Tailgate Bike Rack

[John]

Original post Blakey

A question on the tailgate bike rack: When it has (say) 2 bikes on it, can you still raise the tailgate? Can you do that with the roof up?

I'm worried (having ordered one for our new Cali) that you won't be able to which will be a right pain in the neck for Touring with bikes.

 

[John]

Original post Californiaman

I've seen people lift the tailgate with bikes on. I've tried it with the roof down with a couple of mountain bikes and I didn't like it.. I felt it put a lot of strain in things. I've seen a Cali with the tailgate propped slightly open with a long bit of wood so it was just possible to get into the back.

 

[John]

Original post grahamwise

We avoid this by using a towbar mounted bike rack. No weight on the tailgate but drops out of the way to get into the boot.

 

[John]

Original post jules

On a related subject. We removed the metal stop in the floor rail of our 09 Cali to allow the bench seat to slide fully forward. We can then access the rear easily without having to lift the tailgate. Has anyone done this on the face lift model. I ask because someone posted on the FB site sometime ago that they were unable to. I wondered if VW had redesigned things so that this isn't now possible.

 

[John]

Original post californiaman

Yes, I did this the other day to make it easier to clean in the back!

 

[John]

Original post timbatten

Re the taligate mounted bike rack, we have the Fiamma 2 bike model. With 2 adult sized bikes attached, the tailgate is fairly easy to open, and when fully open, it stays open without any additional prop. However, when the roof is open, the tailgate can not be fully opened when bikes are still attached. Without bikes, it opens no problem when the roof's open. The other advantage of the Fiamma is that it is very easy to remove/refit.

 

[John]

Original post Blakey

Hmmmm. I think I might have made a mistake ordering the VW tailgate bike rack as an extra. I guess we'll just have to get used to taking the bikes off when we stop...

Cheers
Blakey

 

[John]

Original post iane

Hi Blakey - we have the VW bike rack and have had two bikes on the rack. I checked with the VW Van Centre at Preston (where we got the van) they said it was ok to lift the tailgate with bikes on the rack - so, with some trepidation, we have. We've done it I think 3 times, so far with no ill effect. Of course you have to help the tailgate up when opening!
Hope this helps

Ian

 

[John]

Original post Blakey


Oct 21, 2011, 8:59am, iane wrote: Hi Blakey - we have the VW bike rack and have had two bikes on the rack. I checked with the VW Van Centre at Preston (where we got the van) they said it was ok to lift the tailgate with bikes on the rack - so, with some trepidation, we have. We've done it I think 3 times, so far with no ill effect. Of course you have to help the tailgate up when opening!
Hope this helps

Ian



That does make me feel a bit better! Thanks.

Have you tried it when the roof is up? I'm guessing it won't work as the bikes will strike the roof?

 

[John]

Original post iane

Good point! You certainly can't raise it fully - in fact probably best not to do it at all

 

[John]

Original post Keredowner

For the last 4 years we have used a tow bar mounted bike rack that folds 90deg so you can have access to the rear door, plus it is an added security feature when upright, Thule, amongst others, make them

 

[John]

Original post Cali Admin

We have the VW bike rack and have raised it many times with 2/3 bikes on it, however the hydraulic struts no longer keep it raised fully even when no bikes mounted on it. When we open the tailgate fuly now it drops down about 10 inches.

 

[John]

Original post drmw1335

We have the VW bike rack and have raised it many times with 2/3 bikes on it, however the hydraulic struts no longer keep it raised fully even when no bikes mounted on it. When we open the tailgate fuly now it drops down about 10 inches.

 

[John]

Original post rhennis

Hi

Slightly off the main point here but what make of rack would people recommend. I want one that will fit 3 bikes and to be able to leave it on permanently. The VW one seems expensive but looks the best presumably is good quality and appears to be purpose made for the T5. The Fiamma is a lot cheaper but doesn't look so good and I sense an adaptation of a generic model used on many different makes of vehicle.
Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[John]

Original post Martin


Oct 23, 2011, 9:03am, rhennis wrote: Hi

Slightly off the main point here but what make of rack would people recommend. I want one that will fit 3 bikes and to be able to leave it on permanently. The VW one seems expensive but looks the best presumably is good quality and appears to be purpose made for the T5. The Fiamma is a lot cheaper but doesn't look so good and I sense an adaptation of a generic model used on many different makes of vehicle.
Any suggestions? Thanks




Hi, We have used both in the past and yes the VW one is the best quality and looks neat on the back but as mentioned above it is not very practical when you want to open the rear tailgate alot with the bikes on. The genuine VW ones do come up for sale on Ebay quite a bit as alot of people use them with Carvelle's aswell and normally go for around £250.

Martin

 

[John]

Original post Martin

There is actually a used one on Ebay at the moment for £325 ( this looks like a dealer so probably why the price is a bit high for a used one)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-T5-californ....item1c2 019b3cd

 

[John]

Original post nickp

There is actually a used one on Ebay at the moment for £325 ( this looks like a dealer so probably why the price is a bit high for a used one)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-T5-californ....item1c2 019b3cd

 

[John]

Original post Calikev

I have the fiamma that I took of my previous t5 so didn't bother with the vw one
I use it more for a washing line at the moment to be honest but it is sturdy
And easy enough to remove it sits over the top of the tailgate and there are 2 brackets
That fit under the bottom of the tailgate and held in place with 2 bolts that are not accessible once the tailgate is shut so it is relatively secure it takes me 5 mins to remove
When I clean the van I find it easier to reach the back window
I hope this helps

 

[John]

Original post nickp

Thank you - that does help

 

[John]

Original post Blakey

Having just spent 4 weeks on the road with 2 bikes on our rack I can say I'm quite pleased with it. I had to do a bit of jiggling to get the bikes on in such a way as you could open the tailgatte fully but when I'd figured out the right combination we could open the tail gate completely with two bikes on. And it stayed up okay too - as long as you didn't jiggle the van about too much.

Not sure how you'd get more than 2 bikes on the rack and 4 would be a mare.