I’ve used a hitch rack, built my own in bed carrier similar to the one above, and used a tailgate pad.

The tailgate pad is by far my preferred method. So much quicker/cheaper/easier than any of the other good options. Toss the pad on and you’re good to go. If you don’t have a tonneau you don’t even have to take the pad off.

The hitch rack was just annoying to have to pull out of the house and attach to the truck.

The rack I built I liked that it kept everything inside the bed, but pulling the front axle and wheel off every time god real old real quick.

 

That's some good insight.
I already have a soft-ish pad, so I might be all set already. At least for now.
I do think having it upright is "better" for the bike though - its an e-bike so maybe the battery likes to be in that orientation rather than laying down. Not sure. It probably would scratch up the paint less if it is standing up, but I agree that removing and reattaching the wheel every time could get annoying.

 

I stopped mountain biking, so have not tried my old set ups in my Gen3.
I never had problems with fork mounts, so I had skewers mounted on a plank cut to the width and it served me well. When I had my Xterra, my dealer gave me an interior rack which basically the same thing mounted on a tube, anchored with straps. Then I've got the trays for the roof (again from my xterra)
I might play with more using the sport bar on my truck, bikes would be on a 45 degree.. works in my head anyway.

 

This is my current set up. I like the tailgate pad idea but lifting 55 pound E-bike up and over the tailgate at 5'7 (and shrinking) is no easy task.

 

So you are just strapped around the handlebars and then wedging it into the front of the bed? Or do you have something to lock the front wheel too?

 

I had a 2001 crew cab S10 for which I made a cross-bed bike mout. Used aluminum tube & bar stock sourced from Lowes or Home Depot. I used a couple of fork cleats I got at a local bike shop. I still have the mount though have modified it a couple of times over the years different trucks.

Works great for typical mountain bikes, but I suspect it would need a big overhaul for a heavy ebike.

 

Sounds cool. You have any pics of you're willing to share?

 

North shore 4. The only picture I have is on my Tesla but my daughter regularly uses it with her Colorado. For modern MTBs (through axles) taking the front wheel off and on sucks. North shore is the best rack I’ve owned in ~40 years of avid cycling. It also folds down and is ~30 lbs when off the truck

 

Oh wow. That's quite the set up. Got a family's worth of bikes on one rack. I can see the benefit for some to go with a hitch style, but I figure I have the bed, so I might as well use it, you know?

 

Transfer™ v2

The Küat Transfer v2 hitch rack is more solid than ever, with a similar steel construction as the original. The Transfer v2 hitch rack has modular configurations for a 2, 3, or 4-Bike capacity rack at an affordable price.

shop.kuat.com

I like my Kuat 2 bike rack. It is a receiver mount.

 

5’2 female here with a 53lb e-bike and lifted Colorado. I use a tailgate pad and load it like this…

 

After seeing this I researched tailgate pads and found this one from Tribe. Its magnetic so no straps. Easy on and off. Looks like they,re going out of business so all pads are half off.

Magnetic Tailgate Pad With No Straps - Tribe Tailgate Pads

The easiest and fastest tailgate pad to install on the market. Add or remove within seconds. No straps! Powerful magnets keep it in place. Extremely durable, easy to clean and made in the USA.

tribetailgatepads.com

 

I use a Thule hitch carrier. It’s very secure.

 

Don't over-think it: start out with a tailgate pad as others have shared. I work in the bike industry and this is the standard for trucks if you're just dipping your toes in the bike transportation game. Once you're familiar with your needs,you'll know if you want a tray rack or vertical rack, from a single carrier to 6 bike carrier.

 

Well with winter coming, I know my riding will be limited, but the bike is getting picked up tomorrow so I figured I'd start this post to get the ideas started so by spring time I'd know what I actually want.

 

I really miss Nissan's util--track system. It made carrying bikes so easy. I'll probably have to go with a hitch-mount system with the spare tire in the bed of the AEV.

 

I'm intrigued by this rack. I'm trying to figure out where/how its holding onto the bike. I don't suppose you have better pics of the mount area?

