Van conversion attaching floor and seating bench

As you read on the last post the insulation is in and now we just placed the old plywood. which came with the backdown and screwed it in place. 

At this stage, we had already gone through the pros and cons of different heaters and selected this propex HS2000. If you want a pro and cons post let me know. 

With this, we knew we need a chest in the van for storage of the heater, battery and gas bottle. The height of the bench was determined by the size of gas bottle we wanted to store. 

 Before my husband put the plywood back on he installed the electrics. I am not going to pretend I know how he did this all I know is this took a lot of fiddling with wires and feeding cables through hosepipe. Again if you would like a post on how he did this I can do one for you all? Just let me know in the comments. 

 You might notice we carpeted behind the chest. There will be a full post on how we did the carpeting but i just wanted to point this out.

 The propex HS200 comes with a really straightforward dial for heating the van. I really like that you can also blow cold air into the van in the summer. Will be great for keeping our dogs cool on hot days. 

the electrics for the van which had to be housed in the chest. 

The chest was created out of tongue and groove wooden flooring. 

This was all wood glued together and designed by my husband. This was also gifted to us by a family friend. At this point, I want to mention the reason we didn't use this as flooring in our van. the Flooring is really good quality wood thus meaning it is really heavy. It just would have made the van too heavy with this thought out. 

The chest had to have two cut out for the fans for the heater and most importantly the USB. The power through the van is 12v. this need to be bored in mind when buying items and for charging phones etc. 

charger and battery gage. 

We actually made this with the hinges on the inside. opening backwards but after testing this just didn't work as the top is super heavy and hard to open. We had to go back and replace these

Added a cheap Ikea sun lounger top as the seat and the bench is complete. 

Don't forget to check back in for the next update. 

van conversion -what flooring for muddy bikers

So you may not know this but my husband and I have a side project at the moment. We will be documenting it as it progresses but I wanted to tell you about this week's struggles. 

Flooring. As It's driving me up the wall. 

We bought a Fiat Ducato van to convert into a motorhome. To make life easier to travel with our bikes and our dogs. After what felt like months of searching we found a van. This started the never-ending search for van components and content. 

My job this week is flooring. OH, MY goodness who knew flooring would have me spending hours on the internet. Trying to find out what you can and can't put in a van convert. from carpet to wood flooring, what is right for the van.

I felt like Goldie locks as I sat with charts and diagrams. Finding out that click wooden flooring is too heavy and decals are not good enough. Have you ever thought about the weight or depth of flooring before? No me either and contrary to believe, I have bought flooring before. when it's for your house you don't really think about the millimetres, do you. There are so many types of wooden flooring. 

What do I need
I need the flooring to make the van not only waterproof but also look good. It must cover the entire back of the van. Be easy to fit and not look like an old kitchen floor. It has to be easy to clean with dogs and mucky bikers inside. It must be not too thick and not too thin. The floor is insulted but this will also add some warmth.  You must remember you need every extra millimetre of height as this is your living room. 

I looked at carpet tiles but they seemed really difficult to find and they can be hard to cut to shape. plus once water gets into them, I worry about them not drying out completely and then there is the possibility of them smelling or going mouldy. So that's a no to any kind of carpet than for the floor. 

Why are van converts so difficult to the floor. I have decided that it will have to be good quality flooring That will last the test of time and give us the waterproofing we need and the style, we want.  This will be our home away from home and I am not sacrificing style and quality. 
they will be easy to fit and easy to cleans. This ticks all my boxes. 

Now I have the biggest choice of what pattern do I want. I looked at loads and I have decided on a light ash wood effect. This giving a more rustic look. I initially wanted a dark floor but my husband pointed out two reasons this wouldn't work. One being our lovely white-haired dalmatian and two dark colours can make small spaces seem enclosed. Our kitchen unit is an oak colour so this should match quite well. I will pop photos in when we have completed the job. 

Van conversion the Why and What

 


My husband and I have been thinking about this for a while and we have decided to bite the bullet and finally agreed to buy a van to convert to a campervan. 

I have friends who bought a van conversion through Gumtree but this was in Australia.  This meaning they could travel throughout Australia without paying a fortune for accommodation. They did this on a cheap budget with the view to either sell on the van or scrap, it when they when finished travelling. This is what inspired us to do this ourselves. I thought I would discuss the process we have gone through so far with you all.

