Carrying a bicycle

[Brianxlt19]

How is the best way to Carry a bicycle around I have a bed cover Looking into the trailer hitch one.

Thanks Brian

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[fusseli]

I have a Kuat hitch mount, cheaper and as good if not better than Yakima and Thule. Got it for the jeep I traded on the Ranger.

You want the flat support under the wheels, not hanging from the frame, style of hitch rack. Easier to load and less wear and tear in the bikes.

 

[pa-fatboy]

I have a Kuat hitch mount, cheaper and as good if not better than Yakima and Thule.

where did you get it from? The searches I just did showed the Kuat as more than the others. I’m probably not comparing the right bike mounts to each other.

I have the same question as the OP.

 

[glh]

I have a Yakima, its great, traveled over rough dirt roads and thousands of highway miles with no issue.

 

[mtbikernate]

So far, I'm just using a fork mount in the bed. No cover. I don't like the loss of utility with them. I have a Kuat NV 2.0 that goes on the Subaru. It's a super nice rack, but I don't like using a hitch rack on pickups with empty beds. It bothers me for some reason.


0420201645_HDR by Nate, on Flickr

I used stainless steel furniture leveling feet to wedge it back there so it's not gonna move, even on rough gravel forest roads. This is my inexpensive interim solution, though.

I will be buying one of these eventually.

https://exodux.com/shop?olsPage=products/buddy-pack-hold-4-bikes

I've been talking to the manufacturer, and I've got him working on making mounting plates for the Ranger that use the already-tapped holes that are used for the swing boxes and the bed extender. He already has mounting plates for the F-series pickups, so I reached out to see how amenable he'd be to doing some for the Ranger. So far, so good.

Sometime after that, I'll probably also end up getting a cab-height overland rack so I can also carry boats.

 

[Manny]

How is the best way to Carry a bicycle around I have a bed cover Looking into the trailer hitch one.

Thanks Brian

Here is how i do it

 

[Zaph]

I have a Kuat hitch mount, cheaper and as good if not better than Yakima and Thule. Got it for the jeep I traded on the Ranger.

You want the flat support under the wheels, not hanging from the frame, style of hitch rack. Easier to load and less wear and tear in the bikes.

I've heard great things about the Kuat. I bought a Thule, but they are so ridiculously expensive that I held off until I found one for half price on Craigslist. The one I bought for 2 bikes, well optioned out would have been $450 new. I have friends with Kuats who love them and if I were buying again that's what I'd get.

All these good racks may be a few extra bucks but there's something to be said for parking and being on the trails in 30 seconds.

 

[fusseli]

I agree on the odd feeling of an empty truck bed with a bike on a hitch. The benefits are no fork mounts and assembly/disassembly so it's very fast on and off. That and the bed is empty for other stuff like camping gear i guess.

The other thing for me is my hard folding tonneau, to fit a bike upright in the bed would need my tonneau fully folded up which blocks my rear window.

 

[IL8APEX]

I have the Kuat Sherpa...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p...Rd7FjVWxHxbssrk4NMvbeJSY9uDKTEI9=w768-h576-no

I love this thing. The 5' bed is just too short for other options.

-Tom

 

[mtbikernate]

I agree on the odd feeling of an empty truck bed with a bike on a hitch. The benefits are no fork mounts and assembly/disassembly so it's very fast on and off. That and the bed is empty for other stuff like camping gear i guess.

The other thing for me is my hard folding tonneau, to fit a bike upright in the bed would need my tonneau fully folded up which blocks my rear window.

You could go with an above-the-bed/cover rack. Basically a roof rack with proper roof rack trays.

If I didn't also have boats to deal with, this might be the way I'd go. But I need rack capacity above the cab for boats, and putting bikes in wheel-on upright carriers above the bed that way would interfere. Not all tonneau covers can easily accommodate this, though.

When I'm loaded up for camping, I'm pulling a teardrop trailer, so I don't need a ton of in-the-bed space for gear. Most of my stuff lives in the trailer permanently anyway.

That exodux rack I posted above will be super nice, though. Wheels on, over the tailgate. keeps the backup camera open. No bike frame or truck damage. Can still tow my trailer and carry boats (whenever I get the overland rack).

It's worth noting that anytime my wife and I load up to go ride somewhere, we've got $10k of mountain bike with us. If I ever load up with friends for shuttling or something, that could easily bump to $20k+ in bikes. The fork mount solution is just an interim one. I'm not going to skimp on proper bike carrying. I spent a lot of time figuring out gear transport before I ever bought the Ranger to make sure that my options would work together.

