Set up a bike-rack product

Bike racks use their own product page layout, not the standard product page. It has a dark buy card, a gallery reel, and numbered sections (Description, Features, Specifications, Add-ons, Warranty, Terms, Reviews), with capacity and mount tiles built from item specifics.

Use this page when you add a new bike rack, convert an existing product to the bike-rack layout, or edit a rack that is missing tiles, specs or add-ons. Most of what goes wrong on this layout fails silently: the page still loads, but a tile, chip, section or link just doesn’t appear.

Counts and real examples on this page come from a pull of the 163 bike-rack products on 21 October 2026.

Unconfirmed

• Child products. Whether each child also needs Website Design Template set, and whether children redirect to the parent, isn’t recorded. A child opened on its own URL uses its own template, which is normally blank (standard page).

Steps

1. Assign the bike-rack template

1. Open the product in cPanel.
2. Set Website Design Template to bikeRacks.
3. Save.

The value must be exactly bikeRacks: lower-case b, capital R, no spaces, no file extension. If the field is blank or anything else, the product renders on the standard product page and nothing else on this page applies. In the API the field is DisplayTemplate. All 160 racks were set to bikeRacks on 21 October 2026. The API ignores an empty value, so taking a rack off the layout is a cPanel job.

Wrong template value fails silently

A typo such as bikeracks or BikeRacks doesn’t raise an error. The product just shows the standard product page. Check the live page after saving. A correct value can also look wrong for a while: when the racks were switched on 21 October 2026, one page (12010) kept the standard layout until the page cache was cleared.

2. If the rack comes in options, set variation options on every child

A rack sold in colours or sizes is a parent with child products. Every child needs its variation option values (for example Colour) filled in, the same as any stock Maropost variation product. The parent then shows option selectors in the buy card.

Children without variation options

A parent that has children but no variation options is treated as a data-entry mistake on this store. The buy card loses its price row and its own Add to Cart button, and shows a child table instead. That layout has never been checked on a bike rack. None of the 163 bike-rack products was a child of another product on 21 October 2026. If you see it, fix the children’s variation options first.

Put everything descriptive on the parent. When a shopper picks an option, only the price, buy button and stock card update. The gallery, title, tiles, specifications and the sections below all stay as the parent’s.

3. Fill in the title area

cPanel field	Where it shows	Notes
Brand	Above the heading, beside the SKU	Also a row in Specifications
SEO Page Heading (SEOPageHeading)	The page H1	Leave blank to use Name. Use it when the on-page heading should differ from the product name. Four racks had one on 21 October 2026
Name	H1 when SEO Page Heading is blank	Also the fallback Description headline (step 6)
Subtitle	Line under the H1	Shown only when filled. 56 characters at most: the store cuts longer text with no error. Hitch and tow-ball racks lead with the fit, for example “Swing-away tray, e-bikes to 27kg, 50mm towbar hitch”
Short Description	Paragraph under the chips	Shown only when filled. The store also builds the meta description from it (“Name - Brand - short description”). Keep it to 250 characters: the store cuts at 255, mid-word
Availability Description	”Availability Information” box under the short description	Shown only when filled. Long text gets a “Read more” toggle after two lines

The chips under the heading (capacity, fits, Lockable, storage) come from item specifics, not from these fields. See step 4.

4. Enter the item specifics

The page looks for 15 item specific names. They are matched exactly, including capitals and spacing. Enter values as plain text. Units go in the value, not the name.

Item specific name	Allowed values	What it drives
Bikes Carried	1 Bike, 2 Bikes (any number), 1 Trike	Capacity tile, capacity chip, Description headline, spec row
Max Weight Per Bike	Metric weight, for example 30kg	Capacity tile sub-line, spec row
Max Combined Bike Weight	Metric weight, for example 60kg	Capacity tile sub-line, capacity chip, spec row
Vehicle Mount	Hitch, Tow Ball, Roof, Boot/Hatch, Canopy, Caravan Drawbar, Spare Wheel	”Mounts to” tile, Description headline, spec row
Bike Mount	Platform Tray, Hanging Arms, Vertical, Fork, Frame Clamp, Wheel Clamp	Spec row
Locks Bike to Rack	Yes, No, Sold Separately	Security tile and Lockable chip when Yes. Spec row
Locks Rack to Vehicle	Yes, No, Sold Separately	Security tile and Lockable chip when Yes. Spec row
Tilts for Access	Yes, with bikes loaded, Yes, unloaded only, No (rear racks only)	Spec row
Swing Away	Yes, No (rear racks only)	Spec row
Folds When Not in Use	Yes, No	”Folds when not in use” chip and weight-tile sub-line when Yes. Spec row
Integrated Lights	Yes, No	Spec row
Rack Weight	Metric weight, for example 23kg	Rack weight tile, spec row. The rack itself, not the shipping weight
Fits Vehicle Types	Free text	”Mounts to” tile sub-line, chip
Security Detail	Free text	Replaces the automatic Security tile sub-line
Storage	Free text	Replaces “Folds when not in use” on the chip and weight-tile sub-line