Why do we want a van conversion?
Well, as you know we have two beautiful dogs and a passion for mountain biking. We love to travel and take the pups with us. It is not always the easiest as a lot of hotels don't accept dogs. Mountain biking is awesome but it can be super cold and wet and come back to a freezing car to change clothes and get warm is not the best. Plus I worry about the dogs getting too cold or hot in the car. Our dog Millie has mild hip dysplasia so she can't bike with us. It would be nice for her to have somewhere to chill when we are biking. So we started to discuss getting a van. We did look at motorhomes but these are super expensive for something reliable and would fit our needs.


What do you need in the van?
We had to go through all the pros and cons of getting a van to convert ourselves. What does the van definitely need to have to make it doable? 

1. First a bed. We need somewhere to sleep for us and the dogs Enough room for a big dog bed. 
2. Bike storage for up to four bikes. 
3. Biking kit storage. 
4. A good heater.  I hate being cold. 
5. Somewhere to cook 
6. a small sink.
7. we need a seat. 
8. table to eat at. 

When we worked out the minimum things we would need. It became apparent we needed a big van. I did not want a toilet or shower in the van. I can think of nothing worse than this in the small space of a van. Just the basics for a few night away or going to a campsite. 

What size of van?
Well taking in to account the above we needed a big van. goodbye, small van easy to park vans and hello long wheelbase. We had a look at ford transits. We were pretty certain this is what we wanted until we looked at them and yes they can be big but they just were not big enough. We looked at a lot of these and none of them fitted our requirements. We decided on a Fiat Ducato. This has a long wheelbase and it taller than the ford transit and a bit longer. 

What we wanted in the van.
The van had to be at least registered in 2010 and less than 100,000 miles on the clock. Be clean inside and out. This was really important as I have asthma and there are some things you can not clean out of a van. We wanted a full year's MOT and good tyres. Preferably no advisories on the MOT and complete service history. I know we are not asking much, are we?

Where to find a van.
The journey to find a van is a long process. I had visions of us turning up at a garage and boom we have a new van. Nope, this is not the case. 

We both spent hours on Gumtree, AutoTrader and local van sale facebook groups. Hoping to grab a bargain. We even went to a British car auction. But no luck there either. 

This was a long process made harder by the fact that there appeared to only be six Fiat Ducato vans in our price range in the country. We travelled 535.6 miles one day to look at a van, that we were told was in amazing condition. We got there after a marathon drive to find a van which looked like a cement bags had been tipped over the inside and have no wing mirrors as well as a lot of cosmetic damage. The photos we were sent was of a van they had previously sold. Yes, my husband had asked about the condition and was told how excellent it was. At this point, I lost faith in humanity and by the humanity I mean van sales centres in Reading.

 we go on the search we go and finally, we find our van. If you haven't used gumtree before where have you been? living under a rock? Ok, I Joke. it's an awesome sight. It reminds me of ads you used to get in the newspaper but are now all online. it's super easy to navigate and there are loads of bargains.
It makes looking for a van super easy. Gumtree is not just for Vans but everything you can imagine. We even sold our old furniture through gumtree when we moved house. So drumroll Please

We bought a 2012 Fiat Decato with 70,000 miles on it. it is super clean and is an ex Joiners van. The gentleman who sold it to us said he kept it super clean as he gets a £500 bonus from the company he works for, for doing so.  

I'd like to introduce you to the Duke. 

I will be updating you all as We go along with the Duke's progress. So don't forget to check back for more posts and lots of tips and trick to help you convert your own van. 

Meet Duke our new van conversion for bikes and dogs

I'd like to introduce you to our fiat Decato.

It took months to find the perfect van. We wanted something big. We looked at lots of ford transit but the just didn't seem big enough for our needs. There is two of us and two dogs to fit in the van with mountain bikes so it had to have plenty of room. one of our main reason for getting the van is to travel more with our dogs. 

I thought it would be fun to take you all along on the conversion of Duke into our new home on wheels. Here is what it looked like when we bought it. 

 We think it was a joiners van.

As you can see there is a lot of work to do to make this a van conversion. My husband is doing the work with my assistance but this is his baby so to speak.

First things first rip everything out.

We stripped everything right back to the metal and cleaned it out. We were very lucky the van was kept in good condition.

Next up lining the van with insulation. This was made harder with the lack of Celotex insulation boards. My husband did loads of research into what insulation would be the best for us. I have asthma and this was the best option for us.

 The celotex had to be cut to size for the wall panel these where then sparey guled into place.

next, a frame had to be built for the floor to hold the Celotex in place and make the floor level. 

This was then left to dry. This in all, cost about £8 for the wood to build the frame and the glue was a bit more expensive at £5 per can and we used about 12 for the whole van. The Celotex was in 25cm and 50cm sheets they measure 2.4m x 1.2meters. This came in at £200 approx.

