For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be able to ride from our doorstep to the trails or track, which I'm guessing is the majority of riders out there, we are presented with the task of getting our bikes and gear to the trailhead or race venue. And while that's a simple job, at least in theory, one forgotten or misplaced item can send you on major u-turn back home to retrieve it or make for a day off the bike. Enter the van. The storage unit on wheels. Shaggin' wagon. Fun-mobile. Whatever you want to call it, a van is often the best way to move your things from point A to point B.

One mountain biker who has harnessed the power of the van and used it close to its maximum potential is Brian Lopes. Over the last two decades, Brian has tried out pretty much every size and configuration, and he's still constantly adjusting and fine tuning the details to suit his needs for the year. "Every time I build one, I change something and I learn something from the build," Brian said of the process that seems never ending. ''Things that work, things that I use, things that I don't use. Just learning how to maximize the space and try to get the most out of what I think the needs are going to be for the van. I also learn which van builders do certain things better than others. Whether that’s attention to detail, quality of work, reliability, coming through on promises, etc."




Now going on his sixth Mercedes Sprinter, 3 built by Sportsmobile (which Brian has also had 2 Ford’s built by as well) and 2 built by Outside Van, Brian decided to try a local builder based out of Santa Fe Springs, RB Components, for his most recent custom build. This year’s Sprinter van is a high roof, 4 cylinder diesel in silver grey that’s spread over a 144” wheelbase. Brian chose this size, which isn’t the largest, in an effort to simplify his setup and have better maneuverability. Brian’s ideas and designs were easily laid out using RB’s special CAD program which allowed him to see exactly what would fit and how it would look from every angle. “Being able to make changes on the CAD & instantly see how it would look and fit was definitely one of the selling points that made me decide to try them out. It made it easy to dial in everything according to my needs." The wishlist included multiple bike racks from 1UP USA, a lot of storage space, a bed large enough for two, fridge, sink, and something that his previous vans didn't require: a mini-bed and car seat for his two-year-old son. Whether traveling to the races for the day, or on the road for an extended vacation with the family, his van would need to be equipped for all situations.

So far this year, Brian has taken his Sprinter to the races at Sea Otter, Mammoth Mountain, China Peak resort, Oregon, Utah, and on a trip north to Crankworx Whistler. All of those adventures were made easier by being prepared with the right gear and every type of bike setup that he might need for each discipline, something that made designing the van interior a crucial part of the build process.




Those sort of miles, often with four or five bikes in tow, means that the van's rack system had to be dialed. "The bike rack system always seems to be one of the most challenging parts of building a van. For me, and probably for most people reading this, if they are bike enthusiasts, figuring out a system for your bicycles is always the most challenging thing,'' Brian said of working out a rack layout that would suit his specific needs. This included not having to remove wheels, lower seat posts, or loosen stems to make all of his bikes fit. ''I have a bed in this one, and fitting the bikes underneath the bed with the wheels on and without lowering the seats was crucial. I also wanted to fit as many bikes inside as I could. I've had some [vans] where you take the wheel off and mount the fork to the ground, and that works well, but it's just one extra step, and then you always seem to have issues with the bars hitting because you have to stagger the bikes, or you have to loosen the stem and turn all your bars so they are all parallel with the frame.''


''The great thing about these racks is that you can stagger them with the ratchet system they use and it's really easy. You can either pull them forward, or lift the lever and pull them back, and that determines where your bike's back wheel jams in and locks into the system,'' Brian explained. ''It's super simple and works great. So I have five 1UP USA racks in there, and they are basically half racks mounted to the ground.''




With bike storage sorted out, it was time to look at some interior details. Traveling with bikes means that you'll no doubt have to check and adjust their tire pressures, and while a floor pump does the job, why not go with an integrated air compressor to make things even easier? So that's exactly what Brian did. "We use Viair systems because they are really designed for this type of use. Actually, they are popular with off-road enthusiasts for guys needing to air up/down their 4X4 tires,'' Devin Young, sales manager at RB Components told us.

A compressor is a luxury item, but it's handy for more things than just bike tires. ''The compressors are very small, 12-volt units with a fast recovery time, and 1, 2 and a 2.5-gallon air tanks give him the capacity he needs to air up his bike and van tires and to blow out the dust from the van anytime. The compressor isn’t abnormally loud, but you’ll know when it’s on. Very cool to have that with you"




The van's galley consists of a small refrigerator, a smaller 2.7 Cu Ft Norcold NR751 model, installed into RB Components' 36”H x 24”D x 24”W base cabinet. The refrigerator's size allowed them to go with a stainless steel sink into the same cabinet, and it includes a cool folding faucet with metered mixing valve and a smoked glass lid that closes off the sink when it's not in use. Young explains some of the details of the van's setup: ''He even has some storage above the refrigerator, below the sink which is closed off by one of our cool sail cloth fabric covers. This also allowed for the electronics control panel to be mounted to the side of that cabinet. We topped off the single galley cabinet with a custom stainless steel countertop which is super durable and keeps with the sleek, modern design.''

You can't be unplugged from the world for long if you don't have some sort of water supply, which is why the van is equipped with a twenty-two-gallon water tank that sits next to the driveline. ''A SHURflow 3.0 GPM, 55 PSI, 12-volt D/C water pump does all the work getting the water up to the sink and the marine washdown system that's mounted near the rear of the van,'' Young said, with the system employing a quick-disconnect for the coiled washdown hose with a spray nozzle. It's not a pressure washer, but it's said to be the next best thing.





Condensation is the enemy when you're sleeping inside of your van, so two Fan-tastic vent fans were installed to keep the air moving. ''We use the manual control vents with three-speeds that are reversible but use manual crank opening and manual dial speeds. We feel that durability is superior with the more simple manual controls,'' Young explained of the company's approach. ''Cutting holes in the roof for the fans isn’t terribly difficult but making sure that those fans are sealed is critical. We use self-leveling sealant, not silicone to seal the area around the vent fan mounting flange and we apply it generously"

With the bikes looked after, cleaning and airing up taken care of, and the van's water system flowing, it was time to think about sleeping quarters. RB Components installed their panel bed system that sits above the bikes on wall-mounted rails that are permanently fixed to the inside wall of the van and support three light-weight bed panels that lock into place. Young explained that the van features the optional extended rear panel that makes for a 70.125" length. Overall width sits at roughly 62" but total usable space sits at 69", which is enough for two adults. ''This van was also our guinea pig for our newly added panel bed extensions that extend the rails forward of the sliding door entry and allow the bed platform to be pushed up to the front and used or stowed when the back area is full of gear,'' he said of Brian's setup.




The panels themselves feature welded aluminum frames that are powder-coated and held in place with integral spring-loaded locking latch pins that keep the panels safely locked to the rails in case of a panic stop or an accident. ''We install an upholstered plywood panel on the top of the welded aluminum frames for a clean, finished look to match the rest of the van. This van has the optional panel bed cushion set which is individual cushions made to match the panel size and shape. These are 2'' thick foam covered units with a black carbon fiber-look vinyl to match everything else,'' said Young.

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