I’m currently using a kuat hitch rack + pivot to carry my mountain bike to the trailhead. Most of the time, this is my local trail (6 miles away), other times it can be a 4-5 hour drive for a weekend trip. Not the perfect solution for the following reasons.
my truck is already long enough, this makes it worse to fit in tighter parking lots
my backup camera no longer really helps
the annoying beeping from the backup sensor
Has anyone tried to mount something on the beef bars up top? How would you do that w/out a ladder? Stand on the tailgate, then climb up? Or climb up from the tire? Or just get a ladder that hooks to topper?
I’ll probably just deal with the hitch rack, but would love to find out if other people had good options.
Any reason you don’t put them in the bed? I’d be concerned with the bikes up top just because of clearance issues. Especially if you forget its up there and decide to pull into the garage…
If you wanted to get crafty, I bet you could build something like below with 80/20-style aluminum extrusions
The bed works if it’s just my bike, but sometimes my wife comes and I just have a shortbed. The clearance is a good point; like you, I live in the PNW, so low-hanging branches are a concern. I’ve seen those side mounts, but I’m not handy enough to do my own. Maybe I’ll just deal with the hitch for now.
Sorry, that is not my truck, just an image I pulled from google. But, check out Last US Bag Company. They make a tailgate trashbag, Made in USA in Vancouver WA
What about one of those tailgate pads to hang the backwheel out? Not excellent for security but gets the job done…
I have a platform built up about wheel well height, pretty sure it would screw up carrying my bike that way. Also, during a lot of the year, my bike is an unholy mess after a ride. All good ideas though.
I use a truck bed rack and keep my bikes, locked up safe and sound. I have a ram 1500 with the longer bed. It will hold my XL mountain bike and two bikes.
I have in the past put a fork truck onto the top of my beef bar at the far back of the truck and had the bike basically on the rear of the truck fork attached at the top and a ratchet strap closed into my tailgate and then through the frame of my bike. - no pictures of it in action though
It worked for me for a few trips and I bet with some more creativity and a smaller framed bike you could mount it to the lower extrusion (and come up with a cleaner idea than a ratchet strap) so you could open the tent with the bike attached.
I am a roadie and generally have xl frames as I am 6’4". Always jealous of people getting their bikes into the bed with tires still on and upright, even with a dropper post I couldn’t get away with it.
Just a thought
Truck Bed Bike Rack by Delta Cycle - Bike Hitch Lockable Bike Fork Mount Securely Holds 9 x 100mm Skewer Road, MTB, and Hybrid Bicycles - Lockable Quick Release Truck Bed Bike Mount https://a.co/d/7fDNMFr