How the values behave:

• Yes is case-sensitive. The Security tile, the Lockable chip and the folding chip appear only for exactly Yes. yes, Y or Yes - keyed don’t trigger them.
• No is shown greyed in the spec table, but only when the value is exactly No.
• The Security tile only appears when a lock is included. If neither lock specific is Yes, there’s no Security tile. The lock rows still show in Specifications.
• Leave a specific out rather than guess. Rows, tiles and chips with no value are hidden.
• Keep values to 150 characters or fewer and plain ASCII (use a hyphen in ranges, not an en dash). The store silently cuts longer values, and an Excel round-trip mangles non-ASCII characters.
• On 21 October 2026 every value on the 160 racks was one of the allowed values above. No rack used Fits Vehicle Types, Security Detail or Storage yet.

Any other item specific still shows, under its own name, in an Other group at the end of Specifications. These names are agreed for that group:

Item specific name	Values
Expands To	N Bikes. Omit when the rack can’t be expanded
Max Weight Per Bike (Off-Road)	Metric weight, only when the manufacturer gives one
E-Bike Rated	Yes, No. Altapac’s assessment: Yes when the per-bike limit (and the combined limit, if stated) is at least 20kg, unless the manufacturer says otherwise on the product’s own page
Hitch Receiver Size	50mm (2"), 32mm (1.25"), 32mm (1.25") or 50mm (2")
Frame Contact	Yes, No
Light Plug	7-Pin Flat, 13-Pin, 7-Pin Flat or 13-Pin. Only with lights
Number Plate Holder	Yes, No
Wheel Sizes	20"-29", Up to 29"
Max Tyre Width	3" (76mm)
Max Wheelbase	1270mm
Fits Roof Bars, Crossbar Spread, Axle Compatibility	Short text. Roof or fork racks only
Suits Bike Types, Finish	Short text

A misspelt name moves the value to Other

If a name doesn’t match exactly (for example Bikes carried or Max Combined Weight), the value doesn’t disappear. It moves to the Other group, and the tile, chip and headline that depended on it vanish. Old names such as Lockable, Tiltable, Bike Capacity, Fitting Type, Mounting Type, Bike Weight and Total Weight Capacity have been retired and now only show in Other.

5. Fill in the Description and Features sections

cPanel field	Where it shows	Notes
Description	Description section (01), beside the tiles	Always shown
Features	Features section, as a ticked list	Enter as a bulleted list. Any number of bullets
misc43 / misc44 / misc45 (Features image / heading / description)	Swipeable feature cards at the top of Features	Pipe-separated lists, matched by position. A card shows only when it has an image and a heading or description
misc13 (Vehicle Fitment)	Second paragraph in the “Good to know” box in Features	See below
misc9 / misc19 (Document Names / Document URLs)	Links under the Description text and in the Product and shipping spec group	Pipe-separated, matched by position. Same format as standard product pages. A URL without a / is dropped (not live yet, AUD-13)

The “Good to know” box always shows a fixed sentence: “Bike racks are not a universal fit. Check your vehicle against the manufacturer’s buyer’s guide, or ask us and we’ll confirm it before you buy.” You can’t change or remove it per product. Text in misc13 is added as a second paragraph. Use misc13 for vehicle warnings, such as “This rack has a European round 7-pin plug, and no adapter is supplied.” (the Thule EuroWay G2 7-pin, 923020, one of two racks with misc13).

misc13 also shows on product cards

On standard product cards (for example the grid view of a category page), misc13 is printed after the word “For”. A warning sentence written for the Good to know box reads as “For This rack has…” on those cards. Don’t start misc13 with “For”, and keep in mind it appears in both places.

Because the fixed sentence is always present, the Features section always appears, even when Features and the feature cards are empty.

