Bike Rack or Tailgate Pad?

[CLopey]

Hey all,

I just bought my wife an e-bike today and we’re looking to take them (hers and mine) around town for strolls quite a bit.

I’m leaning toward a tailgate pad, because I figure I’d utilize my truck bed instead of getting a rack, but wanted to get some opinions.

They’re pretty heavy bikes—one is 80+ lbs and the other is 60+ so lifting them up into the bed will take some elbow grease, but hopefully not too much. Would a pad be a good solution?

Thanks in advance.

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[21rangerCactus]

I love my tailgate pad. I just throw my mtb up into the bed and off I go. When I take the kids to ride it holds all 5 mtb and I still got enough room for our gear. That's just a one day trip though.

Keep in mind that the 60lb bike might feel a little heavier after a day of riding.


A good bike rack will cost much more but will be easier to load your bikes. It also depends if you are okay with leaving the rack on or are you going to take it off after every ride.

 

[dtech]

I bought 1up for my e bikes, expensive but one of the best at securing bikes

 

[Willy5G]

I would go for a rack, make sure its E bike rated.

 

[PowerTools]

I bought 1up for my e bikes, expensive but one of the best at securing bikes

1UP is the brand I chose and love it. It was the only major brand I could find that I could pivot the rack down and the tailgate not hit the rack. Brands like Kuat have a big "knuckle" that interfere with the tailgate, so that was a no-go for me.

1UP also has ramp accessory for heavy bikes so you don't have to hoist that 80lb beast overhead.

Fantastic products and company. I'm not affiliated. In fact, our shop sells competing products but I recommend these guys all the time.

 

[Josh Stretch]

1Up super duty rack or QuickrStuff Mach 2 rack. Both are expensive but worth it! I don’t think a tailgate pad is going to be very much fun to load with an 80lb bike. You could also treat your e-bikes like dirt bikes, get an aluminum ramp and ratchet them against the front of the bed.

 

[PowerTools]

1Up super duty rack or QuickrStuff Mach 2 rack. Both are expensive but worth it! I don’t think a tailgate pad is going to be very much fun to load with an 80lb bike. You could also treat your e-bikes like dirt bikes, get an aluminum ramp and ratchet them against the front of the bed.

 

[dtech]

1UP is the brand I chose and love it. It was the only major brand I could find that I could pivot the rack down and the tailgate not hit the rack. Brands like Kuat have a big "knuckle" that interfere with the tailgate, so that was a no-go for me.

1UP also has ramp accessory for heavy bikes so you don't have to hoist that 80lb beast overhead.

Fantastic products and company. I'm not affiliated. In fact, our shop sells competing products but I recommend these guys all the time.

One of the reasons I choose 1up because it's designed for taking your bikes down unimproved off pavement roads. Given the cost though I'm surprised how many 1up racks I see around my area - Fruita CO which is a well known place for biking.

 

[PowerTools]

If you do go with 1UP and want to get their locks, order them all at the same time so they're like-keyed. Sure, the lock can be defeated just like most bike locks, but they're better than nothing. Also, their locks do not contact the bike frame so when your truck is bouncing around you're not getting frame scratches.

Around my parts, if you go to DuPont or Pisgah, you will see these racks on most vehicles. That includes trucks, vans, cars, and even Subarus.

 

[RangerPNW]

Another vote for the 1up racks, i got their super duty model which is not only rated for e-bikes but off road driving as well. Yeah they're spendy, but they're worth it. I'll be getting an expansion kit for mine in the next year or so to be able to carry 4 bikes on it.

 

[REDWM]

If you have a topper on your truck, then a bike rack is the better option.

 

[dtech]

If you do go with 1UP and want to get their locks, order them all at the same time so they're like-keyed. Sure, the lock can be defeated just like most bike locks, but they're better than nothing. Also, their locks do not contact the bike frame so when your truck is bouncing around you're not getting frame scratches.

Around my parts, if you go to DuPont or Pisgah, you will see these racks on most vehicles. That includes trucks, vans, cars, and even Subarus.

Why "even Subarus" ? Wife bought an Outback XT last Jan but just yesterday I installed a Curt hitch so we can use her Subie as well as the Ranger to haul our bikes, Subie gets better mpg. Also changed the oil on the Subie yesterday and it is the easiest vehicle to do so that I've ever worked on, at 73 yrs old I've done a lot of oil changes on vehicles for family friends, etc.

 

[PowerTools]

Why "even Subarus" ? Wife bought an Outback XT last Jan but just yesterday I installed a Curt hitch so we can use her Subie as well as the Ranger to haul our bikes, Subie gets better mpg. Also changed the oil on the Subie yesterday and it is the easiest vehicle to do so that I've ever worked on, at 73 yrs old I've done a lot of oil changes on vehicles for family friends, etc.

Subie owners are PASSIONATE as indicated here. They get their own class. I'm not judging. Some of my best friends drive them. All in good fun.

 

[dtech]

Subie owners are PASSIONATE as indicated here. They get their own class. I'm not judging. Some of my best friends drive them. All in good fun.

5 yrs or so back I would not have considered a roo - the ones I had ridden in had uncomfortable seats, noisy interiors, cvt and mostly underpowered, And they weren't on the list of autos for the wife , but when I learned the you could get a turbo outback we decided to look at them. The new ones are much improved, plus there are numerous dealers in CO which made it easier to get a competitive price. Wife likes hers a lot , recent 200 mile trip saw 32 mpg, mostly highway. I continue to dislike their stupid "dog tested, dog approved" commercials.

 

[YaBoiNewton]

Hey all,

I just bought my wife an e-bike today and we’re looking to take them (hers and mine) around town for strolls quite a bit.

I’m leaning toward a tailgate pad, because I figure I’d utilize my truck bed instead of getting a rack, but wanted to get some opinions.

They’re pretty heavy bikes—one is 80+ lbs and the other is 60+ so lifting them up into the bed will take some elbow grease, but hopefully not too much. Would a pad be a good solution?

Thanks in advance.

Tailgate pads are cool, but they will definitely scratch the down tube and the fork stanchions if you have suspension. I just wrap a microfiber around which ever fork stanchion is rubbing against the pad. My bikes are pretty beat as it is so it's not a huge deal breaker for me.

If weight is really a problem and you have some money to spend, then buying a hitch mounted rack would help. The tray style racks cost a bit more, but would be easier to load since you wont have to lift them as high.

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