The Best Way to Mount Bicycles to the Toyota Bed Rails

Posting this in 3rd Gen, even though it works exactly the same on 2nd Gen Tacomas.

But I'm an avid cyclist. Road, Mountain, Townies. I carry them all. And, why yes, I do have a tailgate pad, but let me tell you why I don't have a lot of love for tailgate pads.



First, tailgate pads come in at about $100, are highly desirable, and frequently stolen. (nothing will warm your heart more than to return to your truck only to find your tailgate pad has been liberated from your possession).

To be fair, tailgate pads work great for when you need to shuttle or move a bunch of bikes a short distance. But problems come in when you leave them in place, dirt gets underneath the pad and will mar the paint on the tailgate, or if you drive on dirt roads for any distance, dirt/sand gets everywhere and will mar the paint on your tailgate and the downtube of your bike. This is exacerbated by any bumps or jostling that may occur.

So I prefer to mount the bikes more firmly. I love

$50 RockyMounts HotRod thru-axle bike rack

Rocky Mount Hot Rod Mounts.



They are modular, so one single mount will work for pretty much every bike you may have, from traditional skewers found on road bikes and townies, to solid through axels on modern Mountain Bikes. They can be had for $42-some on Amazon.

But how do I mount them to my bed rail you may ask? There are lots of things online that show people using washers and bolts and all crazy cheap-o methods to attach the mounts. I've done this and it can become super frustrating trying to hold the bolt still while tightening the nut, and finding washers that are big enough and strong enough to handle the tension. Plus, I had the washer/bolt method fail whilst carrying a heavy townie bike.

But there is a better way, oh yes, there is a better way.

$24 Te-Co 41406T Black Oxide 1018 Steel Tapped Through T-Slot Nut, 3/8"-16 TPI, 5/8" Height x 7/8" Width x 9/16" Table Slot (Pack of 5)

1018 T-Slot Nuts. These are designed to slide right into your existing bed rails, and thread into any standard 3/8"-16 bolt (very common).



A pack of five will run you about $15.00 on Amazon

So now for the fun part. Installation.

The Rocky Mount Hot Rod Mounts need to have the holes re-drilled to accommodate the larger 3/8" bolt. And I like to use a flat washer and a lock washer to prevent the bolts from working themselves loose.





Put everything together loose so you can slide the mount into your bed rails.



Leave the silver adapter out of the Rocky Mount so you have room to tighten the bolts. But be careful not to overtighten the bolts. You don't want to crush the bed rail.



Reinstall the adapter you need for your bike, And there you have it. No muss, no fuss.



I then keep all the extra adapters and allen keys so I can swap adapters, or even loosen the t-bolts and relocate the Rocky Mounts as needed.

Incidentally, many bikes will fit sideways if mounted near the tailgate, behind the wheel wells!

(not my photo)

A job worth doing!







Cheers,
dp

 

I used the Yakima mount sold by Toyota. Very similar design and it works great.

 

Dumb question but my third gen doesn't have a rail behind the cab. Is this not standard on TRD -Or models? Can it be added after the fact?

 

It's only held on with two (or three) little bolts. It would be a snap to add it.

 

bed rail from 2nd gen to add to you 3rd is

$56 PT278-35100-BH Truck Bed Header Rail

PT278-35100-BH
and is a direct fit

 

If you only need to carry one size of thru-axle bike(s) the Kuat DirtBag is similar and much cheaper. No sleeves or adapters for old-style skewers or to fit a variety of thru-axles. That said, I probably would have got these Rocky Mounts if they'd been available then, because ... progress. I have at least seven 9mm skewer mounts that don't get much use anymore, and I'm sure there's Boost or a fattie in my future someday.

 

Right!?! Last year, most everything was 100x15, but this year everyone is already starting to swap to 110x15. These through axel mounts are expensive as it is, but buying a new adapter is a fraction of the cost, and a lot easier than even swapping the entire mount. Because I too have a pile of the old 9mm mounts kicking around the garage.

dp

 

Can someone who is a lot smarter then me tell me which rocky mountain mount I'd need for a salsa beargrease with a bluto fork?

 

I think you need the 15x150mm Adapter Sleeve https://rockymounts.com/products/15mm-x-150mm-fat-bike-axle?variant=32006959181

 

Just did the same for my truck and would not look back. As I was reading this this morning, my brother in law calls me and says, "hey man, did I tell you my tailgate guard was stolen last week",...........solidify's my decision!

 

There is a guy on the 'buy/sell/trade Canada' portion selling front bed rails...$30 each + shipping

balljoint is the guy

 

My way includes storage.

 

Just did this the other day. They barely fit with the revolver tonneau cover.

 

When you carry the bikes on the mat, how do you keep them from tilting to the sides. I picked up my new bike yesterday and didn't have the thru axle mount yet, so i loaded it on the tailgate. Bumps and turns made the bike almost fall over.

 

economical but solid mounts made from the following. (even cheaper if you just use regular tnuts and cap screws instead of stainless)

stainless cap screws

$20 Stainless 3/8-16 x 1" (3/4" to 3" Available) Socket Button Head Cap Screws, Full Thread, Hex Drive, Stainless Steel 18-8, Coarse Thread (3/8-16 X 1)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079H71HBQ

stainless t nuts

4 Pack T Slot Nuts for Toyota Bed Deck Rail, Stainless Steel, for Tacoma & Tundra Cleats, Tie Downs and Accessories, by Bolt Dropper

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078YD3FY6

hollywood fork mounts (hole drilled larger)

$27 Hollywood Racks T970 Fork Block 1 Bicycle Fork Mount , Black, 9mm

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QJC5F8

 

I'm having this dilemma now too. I had a bed pad on my last full size chevy. Old truck, didn't care about the paint, bed pad is by far the fastest way to move bikes for people that ride a lot (avg 3 days a week). With that said, I'm not excited about mouting a pad on my fresh tacoma paint. Might get a hitch rack and throw it on my wagon but, kinda feel like a tool for not hauling bikes with the truck. I also already have fork mount racks on the wagon's roof.

 

That's not gonna work in a short bed Taco.

 

What ideas do you have for putting a few of those through axle mounts on a tonneau bed cover? I was thinking of mouting them like jsinnard did. How did you attach them? Epoxy? Normal glue?

 

lockable rocky mountain rail mount

https://rockymounts.com/products/driveshaft-track