Stealth MTB campervan: I made a Ford Transit Connect into an awesome eBike Microcamper. 4K full tour

[@camperp195]

Love this! What a good idea for the bike on the pull out tray,and space to sleep next to it if you need to 👍

[@MyVanConversion]

The pullout tray makes it much easier for these heavy ebikes. Overall it's what the client wanted 👍

[@rupedog]

do this in my smax.

[@SurlySteve1]

As a road cyclist I don’t like my bike on my roof. I d rather have this. But I d need van for work and trips. This set up could work. 👍

[@MyVanConversion]

I'm with you on that, although a road bike is so much lighter so maybe you could do away with the pull out drawer and just roll the bike in? Still have the saddle and front wheel clamps though 👍

[@SurlySteve1]

@@MyVanConversion yes I agree. Road bike want need the ramp.

[@mtb-jason4095]

Really nice and well thought out, I’ve got a T6 transporter but considering down sizing to a connect as I don’t camp in my van it’s just to transport my bikes. Something like this would be ideal to carry 2 bikes.

[@MyVanConversion]

I've got a T6 too as a fully converted campervan. The Ford Transit Connect will be a much more fuel economic vehicle and it's lovely to drive too... Let me know how you get on 👍

[@friedeaglemind540]

eMTBs are whatever but that’s a SICK setup to transport an MTB

[@MyVanConversion]

Cheers!

[@supertouring22]

This looks excellent 👌

[@MyVanConversion]

Thanks 👍

[@marcusoutdoors4999]

Great job, however I’m surprised you didn’t opt for a £600 Thule slider. Worth a look.

[@MyVanConversion]

Will look at it 👍

[@WandersonRC3]

E bikes are a great way for handicapped or obese individuals to get out and enjoy the outdoors

[@MyVanConversion]

Ha ha ha

[@craigo2142]

Just wondered if there was a power source to recharge the bike battery. You've done a great job for the parameters you were given.

[@Kx0195]

Looks like a power station on the left side of the van. Inverter should be enough for the DC adapter for the bike. Those usually have solar inputs but did not see any.

[@MyVanConversion]

Thanks, glad you liked it. The power bank on the left has an inverter and could provide a partial charge. We discussed it with the client and looked into the maths for what would be required to fully recharge his eBike. The client decided that he wouldn't recharge the bike from the power bank because 1. On a campsite he would use an EHU if needed. 2. The size of battery bank required to provide a full charge would cost much more. 3. He normally only goes away for 1 day and would recharge at home as the bike is not left in the van. 4. The system is designed to swap out the power station for a larger one if he wants to in the future but it wasn't a priority at this time. 5. When driving he can run the inverter as the unit is being recharged and so in theory on a long drive could recharge the bike. We talked about solar but for him it's not a viable option. He didn't want anything on the outside of the van. He'd be out riding in the day when the solar is producing energy and so that energy would need to be stored. As per point 2. He'd need a larger more expensive battery solution to store enough power for a full recharge of the eBike whether that comes from DC to DC, split charge relay, solar or hookup. These are great things to consider when speccing up a project so I hope this lengthy answer is useful 👍

[@craigo2142]

Thank you for your great reply. I understand his reasoning especially if he doesn't do extended day trips. @@MyVanConversion

[@davidrowe8747]

Very interesting video! I've been looking to get a van-based car to transport my bike and me to overnight or short-stay locations, to replace my 12-year-old C3 Picasso. Lots of ideas gleaned from KZbin, and I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to "convert" a vehicle as such, as I don't know for how much longer I'll be doing these trips (currently retired). I'll more likely just make adaptations and get one of those removable boot units that will accommodate a portable gas stove, basin, etc. Quick question: I was interested to hear you say that in this long wheel base van, the bicycle only just fits, length-wise. How long is the rear section of the Transit Connect? I've been looking at Tourneo Connect as well as Berlingo and related van-based cars. I'd assumed that a LWB version would easily accommodate an upright bicycle both height-wise and length-wise, but your video is making me wonder.

