# IH Tio - bike rack?



## 109367

We are considering buying a new van and like the IH Tio. We want to carry 2 bikes. A bike rack fitted to the Tio by IH as an optional extra comes in at almost £1000 - nearly £500 for a tow bar, then the same again for the bike rack which attaches to the tow bar. This seems very expensive to me. Has anyone else had this problem ? Is it worth that money or is there some other less expensive option? :roll:


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## geraldandannie

Hi Mostu, and welcome to MotorhomeFacts 

Not really my field. I know some PVCs have them attached to the back door, but IH have the one piece rear end, so I guess it's made of fibreglass or something, which is too weak to carry a full bike rack.

Halfords sell a 3-bike tow bar carrier :: here :: for £107. You'd just need to get a tow bar fitted.

I don't know that this would work, or would be safe, etc etc - it's just something to look into :wink:

Gerald


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

mostu said:


> We are considering buying a new van and like the IH Tio. We want to carry 2 bikes. A bike rack fitted to the Tio by IH as an optional extra comes in at almost £1000 - nearly £500 for a tow bar, then the same again for the bike rack which attaches to the tow bar. This seems very expensive to me. Has anyone else had this problem ? Is it worth that money or is there some other less expensive option? :roll:


Hi and welcome to MHF,

Sounds extremely expensive to me, if you are going or can get to the NEC Birmingham show in February 19th-24th go on the Fiamma stand in Hall 3, stand number 3164 and have a chat with them.

Regards


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## Steamdrivenandy

mostu said:


> We are considering buying a new van and like the IH Tio. We want to carry 2 bikes. A bike rack fitted to the Tio by IH as an optional extra comes in at almost £1000 - nearly £500 for a tow bar, then the same again for the bike rack which attaches to the tow bar. This seems very expensive to me. Has anyone else had this problem ? Is it worth that money or is there some other less expensive option? :roll:


Welcome mostu.

pepandspice are often on here and run an IH and may be able to help, tho' I don't think they have a bike rack as I recall.

I too suspect it's because IH fit a replacement back panel of their own design, rather than leaving the lifthatch or barn doors like other converters. It's a good idea but like nearly everything in motorhome design it has its downsides.

Andy


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## 109367

Thanks everyone for your replies - looks like we'd be best to talk to Fiamma and others first - good idea to just get the tow bar and buy the rack elsewhere - hadn't thought of that!


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## dbh1961

I'd ask IH outright what the advantages of their £1000 solution are.

Clearly, their back door design means that you need a towball based solution. No problem there, it is just a trade off, for getting the better back door. I think you've reached a decision that the first £500 is unavoidable.

The other £500, for the bike rack, seems high though, given that there are many racks available. You need to ask IH if there are any reasons why you need a bike rack costiong £500. They are the people who should know, and they may well have good reasons.

IH have a good reputation. They have to make a living, but I don't think they're in the business of ripping people off.


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## 109367

I did intend asking them before I did anything else - like you, I think they are a good company, I just can't get my head round that expense just to carry the bikes. Why haven't they come up with a more reasonable alternative themselves? Like that one for the car - is it a Citreon or Puegot? - where the bike rack pulls out from under the bumper - now that's neat!! 
Mo


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## dbh1961

mostu said:


> I did intend asking them before I did anything else - like you, I think they are a good company, I just can't get my head round that expense just to carry the bikes. Why haven't they come up with a more reasonable alternative themselves? Like that one for the car - is it a Citreon or Puegot? - where the bike rack pulls out from under the bumper - now that's neat!!
> Mo


Vauxhall Corsa


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## geraldandannie

mostu said:


> is it a Citreon or Puegot? - where the bike rack pulls out from under the bumper - now that's neat!!


Neither - it's a Vauxhall Corsa :wink:

I think IH, like Timberland, have created a high end product. Their tiny coachbuilt costs £50,000, and someone bought it. Someone will always buy expensive products because of either the actual or perceived quality associated with that price. Selling prices do not necessarily reflect costs to build. If a Tribute PVC costs £28k or so, what extra is there in an IH / Timberland for over £40k? Deeper cushions? Better wood?

My point is, people will buy the £1000 bike rack because it comes from IH, and is guaranteed by them, and purchasors will believe they have the best product for their van. Which is their choice, and fair enough.

Gerald


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## 89087

*IH Cycle Rack*

Hi, if you don't already have the bicycles, a pair of Bromptons will fit to one side of the boot on top of each other, leaving the long side of the boot free. Other wise I would go for a tow bar fitted cycle rack, but you will have to remove the rack and cycles before you can open the boot door. Rob.


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## Steamdrivenandy

*Re: IH Cycle Rack*



cappuccino said:


> Hi, if you don't already have the bicycles, a pair of Bromptons will fit to one side of the boot on top of each other, leaving the long side of the boot free. Other wise I would go for a tow bar fitted cycle rack, but you will have to remove the rack and cycles before you can open the boot door. Rob.


Rob,
Can you get into the boot space from inside the van?
Andy


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## Fuzzyfelts

geraldandannie said:


> I think IH, like Timberland, have created a high end product. Their tiny coachbuilt costs £50,000, and someone bought it. Someone will always buy expensive products because of either the actual or perceived quality associated with that price. Selling prices do not necessarily reflect costs to build. If a Tribute PVC costs £28k or so, what extra is there in an IH / Timberland for over £40k? Deeper cushions? Better wood?
> Gerald


Surely it depends on what size of vehicle you are looking for, what kind of quality you want and how much you want to pay. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. I love my Timberland, but would not want a Coachbuild.