6. Override section headings (optional, misc47)

Each section has a default heading. To change them for one product, enter up to four headings in misc47, separated by |, in this order:

Headline|Features|Specifications|Add-ons

Position	Section	Default when the position is empty
1	Description headline	[Bikes Carried], [Vehicle Mount] mounted (for example “2 Bikes, Hitch mounted”). If either specific is missing, the product Name
2	Features heading	Built for the getaway
3	Specifications heading	The numbers
4	Add-ons heading	Finish the setup

Leave a position empty to keep its default. To change only the Specifications heading, enter ||Your heading. The only rack using misc47 on 21 October 2026, the Thule OutWay Hanging 2 (994001), overrides the headline and the Specifications heading:

Two bikes, any hatch, no towbar.||The Numbers|

Anything after a fourth | is ignored. Never put a | inside a heading: it shifts every heading after it into the wrong section.

Because the default headline reads “[Bikes Carried], [Vehicle Mount] mounted”, enter Vehicle Mount values that read naturally in that sentence, using the allowed values in step 4.

7. Add a Range Nudge (optional, misc2)

A Range Nudge is a one-line suggestion pointing to another rack in the range. It shows in the Capacity group of Specifications as your sentence, followed by a link labelled with the target product’s current name.

Enter it in misc2 (Range Nudge) as the target SKU, a |, then the sentence. 103 racks have one. This is the RockyMounts AfterParty’s (10270):

9012100|No hitch receiver? The OutPace 2-Bike mounts on a 50mm tow ball.

• The SKU must come first. Swapped round, nothing shows.
• Only one |. If the sentence contains another |, everything after it is dropped.
• Don’t write the link text. The link always uses the target’s current product name, so it updates if that product is renamed.

The nudge is hidden, with no error, when:

• the target SKU doesn’t exist, or the target product is disabled, unapproved or not visible
• the rack has none of the capacity specifics (Bikes Carried, Max Weight Per Bike, Max Combined Bike Weight), because the Capacity group, and the nudge inside it, only appears when one of those is filled

Nudges disappear when their target goes

If the target rack is later disabled or hidden, the nudge vanishes from this page without warning. Review nudges pointing at a product before you retire it.

8. Add a video (optional, misc20)

Enter one YouTube video ID in misc20 (Video Attachments). Use the bare ID only, for example dPmdcvvhxr8, not the full URL and not a list. 61 racks have a video. The video appears in the gallery reel; when the product has a main image, it is the second slide.

misc20 takes one bare ID

The theme’s older field notes describe misc20 as a comma-separated list. On the bike-rack page it is a single ID. A URL, or two IDs separated by a comma, produces a broken video slide.

9. Set up add-ons (cross-sells, plus misc27 on each add-on)

The Add-ons section is built from the rack’s cross-sell products. Each cross-sell becomes a card showing:

• the add-on’s Type, as a small label above the name (omitted when blank)
• the add-on’s Name
• the add-on’s misc27 (Thumb Description), as a one-line reason to buy it (omitted when blank)
• a “View product” link

To set it up:

1. On the rack, add the add-on products to its cross-sell list.
2. Open each add-on product and fill in misc27 with a short reason, for example why it suits this kind of rack.
3. Check Type on each add-on, since it shows as the card label.

If the rack has no cross-sells, the whole Add-ons section and its entry in the section menu are left out, and the later section numbers shift up.

On 21 October 2026 none of the 163 bike-rack products, racks or rack add-ons, had misc27 filled, so every add-on card showed no reason line.

Not live yet

On altapac.com today, the same cross-sell products also appear a second time in a “You May Also Like” row near the bottom of the page. Dropping that duplicate row arrives with the next theme release (AUD-21).

misc27 goes on the add-on, not the rack

The reason line is read from the add-on product. Filling misc27 on the rack does nothing in this section. Only the cross-sell list feeds the Add-ons section; products in other relationship lists (such as upsells) don’t appear there.

10. Add a promotion image (optional, misc11)

On the bike-rack page, the promo image in misc11 (Product Header Promo Image Zone) shows below the Add to Cart button inside the dark buy card. On the standard product page it sits above the price. It links to the URL in misc29 (Product Header Promo Link).

It only shows while the product is on promotion. Outside the promotion dates, a filled misc11 shows nothing.

11. Warranty, Terms, weights and dimensions

cPanel field	Where it shows	Notes
Warranty	Warranty section	Section shown only when filled
Terms & Conditions	Terms section	Section shown only when filled
Specifications	Top of the Specifications section, above the spec groups	Optional free text
Shipping Weight	”Shipping weight” row in Product and shipping	This is the weight freight is quoted from. Don’t enter the rack’s own weight here; use the Rack Weight item specific
Shipping Length, Shipping Width, Shipping Height	”Carton (L×W×H)” row	In metres. Shown only when all three are above zero
Assembled Length, Assembled Width, Assembled Height	”Assembled (L×W×H)” row	In metres. Shown only when all three are above zero
Manufacturer model number	”Model #” row	Shown only when filled

Not live yet

On altapac.com today, the bike-rack page has no “Assembled (L×W×H)” or “Model #” row, so the assembled dimensions and model number don’t show anywhere on it. Both rows arrive with the next theme release (AUD-60).

