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Indoor bike storage while RVing has always been our Holy Grail feature, and it’s one of the main reasons we instantly jumped into an EKKO when they first came out.  We’ve tried a number of approaches in the past, from blocking our sliding door in Das Bus, to giving up the under-bed storage in Lance, to finally resorting to a small trailer.  But none of them compare in ease and convenience to the EKKO’s gear garage.  And now – FINALLY – I’ve got it tricked out to suit our cycling habit.  Have a look!

 

The video pretty much says it all, but a couple things bear repeating here.  First and foremost, that garage is for bikes.  There may be a few other things in it, but they’re all secondary to the bike storage.  It looks pretty sparse in there, because it is.  I didn’t want to store a whole bunch of crap in there that might get in the way of the bikes, fall on the bikes, or in any way be a DIS-incentive to going for a bike ride.  So could I get more stuff in there?  Absolutely.  But we’re just not going to.

And a word about weight here.  I weigh our RV obsessively, before every trip.  Depending on how long we’re going out, and how much stuff we’re bringing along, our surplus cargo capacity ranges from a few hundred pounds to “not much”.  Bear in mind, we don’t have a generator, a patio awning, or a batwing awning, and Stef and I together might weigh 300 pounds on a bad day.  Now sure, I’ve made some mods, but I’ve also removed some bits of metal support structure, the spare tire, and 114 pounds of dinette seats.  I guess my point is: if you haven’t weighed your rig, do so before you head out on your next trip – loaded with all the people food and gear, and water (which can be a lot in an EKKO) you’re going to take.  Weighing your RV is easy enough to do that Stef did it in an evening dress.  The results may surprise you.

What’s In The Garage

This is probably what you’re here for, so let’s get to it.  (Some may be affiliate links.)  For those links to Organized Obie products, don’t forget to use the discount code THEFITRV for 5% off!

Aluminum Channel – I got this in 5 foot lengths from Online Metals.  Like I said in the video, putting the back wheels in a channel means that once you get the wheel in there, you can just shove the bike the rest of the way in and the channel takes care of the placement.

1/4″ Aluminum Bar – I purchased this from Online Metals as well.  The rounded over edges make it easy to handle, and it’s thick enough that it doesn’t bend much at all while underway.  You’ll need 24″ to get between the EKKO floor tracks.

L-Track Bolts – These are the bolts I got to secure things to the L-Track.  Both below and above.

L-Track Rings – With all the stuff I’ve got secured to the L-Track, I needed some extra rings for securing items.  These are they.

Traditional Fork Mount – This is the fork mount I have holding my bike down.  (Confession – I filed the lawyer lips off my fork to make the quick release, you know… quick.)

Unaka Gear Co. Through Axle Mount – This is the mount I have holding Stef’s bike down.  Another Confession: I absolutely HATE through axles on road bikes.  Worst. Invention. Ever.  Besides not even being actual axles (they’re just there to provide tension to keep the real axle in place), they completely destroy a hundred years of making bikes more convenient to add a supposed “benefit” I don’t need because I’m not an idiot who can’t secure my front wheel.  Great.  I shouldn’t have even gotten started on this because now I’ll just be mad the rest of the day.

Strap Things I Made to Hold The Wheels – You can’t buy these, you’ll have to make them.  It’s pretty quick though.  All you need is some nylon strap, and some swivel hooks.  And you have to know how to sew, obviously.  I won’t try to give you exact dimensions or anything, because I just pinned them to length in place.  Plus, nobody needs to take sewing instructions from me.

Organized Obie 10×20 Stretch Net Organizer – We have three of these in the gear garage now, and as soon as I can get those blocks out of the way, we’re going to have 4.

Rigid SNADs – The stretch nets are held up with SNADs.  You want the rigid ones, because in my experience, they hold better.  The only problem with the rigid SNADs is that you can’t get them to stick to a curved surface.

Organized Obie 4×9 Plastic Framed Net – This is the small net on my side of the garage, that holds my lights and Garmin computer.

Organized Obie 8×16 Plastic Framed Net – This is the larger net we have on Stef’s side of the garage.

Flat-ish Multi USB Device Charger – The three devices on my side of the garage are plugged into one of these so they can all charge at once.

Organized Obie 30×24 Gear Net – We had this net in our small trailer.  So it was easy for me to just take it out and put it in the garage.  It fits perfectly on that spot of wall between the doors.

Organized Obie EZ-Net – Get them while you can!  The prices on these are crazy cheap, which makes me think they might be discontinuing them?  The loops at the four corners work great for mounting to the L-Track with carabiners.

Nite Ize S-Biner – These are the carabiners I have holding the corners of the EZ-Net to the L-Track rings.

ALPS Mountaineering Table – We have two of these tables (in case we want more table space).  They fit on the “shelf” in the garage and stay put without any additional fastening.

GCI Outdoor Pico Directors Chairs – These are the amazing chairs you see me storing on the ceiling in the video.  We love them!

Vinyl Fence Post – I know some joker is going to ask me which vinyl fence post I used.  Well, it’s this one.  I think.  I just went down to Lowe’s and picked one up.  But it really doesn’t matter what fence post you use – just get one that fits!

Camco RV Equipment Storage Bags – I have two of these bags with our electrical and fresh water supplies in them.  So far so good!

The Topeak Mega Morph Bicycle Pump – This is the best bicycle pump ever made for RV travel.  But good luck finding one!  It’s great because basically, all you have to store is just a stick.  I haven’t seen one for sale for years.  So if you do find one for sale, leave a comment and let me know the link, because I want to buy like, 5 more, in case mine ever dies.

The Broom Holder Holding the Pump – This isn’t exactly what I have, because that just came from my spare parts.  But these command holders are pretty darn close.

Adjustable Bungee Cords – I like these adjustable bungee cords, because you never know exactly how long of a bungee you’re going to need.  Why aren’t ALL bungee cords adjustable, anyway?

Mel’s Cat Carrier – I know someone is going to ask me about it, so here it is.  This is the hard-sided, collapsible cat carrier we have for Mel.  Mel hates soft-sided carriers, but he took to this one right away and genuinely seems to like it.

 

I think that just about covers it.  If I forgot something, let me know.  Cheers!