Mountain Bike Carrier Ideas

I tried a lot of bike carriers. I finally made a very versatile carrier that satisfies my needs.

 

If you go by yourself secure each side from the seat with a couple straps.

Question for short bed owners - if you have the fork mounts secured to the front rail will a size large mtb fit with the tailgate closed?

 

I have a medium, but it's a super long (long-travel) medium. It fits fine at a slight angle. Also this because having done all the other setups - this is the best setup out there.

A removable bar across the back with skewer mounts. You don't have to climb into the back of the truck. Nothing to get scratched. Faster and easier to remove than a tailgate pad. More secure than a tailgate pad. Honestly, cheaper than a tailgate pad.

 

@R4D4G4ST What brackets are being used that ties the aluminum crossbar to the truck bed? Are they custom made or can I purchase them somewhere?

 

I guy on here sells them. Mini Stiffy's (mini bed stiffners) - But it's not a requirement. Some L Brackets facing forward/back would do the same thing. You could probably accomplish the same sort of thing with full size stiffners. I got fancy with mine because I could. Stone simple would work just as well.

Close up.

 

Perfect thanks for the close up. This is the same design that I was coming up with in my head, sure enough I come here and it's been done. Looks great!

 

This was the approach I was going for but being a cheap bastard I just used a 2x4 and the Mini-Stiffy's. Love original bar design but another alternative. See pics below.

MTB Wheel Hauler Contest - Name This Thing!

 

I like it. Cheap, simple, and effective!

 

Yep. 2X4 works awesome too. Back in the days of metal beds, I had a bar with a couple of fork mounts and three of four giant magnets on it. It would just stick to the bed. The whole concept of mounting the bike backwards (IMHO) is the superior method. It's super easy, and super modular. I'm surprised nobody is mass marketing a similar product.

 

I would advise for regular bike haulers to avoid solutions that involve removing wheels. I've seen so many lost wheel or thru-axle posts on local forums because people are tired after the ride or have too many tailgate beers or just distracted that they forget to put the wheel/axle where it is supposed to go and drive off.

 

What it is while waiting for brackets to mount the bikes on the rack.

 

1 that's a fantastic color for the Tacoma. Saw a 4runner and didn't care for it. Saw a tacoma and it looks great

2 what bike rack is that

 

That’s just the usual Thule T2 Pro XT.

The 4Runner got Lime Rush this year, the Tacoma got Electric Lime. Lime Rush is a bit tame compared to Electric Lime.

 

I went the cheapest route first to try it out and determine if I liked the method before spending more money on it. Easy to remove the wood and return back to stock for other purposes too.

 

@R4D4G4ST
Also running RockyMounts but have issue with failing set screws or stripped threads that hold in the different sized inserts. Noticed the larger set screw you're using. Can you comment on the screw used and how it's working out? Thanks

 

That looks good especially when pulling my camper.

 

@DarkSSM - I replaced the set screws with extra Disc Rotor bolts I had laying around. Worx Gr8!

 

I put a pair of fork hold-downs in the bed of the truck. This has several advantages IMO:

• It's not so tall as to smash either my road or mountain bike into the garage
• Can lock the bike to the truck itself using a stout hardened chain/lock combo
• Can come home late and just close the garage door behind me, deal with it in the morning
• Taking the wheel off and getting the bike attached takes far less time than putting a rack on the truck (and is more secure, one less thing to have stolen)
• The pair of hold downs is one for road, one for MTB at the ready (but can accommodate two of either with a quick adapter switch)
• Doesn't make my safety-reversing-camera-alarm stuff malfunction in any way
• All costing less than $50

Disadvantage is that the wheels ride inside the cab, sometimes a bit messy.