Visit our Popular Forums

FordTruck · 08-26-2010, 03:47 PM

Anyone out there have a bike rack on the cab of your pickup? What brand-cofiguration are you using? Pics would be a big help if you have any. Thanks in advance.

exthemius · 08-26-2010, 04:19 PM

Another question (similar in nature) is does anyone carry bikes on the front? We have two dogs (one of which is a great dane) and two kids - can't carry the bikes in the back because the dane's create is just too bloody massive, and don't want to put the bikes and such in the A/S.

Aviator · 08-26-2010, 04:46 PM

One of the members at Top of Georgia uses a Thule hitch rack with a front mounted hitch. He said three bikes is about the max. When he had four on it limited his visibility too much.

I have an Undercover brand cover on my truck bed and am thinking of mounting a rack on top of it for our bikes.

**Kevin245** · 08-26-2010, 05:04 PM

We have a Yakima tower system and two Viper bike mounts.

Here's some pictures from last year without the bikes though.

Canoe rack with Reese Hitch - Airstream Forums

memgrove2000 · 08-26-2010, 06:57 PM

We run "bikes out front". I have a western unimount snowplow. Winter as a plow summer a bike rack. I have fabricated a bike rack out of an old plow upright. simple... almost crude but works for 4 bikes... Driving at night in the rain SUCKS BAD!! other than that it is great.

3 Dog Nite · 08-26-2010, 07:10 PM

Here's some photos of front end bike rack on my MH. Maybe it will spark some ideas.

Ricky

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...tml#post677903

Bluto · 08-26-2010, 07:30 PM

I have spent money on several types of bike racks over the years. Most for on top of the cab of the truck and some on the cap of my covered bed. I even bought light weight bikes so I could lift them more easily to get them secured up there.
None of them really worked out for me for one reason or another. Mostly difficulties getting them up there and securing them, as it turned out ( in my case), it's a 2 person job even with a step stool.
Recently, I spent more money and bought a neat bike rack for inside of the bed of the truck from Yakima called a Beddy Jo. But, that also had problems as my bikes were too high and the handlebars prevented me from getting them in the bed with out a lot of manuvering and adjustments to the bikes. It's a nice bike rack if you have the head room available under the cap or have shorter handlebars.
I have never tried the frontal bike rack so no comment there.
I did take some advice from someone on this forum who said that an easy way to carry bikes is inside the trailer with a bike stand from Lowes. It only costs about $26. and does the job without me having to dismantle any part of the bikes. Low and behold, it's just about perfect. It fits in between my twin beds and holds both bikes upright. When at a campground I can put it on the ground and it holds the bikes in the upright position no matter if I'm parked on soft ground or sand, there is no need for a kick stand. Even with the bikes in the trailer I can still use the beds in the trailer and use rest of the trailer when stopping for a quick snooze or a bite of food while on the road. The best thing is that the bikes aren't out in the elements while traveling. No wet bikes, rust problems, no dead bugs stuck all over the bikes.
If I tallied all the bike racks I bought I probable spent about $600 for a $26 solution.

Bluto · 08-26-2010, 07:45 PM

Forgot to mention, there is a down side to the Lowes bike stand. The stand is made in China and has lead paint on it. I repainted mine with several coats of a lead free paint after assembly.

exthemius · 08-26-2010, 08:30 PM

Do you have a photo of it in action, perhaps?

2airishuman · 08-26-2010, 10:06 PM

this stuff is VERY well documented on thule, yakima, saris, rockymounts and many other bike rack vendor sites...

they have VERY clear photos of the configurations available for ROOF RACKS....

posting pictures of any one customer setup IGNORES the fact that there are slight variations based on BRAND/STYLE of truck...

here is the very basics...

Bike Rack Shops - Roof Rack Mounting Guide

http://www.rackattack.com/roof-mount-bike-racks.asp

and both websites have stuff from the major players but each BRAND has very good photos too....
____________

for "BARE ROOFS" as in those withOUT factory rails...

basically one starts with a set of CROSS bars/members (width is based on truck)

those mount to the truck with 'feet' that are slightly specific to the truck....

then the actual 'bike rack' (or several) attach to the cross bar/members...

search a bit folks this stuff is OUT THERE in mega detail ...

cheers
2air'

exthemius · 08-27-2010, 05:47 AM

Quote:

I did take some advice from someone on this forum who said that an easy way to carry bikes is inside the trailer with a bike stand from Lowes. It only costs about $26. and does the job without me having to dismantle any part of the bikes. Low and behold, it's just about perfect. It fits in between my twin beds and holds both bikes upright.

