All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Yeah, me too. I spoke with them a while back, and the rack can be ordered without powdercoat, so, mounts, or brackets could be added by me. I bet if you know the specifics, they would add them for you.


And this. Those are FrontRunnerOffroad tracks, above and below the window. And it looks like with traction board mounts, and the bike rack is mounted to that.

 

FRO = FrontRunner Gotcha.

Is that a new part for them? I don't see it on the website and I've looked for something similar before as I've considered making my own as an alternative to a hitch rack.

Designing around the 'lip' of the topper was the biggest hiccup for me and what ultimately made me scrap the idea.

 

@Chasespeed
When you mentioned tracks above/below the side windows I was thinking you were referring to something similar to what @Chux did on his topper.
See post #2970 in his build thread.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/chuxs-2013-beach-buggy-build.339950/page-149#post-20222061

Obviously more ingenuity would be required to make this approach bike rack friendly. But I could see it being doable.

 

That lip was my hiccup as well.

https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/front-runner-universal-track-1800mm.html

Those are the starting pointl. I can come up with something from there.....
Now, to find a cheap enough cap to experiment with.....(yes, I have been looking).

 

Wait a tick. I think we may be referring to the same thing, but thinking we are talking about different things??

I don't think I looked at that picture close enough. Guess they are running parallel tracks with a vertical piece tying them together to share the load of the bike.

 

Pretty much. But, in my snooping through the IG, dude said FRO stuff. Not sure if its stronger?
My only caveat, would be... I would add a higher attachment point, for highside stability, to prevent/minimize stress at the lower joint.

 

Any clue where that vertical piece that the bike rack is mounted to is from? Pre-made or garage fab?

 

While I like the tracks idea as it can be multi-functional, I was originally envisioning a basic plate/bracket that would sandwich between the top of the bedrail and the base of the topper. Exactly like the ones that Softopper used to sell. I think KBVoodoo made some as well.

This guy did it. Different approach but similar end goal.

 

Nope. But, I have a few ideas. Need to have it in front of me, to mock something up

 

Correct. And I was onboard with that, but, finding a cap cheap enough, that I was okay cutting up for the brackets was the issue, the 3rds are just too new. A contractor cap, or an AluCab, etc would alleviate having to cut anything.

 

Yea I’m not looking to trash mine, or more importantly my bedside. But I may give it another look before I buy a hitch rack.

 

Exaclty.
Which leaves me;
1 getting a highroad, or 1up for my bed racks
2 Getting a cap, adding tracks(would be okay with this),
Or, 3 getting a softopper and either wanderlust, or dissent rack(and Ben @Dissent has brackets for a 1up to mount to his rack).

 

I welded the brackets to attach mine a similar way a few months ago even though I don’t have a cap. There are two issues that I would see with a cap and mounting a bike outboard. “Sway” side to side at the top, especially since the inner bed is reinforced plastic (which would be amplified by having to move the mounts even further to the side in order to clear the cap). That could simply be solved by some type of stabilization mount on the cap to the seat post or stem etc. The other issue is width..... gas pumps, drive through ATM’s, road signs and tractor trailer mirrors have to always be in the back of your head. Again, this would be amplified by having to move the mounts further outboard to clear the cap. For a long distance trip you could simply spin the stem so the handlebars are parallel to the top tube.

 

Good feedback thanks. I may be wrong but I think the weight and pressure of the cap being clamped down over the brackets might reduce some of the "sway" forces being transferred into the bed rail. Agreed 100% that an upper bike stabilizer would be beneficial.

Got any close up photos of your handiwork? Also, what kind of hitch rack setup do you have going? Looks like a mix of 1up stuff and something else. Curious if my eyes are deceiving me or if you've some other MacGyvery stuff happening.

 

I just bought a Jeffsy CF Pro because I am 1.5 hrs from the nearest bike store and 2 hrs from any other stores. Overall, I'm satisfied, but I have to do some things to it to fit me, like cut the bars, as they are huge. I wish they would have come with 170mm cranks to limit the pedal strikes and I think I'm realizing I don't need 150mm of travel. I am still going to need to get it properly fit at a bike shop to get it properly dialed in. I feel it pogos a bit much, but it is 150mm.

I would also look at the Evil Calling for a little less travel or the Kona Process for about the same. Both are having sales and blowing out this years models. All my "local" shops have them on sale and many online retailers as well.

 

Very true about the cap helping with rigidity. I didn’t give that much thought but it would essentially tie both sides of the bed together. The rack that the 1up is in, I built 5 or 6 years ago. It has been hit twice from people not paying attention and opened the side of a car like a can opener when someone decided it was a good idea to drive behind me while I backed into a parking space. Still going strong.

 

I'm up for riding any of the Kerr Scott trails (Warrior Creek, Dark Mountain or OVT) I am in Boone. Sounds like we could get a bunch of us together. I ride there with @Jellero often.

 

I dig it! From the looks of how your previous vehicle was equipped I'd say you've got some useful skills. Good on ya! I'm still in the infantile stages of teaching myself to weld.
Really like the utilization of the flatbed wheelwell storage box on your longbed bowtie too

 

I've been down this rabbit hole too. I used to (and still will in the winter) run a bed rack with a box and two front loaders over the bed. That worked great, but storage under the bed wasn't easily accessible and I really don't like the bikes in the wind (bugs, rocks, road grime).
I recently got a Softopper, and I really like it. It does have drawbacks.

This is where I landed: I'm not going to throw a rack over the Softopper because 1) it limits the Softoppers ability to open and close easily, 2) a cab rack will offer the same storage options with more stability.
For bikes I'm running my Yakima Dr. Tray which is stable and carries two bikes. It's easy to load/unload, clears tailgate, adjustable, light, bikes not in the wind. If I'm planning on driving on rough roads which require clearance I'll take it off (takes two minutes) and throw on a tailgate pad for the bikes and use the cab rack to haul gear. If I need to haul more than two bikes, tailgate pad back in action.

Any recommendations for cab racks? Leaning toward Prinsu at the moment.

 

I'm a huge fanboy of Rocky Mountain bikes. You should add the following bikes to the mix: Altitude and Instinct.

None of your listed bikes are going to be bad at all. I see that you liked to ride motos back in the day. It is likely you don't want something that has less than 140mm (looks like your most of your bikes of choice meet this) of rear wheel travel or a 29er (that may be a polarizing subject for the group). My brother has a moto background and refused to acknowledge this and bought a hardtail 29er. He's unhappy with his purchase to say the least. You may prefer the nimbleness of a 27.5 over a 29er. My brother just rode my Altitude and it blew his mind.

I think statistically 29ers may be faster in a pro's hands but they are racing a clock.