Bike Mount Options on Your Truck

[BSmalls]

I have a Dakine tailgate pad and it works great the easiest way to transport your bike. I also have used and really like the platform rack and am looking for a kuat for longer trips when I need the bed for luggage.

 

[muffinman1604]

For my current truck (F350 with the shorter bed option) I put my bike in the bed. I made a front bike wheel holder out of PVC and my bike fits in the bed fine. Then I use a ratchet strap to hold the main body of the bike for additional security.

Once my Raptor comes in I plan on using the same thing and either angling my bike or leaving the tailgate down with a bed extender due to the shorter bed on the Raptor.

I'm not a big fan of the options that hang the bike over the tailgate. I found it leaves excessive wear marks and it just wasn't my favorite mounting method.

 

[Oldfart]

I like that 1Up only touches the tire too. I have a crabon frame and wheels and dont like the wheel strap. My MTB wheels cost more than my truck wheels lol

I'm assuming you ride in salt water frequently.

 

[allllaann]

Thanks or the write up - definitely good to see how they all compare! Need to figure out the setup I'm going to run on mine. Also, nice Madone - I've got one myself along with a custom Giant Trance that I built from the frame up and love them both.

 

[aizdaman]

I transport my bikes quite frequently and have the bike mounts attached to a system on my tonneau cover. It works quite well and is lockable so the bikes are secure up there. The only issue is that you need to remember they on there if you pull into the garage. There is also enough space to hold 4-5 bikes but we tend to use it for 2-3 for the most part.

 

[jeanco]

have a Sram AXS,best shifter ever!

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

Word of warning on the tray racks. If your exhaust is close to the wheel, the heat will delam carbon rims, cause pits, crack or invalidate warranty. I had this with a set of ibis hoops. 2K of wheels toast.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

I went through the same thing, so here's my take and what I ultimately ended up with:

1) Tailgate pad: always just seemed like too cheap and too poor of a solution for anyone other than a very casual rider--the kind of person that rides so little that they would just put the bike in the bed when necessary. Also, this solution uses up a lot of bed space for the bikes. I guess I just can't see myself dangling $10k of bikes over the tailgate of the truck. Big pain to get bikes on/off, too.

2) Recon rack: awesome solution, but way overkill except for the most hardcore users. Super easy to get bikes on/off. It's expensive, tall, and top heavy but is probably what I would use if I needed to carry 5-6 bikes all the time.

3) Frame hitch rack: these things absolutely suck. They scuff up your bikes, most have no provision for security, many of them shake all around. Bikes are a pain to take on/off. I hated every minute that I used one of these.

4) Platform hitch rack: this was the sweet spot for me. I have 3-bike and 2-bike versions of the Kuat NV 2.0 and they're rock solid. Short of a Recon style rack, it's by far easier to get the bikes on/off than the others. "Security" is integrated into the rack, the only point of contact with the bike is on the wheels/tires, and the whole thing is just a pleasure to use. The only downside I've found is that a 3-4 bike rack like this starts to make the truck a little on the long side, but I can live with that.

I snapped this pic at a local brewery when I saw another Raptor (with a 3-bike 1up rack) park next to my Raptor with the 3-bike Kuat.

View attachment 339057

Ironically, I would say most MTB'ers I know of that have trucks use a tailgate pad. And they are all riding 5K+ bikes.

 

[zlorfik]

Word of warning on the tray racks. If your exhaust is close to the wheel, the heat will delam carbon rims, cause pits, crack or invalidate warranty. I had this with a set of ibis hoops. 2K of wheels toast.

I have raptor coming soon (after long wait, yay!) and this issue bothers me. I like my carbon MTB rims and they are difficult to source after pandemic. Is there a solution, besides not using hitch racks like 1up?

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

I have raptor coming soon (after long wait, yay!) and this issue bothers me. I like my carbon MTB rims and they are difficult to source after pandemic. Is there a solution, besides not using hitch racks like 1up?

I don’t think it’s common. But it happens and the warranty guys said it happens more than you’d think. A vertical rack like recon is worth it’s weight in gold. That would keep your wheels out of the way and give you a solid option for carrying multiple bikes etc when you want to hit the park with your buds, family.