Mountain Bikes while offroading?

I am planning a trip to Flag Pole knob VA and to do some offroading in that area. I also want to take a couple mountain bikes. Does anyone wheel with bikes on a carrier? Which one and how does it work out?

 

On a rack, you're not going to have a good time. Gotta put them in the bed

 

Half height bed cover and roof top tent are on the bed.

 

Well, that changes everything. Other choices don't really matter then. You're going to add at least 3' and the rack is going to shake and rattle the whole time. Depending on how hard you go the rack might not make it.

 

I agree with Saturnine, roof is not an option for off-roading and since bed is filled, only option is hitch. I’ve used a hitch mount for one MTB and it does rock and roll, but no damage. Main thing to consider with hitch is the change to your departure angle, some are better than others, but none are great. What’s the terrain like in Flag Pole Knob?

 

I vote bed mount. Just tie it down securely. (skip to about 1:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5JthX-CTVo

 

I've used the 1Up rack extensively - extremely bomber. If you're going to off-road with a rack, 1Up is the way to go IMO.

That said, my current build has a fork-mount rack built into the bed, inside my wedge camper. Better clearance, protects the bike, blah blah blah. Makes sense.

 

It really just depends on how much space you have in the bed. With the RTT, I'd see if you can lay the bike on its side, under the rack. That'd be by far the safest place. Other than that, a hitch rack is obviously #2. If you have a bumper with a high mounted hitch receiver, you shouldn't loose too much departure angle.

I have one that has the bottom rack and the bikes rest on top. That style may offer a bit more protection. The type that have a top-tube mount might get you a little more clearance but the bikes are then more exposed.

 

I wheel with my 1up rack all the time. No damage to my bikes yet. If I was doing extreme stuff I would make additional padding but I bomb through the desert with multiple bikes routinely.

 

Another 1up guy here. Although I don’t do any serious wheeling with it as it probably affects approach/departure angles.

 

There are only a few places on flagpole knob where a hitch rack might be an issue. Depending on the time of year trees running up against the bike will be more likely.

there are people in the all things bikes thread that do some off-roading with various racks, you’ll probably get some good responses there.

have you ridden that area? If not it’s a ton of fun. Stop in at Shenandoah bicycle or rocktown bikes for trail maps and suggestions (bluestone is solid too). I’ve got some suggestions too if you want them

 

This is a specific set up, but it works.

https://youtu.be/DEY_8eRU0wk

 

Like this.....without the surfboard

 

Securely fork mounted and also there is a tie down holding it tight so it can’t move and damage the forks or the track when it gets rough.

 

This is how We did the trip, because it is what we had. We were really tall, so we kept hitting small branches over the trails, dinkle hill near flagpole knob VA and most of the side roads near flagpole VA were no problem. It was a little tricky at times to avoid the larger over hanging trees and I did have to cut one dead tree fall off the trail that I normally would have easily driven under. Next time I will move them to a hitch mount.

The racks did great, bikes are in perfect shape and no damage.

 

Not sure your interpretation of "offroading" - if you are like most and only driving gravel roads I have taken my bikes into dicey situations with the pictured setup. If you are truly offroading I would not trust any rack system to keep your multi-thousand dollar MTB safe including tailgate pads

 

Corkscrew Pass, CO



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