JOE BARNES ON THE PERFECT MTBER'S VEHICLE

After careful deliberation, I’ve decided that the ultimate vehicle for bikes – the one that can do everything for the best price – is the people carrier. Vans are expensive and overkill unless you need to transport building goods or turn it into a camper. With a people carrier, you can fit two moto trials bikes in, roll the pushbikes in no bother and slot various seat combos in depending on the occasion. They’re half the price of the equivalent van and have all the benefits. Don’t get tempted by anything under £800 – it could be a timebomb. But paying just over that can secure proportionally higher odds of long-term reliability. The sweet spot is somewhere between £1,000 and £2,000. Once you’re rolling in your family wagon, it’s time to start ‘hyper-miling’ – the art of driving fuel-efficiently to claw back them pennies. Such a motor won’t be going anywhere quickly anyway, Commit to the optimum speed of 55mph and try to hold this for as long as possible with little braking. Always engine brake, as the traditional ‘coast in’ uses more fuel than the gears turning the engine. Turning up for a trail ride in a line of horrendously sketchy pensioner wagons, I'm loving it! My current vehicle is a particularly classy piece. After my door snapped off I got an upgrade free from the scrappies. It shuts with a slam and runs like some ham. Off to the trails we go…