Bike Mount on (Under) Tonneau

I have several bikes and wanted to find a way to mount any of them out of the bed so that I could stack other bikes/ camping gear, etc. in the bed. When I ride alone, I just throw the bike in the bed, wheel on.

I started with a RockyMounts Driveshaft SD since it will accommodate the both sizes of thru-axle and both sizes of quick releases.



I mounted the mount to the underside of the tonneau using RivNuts, which are like a pop-rivet, but have a female thread in the center. I have a special RivNut tool but you can make one easy with a bolt and a couple nuts (YouTube it). The RivNut is great because it doesn't go all the way through the cover, and has better pullout strength than a sheet metal screw or a plastic screw. I used 1/4-20 RivNuts.


The RivNuts have a small shoulder at the top which would cause the fork mount to "rock" on the nut, so I used a washer to provide a flat surface for the fork mount.


Be aware that there is a rib in the the area that I drilled for the RivNut that almost interfered with the hole. You may need to cheat the location slightly fore or aft of dead center.



I found that I could not place the mount far enough forward to get the 27.5 all the way in the bed with the tailgate closed, and still be able to mount my commuter bike which has fenders and stuff that would interfere with the tonneau.




I did find that I can mount the mtb with the back wheel on the top of the tailgate if I really need to close it or if I have other bikes in the bed.


Overall I am very happy with the outcome because it gives me lots of option, which is what I needed. The fork mount is pretty solid on the plastic tonneau, but if you were going to be doing any hardcore offroading to get to the trailhead, I would stiffen up the mounting surface by adding a plate between the tonneau and the fork mount, bridging between the two stiffening ribs under the cover. That would make it bomb-proof.

 

Removing the tonneau totally wasn't an option for you (when hauling bikes) ?

 

Too heavy to do alone and a pain in the ass.

 

Always wondered about that. Thanks for confirming.

 

Looks pretty slick. One question though: Is the area where the rivet nuts go through plastic or metal?

 

Plastic. I might put a plate bridging across the two ribs to stiffen it up even more. The rivnuts are solid and not going anywhere, but I could envision the plastic becoming more brittle with age.

 

I would be a little worried about the rivets pulling out at highway speeds.

 

Hitch mount rack. Easier to load your bike and you'll never hit something taller than the truck with the bike. Don't ask me how I know...

 

I like the hitch mount, but $500 and just another thing to store in the garage and drag out when I want to ride.

Typically I just toss my bike in the back, but now I have a quick and easy option when I have other stuff back there.