I was actually looking for this trick -- I'm not keen on a roof rack per se.

BillTex · 08-27-2010, 06:22 AM

Hidden hitch with a rack we already owned (3 bikes no problem, rack holds 4. I remove 1 seat for better vision);

Steamy1 · 08-27-2010, 07:45 AM

We have a 2010 Tundra and use a front hitch made by Curt Industries. The Thule rack fits perfect and the bikes are easy to load/unload.

The receiver hitch uses the same bolts as the tow hooks. It is hardly noiticable and does not lower the ground clearance.

Bluto · 08-27-2010, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exthemius

I was actually looking for this trick -- I'm not keen on a roof rack per se.

Sorry I have no pics for you but the Lowes web site will have all the info. You could also do a search of threads on here and see the old threads on the racks. Some people even posted pics.

arcamedies · 08-27-2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

Forgot to mention, there is a down side to the Lowes bike stand. The stand is made in China and has lead paint on it. I repainted mine with several coats of a lead free paint after assembly.

As long as you don't chew on it you'll be fine. You're more exposed to the lead wheel weights on your wheels.

arcamedies · 08-27-2010, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

Sorry I have no pics for you but the Lowes web site will have all the info. You could also do a search of threads on here and see the old threads on the racks. Some people even posted pics.

After carefull concideration and Andy's valuable recomendation not to attach anything to the rear of the Twinkie I did the following. Added velcro straps to the closet and countertop using the countertop trim screw and it works well.

Never fond of blocking the front of a vehicle or a roof rack juggling bikes on top.

Bluto · 08-27-2010, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcamedies

As long as you don't chew on it you'll be fine. You're more exposed to the lead wheel weights on your wheels.

I think your right, but the temptation is always there to take a nibble.

Snedwid · 08-27-2010, 09:59 AM

I mounted a tow bar reciever on the front of the F-150, then got a nice bike rack that is designed for a reciever. Works fine. I do secure with locks and cable to prevent them from running away when I'm not looking, and I cover the seats with a couple of plastic wal-mart bags.

Soyboy · 09-01-2010, 09:14 AM

We have a cap/topper on our Silverado. When A.R.E. made the cap I optioned for the factory installed Thule rails as I have always used Thule equipment.

I carry three bikes on the roof. Two on Thule trays with fork mounts and my recumbent (a Bacchetta Agio Bacchettabikes.com/ ) on a Rocky Mounts tray/fork mount (because I needed an extra long tray and the Thule version was too expensive). I also have mounts for our kayaks and canoe depending on what we want to take. I also have the Thule "clip" mounts for the cab portion of the truck so i could put a bar up by the windshield so we have a nice spread when carrying the canoe. They "clip" under the door frame and work very well and are very solid. Easy to install and remove. BTW I have locks on everything, feet, mounts etc. You can get matching locks so you only need one key.

I also have fork mounts installed on a 2X4 that I can put in the bed of the truck to carry three bikes enclosed under the cap. I use this for local trips when we are not carrying the generator, chairs, wood etc. etc. that we carry on our camping trips. BTW, I like fork mount carriers myself (the kind where you take the front wheel off). Others like the frame mount carriers where you leave the wheel on. They both work, but to me it's easier to load the bikes without the front wheel installed, plus, to be honest, I just like the way a fork mounted bike looks on the roof (don't ask why, I'm a guy and irrational about these things). I do have a "tire step" that I use to get the bikes up on top of the cap. That is especially needed for by 'bent as it is long and can be unwieldy loading it from the ground, no problem with the step though.

I don't have a photo of this setup on the Chevy, but I have attached a copy of a photo of this setup on our former Tundra, from back in our tent camping days years ago. This was taken in Green Ridge State Forest here in MD. Quite a load, this was one reason I switched up to a 3/4 ton diesel after a few years, we were pushing the cargo weight limit with the Tundra.

wendywoods · 10-05-2010, 08:48 AM

Hi all,

Am going to check this out, but it looks like you can have a bike rack AND a bed cover from these folks.

Bed Covers

I have been trying to figure out how Nick and I will carry our bikes and read everything online here, and this looks like a solution. For what it's worth!

Wendy