T5 STYLE BIKE RACK suitable for T6

Sportstest · May 21, 2016

smgcowfoldparts said:
I should be getting one in about two weeks from VW so I can put as many pics up as I can.

Steve, what is delivery times on both the old ugly and new beautiful bike rack?

Thanks

Garry

smgcowfoldparts · May 23, 2016

Sportstest said:
Steve, what is delivery times on both the old ugly and new beautiful bike rack?

Thanks

Garry

The new style rack for T6 is available next day, the old style one is about 2-3 week lead time.

Cheers

CALI FATE · Jun 1, 2016

Well new T6 rack supplied by Steve at SMG has arrived - fitted today without any trouble and pretty chuffed. Am glad i waited for the original style rack - it does the job and looks smart when folded up. It failed the fat bike challenge, but i will order some after-market straps to secure the wheels to the rails. 4 x normal sized bikes should be do-able with a bit of juggling, but you need to be about 6ft 3" plus to fit a gents bike on the first rail without using a step of some kind.

Richy · Jun 1, 2016

CALI FATE said:
Well new T6 rack supplied by Steve at SMG has arrived - fitted today without any trouble and pretty chuffed. Am glad i waited for the original style rack - it does the job and looks smart when folded up. It failed the fat bike challenge, but i will order some after-market straps to secure the wheels to the rails. 4 x normal sized bikes should be do-able with a bit of juggling, but you need to be about 6ft 3" plus to fit a gents bike on the first rail without using a step of some kind.
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Looks very neat :thumb

Do you know if 2 x adult & 2 x kids would fit onto this rack, I'm weighing up a tailgate v towbar.

CALI FATE · Jun 1, 2016

Richy said:
Looks very neat
Do you know if 2 x adult & 2 x kids would fit onto this rack, I'm weighing up a tailgate v towbar.

Hi Richy - it is a neat well designed bit of kit. I will keep it on as i am a regular cyclist. Def fit 2 x adult and 2 x children bikes on. If i had ordered the pre tow bar wiring the decision might have been tougher - i have a monkey bike and could have hooked that onto a tow bar rack - killing two birds

Kmann · Jun 1, 2016

CALI FATE said:
Well new T6 rack supplied by Steve at SMG has arrived - fitted today without any trouble and pretty chuffed. Am glad i waited for the original style rack - it does the job and looks smart when folded up. It failed the fat bike challenge, but i will order some after-market straps to secure the wheels to the rails. 4 x normal sized bikes should be do-able with a bit of juggling, but you need to be about 6ft 3" plus to fit a gents bike on the first rail without using a step of some kind.
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Nice rack and nice ride ;-)

Stuart · Jun 1, 2016

Richy said:
Looks very neat
Do you know if 2 x adult & 2 x kids would fit onto this rack.

They might fit but I'm not sure if it's legal to drive around with them on

CALI FATE · Jun 1, 2016

Stuart said:
They might fit but I'm not sure if it's legal to drive around with them on

The rack is designed for 4 x bikes - cant see why it might be illegal to put 4 x bikes on it ?

Stuart · Jun 1, 2016

CALI FATE said:
The rack is designed for 4 x bikes - cant see why it might be illegal to put 4 x bikes on it ?

Who's talking about bikes?

CALI FATE · Jun 1, 2016

Stuart said:
Who's talking about bikes?

gotcha haha

smgcowfoldparts · Jun 2, 2016

CALI FATE said:
Well new T6 rack supplied by Steve at SMG has arrived - fitted today without any trouble and pretty chuffed. Am glad i waited for the original style rack - it does the job and looks smart when folded up. It failed the fat bike challenge, but i will order some after-market straps to secure the wheels to the rails. 4 x normal sized bikes should be do-able with a bit of juggling, but you need to be about 6ft 3" plus to fit a gents bike on the first rail without using a step of some kind.
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Looks great on your Beach, glad you got it in one piece.

Richy · Jun 6, 2016

smgcowfoldparts said:
Any VW dealer can order it as it is a Genuine German VW Accessory. If it was a UK only accessory then it would only be available in England. Price wise it retails at £538.00 inc vat but you will pay £486.00 inc as a VIP

I've just tried to order one from our VW dealer and they have said that it can't be done !!!!, I didn't want to get into a debate about it so,
Can I order one from yourself please.

Cheers Richy

Richy · Jun 6, 2016

CALI FATE said:
gotcha haha

CALI FATE,
I noticed you've went for black mirrors and handles on your Beach, are they a gloss or matt finish ?

CALI FATE · Jun 6, 2016

Richy said:
CALI FATE,
I noticed you've went for black mirrors and handles on your Beach, are they a gloss or matt finish ?