[@MyVanConversion]

Hi David, Thanks for the questions. It's not a black and white answer because the length of the vehicle depends on the height above the ground you measure it. On the transit connect the bulk head curves backwards into the space so the shortest length is actually about the height of the mid point of the front wheel, e.g. the longest point on the bike. It also varies according to the bike. If you were just putting the bike in and leaning it on the wall or laying it flat then most bikes would fit. The downside of that is you'll probably end up putting dents in the van wall (I've seen this), so it's a good idea to at least ply line the wall. But when it comes to length of different vehicles, my advise is this: Find a dealer who has a van you're interested in (second hand or new) and ask them if you can bring your bike to see if it fits or book a non-assisted test drive, drive home and try to put your bike in it. There's no substitute for hands-on experience. That said, you'll probably get your bike in almost any van, but I'd want to know things like how high is the rear of the van? are there any door clasps etc in the way? where are the tie off points? I'd always try before I buy. Hope this helps and keep on enjoying your hobby! - Cheers Mark

[@davidrowe8747]

@@MyVanConversion thanks for the detailed answer! I use a DIY bike clamp in the C3 Picasso at the moment (piece of plywood, with a QR skewer and thru-axle fork block installed), but am hoping to be able to keep wheels on if I buy a van-based vehicle. Still in the research stage, and will follow your advice!

[@jeskli11]

If this helps you in any way, in short wheel base Berlingo II (2010) non-commercial version, if I remove the back seat(s), I can just about slide in my 29" full-sus XC bike if I drop the saddle down without having to remove either wheel. I usually slide it with the rear wheel towards the cabin and the rear tire sits between the front passenger seat and the B-pillar. Road bike fits just fine within the boot (not having to squeeze the tires anywhere), higher travel trail and other more aggressive bikes likely wouldn't fit with both wheels on due to limited height. In general, those non-commercial versions of such vehicles limit the boot space by having tons of plastic everywhere, but they also lack the wall behind the cabin, so you can generally get more usable space. Also, you can save some space by not having the bike straight, but leaning it a bit to one side.

[@davidrowe8747]

@@jeskli11 that's very helpful, thank you! My bikes are all small frame size and smaller wheels (26" and 27.5") so hopefully that will help as well. ;-)

[@jeskli11]

@@davidrowe8747 That should be alright then. The issue for you might possibly be the height, but if you have a dropper post or your saddle isn't that high (which probably isn't if you have smaller frames), I wouldn't worry about that (for reference, my frames are size large and my saddle height is about 764mm from the BB, I have to drop the seat down on my XC bike, but my road/CX bike fits fine with saddle up). I was originally planning to build some kind of rack, which would hold the bike straight, but now after tripping in that car to races during the last three years I'm glad I didn't, sometimes it's better not to overthink things when dealing with this kind of small space.

[@Theorangeman.]

Little tank of water and a water pump an hose would be a good edition

[@MyVanConversion]

Agreed. I talked that through with client but he didn't want it. Though there's provision to add these things plus an electric air compressor in the future 👍

[@tonyoxtoby9643]

How do you charge the bikes battery please love your design very good.

[@MyVanConversion]

In the earlier comments we discuss this. The bike can be partially recharged especially while driving but it was not a requirement for the build. That said, we made the build versatile so he can fit a bigger battery solution if wanted so he can recharge. 👍

[@wilswood8137]

Can you charge the bike overnight or while driving ?

[@MyVanConversion]

Theoretically if you swapped out the battery bank for a larger unit. But the client didn't want that. However we built it so that different power units can be used, eg future proofed 👍

[@chris4536]

I feel like loading the back wheel in first would be better

[@MyVanConversion]

We tried that but it's easier front wheel first as the handle bars provide better leverage. Doing the back first also causes the front wheel to twist making it harder to handle the bike. Also the front is lighter so easier to move around. But that's just what we found and each bike type might be different. 👍

[@chris4536]

@@MyVanConversion Lovely stuff! Clearly well thought out 🙂 Them eeeb's do have a bit of ballast to them for sure! Cheers

[@tiagolecasm]

This is L1 version or L2?

[@MyVanConversion]

It is the long wheelbase rather than the rather short stock version - cheers

[@seng345]

Do you think you could mount a bike like that without the front wheel in the short wheelbase version?

[@MyVanConversion]

Probably diagonally but it'd be tight. The bulkhead really eats into the cargo space. My advice is always take your bike to a dealer and ask to see if you can fit it in before buying.

[@karelbartman]

Yes, you can. I can fit 2 full suspension 29ers in my fiat Doblo passenger van with the back seat folded down. I use a bike storage system called "bike inside" it works great

[@welshfarmer]

I can get my ebike in a Peugeot partner like that with the front wheel off and a custom mount to turn the forks 90 degrees.