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

Also here is a teaser, I hope by this time next week I have it 100%. Its probably guaranteed to be the most excessive dirt jump around these parts......because reasons?


It has a date with Rays mtb park in Cleveland in early December, so I better hurry up.



Edit: Added this one from starting the build tonight

 

I do, been building them since I was a kid. Probably built 40 or 50 in my lifetime, half of those for me, the rest for family or friends. Never owned a dishing tool or tensioner, was taught tension by feel by the owner of the neighborhood bike and hobby shop when I was in my early teens and dishing can usually be taken to dead nuts by flipping the wheel in the stand a couple of times. I find the arms are usually right on the money in my stand, but I still flip the wheels nonetheless. It's not as much of a dark art as some would lead you to believe, helps to have an old hand guide you through the first few though. Last set I built I didn't have any spoke prep so I used some Phil's grease on the nipples and EVOO on the threads. As stout a set as I've ever built dead on true after 300 dumb (see rear hub) hard dirt miles.

 

Any one in here have a KB VOODOO outboard bike mount they’d be willing to let go of?

 

Who Loves the Rocky Mountains?

 

You have quite the set up going on here! The bikes and the truck! Good work!

 

Love me some Rocky Mountain

 

We know colors make you go fast, but polka dots will make you break the sound barrier!



It arrives Monday...and matches my bike!

 

hahaha wow!

 

Got delivered last night. The purple is even bolder than it looks in the picture. It's what I would describe as "aggressively polka-dotted"

 

Thats awesome! Now you wont get lost on the trail.

 

Finally I mean FINALLY I got my garage organized. I bought my house a year ago and I only just now can park my truck in the garage..

Also random pic of the trail snarf's...

 

Awesome! Very cool wife for letting you venture off on your own. Also, I think you have the best setup. I'm considering a Taco (which is why I'm here), and love to ride. For a while I was set on a long bed as being a better bike hauler, but the more I think about it, it seems like a PITA. I measured my FS 29er, and even with the long bed, it's STILL too long to fit in the bed with the tailgate closed. We rented a 1st gen in Moab, and we were able to lay two 29ers down in the bed with the gate closed. A little research told me that the beds have gotten shorter over the years, so no go with the 3rd gen. I saw a guy at a trail ride recently strapping his and his wife's bikes upright in the bed, that seemed like a PITA.

I run a hitch rack on my current ride, and it's SO easy to get the bikes on and off. Probably less than ten seconds to get my bike secured on it.
So covered shortbed for gear, and a hitch rack for bikes. If I have more than two and nothing in the bed, I can also sling them over the tailgate in a pinch.

 

Camping and riding.

 

We have a 3rd gen shortbed and last year went to a hitch rack ... easy-peasy as you say. But, our two FS 29-ers WILL fit in the bed standing up with front wheels off, using fork mounts on the bed floor. Plenty of room for the wheels and some camping gear too. And, I have fit my friends XL FS 29-er laying down in the bed with the front wheel on (just the one bike). So there are options if you don't want to have the bikes outside on a rack.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm lazy and rather not mess with taking the wheel on and off every time. I know it's easy, but still. That's why I used to run a tire hold roof rack, and now the tire hold hitch rack. Good to know you could fit the bike in the bed with the wheels on, did you have the handlebars turned so the wheel was facing up? Also, with the shortbed, is it possible to lay the bike down with the front wheel off and have it completely under the bedrails? I'm thinking if I got a hard tonneau and wanted to secure the bike that would be a good option. If I'm riding consecutive days or traveling, sometimes I'll store the bike in the car (XC70 wagon, 29er fits with both wheels on).

 

I’m not going to pretend that I have “the best” setup, but I do recognize that it’s pretty good.
People are always talking about the size of the bike in relation to wheel size, but my problem was wheelbase. My XL Yeti is 27.5 but has just over a 48” wheelbase. That’s where my trouble was. I have both the Thule and Yakima roof racks, and those are great, but just a little too short for mine.
I like not taking the wheel off, and needed something fast, secure, and most importantly a long enough tray - so I went with the Küat NV (2-bike variety). At the time that was the only rack that fit. I won’t give a review here, but it’s a great rack - albeit a bit pricey. There are other racks now that also hold bikes with a longer wheelbase, but hitch mounts are my favorite.
As for the truck... it’s a short bed, and had all my camping gear back there. On a couple nights I put the bike on the outer tray and dropped the tailgate and slept under the stars (and under the tonneau). I’m 6’2, and I fit in that setup, but I definitely couldn’t manage tailgate up.

 

What Winnie trailer is that? And assuming you tow with the truck, how well does the truck tow it? Thanks.

 

Weeee! New cap and new bike day!

 

Yeah, we got tired of taking wheels off and we have a shell, so getting two 29-ers in there was more hassle than my wife wanted to deal with so we got the hitch rack. But occasionally if it's just one bike and/or we want security, we can still fit both in the shortbed, under the shell. Out of sight, out of mind. As to whether you can lay it down under the bedrail, as with a tonneau, not sure. Possibly with a dropper seat post dropped, certainly if you take both wheels off. Though that's a hassle too. I guess one observation to leave you with, is that though the longbed is obviously 12" longer, which helps with sleeping in it, or hauling a bike standing up, the longbed's extra width ahead of the wheel wells isn't that useful for fitting a bike.

 

It is the 1700BH. Truck tows it just fine.