Will a MTB Fit Layed Down in the short Bed w/ Cover?

Taking the front wheel off and laying the bike down in the bed is "a lot of hassle"? Wow, you don't have the 30 seconds that that might take.

 

Dude, it doesn't matter who you are: taking the front wheel off is a PITA.

Tossing bike over tailgate 2-5 seconds. Bike on rack is 30ish seconds. Front wheel off and in the bed of a pickup, under a bed cover 1:30+

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/all-things-bikes-and-tacos-and-now-vans.445155

Check this thread.

 

My 27.5 will fit in the rear of the cab with the wheel off. It isn't exactly a great fit when you have 30" wide bars. Bikes are bigger than you think.

 

Agreed. It's a small thing but taking wheels off and stuffing your bike somewhere sucks. Even more if you care about your bike at all and want to secure it, toss a blanket over it, keep the wheels from rubbing the frame, etc.

If you're doing it one time for a long road trip fine, but doing that a number of times a week gets super annoying.

 

When I have my bike on my hitch carrier I just know I can't leave the truck unattended. The locks that come on hitch carriers are garbage and even with my aftermarket lock and cable set up its still not theft proof. No way I'm going to Risk a $$$$ mountain bike getting stolen.

 

I definitely understand trying to keep things as efficient as possible, but lets be realistic - the front wheel is (usually) held on with a quick release lever. It takes literal seconds to remove it lol. Is it a pain? Sometimes. But its really not the hassle you make it out to be.

To the tune of the OP though, he stated he wants to hide the bike while traveling; hence the reason he asked if it'd fit in a 5' bed under tonneau, so hanging it over the tailgate or hitch rack are out anyways.

 

no, you will need to take off the front wheel and its still tight. I have the Spec stumpjumper comp 29

 

Some interesting replies here, but thanks everyone! I wasn't able to test it with a Tacoma, but did test my Yeti in a Ranger XLT and with the front wheel off, it was 1-3 inches too long. As such, the gate wouldn't close. As some have mentioned, with both wheels off, it's an easy fit with plenty of room to spare. The talk of the bars not fitting it almost comical. You turn the bars.....it's easy as pie.

Not sure how much bed lengths differ between brands, but I'm guessing they are pretty close. Not ideal to pull off both wheels, but at least I know it's doable if I want to secure my bike in the bed. Front wheel is easy to remove and I'm very accustomed to this already. Was hoping it would fit with the rear wheel on, but it seems it's not the case. Close, but no cigar!

 

Thank you. You understood completely! Agree regarding the quick release. I do it whenever I put my bike in my SUV. Super easy.

 

The thing with the bars is, with my Yeti if you just take off the front wheel and turn the bars it is too long to close the gate, if you don't turn the bars it fits length wise but the bars stick up making it so I can't close the last section of my tri fold cover.

 

Yes actually it is. I have a through axle so you have to have an Allen wrench. Then you have to store the wheel somewhere that it won’t get damaged or get dirt/grease on. Then there’s the cumbersome chore of picking up a 40 pound bike completely out of the bed without hitting your paint or dropping on the dropouts of the fork that is now unprotected since it doesn’t have a wheel. Oh and you better not accidentally hit your front brake lever and push those calipers in too far since there’s no disc to stop them. So yes… it’s a hassle.

 

yep, turn your bars and your bike instantly becomes 15" longer... remember the 5' bed is only 60" long so turning the bars just took 25% of your precious bed space. also, the tacoma bed is only 19" tall so there is physically no chance your handle bars will fit below a bed cover much less the bed threshold.

 

My 27.5 is currently in the bed of my truck with tonneau closed. Front wheel off, handle bars turned 90 degrees.

 

Glad to see it works for others too. It seems the few of us that confirmed it working for us got lost in the mix of the ones saying there's no way that would ever work. Guess we're wrong My 29er fit with about 1/2" to spare lol

 

they will fit in the cab with both wheels off (handlebars/stem might need to be loosened/rotated) and you will probably have to take one wheel off for it to lay flat in the bed.