Mountain Bike Short Bed Setups

i have two of these i store under my rear seats until i need them. super convenient.

http://www.hangwheel.com/

 

Nobody is washing their truck before they put the pad on and going offroad. Anything that touches the paint causes micro marring. Which I know you already know.....

 

What brand is that retractable bed cover since I plan on getting one and my bike is 29er too...I have the OEM soft cover but it doesn't fit my bike. I have to have it slanted

 

Gatortrax...

 

anyone have experience using the Trucks2go EZ retractable tonneau cover? they have a good deal right now.

 

I’ve been using a Kuat Dirtbag axle mount bolted to my Prinsu. It’s a super cheap solution and makes for a clean way to transport, though hauling my Specialized eMTB up into the bed & balancing the bike on its rear wheel to remove the front & lining up the axle to the mount & tying down the front wheel somewhere gets to be a pain in the ass. If I’m moving around a lot, the bike tends to stay mounted because 4-5 50lb eMTB loads/unloads in a day gets to be a big hassle. It’s fine for when you’re riding all day long in one place or for weekend trips where you & the bike are staying put, but I’ve been wanting the convenience of just popping the bike in ten seconds on/off a hitch rack over the axle mount solution.

I actually just ordered a RockyMounts Monorail Solo hitch rack. It’s super compact, weighs 25 lbs, is good for 60lb bikes. My plan is to use the hitch rack for most outings & if I need to hit some gnarly 4x4 trails or rocks where the hitch rack may cause departure angle issues, I can transition the bike back to the Kuat mount, remove the hitch rack, and just toss the rack in the bed. Or obviously I can also transport two bikes, one using each mounting solution.

 

This is my solution with the 6' bed.

 

So for anybody interested in a hitch rack setup that clears the tailgate, I just confirmed that the RockyMounts Monorail Solo does NOT clear the tailgate regardless of tilt position, but if you add a Kuat Hi-Lo adapter in the 2 1/8” rise setting using its 7” extension position, it clears just fine if the rack is in the ready or tilt position.

Also note that if the rack is folded up in the stowed position, it does NOT clear the tailgate.

First photo is a shot of the rack in the ready position w/ Kuat Hi-Lo adapter in the 2 1/8” rise setting in the 7” extension position.

Second photo is w/ tailgate down, clearing rack with about 1.5” to spare.

 

Are you able to fully lower your tailgate w/ no contact w/ the rack w/ the bike off and the 1Up in the bike-ready position?

 

Yep.

With the tray down and the arms down, no issues. With the arms up..sort of. Depends which bike has been on there and what angle they're at. But if you open the arms fully it's not a problem either.

Also no issue to open the tailgate with the bike on there and the tray angled down.

 

Right on, thanks for the reply. I was hoping to find a rack that would allow full tailgate drop w/ no added hitch extensions, but confirming such a thing proved difficult. I watched a million YT videos that offered a lot of info for a lot of hitch racks, but they never quite touched on the exact info I was looking for.

 

@Suprajim54

 

I have a regular bed and have used both a tailgate pad and a 1up hitch rack for bikes. I use the tailgate pad when I take out my regular mtb's. When I use the E-mtb, the hitch is so much easier to use because you don't have to lift the heavy ebike into the bed. A problem with the tailgate pad is it blocks the reverse cam. The hitch rack does not. I do not have an extender and do not know if the tailgate can be opened with a bike on the rack. Sorry for no pics, but I am too lazy now to go out and take them.

 

These are great!! I use 1 per bike. Easy

 

https://www.railias.com/products/the-complete-package?syclid=chsk9pmf216jui935ta0

 

my tailgate pad doesn't block the backup camera

 

I throw mine in the bed on its side. It’s a mountain bike after all. It’s going to get all beat up if you ride it the way it was intended to be ridden. Riding in the bed of my truck on a bed mat must feel luxurious to my mountain bike.

As an added advantage, a beat up looking bicycle is less likely to get stolen.

Spend more time worrying about the functional mechanical parts and less about the glossy paint. No one has ever told me a story about meeting their wife because of a fancy looking mountain bike.

Do what you feel and keep both feet on the wheel. (Blues Brothers)

 

Can you lower your tailgate?

 

the rack tilts down, but i can't open it all the way.

 

We use the Yakima bedrock with x3 frontloaders works great!