As soon as the idea of a campervan trip to Sardinia was born, we knew we wanted to take bikes for all five of us. What we didn’t know was whether it would even be possible – and if so, how? Let’s add that four of those bikes were e-bikes, which didn’t make the task any easier.
O tym przeczytasz
Weight limits of carrying bikes on campervan
I started with the basics: how much do all our bikes actually weigh? We had two Riese Muller Charger4, two Eco Bike Youth SX, and a Woom Explore 4 for the youngest. The first two (without batteries) weigh about 55 kg, the next two around 30 kg, and of course the lightest is the Woom – 9 kg.
The first limit I faced was the maximum load of most towbar bike racks (60 kg). At first glance it was clear that we could forget about mounting four e-bikes on one towbar rack. Not to mention that the fourth bike on the so-called extension also has its own weight limit.
So I started looking for a towbar rack with increased capacity. The ones available in Poland were very few, the price was discouraging, and you only gained an extra 10 kg. That option was off the table too. The puzzle of how to mount five bikes on our campervan still wasn’t solved.
Then I remembered seeing bike racks mounted on the back doors of some campervans. That was a good lead, but I was worried about the hinges of the rear doors in our Fiat Ducato. They aren’t exactly designed for extra weight – they barely handle the doors themselves. Still, it looked like the only possible setup was this:
- 3 bikes on the towbar rack – e-bikes: two Riese Muller Chargers and one Ecobike Youth
- 2 bikes on the door rack – one Ecobike Youth and the Woom Explore
And yes, we did exceed the max load of the towbar rack. Was I comfortable driving like that? Absolutely not!
Towbar racks and opening Ducato doors
This story has another variable I didn’t mention yet. I wanted to keep access to the campervan’s trunk by opening the back doors. Our previously tested Thule Easy Fold 3 didn’t allow that, even though it has a tilt function.
So we started looking for a rack that would meet this requirement. With the help of AI, I found a company called Spinder – a Dutch brand whose racks slide out on rails. They proudly advertise that their rack allows you to open the rear doors of a Fiat Ducato or similar. And yes, that’s true – but only for the two-bike version. A call with the Polish distributor confirmed it. With the three-bike version, the rails don’t extend far enough to fully open the doors.
Okay, so no Instagram sunset photos with both doors wide open, but I only needed to take out our camping chairs and table, not create social media content. I really liked the company’s approach to customers (great contact, discount, good advice), so we took the risk and bought the Spinder SL3.
Door rack for the Ducato
Here the decision was easier. The Spinder SL3 already stretched our travel budget, so premium brands like Thule or Fiamma were immediately out of the question. Again, AI helped me find a rack from an Italian company called Fabbri BICI OK 2. Even from the photos you can see it’s not Thule quality, but the price was half as much. What mattered to me was that the mounting system was similar to the Swedish brand, which slightly – but only slightly – eased my fears of losing the bikes somewhere on the way to Sardinia.
9,500 km with five bikes on campervan
That’s right! For three months we carried five bikes on our campervan. In total we drove 9,500 km on very different roads. We also wild-camped, so you can imagine we didn’t only drive on smooth asphalt “like a baby’s bottom.”
Probably few people have tested bike racks as intensively as we did. So what can I say after all that time and distance?
Spinder SL3 – our experience
The rack worked really well. After a while I even stopped worrying about carrying three e-bikes on it. Mounting the bikes is very simple. The arms that hold the frames are designed for thick e-bike frames. At first I thought there should be three arms, not two (based on my experience with Thule). But I quickly realized a third arm would only make mounting harder, since I didn’t always load the bikes in the same order.
Since our bikes were right at the load limit – actually over it – we added an extra strap to tie all the bikes together. This really helped with stability. Without it the bikes shook a lot. That comes from the rack’s design: the rails that slide out aren’t directly connected to the main frame of the rack.
The sliding system did allow both doors of the Ducato to open far enough that a tall man could step inside and take out what was needed.
Any downsides? Hard to call it a flaw, but the arms that grip the frames need extra protection. After so many kilometers and so much movement, the plastic straps, even with their rubber elements, left marks on the bike frames. I noticed other travelers use foam pads on the frames. Our bikes now need extra polishing after those marks.
Fabbri BICI OK 2 – our conclusion
The quality is exactly what you’d expect for the price. That’s about it. But I have to correct one common claim I found online: that the rails bend after mounting an e-bike. That didn’t happen to us. My biggest issue was that the rack has no built-in security, so I had to use extra locks. Also, a larger bike will stick out past the outline of the van.
Do we recommend this rack setup?
In the end, our mission to mount five bikes on a campervan was a success. We didn’t have a single failure with the racks. The only flaw was the scratches left on the frames. Halfway through the trip I even forgot we had bikes hanging on the back of the Ducato – which says a lot about how much trust I developed in these two products.
Oh, and one last thing: the Ducato’s doors and hinges survived. We didn’t lose a door along the way!
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