Stay tuned for the progress post.

Is Hiit training for you?

Hiit Fitness, or High-Intensity Interval Training, is a fitness system built around a unique combination of science and sport.




What Will I Really Be Doing In HIIT Fitness?

Hiit Fitness combines a unique combination of typical fitness along with sporting elements, think army training exercised and weightlifting all condensed into 45 minutes session. It's about getting the most out of your training time and seeing results faster.


Some of the activities that are included in Hit Fitness include:
*Self-Defense
*Weightlifting
*cardio like skipping, running or biking
*military workouts


The types of activities that you participate in depending on the type of HIIT Fitness program that you join. Normally these are a session of about 45 minutes. Very like a circus class but with more structure. Making sure you hit all the right muscle groups for your goals. Everyone's goals are different from weight loss to weight gain we are all unquiet.

Different instructors of the Hiit Fitness have different methods. Regardless of the methods that your fitness coach uses to teach you Hiit Fitness, you will experience a unique exercise technique that will benefit your body more than a traditional fitness plan can accomplish. Plus it is more fun and tends to be a quicker work out saving you time.

Hiit Fitness Sporting Events
Participating in sporting events in the Hiit Fitness program is a big part of your training. Not only will these sporting events help you to achieve your fitness goals at a faster pace, but several of the sports can be used later in life, even after you complete your fitness goals. Sounds Fun.

What Does Hiit Fitness do? Well, the Hiit Fitness program is quite the unusual exercise system. The Hit Fitness program focuses on the following aspects of the fitness world:
Anaerobic Threshold Balance Body Composition Strength VO2 Max (maximal oxygen consumption)


Hiit Fitness Anaerobic Threshold
A basic definition of the Hiit Fitness Anaerobic Threshold is what occurs when muscles "burn" glucose without the use of Oxygen. Anaerobic Threshold is ideal for those who need that short extra burst in their life. On the flip side, Anaerobic Threshold would not be ideal for a distance runner.

Hiit Fitness Balance
Another important part of the Hiit Fitness way is the aspect of balance. A majority of people who participate in the Hiit Fitness exercise plan are athletes. These people require a great amount of agility and balance to succeed at what they do best. By having great balance, you can even increase the efficiency of your Spokane workout.

Hiit Fitness Strength
Hiit Fitness works with your overall body strength. Since the Spokane Hit Fitness way of exercise revolves around sporting activities, it is important to have strength as it will give you the opportunity to push your body to the next level. It is important to use the right equipment and make sure you always have safety in mind. If you are using barbells you will need a good barbell pad which helps with the safety of your lift and they comfort making sure you can do your maximum reps. 

Hiit Fitness VO2 Max
What is VO2 Max? Basically, VO2 Max is another meaning for the maximal amount of oxygen consumption. It plays a very important role in Hiit Fitness as your VO2 Max directly determines how physically fit you are. Each person has a different VO2 Max.


So, is Hiit Fitness Right For You? Hiit Fitness is not right for everyone. If you are athletic, then you should definably consider the Hiit Fitness way of exercise. If you are interested in starting on a Hiit Fitness exercise plan, you should speak to your local fitness coach today to see if such a program is offered.

tips to help you progress in mountain biking.

Long-suspension trail bike (120 mm and above) designed with geometry which allows cross-country biking is the most popular mountain bikes today. Trail bike adjustment, riding style, use of brakes and pedalling, are different from short-suspension bikes. In this article, you will find some tips to take advantage of the trail bikes.

Comfortable Suspension

Calibrate the shock absorbers to the soft side of the range. A common mistake of most riders is to inflate the shocks in order to simulate an old bike. This common mistake has serious consequences like the suspension isn’t fully used, bike centre of gravity and rider position is higher, which causes an unstable ride. Shocks are designed for spring preload of 25 per cent since it is the point at which the rider spends most of the time.

Use the Gadgets

All the mountain bike special features are designed for use and aren’t just gimmicks. Compression damping, rebound damping, suspension travel adjustments are effective and efficient mechanisms that can improve your cycling performance. Switching between different modes can change bicycle angle, improve pedalling efficiency and raise/lower the centre of gravity. Dials and buttons are not your enemies, "play" with them and experience their effect during the ride.

Wide Tires

Wide tires let you move fast, ride aggressively in technical sections, stop hard, and all of them under full control. You can balance the weight you have added to the tires by converting the rim to run tubeless.

