Bed cleat fork mount

fed up with bikes tossing around back there. fed up with $80 specialty rail fork mounts i can't afford. decided to have a go at designing my own solution.

my pride n joy


bought one of these at REI... $22


steel brackets and nifty allen key bolts



a brew to contemplate what happens next

 

you dont want to attach it directly to the rail? I have the same mounts.

 

Anybody ever made a mount out of an old front wheel with a quick release? I feel like you could just take the hub off the wheel, make a bracket to hold it, find some bolts and washers that fit in the bed rails and bolt it in? Way cheaper than the yakima's or comparable bed rail mounts.
I'm thinking of trying this except I have the topper on my truck 99% of the time. I'm getting annoyed with my hitch mount rack and want to explore other options

 

The mount is only $17 on Amazon.. Taking apart an old wheel and then fabricating a mount seems a lot harder than it sounds. Plus, you can lock these mounts. I have the bikes locked in the picture above. I bought 3 mounts and 3 locks that are keyed alike so I just use one key to open all the locks. easy.

 

oops. forgot about your topper... yeah, not sure how that'll work out.

 

someone on Amazon has a picture of their bikes inside an suv with these mounts. They attached the mounts to a piece of wood and just sat it on the floor of the trunk. Im sure you could work the same thing into the topper!

Here's the link if you want to see the pictures:

$29 Bike Hitch Pro Truck Bed Bike Mount by Delta Cycle - Lockable Hitch Securely Holds All 9 x 100mm Bicycle Fork Dropouts & Fits Any Flat Surface - Heavy Mountain, Road & eBikes Aluminum

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Bike-Hitch-Locking-Mount/dp/B000ACAM7E

 

Oh thats not bad at all for a locking mount. I've seen people try to sell the yakimas for $80 or so and I find that overpriced. Not sure if my bike would fit in the shell standing up even if the mounts were on the floor. Dang 29er . But I wouldnt have to worry about locks if it did!

 

the bed cleats are rated up to 220lbs so i trust it with staying secure. btw how'd you manage that? i couldn't find anything to slip into the bedrail to attach the fork mount to that wouldnt warp over time. can you recommend hardware to do this? thanks.

 

I'd like to find a bike solution that doesn't require removing the front forks because my daughters bike doesn't have it.

I need to fit 3 bikes, was hoping to find something slotted like the old bike racks, that will fit 3 bikes across the bed and simply slip the front tires in.

Not worried about locking them because I drive to the trial, unload the bikes, ride, load them up and leave. I don't park anywhere with them in the back.

 

I posted this in another thread so i'll just copy and paste it here:
"I mounted them about a year ago.. let me try to remember..

So the channel will fit a 1" washer behind it. But, i think the delta will fit a 1/4" width screw ( i dont remember the length, 1 1/2" maybe?).

So in order, I put a 1/4" bolt, 1/4" washer, 1" washer into the C-channel. Then the delta mount, 1/4" washer, 1/4" lock washer, 1/4" nylon lock nut.

You need the 1/4" washer before the 1" washer to make sure the head of the bolt doesn't come out of the 1" washer hole.

Hope this wasnt too confusing.. good luck!"

 

this guy made one out of PVC
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/109407-diy-truck-bed-bike-rack.html

 

sounds solid. definitely looks cleaner than my initial plan. maybe substitute a rectangular steel plate inside the channel for the two washers. i want it as snug as possible, i don't plan on moving it once i install it.

 

Yup! Its solid as a rock and definitely clean as can be. Now you can drink your brew and just relax. haha

 

That sounds great! I had been trying to find a list of what parts I needed, looking forward to doing this myself.

How do you guys secure the rear of the bike? Just a bungee or tie-down throw the rear wheel?

 

I went the same route as OhYeah, with the exception being: I used a 1" wide piece of flat aluminum stock, cut it to length to match the hole spacing on the fork mount and then drilled & tapped the aluminum. You do have to almost completely remove the rail to get the aluminum in, but once it's in you are set. If you want to take the mounts off, you can and then just thread the bolt through the aluminum until it presses on the back of the rail so it won't rattle.

 

Its actually pretty secure on its own. But I do just string a bungee across to the rear D-hooks. couldnt be easier.

 

Cable lock thru d ring and frame/wheel secures the rear of the bike.

 

Cool! Thanks guys!

 

thanks to OhYeah, my new mount is done. I opted for an eight-inch-thick stamped steel plate that i cut and drilled instead of two washers. with the bolt head, a washer, and the plate all inside the rail channel, there's absolutely no play= SOLID.

total cost of project: $29.95.

 

I really like the look of the fork mounted setups but my 29er fork has a freaking 20mm thru axle. I'll probably be going with the pvc option bc I've actually already made that exact stand for in my garage. Saves me from popping the tire off too.

Cancel that idea. My 29er Stumpjumper won't even fit in my long bed without taking the wheel off.