Hi Richy - they are a matt finish ..... unpainted almost

Richy · Jun 6, 2016

CALI FATE said:
Hi Richy - they are a matt finish ..... unpainted almost

Thanks CALI FATE,
I'm going to order a set of the decals from the shop, but i wasn't sure what to go for as they come in either matt or gloss finish.
So matt is shall be :thumb

hirsty · Jun 7, 2016

I've just phoned Steve @smgcowfoldparts to pay for my "T5 style VW bike rack for a T6" - nice bloke to deal with & refreshing to find someone who just does what they said they'd do with no fuss.

If ParcelForce can now get it here for the weekend I'll post some pictures ASAP with a road bike (or four) fitted.

CALI FATE · Jun 7, 2016

hirsty said:
I've just phoned Steve @smgcowfoldparts to pay for my "T5 style VW bike rack for a T6" - nice bloke to deal with & refreshing to find someone who just does what they said they'd do with no fuss.

If ParcelForce can now get it here for the weekend I'll post some pictures ASAP with a road bike (or four) fitted.

Its a massive box - looks like a mattress from a single bed - my pick up man had a transporter van, anything much smaller and it wouldnt have fitted in

Kmann · Jun 7, 2016

The box is 170 x 93 x 35 cm, and 15 kg. Just about to arrange shipping of 2 to Denmark.

Neilgbj · Jun 7, 2016

Don't forget all you keen Cali cyclists there is now a Cali Strava 'club' (https://www.strava.com/clubs/VWCali) to share exploits, rides, hikes, runs etc etc.....all types of (bike) racks welcome....

Sp0_0k · Jun 12, 2016

Anybody found a decent bag/box for the rack? Don't like the bradrup one.

Old Sid · Jun 28, 2016

Okay, I've read all this and I see that the genuine VW T5 bike racks don't fit the T6. So, buying a second hand T5 rack on eBay isn't an option. That's a shame.
The genuine racks look excellent and appear to operate really well but are very expensive. I had a look at the Fiamma alternative on a T5 in a car park. It had feet that rested on the top of the bumper and had done a lot of surface damage. So, buying a rack will have to wait a long while.

I'm assuming that the folded rack protrudes beyond the bumper and therefore makes the van over 5 metres long. Ferries restrict length to 5m, so rack (and bikes) will have to be put inside the van during ferry crossings. Is the VW rack easy to remove and re-fit?

Calincolnshire · Jun 28, 2016

Never had my T5.1 Cali with the bikes on the rack checked for length on a ferry. Height is sometimes an issue of where to put you on the ship, especially on North Sea ferries. So I wouldn't worry and say it's less than 5m.
As for removal , it's not that hard (2 bolts) but why remove it. Mine was on all year round.

Old Sid · Jun 28, 2016

Calincolnshire said:
Never had my T5.1 Cali with the bikes on the rack checked for length on a ferry. Height is sometimes an issue of where to put you on the ship, especially on North Sea ferries. So I wouldn't worry and say it's less than 5m.
As for removal , it's not that hard (2 bolts) but why remove it. Mine was on all year round.

Wightlink. Vehicles are measured for length and height on a regular basis. Max length 5m (or pay a lot more). Max height 2.24m (or pay more than double).

Calincolnshire · Jun 29, 2016

Old Sid said:
Wightlink. Vehicles are measured for length and height on a regular basis. Max length 5m (or pay a lot more). Max height 2.24m (or pay more than double).

Wow that's harsh. Not been to the Isle of Wight and just done cross channel , North Sea and the good old tunnel. So one to watch if I ever stray that way. Perhaps fold up bikes are the answer.
The carrier when removed is suprisingly large. So much so I struggled to get it into the Cali in its box when I picked it up from the dealer. It was not much better out of the box. I did have the kids in the back though.

itscalledbob · Jul 11, 2016

I've just taken receipt of my 'ugly' T6 rack in anticipation of my new cali arrival and thought I'd hang it on my t5 cal to visually demonstrate why it doesn't fit. You can workout from this the T5 rack wouldn't fit the T6 either.

But to anticipate the question of why go for the 'ugly' one i thought Id explain...

In simple terms it's better at carrying cycles. I say that as someone who is foremost a cyclist. It holds them further from the vehicle which reduces the chance of the bars fouling the elevated roof when opening the rear door. The securing clamps are very easily removable when not in use and also prevents you having to take all your bikes off when you realise you haven't threaded the last clamp though all the frames (the times I've done that!). it also makes fitting multiple bikes much much easier. The clamps allow it to accommodate different styles of bikes better. I say the last three points as someone with a towball carrier with the same clamping system. But the main improvement is the way the wheels are secured; given a number of my bikes have carbon rims I find the new wheel support of great comfort (plus no more losing of straps along with the annoying gentle tap of them hitting the window in the wind at night). Also the extra floor height allows for a better fitment for the Thule backup box. As for ugly... that will always be subjective, but each to their own