Bikes

[SallyW]

Hi. We are (at some point) planning to travel to Greece via Romania and Bulgaria for 3 months in our van. Our plan is to wild camp where possible and use campsites from time to time. We are keen to explore so I imagine we will only stay in one place for a couple of days and then move on. We also like hiking so we will weave that into our trip.
What I would like to ask is people's experience of taking bikes with them. If it was France it would be a definite yes. However, bikes can be inconvenient. You have to keep loading and unloading them, they limit access to the back of the van, they are something to steal and I wonder how safe we would feel on the roads. However, they can be brilliant for adding a different dimension to a trip’ nipping to the shops, getting to town centres etc.
What are your experiences of taking a bike on such a trip. Is it worth the effort? Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Sounds like your using the tailgate bike rack.
Dump it and invest in the Atera Strada DL3 sliding towbar rack.
Means the bikes are on the van, but doesn’t prohibit access to the rear boot…

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Get a couple of these for 8 euro, no towbar required:

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[kave]

We have been travelling with bikes, including my expensive XC bike on a tow bar mounted Thule G9. We have a beach so all kitchen/fride stuff is in the back. We have a chain made for locking boats and engines to lock them together.
Here the bikes are removed but it works as good with them on:

 

[Ozzy Pete]

We have had the standard vw bike rack for 6 years now and although it’s a pain we have managed quite well. I don’t like the idea of lifting the tailgate with 2 reasonably heavy Bikes even though they are Aluminium frames. I would imagine that if you are traveling for 3 months you will be having longer stops in between so less loading and unloading..

 

[Vagophile]

Bikes are definitely worth taking and the device @Ch1pbutty referenced allows the tailgate to be kept open with bikes, provided that you can lift it. You can make your own, see @briwy's recent post.
We travelled with tow bar mounted motorbike, but have met many other campers with bikes (mainly Dutch and Swedish).
In all three countries you intend to travel in, the countryside is safe; locals are mostly curious and like to be hospitable. Large towns and cities are a different matter, especially Romania, where theft is a distinct possibility. If you intend to visit any large towns/cities then a campsite should be considered and be careful about street parking.
ACSI offers a good selection, just don't set your expectations too high.
Everyone is different, but our preference is for the country and coast; we never visited any conurbations except Sofia and Bucharest, so our experience is limited.

 

[SallyW]

Thank you very muchfor your replies and advice.
We have the traditional bike rack but the tow bar mounted racks would solve some of the issues.
The gizmo to support the boot looks very interesting and I think we will initially give that a go.
I think we will take the bikes with us in the end as they are brilliant to have. Fortunately they are not of great value which reduces some of the anxiety of them being stolen.
Great advice to stay at campsites in towns for security.

 

[aileron346]

Yes, I think bikes are very often useful giving you that extra bit of mobility. We always dislike pitching up and then moving again just to go out somewhere - prefer to leave the van put and walk/cycle/bus/taxi. Used 4 road bikes on the standard VW rack or 2 heavier Dutch-style town bikes and never had impeded access to the tailgate at all. Quite the opposite - it’s completely unimpeded.

The only thing is to be aware of is handle bars getting close to the roof when the tailgate is open and, of course, to never ever ‘drop’ the tailgate when loaded - always a carefully controlled close.

2 groups of opinion on bike racks - having had both over the years (on my 3rd VW camper now)… I’m firmly in the tailgate camp. It’s always there, doesn’t require storage, superbly simple to use, avoids low obstruction (low walks, other cars) and avoids tow bar fitting. For me it looks better too (but I prefer the OEM rather than customised look). Obviously others prefer the tow bar option.

On theft, I think high end bikes are the big risk especially near cities; simple well used bikes and sensible lock use should minimise risk.

 

[Arnoob]

We have been cycling/camping in Europe for the past 25 years, only the last 2 years we owned a TD5 (very soon te be replaced by a new Coast). Very much used to leave our tent (now camper) somewhere outside on a parking place llr campsite and cycle to interesting places/cities. So we never have to look for a suitable parking place, are able to ride at places our can not reach. Never away without our bikes (transport on a tow bar). And very often we are staying for a few nights, exploring the environment on our bikes.

 

[Amarillo]

We spent a year touring Europe with four bikes on the VW standard bike rack. We had no serious problems. Once practiced, loading and unloading them only takes 5 minutes, and once unloaded we locked them with a long cable to a rear wheel.

We also have a plasterers prop to hold open the tailgate. It works well.

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The bikes we took were two Bromptons which could be folded to below roof height and two children’s bikes. We did the reverse of your proposed trip, crossing from Southern Italy into Greece, then driving from Greece into Bulgaria and then Romania. The remote border crossing between Romania and Bulgaria at Silistra is fabulous, and involves a rickety ferry over the Donau.

If you get the timing right you can cross the Carpathian Mountains on the Transfăgărășan.