Instructions

HOW TO – Airline Rails

Here we would like to show you which mounting rails you can use with our PUSHrack bike carrier and which requirements your van or camper must meet. Of course, this is only important for vehicles that do not yet have rails fitted. If the vehicle already has rails fitted, you can continue here:

Which rail is suitable?

Airline Rails

These rails are very popular for securing loads in the commercial sector. They are stable and there are many accessories available. These rails should be glued and screwed to the vehicle sheet metal. To ensure a sufficiently stable connection to the vehicle, a reinforcing strip must be fitted on the inside. A 50 mm wide, at least 4 mm thick aluminum strip along the length of the rail has proven to be a good choice for us.

We have a suitable airline rail set with reinforcement plates for most vehicles. You can find the corresponding products at the bottom of the page.

Which rail is suitable?

C-Rail Thule or Fiamma

These rails are available for the most common panel vans. As a rule, they are clamped onto the door and either additionally screwed (Fiamma) or glued (Thule). The rail is very stable due to the clamping on the door rebate and does not require any additional reinforcement. These rails can also be purchased individually from various suppliers, but are generally more expensive than airline rails.
Which rail is suitable?

ITEM or BOSCH Profile

In principle, it is also possible to use these rails. The PUSHrack bike rack can be screwed directly onto the ITEM 8 series. The ITEM/BOSCH sliding blocks or the rail type B fittings can be used for this. The disadvantage of these rails is that they are very rigid in 40x40mm and are difficult to bend to the round shape of a vehicle.
ATTENTION

Requirements

VW Crafter / Mercedes Sprinter

Rail Length: top 60cm / bottom 70cm

Rails can be mounted on the left and right at the same height.

The bend in the sheet metal of the door is not a problem, our straight rails bend without any problems.

Fiat Ducato / Citroën Jumper / Peugeot Boxer / Ram ProMaster

Rail lengths: Top 70cm / Bottom 70cm

On the left-hand side, the lower rail must be mounted above the licence plate. This can be done as shown or a little further down on the narrow sloping surface.

Attention from 20″ children’s bikes the licence plate is covered. We are working on a solution here.

Note

Ford Transit

Mounting is only possible on the Transit in height H3. Basically, our wheel carrier fits very well on the Ford, but mounting the rails is a little more difficult. The upper rail is not accessible from the inside. The sheet metal is closed here. An opening must therefore first be cut into the inner sheet metal before the actual mounting of the rails can begin.

The bend or the optical kink in the sheet metal of the door is not a problem - our straight rails bend without any problems.

IMPORTANT

Who asks, wins 😉

Please note for the assembly of the rails, of any kind, our requirements and watch our installation video. If you have any questions, please contact us before drilling holes in your vehicle!

10 thoughts on “HOW TO – Airline Rails

  1. Alois Ruhland says:

    Hello everyone,

    does the reinforcement strip have to be 4mm thick on the inside or would 3mm be sufficient?
    However, I would install the 3mm sheet as a continuous sheet and not in segments!

    Kind regards
    Alois

    1. pushcomponents says:

      Probably yes, but we have never tested it with less than 4mm. I don’t know if it’s worth the risk to try it.
      Whether the sheet is continuous or divided into three segments, as we did, makes no noticeable difference to the stability, but it is often not possible to insert a continuous sheet into the door.

      If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help.
      Lenz from the PUSH components team

  2. Elias Märkl says:

    Hello, I drive a Fiat Ducato with the size L1H1. Is it possible to simply move the upper and lower rails further down? I am aware that the bicycles will then also be further down. Theoretically this should work, right?

  3. pushcomponents says:

    Hello Elias,
    I assume that you have not installed any windows. In that case, it’s perfectly possible, but it’s best to make sure that the distance between the top rail and the top edge of the door is between 225-325mm. If in doubt, one of our Plus arms would then fit later, these are useful if you need more distance from the vehicle or if you are not entirely satisfied with the stability of the rails on the window surface.
    I know from another customer with an H1 that it was a little more difficult to get the two outermost nuts onto the screws during installation. If you would like some more pictures, please send me an e-mail.

  4. Thomas Möller says:

    My e-bikes have mudguards and pannier racks, can I use this system too?

  5. pushcomponents says:

    Hello Thomas, yes that works. All you need is our adapter pannier rack

  6. Ralf Köbbemann says:

    Hi, what is the situation with a gravel bike with double-decker handlebars (Hoverbar from Canyon)? Do I then need the Flex to get wider (130 mm) on the lower handlebar? How is the fixation with the full carbon handlebar possible here? There is 65 mm between the upper and lower handlebars. Is Push-Rack plus holder sufficient here (in conjunction with the front windows on our Pössl)?
    Best regards from MG.

  7. pushcomponents says:

    Hi Ralf, with the hoverbar you can mount the “upper” handlebar in the standard holder without any problems. You don’t have to worry about the carbon, the contact points have thick rubber edge protection. Almost all of our bikes have carbon handlebars.
    In general, you will definitely need the plus arms because of the attached windows. Then it will fit.
    Kind regards
    Lenz from the PUSHcomponents team

  8. pushcomponents says:

    Another update:
    As I happened to meet my buddy with the Canyon Grail (with Hooverbar) at the weekend:
    On the latest version of our mounts, the rubber profiles are a bit flatter, which would cause the middle part of the handlebar to slide down to the metal on the standard mount.
    There are two solutions:
    1) you take the DH/Flex and grip the handlebars on the left and right of the grip tape
    2) Place a piece of garden hose cut lengthwise over the middle section of the handlebars for transportation. This not only provides additional protection, but also makes it thicker and prevents it from slipping down to the metal.

    Personally, I like the second solution better, as the grip tape does not suffer.

    Yours sincerely
    Lenz from the PUSHcomponents team

  9. Ralf Köbbemann says:

    Great, thank you very much. I’ll have a look at it this weekend when I’ve finished fitting the airline rails. I ordered two standard mounts and one DH/Flex…they arrived yesterday.
    I’d like to go for the lower handlebar, as Canyon says the upper one in the middle can’t be loaded. In addition, I have already attached foil to the lower one to protect the handlebar roller bag. I would then protect this with a piece of tubing at the bottom. LG, Ralf

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