Greetings

[sphen]

Myself and the current Mrs Sphen have been motorhoming for the last 5 years and have thoroughly enjoyed our experiences sometimes taking bikes with us or a motorscooter depending on what we think the terrain may be like. Hilly areas mean motorised bike as the boss doesn't like peddling upwards.
As with motorhomers and caravanners there are advantages and drawbacks in our choice of outfit but we have been pondering for the last few months on our situation and now feel the time is right to cross over and join the tuggers as we will be able to enjoy more living space and have the convenience of a car, but we would want to take our bikes as well. Do we put them inside the van, use a roof rack (bad for fuel consumption) or use a bike rack attached to the car? Any comments.
We are looking at the Swift Challenger 570, but will need to invest in a suitable car as well. All this research and pondering makes for a stressfull time only alleviated by the consumption of copious amounts of red wine.
Looking forward to reading forum posts and the advice and help that I know members will give to newbies like us.
Regards, Stewart

 

[DianneT]

Welcome to the Forum a nice bunch of Caravanners I can tell you and will give you any help you need. Hope you soon find the van and car you want and can get on the road with your new outfit. Do you caravan abroad?

 

[Parksy]

Hi Stewart, welcome to the Practical Caravan forum.
The Swift Challenger 570 is a great caravan and if you choose to buy one there are a couple of things to take into account when choosing your towing vegicle.
The Challengers MTPLM is 1600kg so your towcar needs to be capable of towing that weight safely and legally.
Most cycling enthusiasts either pack the bicycles carefully inside the caravan or use car mounted racks but you need to take into account the weight of the bikes on your vehicle load limit if you use a car mounted rack.
I'm sure that forum members will be able to offer you advice about towing vehicles and touring with bikes.