Low Air Pressure

Large volume tires can be inflated with low air pressure. 1.9/2.1 wide tire inflated to 50 PSI, will lose about 10 PSI if the width is increased to 2.35. Cross country bike with a tire width of 2.35 inches does not require more than 28 PSI front and 30 PSI rear if the rider weighs about 75 kilograms. Cycling with high air pressure in wide tires will become a bumpy and unpleasant nightmare, and decrease bike's overall performance.

Ride Fast

Long suspension forks have high energy absorption capability. So they can bring you to a complete stop when encountering an obstacle. You should arrive with momentum to allow the bike to absorb the obstacle and move forward. 

Climbing

You do not have to climb with the small gear up front, but trail bike with thick tires climbs best while you seating. Climb effectiveness depends on bike capability to keep momentum, and this by "swallowing" bumps and advance on selected line. Let your bike and suspension do the work for you.

Break Late

When you equipped with 5 to 6 inches of travel in the back and wide tires, you are not supposed to lock the wheels during braking. Versus short suspension bikes, the front brakes in trail bike are more effective. Fork and front tire let the rider to brake later and deeper into the turn.  Release the brakes gradually when entering into the turn and stick to the selected line.

Right is in the Middle

The more suspension travel the bike has, the more they are sensitive to the rider’s weight transfer forward and back. It is better to ride in the middle of the bike. Two situations in which the body shouldn’t be centred are standing acceleration and technical downhill. In standing acceleration, the body should be shifted forward, and in technical downhill, body weight should be on the back to reduce the load on the fork.

The biking kit you need.

When you first start out with mountain biking, it can be a bit difficult when you walk into a bike shop to buy your initial mountain bike and see every one of the offered add-ons you'll require when you first start riding.

There are many mountain biking related items that you can buy. Although the sales staff will try to offer you anything they can, the actual thing for those on a budget isn't exactly what's cool, but exactly what add-ons you need to make your rides much more pleasurable and risk-free. By beginning with these, you'll be just fine when you venture out on the trails.

Bike helmet

The bike helmet is the most crucial mountain biking accessory that you can buy. Nobody should ever ride a bike without head protection. There have actually been several individuals who have actually experienced serious head trauma. When it can have been avoided by putting on a helmet. All mountain bike helmets are comfortable and stylish and everybody who rides on the trails should use one. I recommend on with MIPS. This the most advanced head protection technology. Many brand stock this. I currently have a specialized one. 

Mountain bicycle gloves

No matter when you ride in, your hands can take a beating. Beginners will normally keep a death grip on the handlebars, which can be really harsh on their hands causing callous.  When you wipe out, your hands will be the initial thing to strike the ground and everyone crashes at some point. My motto is if you're not flying you're not trying. Mountain bicycle gloves are a must-have accessory, as they will take the beating for you. You can buy these from a few pounds. I love fox ones. 

Mountain bicycle shorts

After the initial few mountain bike rides you take, you'll see that your backside will be very sore. Even though your body will adjust, bike shorts with padding are fantastic to have as they will help to keep the soreness at a bare minimum. You can get shorts that are really comfortable, making them an excellent addition to your mountain biking ride. I recommend spending a bit of money here. Especially if you are a girl. You will thank me. 

Mountain bicycle shoes

Depending on the kind of pedals you have and the kind of riding you do, you'll want to choose your mountain bike shoes accordingly. If your bike the has clipless type of pedals, you'll want to get shoes to accept the special cleat for your pedals. Great mountain bike shoes are sturdy, comfortable, as well as have a stiff sole for better performance when pedalling. Likewise, you should ensure to obtain the right shoe for the terrain you'll be riding in also. My go-to brand is fiveten.

Eye protection

You can go off the trail in a matter of seconds if you end up with something in your eye. Sunglasses or clear lensed glasses can help keep your eyes protected from debris and protect them from the wind. Make certain they are non-breakable when you buy your glasses. I order lots of clear lens safety glasses to use as cheap spares. You can get them on eBay for really cheap. 

Hydration equipment

Having a water bottle or hydration pack with you is definitely an excellent idea. It's really simple to get dehydrated. So you should always bring water with you and consume it on the trail to ensure that your body remains appropriately hydrated at all times. I also like rehydration tablets and powders as it can be so easy when you are enjoying your self to forget to drink enough. 

Biking repair kit

If you do not bring the proper repair kit for your bike, it's simple to get stuck in the bush or on the trail. To be on the safer side, bring a multi-tool designed for bike repair, tire bars and spare inner tube for dealing with flat tires. Of course, you’ll require a bike air pump to inflate your tire tube after you have fixed it. but you can buy super small ones for your pocket.