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## 89087

*Boot space access*

Hi, simple answer, yes. Rob


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## 89087

I also agree with Fuzzyfelts, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I would not swap my IH TIO R for a coach built, not even the J1000 produced by IH. Rob.


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## brendan

*tio bike rack*

Hi
I have IH Tio R (2005) with With "Omni-Stor Plus" bike rack fitted to back by IH. 
We don't have a tow bar and have had no problem transporting two fairly heavy mountain bikes all round Ireland, France & Spain as well as UK.

Rack is attached to the one piece rear panel but there is obviously some load bearing stringer or similar behind.

The Bike rack cost me £185 supplied and fitted by IH when buying van new in 2005.
As a matter of interest I have just ordered replacement V-Rail for the rack as I backed into the fence recently (£!8.95 from firm in Battle)

Brendan


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## pepandspice

Hi, we have a Tio R. We purchased our van secondhand and it is fitted with a bike rack and tow bar. We assume the bike rack was factory fitted as internally the back plate is concealed behind the carpeting on the back wall. I would have thought however that the bike rack could be fitted by a competent DIY'er or accessory dealer. It may be more convenient to have the accessories fitted by IH and if you have'nt yet ordered the van it would be worth trying to negotiate a discount on the list price.
Pepandspice.


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## Steamdrivenandy

pepandspice said:


> Hi, we have a Tio R. We purchased our van secondhand and it is fitted with a bike rack and tow bar. We assume the bike rack was factory fitted as internally the back plate is concealed behind the carpeting on the back wall. I would have thought however that the bike rack could be fitted by a competent DIY'er or accessory dealer. It may be more convenient to have the accessories fitted by IH and if you have'nt yet ordered the van it would be worth trying to negotiate a discount on the list price.
> Pepandspice.


See, I told you they'd be along mostu.

Andy

PS for that price you'd want a bike rack in gold pressed latinum.

Edit was to amend Trekkie reference


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## 109367

Shows how good that advert is when I didn't notice it was for a Corsa!

Our current van is under 17ft and we want / need a short van, but also want all the trimmings. We have looked at everything we can track down that is under 19ft ( except the East Fife one - no shower - we do use it sometimes ) and the Tio is closest to our needs. It also feels right, if you know what I mean. It has taken me almost a year to come to terms with the price tag, believe me!

My sister-in-law suggested it would be cheaper just to buy a cheap bike everytime we needed one...............


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## 111187

Hi
I have an IH Tio and wanted to carry two bikes. I went to Halfords and bought a rack that attached to the tow bar (already had a tow bar). It obscured the rear lights and was difficult to fit the bikes on without scratching the paintwork.

I took it back and now knew what not to buy!

I replaced it with a very small sports bike rack that clamped to the tow ball with a scissor action. This left two prongs sticking out to take our two bikes. With practise the bikes can be positioned to leave the lights clear and strapped to keep away from the bodywork. A sock can be placed over the peddle closest to the boot to ensure no scratching, but it was not a problem.

The rack was a quality make and one of the cheapest but I cannot remember the price, under £100 I think.

Extra good points. When not required the rack is not much bigger than an umbrella an dcan be stored easily in the boot or in the van. When we do long drives we put the bikes in the van for fuel econmy and security. When in position you can loosen the clamp action and tilt away from the boot door gaining access without having to remove the bikes form the rack. It was a good buy and I recommend it. Whether it is worth your while having a tow bar fitted is up to you but it should not cost much They have them at this link for £136 http://www.towequipe.co.uk/1/1/56559-flange-towbar-fiat-tow-bar-ducato-van-06.html

Good luck Ukrv
We love our IH but will have to sell it soon, sure will miss it!


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## tubbytuba

Hi, I'm know IH "need" your business at the moment, try digging your heels in and tell them that the bike rack could be a deal breaker. You could find the price suddenly comes down!

PS have you looked at Vantage? We compared IH and Vantage very carefully before making our decision, and found in our opinion the quality and design of the Vantage superior to IH (for a lower price).

Steve.


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## trackerman

It can be done - this link will take you to a photograph on the IH website of a second-hand van that they currently have for sale.

Stuart

http://ihmotorhomes.com/index.php?p...category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=45


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## chalky9

I'm intrigued. We're looking to downsize to something like the IH Tio so that we can drive pretty much anywhere and don't need to carry bikes or a scooter to do our sightseeing on. Are people putting bikes on the back because they like the exercise, or is even a Tio too large to go into town in?


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## pepandspice

chalky9 said:


> I'm intrigued. We're looking to downsize to something like the IH Tio so that we can drive pretty much anywhere and don't need to carry bikes or a scooter to do our sightseeing on. Are people putting bikes on the back because they like the exercise, or is even a Tio too large to go into town in?


Hi Chalky, we currently have a IH Irmao which is a rear lounge model with same dimensions as the Tio (in fact we are on our third IH). We love the compact size of the panel van purely because of its ability to take us easily down country lanes and into town as well.

Regards,
Pepandspice.


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## Patron

*IH Tio R Bikerack*

I may be too late to offer any help on this post but hopefully I have attached a pic of an IH Tio R with a bikerack.

The load is taken at roof level with small spreader plates on the inside. Small wedges were placed on the outside to allow for the curvature of the roof. The majority of the load is hung vertically with a small portion passing through the fibreglass rear onto a wooden beam which is built in as standard at manufacture.


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