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Old 12-28-2009, 06:11 PM   #1
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which floorplan for MTB?

any advice on what floorpans fit mountain bike trips best. with a bike rack on the back opening the rear doors often is not convenient so the 50 plan does not look good for that since a lot of the storage is under the back cushion. how about with gouchos in the back? i am interested if anyone has experience and what they think.

i'm looking to buy a used 03 or newer ford EB this next spring

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Old 12-28-2009, 06:59 PM   #2
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

Our floorplan has a dinette/bed at the back. All of the underseat storage on both sides can be accessed without opening the rear doors.

The floorplan is a custom layout similar to an EB14 with the toilet replaced with a cabinet and a large refrig. The 3rd captain's chair was for taking our grandson to Alaska.

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Old 12-28-2009, 08:11 PM   #3
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

what is the size of the rear bed, both ways and how tall are you/comfortable in rear bed? i like the dinette in the back plan but don't want to be cramped. also, i have 2 dogs that will travel with me. one must stay in a large crate when i am off riding, how's the floor space in your plan?
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Old 12-29-2009, 08:26 AM   #4
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

Quote:
Originally Posted by skubasteve
any advice on what floorpans fit mountain bike trips best. with a bike rack on the back opening the rear doors often is not convenient so the 50 plan does not look good for that since a lot of the storage is under the back cushion. how about with gouchos in the back? i am interested if anyone has experience and what they think.

i'm looking to buy a used 03 or newer ford EB this next spring
We mtn bike quite a bit and our EB 50 has worked very well for us. I initially had a receiver hitch swing out carrier and it was a pain. I made a rack similar to a few others on the board and it works great and is user friendly. On a side note the exterior shower is great to have after a long ride!

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Old 12-29-2009, 08:44 AM   #5
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

I know you said you were looking at a Ford EB, but have you considered a Sprinter???? The lopes package, or even a modified lopes will be my next plan. We race mtn bikes all over the region/country, and have the garage in the rear is key! It allows your bikes to be locked up, and also leaves a built in kennel for the dogs when your out riding. We have 2 dogs as well, and our floor plan worked alright with the gaucho and dinnette in the rear, but it wasn't Ideal. The "modified" lopes that I am talking about, also allows you plenty of room in the front living space to change, whereas the gaucho/dinnette option does not. There is a sweet used lopes on the SMB west site for sale right now as well. Its been on their a while, so I am sure you can work on the price. I don't know what your budget is, but this is my next van http://www.outsidevan.com/dark-horse.html except not the extended length. They have done a few for other NORBA racers and teams, and have it dialed. Just my 2 cents, since you said you were going to use it to mtn bike out of.
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Old 12-29-2009, 10:08 AM   #6
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

You may want to talk to SMB. If you want to stick to a Ford or Chevy van, you can have an Extended Body and use a "RB50" layout. This will push everything forward and leave some room in the back for a couple of mtn. bikes without loosing any sleeping space or living area. Good luck.

Kripper10,

Those are sweet Rigs, how much do they run?

Ray
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Old 12-29-2009, 10:58 AM   #7
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

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Originally Posted by kripper10
I don't know what your budget is, but this is my next van http://www.outsidevan.com/dark-horse.html except not the extended length. They have done a few for other NORBA racers and teams, and have it dialed. Just my 2 cents, since you said you were going to use it to mtn bike out of.

Those guys have some good ideas. We may have to give SMB a link to their site. I like the aluminum framing under the platform beds. Not sure how SMB does them.
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Old 12-29-2009, 11:36 AM   #8
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

I've actually spoken to Erik the owner of Outside Van many times. He is a super nice guy, and knows his stuff about how to make a van. His ideas are endless. Its pretty nice, because its an al la carte build as well. You pick what you want, and nothing more. Your not stuck with all the extras already built into a specific package. Plus I like the fact that you can empty the van in less than 5 mins if you ever needed an empty van to haul anything or move. The drawback is they only do sprinters, wonder if they would do a ford if someone wanted one?????
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Old 12-29-2009, 04:57 PM   #9
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

Quote:
Originally Posted by skubasteve
what is the size of the rear bed, both ways and how tall are you/comfortable in rear bed? i like the dinette in the back plan but don't want to be cramped. also, i have 2 dogs that will travel with me. one must stay in a large crate when i am off riding, how's the floor space in your plan?
I'm 5'10" and widthwise the bed is just wide enough. There are recesses into the walls behind the back of the couch portion. For us, the pillows and blankets fit nicely behind the couch, not under them. Usually we sleep in the penthouse. Ok, we always sleep in the penthouse except when we took our grandson along and he slept up there and we slept down below.

You can make the dinette/bed as long as the van and your floorplan allow. We wound up with a non-standard length of the dinette (the long dimension of the couch portion) and it was no problem. They just made it the size we settled on.

Between the kitchen part and the side doors is wide open. The third captain's chair is removable, and it is in the garage. The open space is not much different than a 50 style van.

Mike
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Old 01-04-2010, 06:06 PM   #10
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Re: which floorplan for MTB?

thanks for all the replies - i am liking the outside van transformer and also the dark horse but i don't know if i want something that long.
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