Built Tough Like the Lizard: How Shingleback Off Road Found Their Perfect Match

When you're building Australia's first vertical bike racks, designed to be "tough, practical and survive in the harshest environments," your choice of business vehicle says everything about your brand values.

When Andrew Taylor and the team at Shingleback Off Road needed a work vehicle for their innovative bike rack business, they chose something that perfectly embodied their company values: an OKA.

Shingleback Off Road are the innovators behind Australia's first vertical bike racks for mountain bikes and motorbikes. Their products share the qualities of their namesake lizard: uniquely Australian, tough, practical, and built to survive in the harshest environments. It's a philosophy that extends to their choice of vehicle.

Their OKA represents a commitment to choosing equipment that's built to last rather than built to impress. The distinctive olive-green truck has become a familiar sight at mountain biking events across Australia, serving as both transport and proof of concept. When customers see this rugged vehicle arrive loaded with demonstration bikes and gear, they immediately understand that Shingleback doesn't just talk about durability: they drive it.

The OKA Story: A Conversation with Shingleback Off Road

Can you tell us about your OKA — do you know the serial number, and does she have a name?

"Ours is an LT series OKA #258, we just call her the 'OKA', not very original!" Andrew laughs. Sometimes the best names are the simplest ones, and for a vehicle that's become such an integral part of their business operations, "the OKA" says it all.

How long have you had her? They are quite rare, so they usually have a story!

"We've had our OKA for about 4 years. I've always been into 4WD's and outback touring so on some trips around central Australia I fell in love with the OKA's that were used as tourist buses and always wanted one. In 2021 we needed a good work/promo vehicle for our business Shingleback Off Road.

"We are innovators and designers of Australia's first vertical bike racks, for mountain bikes and now motorbikes, that share the qualities of the Shingleback lizard being, uniquely Australian, tough, practical and survives in the harshest environments. So the OKA fits perfectly with our values, and we also share the fact that we are still proudly Australian made."

What kind of condition was she in when you first found her?

"We bought our OKA from Paul Knott who owns East Coast OKA, it was his personal vehicle and in excellent condition." Finding an OKA in good condition is half the battle, and buying from someone with Paul Knott's reputation in the OKA community meant they were getting a vehicle with a known history and proper care.

If you could change one thing about your OKA, what would it be?

"Make it quieter!" It's the one complaint that comes up with most OKA owners - the mechanical symphony of older diesels and transfer cases that, while characterful, can make highway conversations challenging.

Could you tell us about the mechanical setup, for example whether she's running a Perkins engine and those Dana 80 axles?

"As it was Paul's vehicle, it was the first OKA he did the Cummins 6BT engine swap on and the conversion is top notch, a massive upgrade from the Perkins and I highly recommend. It ticked all the boxes, I was looking for old school simplicity, reliability, grunt and the 6BT is perfect as it is fully mechanical, smooth, powerful and just ticks along on the highway."

"It has the Dana spicer 5 speed gearbox (I didn't want auto), NP 205 transfer case, Dana 80 diffs fitted with LSD's front and back with the bigger front knuckles, I believe this is quite rare and again it was expertly built by Paul Knott. I have a set of wheels with the Michelin XML military tyres but mostly run the 37" on alloy wheels as they are quieter and are safe to sit on 100kph!"

Have you done many modifications to suit your needs, and if so, which ones stand out?

"Not much, just the 4" exhaust which made a big difference, but we do plan to take the bus body off and turn it into a dedicated motorhome camper one day, we need to get some inspiration!"

The beauty of the OKA platform is its adaptability: what starts as one configuration can be transformed into something completely different as needs change. For now, though, the bus configuration serves Shingleback perfectly as a mobile demonstration platform and workshop.

For more information about Shingleback Off Road's innovative vertical bike racks, visit shinglebackoffroad.com.au. Their story proves that when you're building products designed to handle Australia's toughest conditions, choosing the right support vehicle isn't just practical: it's authentic.