The absolutely critical one for me is bike transport while towing my camper. I absolutely will not put bikes behind the camper. It absolutely terrifies me when I see that being done (and usually with racks that specify NOT to do that in the manual). So no question, using the bed of the pickup is how bikes need to be carried.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

I will say something that is apparently sacrilegious... I usually just take the front wheel off and lay my bike down in the bed of the truck. Sounds like some people are worried it'll get dinged up and rub and all that. So far I haven't had any issues with that.

I do have a hitch rack that I have had for years. But I only use that in the summer/fall. In the spring/winter I put my bike inside, under protection, to keep it from getting covered in salt and road grime. Not sure on the brand of the rack or anything, it was a relatively cheap one from my local bike shop and it works just fine. Got that slight loose rack sway that every rack we've ever had has done. But it's not going anywhere so whatever.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

You could go with an above-the-bed/cover rack. Basically a roof rack with proper roof rack trays.

If I didn't also have boats to deal with, this might be the way I'd go. But I need rack capacity above the cab for boats, and putting bikes in wheel-on upright carriers above the bed that way would interfere. Not all tonneau covers can easily accommodate this, though.

When I'm loaded up for camping, I'm pulling a teardrop trailer, so I don't need a ton of in-the-bed space for gear. Most of my stuff lives in the trailer permanently anyway.

That exodux rack I posted above will be super nice, though. Wheels on, over the tailgate. keeps the backup camera open. No bike frame or truck damage. Can still tow my trailer and carry boats (whenever I get the overland rack).

It's worth noting that anytime my wife and I load up to go ride somewhere, we've got $10k of mountain bike with us. If I ever load up with friends for shuttling or something, that could easily bump to $20k+ in bikes. The fork mount solution is just an interim one. I'm not going to skimp on proper bike carrying. I spent a lot of time figuring out gear transport before I ever bought the Ranger to make sure that my options would work together.

The absolutely critical one for me is bike transport while towing my camper. I absolutely will not put bikes behind the camper. It absolutely terrifies me when I see that being done (and usually with racks that specify NOT to do that in the manual). So no question, using the bed of the pickup is how bikes need to be carried.

What is your concern with putting a hitch rack on the back of a camper?

We also have a teardrop camper we tow and usually take our kayaks with. The bed of the truck usually isn't full, but has enough stuff to keep us from fitting a pair of bikes in there too. We have a 2" receiver on the back of our teardrop that is basically specifically for hitch racks (obviously can't tow with it).

 

[mtbikernate]

What is your concern with putting a hitch rack on the back of a camper?

We also have a teardrop camper we tow and usually take our kayaks with. The bed of the truck usually isn't full, but has enough stuff to keep us from fitting a pair of bikes in there too. We have a 2" receiver on the back of our teardrop that is basically specifically for hitch racks (obviously can't tow with it).

Well, for one, lots of racks specify NOT to use them on the back of an RV or trailer. The concern is that the increased overhang and/or increased bounce (especially when you're talking about basic trailer suspension) creates a whole lot of extra dynamic forces. I've seen a lot of severely bent cargo platforms and bike racks over the years. Here's a bike rack:


0718180753 by Nate, on Flickr

So first, you need to be sure that the hitch on your trailer is rated for your load PLUS enough room for the extra dynamic forces (that are a lot harder to measure). Second, the rack itself needs to be rated well enough. Kuat says absolutely no to using it in this scenario. Which means I'd have to buy another rack. The only platform rack I KNOW is rated for such use is the 1upUSA HD rack, and only for 2 bikes maximum.

The other scenario at play is accessing the back of the trailer. My camper is not a "teardrop" per se. I've seen some refer to it as a "squaredrop" instead. Whatever. I have a big access door on the bcamper that swings to the side. I would ALSO need one of those swing-out adapters to access the back. Problem with that is the swingout adapters look too tall and would likely interfere with my back door, anyway. So fitment is a problem.

Then there's the matter of getting from camp to the trailhead, if it's not very close. Need to be able to move bikes easily enough with the tow vehicle. Sure, moving hitch racks around would be possible. I have fit problems with the other tow vehicle for my teardrop in that the 1upUSA side retention pin system won't work with the bumper cutout in the Subie. No problem for the truck, but I had the trailer built to order years ago. When I was pulling with the car, it was simpler by far to use roof trays when towing. My wife wasn't pleased with that (she can't lift her bike that high), but we really didn't have any other choice.

Now, with the truck, in the bed is the best solution by a long shot. It addresses every single other concern or compatibility issue I've had.

 

[PNW_Ranger87]

Here is how i do it

Is that a Roll-N-Lock? Looks like it's very low profile at the front of the bed.

 

[Manny]

Is that a Roll-N-Lock? Looks like it's very low profile at the front of the bed.

Yes it is

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