at speed and it looks like the bikes are about
to launch. This trailer is sprung for the 3-5 bike weight and rides
like a dream.

Extra value: with the Yakima tandem mount, you can do most work on a
regular or recumbent tandem at a comfortable height.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

(jason) said:

Curtis,

The sportsrig is expensive (phew). Also, it seems like just the basic
rig. Does it come with locks to hold down a few bikes? Or do I have
to in any case buy a Yakima rack and mount it onto the rig?

Thanks
Jason

The racks are extra. I already had a full set plus, so it wasn't an
issue. I bought it when they were cheaper, but right after buying a
tandem recumbent, so the wallet was definitely dinged by the time it
went to Massachusetts fully loaded.

If I were on a budget (as I was the year prior), I would go the 50" by
100" utility trailer. Its easy to get racks to work with them and the
only problem is storage and 'bounce'. The first time you see the
oversprung trailer filled with about $ 10,000 worth of bikes (hauling
a clubs worth) bounce sky high crossing the railroad tracks, your
heart can come to a stop.

The Sportsrig/Howling Dog is much better behaved and easier to store.
We just decided that it was cheaper than adding 32 square feet to our
storage area for the old trailer.

Guess with trailer and new Yak attachments, you can get north of $
1,500 without too much trouble. I think its worth it if this is your
major hobby and you want easy travel. I wouldn't if this is a seasonal
thing or an occasional hobby. (Plus: you never have to worry if the
new car will handle the old Yak rails - you can add a trailer hitch to
just about anything).

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...