12. Save and check the live page

Save the product, then open its live page. Saving refreshes the page’s cache. Changes made on other products (an add-on’s misc27 or Type, a nudge target’s name) may not show on the rack page straight away, because that page is cached.

What breaks: common mistakes

Mistake	What you see
Website Design Template not exactly bikeRacks	Standard product page. No tiles, no numbered sections
Item specific name misspelt or using an old name	Value lands in the Other group. Its tile, chip or headline is missing
yes instead of Yes on a lock or fold specific	No Security tile, no Lockable or folding chip
Bikes Carried or Vehicle Mount missing	Description headline falls back to the product name. Capacity or Mounts to tile missing
Rack weight entered in Shipping Weight	Freight quoted on the wrong weight, and “Shipping weight” shows the rack’s weight
misc2 with the sentence first, a second |, or a hidden target	Nudge missing, or its sentence cut short
misc2 filled but no capacity specifics	Nudge missing (the Capacity group isn’t shown)
misc20 with a URL or more than one ID	Broken video slide
misc27 filled on the rack instead of the add-on	Add-on cards show no reason line
Add-ons entered as upsells instead of cross-sells	No Add-ons section
misc47 heading containing |	Headings land on the wrong sections
misc13 starting with “For”	Cards read “For For…”
Feature card with an image but no heading or description	Card silently skipped
Parent with children but no variation options	Buy card loses its price row and Add to Cart, and shows a child table
misc11 filled on a product not in promotion	Nothing shows (expected)

Pre-publish checklist

• Website Design Template is exactly bikeRacks.
• If there are children: every child has its variation option values, and the parent shows option selectors.
• Descriptive content, images and item specifics are on the parent.
• Brand, Name, Subtitle and Short Description are filled. SEO Page Heading only if the H1 should differ from the name.
• Item specifics use the exact names in step 4, with the allowed values. At least Bikes Carried and Vehicle Mount are set.
• Yes/No specifics are exactly Yes or No (or an allowed third value).
• Rack Weight holds the rack’s own weight. Shipping Weight holds the freight weight.
• Shipping and assembled dimensions are in metres, all three of each set.
• misc13 is a vehicle warning, if any, and doesn’t start with “For”.
• misc47, if used, has headings only, in order, with no extra |.
• misc2, if used, is SKU|sentence, and the target product is live and visible.
• misc20, if used, is one bare YouTube ID.
• Add-ons are in the rack’s cross-sell list, and each add-on has misc27 and Type filled.
• Warranty is filled where the manufacturer gives Australian terms.
• On the live page: tiles, chips, the nudge link, the video and the add-on cards all appear as expected.

For developers

This page is based on the development branch of Altapac-ReDev:

• src/templates/products/bikeRacks.template.html (page shell, parts-finder “More for your Vehicle” row)
• src/templates/products/includes/buying_options.template.html line 1 (display_template eq 'bikeRacks' gate)
• src/templates/products/includes/product_scripts.template.html (variation change re-renders only _buying_options and _availability)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/template.html (section gates, misc47 defaults, Warranty, Terms)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/schema.template.html (the 15 item specific names)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/defaults.template.html (fixed Good to know sentence)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/labels.template.html (misc47 parse)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/titlecol.template.html (H1, chips, Availability Description)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/description.template.html (headline and tiles)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/features.template.html (feature cards, Good to know, misc13)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/specifications.template.html (spec groups, misc2 Range Nudge)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/gallery.template.html (misc20)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/addons.template.html and addon_card.template.html (cross-sells, misc27, product_type)
• src/templates/products/includes/bikerack/buycard.template.html (misc11 / misc29, variation and child gates)
• docs/map/pdp-bikerack/specifics.md (value vocabulary and Other-group names)
• data/bikeracks/archive/2026-10-21-store-after-update.json (store snapshot used for examples)

The “More for your Vehicle” row on this page uses content type code parts-finder, the store’s real code, matching products/template.html.

The Terms section reads [@terms@]; the Maropost product tag for Terms & Conditions is documented as [@tnc@]. Unverified on a live product.