Bike Rack or Tailgate Pad?

[MagneticRanger]

As this is something I just dealt with yesterday I'm going to pass along some advice. I bought a used ebike hitch rack and when setting the bike up on the rack for the first time and securing it ...well..it didn't quite secure and fell forward toward the bed with the brake handle going through my tonneau cover.

It was at that point I really wished I had it rolled it up while trying to secure the bike.

Gorilla patch and seal tape to the rescue although it is now blemished

Passing along my mistake as food for thought

On a side note the bike rack IS the way to go...it worked well when I did get it properly setup...rear parking alert was annoying and had to be turned off...but as others said if you go this route get a rack that is rated for ebike weights.

Sponsored

 

[Hocakes]

Check out Thule, Saris, Kuat, and Hollywood Racks. You definitely want one rated for ebike weights that pivots downward to make for easier loading and getting out of the way of the tail gate.

 

[Ranger Mel]

I have a Race Face T3 two bike pad but my bikes are analogue (carbon fatbike and my Norco full squish). 80 pounds over the tailgate would get old on a regular basis. Plus there's the chance of dinging the truck in the process. One trick though is to unload and load the bikes with tailgate down, secure the down tube to the pad and lift the whole thing up together. Not bad with analogue bikes but would likely be a chore with heavy e-bikes. Hitch rack does sound like the way to go in your case.

 

[Toytec]

I did the bed transport once. ONCE!! that's a lot of elbow grease op. And I have a 6ft bed. After that, I bought a Hollywood rack for the hitch. I can rest assured it's safe b/c of the quality. You can configure it for one ebike or two, your choice. Not cheap, but neither is back surgery.

 

[Just Awkward]

I run a 1 UP rack and love it. I don't like tailgate pads because they can damage the tailgate and/or bike. Also, I typically store my bike gear in the bed. The 1 UP rack is, in my opinion, the best on the market. Also, the rack clears our tailgate, but just barely.

 

[CATX]

I have a pad and a hitch rack. Virtually never use the rack anymore because putting the bikes in the bed is just so easy. I haven't noticed any damage to tailgate or the bikes, but maybe someday it will happen. Driving around with a rack all the time is a no go for me, and putting it on/off is enough of a hassle that I sometimes will talk myself out of going for a ride. So a little cosmetic damage to the tailgate or bike is worth it if it makes my life easier. Grain of salt though- my bikes weigh around 30 pounds so maybe you want to save your shoulders and deal with the extra hassle and expense of a rack.

 

[Ranger Mel]

I have a pad and a hitch rack. Virtually never use the rack anymore because putting the bikes in the bed is just so easy. I haven't noticed any damage to tailgate or the bikes, but maybe someday it will happen. Driving around with a rack all the time is a no go for me, and putting it on/off is enough of a hassle that I sometimes will talk myself out of going for a ride. So a little cosmetic damage to the tailgate or bike is worth it if it makes my life easier. Grain of salt though- my bikes weigh around 30 pounds so maybe you want to save your shoulders and deal with the extra hassle and expense of a rack.

I try to at least wipe the tailgate off before putting on the pad to avoid grinding the dirt into the paint. So far so good. The back of the T3 has a soft brushed surface that helps a lot.

 

[ControlNode]

When it's just me I use my Thule bike rack on the roof rack. If anyone else is coming with me, I add the tailgate pad.

 

[-jbmarshtx]

I run a 1 UP rack and love it. I don't like tailgate pads because they can damage the tailgate and/or bike. Also, I typically store my bike gear in the bed. The 1 UP rack is, in my opinion, the best on the market. Also, the rack clears our tailgate, but just barely.

Old thread I know, but loading bikes again today not being able to lower/stand on the tailgate with the Kuat Sherpa annoyed me.

Confirm you are able to lower your tailgate without hitting the rack?

 

[Ranger Mel]

Old thread I know, but loading bikes again today not being able to lower/stand on the tailgate with the Kuat Sherpa annoyed me.

Confirm you are able to lower your tailgate without hitting the rack?

Does your rack tilt down like my daughter's Thule? Wondering if that gives enough clearance. She has it on her '02 Explorer and she can open the rear lift gate when tilted.

 

[-jbmarshtx]

Does your rack tilt down like my daughter's Thule? Wondering if that gives enough clearance. She has it on her '02 Explorer and she can open the rear lift gate when tilted.

Does the Kuat tilt down? Yes, but the tailgage still hits the rack. It certainly will not work tilted down with bikes on it.

It works if you disassemble the rack and turn over the s-shaped mount from the hitch to the rack. I thought about drilling and tapping it so that I can use the set type screw that holds the rack to the s-shaped mount, but that screw is probably overkill since there are 2 other bolts holding it to the actual rack.

 

[lazynorse]

Make sure to remove the battery before loading whatever method you use, it spares you a good amount of weight from the bike. Also, less weight jostling on your equipment during transit.

 

[PowerTools]

Old thread I know, but loading bikes again today not being able to lower/stand on the tailgate with the Kuat Sherpa annoyed me.

Confirm you are able to lower your tailgate without hitting the rack?

Confirming and demonstrating that the 1UP clears the tailgate even if only barely.

 

[LaBalbe]

What's a good rack for transporting a bunch of bikes? I'd potentially be up to 5 bikes, all analog, fairly standard cruiser or MTB type bikes.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

What's a good rack for transporting a bunch of bikes? I'd potentially be up to 5 bikes, all analog, fairly standard cruiser or MTB type bikes.

Five bikes is a big challenge for any vehicle. I imagine four of the bikes would be standard wheel size and Thing Two’s bike would be 18-20” wheel size. I’m also guessing you’d have some bikes with a horizontal top tube and some with a sloping (“girls bike”) or irregular (cruiser) top tube.

The top tubes tend to make it a challenge for the standard hitch racks like some of the ones from Thule or Yakima…

Bikes at all kinds of angles and a bit like Tetris to position handlebars, pedals, etc. All bikes need to be unloaded to access the one “at the back”.

I saw this company’s product online and is kinda cool - spendy for sure but looks well made.

https://www.velocirax-ca.com/



I’m sure other manufacture such as Thule, Yakima, Kuat, etc. make something similar.

It even has a damper so @AzScorpion is likely grifting off it somehow.

If this is for getting bikes from home to the beach or camping or conservation areas, yep, you need a good quality rack. If this is for getting bikes to and from your place in NC, it might be simpler and cheaper to buy everyone bikes to keep there.

Happy to help you assemble and install whatever you get when the time comes. Just don’t park too close to my tool chest.

Sponsored