Having noticed a mark on the paint of the bike rack done when I was trying out mounting the bikes, I decided to fit some padding to the tubing to protect bikes and rack and here's the result:

Bikerack16.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

The padding is 22mm foam water pipe insulation from B&Q who sell it in 100cm lengths which is perfect for this application with no wastage. I cut the piece in half and then each again to the appropriate lengths before securing them with black cable ties. While at B&Q I also bought a padlock so that the rack mechanism cannot be operated if the van is left unattended with it in place.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dark grey colour of the insulation is a perfect match for the Eriba's paintwork.

Thanks for the feedback, Felix.

I'm pleased to hear that you found my article useful.

Just a quick update to say that the new bike rack performed faultlessly on our recent tour.

The rack locates very solidly onto the ball and the bikes are held firmly in place without movement provided their front wheels are secured with bungy straps.

The only downside is that the jockey wheel cannot be operated with the bikes in place so they have to be removed before pitching and replaced after the caravan has been hitched to the car.

Overall, this is a cheap and practical solution to the problem of carrying a couple of bikes on an Eriba and I thoroughly recommend it.

Admin. has decided that a copy of this blog entry by Old Surveyor would be useful as part of this thread.

13
September
2016
Bike rack fitted to front of eriba
Just thought I would share my observations. Made the bracket as per the drawings and all the dimensions are spot on, however my 320gt has only two bolts clamping the jockey wheel bracket in place so 4 holes are not necessary only in my case the lower two would have been needed, wish I had checked before fabrication. I found it desirable to remove the jockey wheel completely and for ease of access the plastic fairing also however the fairing will to need to be put back in place loosely before fitting the bracket.
Started and completed in about an hour looks professional with its rubber gaitor fitted so well chuffed.
Write comment now Author: Oldsurveyor

Do you know if this sunshade can be retro-fitted to all new shape vans?

Randa

Re the shade - I don't see why not, and at £800 to £930 as a new fit I would hope a DIY alternative exists.
Re bike carrier - I made a front mounted fixing plate for a Thule carrier and passed it on for a drink to a friend. I have since made version two for my next van, and had it zinc plated and powder coated in a nice mid grey colour. Photos of version one hopefully attached. I would advise if you can get hold of a piece of 10mm or 3/8" thick steel plate you make an mdf template first. At this thickness [8mm or 5/16th would be fine] you do not want to have to hand cut it out twice. A couple of arms to clamp on the front grab handles and around the bike carrier offer a little extra piece of mind.

ColinP1010905-800.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)P1010902-800.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)P1020009-800.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)P1020008-800.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)Thule-970-Xpress-2-Bike-Towball-Carrier-Car-Racks-TH9700.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

No need to make up a template, the dimensions in my original post in this thread are spot-on.

Zitat

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Re the shade - I don't see why not, and at £800 to £930 as a new fit I would hope a DIY alternative exists.

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What's good about it is that it looks like they've designed it so that it fits far enough around the roof to enable a standard awning to fit if required.

Randa

I thought it worth sharing these photos but will leave others to decide/comment. The guy who designed it suggests that it helps with any gas locker entry problems.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...&type=3&theater

Randa