Bike Racks

[Dan Jefferys]

I wanted to get some opinions on what’s the best option for a bike rack for the Trac. I haven’t needed this previously, so this is something that’s new to me.



I’m looking to get something that can carry up to 4 bikes (2 of them kids bikes). I know I could just add a hitch and then get a 4 bike carrier for that, or I could probably get something that would make use of the roof rack (I was thinking that would be difficult getting bikes on and off, though). I also remember that someone on the board had a bike rack that used the tie-downs on the side to mount the bikes over the bed – I’m guessing that one was custom? Any ideas on how to do it that way (hardware, etc) or is the hitch route just the easiest and best way to go?



Any advice appreciated.

 

[chris haggard]

I had a drop down hitch mount but it still got in the way of accessing the tailgate. I scrapped that and went the second route: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaggard/tags/rack/show/



I used the project on the site as a guide. The gutter mounts came from ebay and the rest from an online retailer. Pretty easy and not at all expensive.

 

[Robert Thomas]

You can spend a lots of money on high tech racks or you can make your own fairly cheaply in some cases. What you really need depends on what type of bikes you are transporting. A lots depents if the front wheel of the bike removes quickly. If so you can easly mount the bikes on the roof, inside the bed, or on top of the bed. If you are carrying bikes that will not have the front wheel removed, clamping them on the roof, inside the bed or on the top of the bed is more involved and expensive. Carrying four bikes in any one location is a lots, but, can be done. I have two seperate setups. One on the roof and one on the top of the bed cover. Because I have the cover I have do not have a mount for the bed. The Bed mount can be the cheapest way to go I made one for my Ranger for 7 dollars. You should be able to make a bed mount for less than $30.00 in parts. A good roof rack will cost you $400 + for 4 bike rig.



The rack that hooks into the hitch may be the best to use in your case. You should be able to pick one up used for $20.00. However, very few people with expensive bikes $700 + will use this type of rack because everything on the road will end up on your bike at the end of a long trip. If you need some pic's of what I have you will have to give me a day or two.

 

[Paul McDevitt]

Look at the projects here, I went the route with the old yakima gutter mounts, I already had bars and fork clamps.

 

[Brendan Grant]

I have done all the routes except the custom one by chris. I have the hard tonneau so I still access if I have a rack on the hitch. The custom one would block getting into the bed from swinging open the top panels.



The rack mounted on roof crossbars has some serious drag and wind noise on the freeway. I also forgot about the bike one night and took out my garage gutter before realizing that the crunchy noises were the rack and gutter bending.



I then went to putting a basket on and bungeeing the bike to the roof basket. That works well for one bike but starts getting ugly with two. Lifting and postioning bikes on the roof racks/basket is also an effort.



I have been really happy with the hitch rack that can hold up to 4 bikes. You can also swing it down even with a couple of bikes on it to get access to the tailgate. Easy to load and easy to remove the rack for everyday driving.

 

[Gary Kong]

I have a set of those Yakima mounts that have been modified for use on the Trac tie downs. Also bought a set of the bars to go with that rack. The bars are still new in wrap. I liked the trailer hitch rack better because I would still open up the bed cover.



Look at the projects that show the gutter clamps that have been modified for Trac tiedowns. If interested, let me know.



I bought the clamps from a member here who did all the work. The clamps have keylocks.

 

[Sal Adinolfi]

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Here you go..



the only project I did.. click the wrench next to my name.

 

[Todd Cloutier]

Similar to Sal's rack, except I used the Thule rain gutter plates to replace the tie downs. I also have a Saris cycle-on hitch rack that can take up to 4 bikes. Try stopping by your local bike shop and talk to them about your options.



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[Russ Lynas]

Here is my solution. See my bike rack folder.

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[Dan Jefferys]

You guys are awesome! Very cool seeing pics of the different racks. I really think the rack over the bed is the way I'm probably going to go. Although I can see the advantages of the hitch rack, I think the bed mount ones look great and would work well for what I’m looking to do right now (I do have a hard cover, but it looks like I could take the rack off fairly easily if I needed access (as long as I didn’t have the bikes on ‘em). It also looks like I could squeeze 4 bikes if I really needed to. The kids bikes are pretty small right now – I can put them in the bed for now most of the time, but I’m just thinking about down the road or maybe taking the bikes on a vacation.



Thanks for the advice!