 

I hear you, I was an avid biker, lucky so was my old neighbour.
Hung my bikes 16 years ago at the new house and cry when I look at them.
Tires will more likely fall apart from rot if I inflate them.
Looked at E-bikes when they first came out, but figured I wasn't "that" old yet... Guess I am 😭

 

No age restrictions with ebikes. no shame. And honestly the non-Chinesium brands are so well integrated into the frame that passersbys probably wouldn't even know they were ebikes. At the very least, you owe yourself a test ride.

 

I love the trailer hitch mounts for quick & easy bike mounting. But, like already said, I hate having to continually mount/remove the hitch rack (my truck won't fit in the garage with the hitch mount on).

Despite having to remove the front wheel, I do like the fork mounts in the bed. They are lower profile (can even leave the bike on when coming in and out of the garage) and I like that the bike is not the first thing hit in a minor fender bender. However, I do a lot of camping, too. So, I often don't have space in the bed.


I went with a Yakima set up on the bed rails. If I were much shorter, it would be a bear getting the bike up there, but I am pretty happy with the setup. The whole system is lockable and I can install/remove it in about a minute.

 

I use my Thule T2, which I've had for more than 20 years...but in the winter I'll take the wheel off and put the fatbike in the bed (with ARE cap), so the bike doesn't get exposed to road salt/crap.

 

Rocky Mounts Guiderail is the best rack out there currently. Afterparty if you want the built in swing away.

 

Not sure if DIY would be better than just buying one. I think I rather keep it in the bed than hanging off the hitch, but I wouldn't mind seeing what is out there.

I like some of the ones I've seen which stand the bike up (similar to how you'd typically transport a motorcycle). I think the 5 foot bed on the gen 3 trucks is not long enough so either the tailgate would have to be down or angle the bike up. I am picking up a new mountain bike this weekend, so I don't have all the dimensions for it yet.

I'd assume there are at least some cyclists here who have one for their truck. Any recommendations?


EDIT: Did some searching and this is a very clever rack design:

https://www.etrailer.com/Truck-Bed-Bike-Racks/Swagman/S64702.html

View attachment 477067

View attachment 477068

Not sure if DIY would be better than just buying one. I think I rather keep it in the bed than hanging off the hitch, but I wouldn't mind seeing what is out there.

I like some of the ones I've seen which stand the bike up (similar to how you'd typically transport a motorcycle). I think the 5 foot bed on the gen 3 trucks is not long enough so either the tailgate would have to be down or angle the bike up. I am picking up a new mountain bike this weekend, so I don't have all the dimensions for it yet.

I'd assume there are at least some cyclists here who have one for their truck. Any recommendations?


EDIT: Did some searching and this is a very clever rack design:

https://www.etrailer.com/Truck-Bed-Bike-Racks/Swagman/S64702.html

View attachment 477067

View attachment 477068

Honestly I’ve looked at all options and rather than buying a hitch rack then having to store it, or taking the wheel off the bikes to mount them, I just carefully lean the 2 bikes on each side of the bed and go. Never had an issue. Granted the 5’ bed on my ZR2 keeps things snug.
Sometimes less is more

 

Am I missing something with the taking the wheel off thing? When I picked up the bike this past weekend, I asked the guy at the dealer and he said it was no big deal. I unscrewed the latch thing and took the axel out and that way the bike fit in the bed really well. I put the wheel back on when i got home and i've ridden it twice since then. What should I be looking at because it wasn't a big deal. To be clear,I didn't touch the brake lever but the disk slid off and back onto the caliper easily.

 

One up for sure. Compact and I can hang it on the wall easily. Usa made

Quik Rack

1up-usa.com

 

Thule's T2 receiver-mount treated me well for years w/my Jeep. I also had their V2 fork-mount long trays on top for the road bike(s). When I moved to the Colorado, I also changed racks, this time to the Kuat NV 2.0, also a receiver-mount design. I remove(d) them during the winter to keep the elements from trashing them with moisture and MgCl.

Both the Thule & the Kuat have integrated cable locks that will at least function as a deterrent in cases where it is either impractical or impossible to unload. There's no donking around taking the caliper off (Cannondale Lefty fork) only to have to sort out disc rub upon reassembly as there is with fork-mount designs. I can't speak to how the thru-axle forks mount.
The V2 trays were never a problem with road bike rim brakes, and I liked their stability, even up high. They were also lockable, both fork to tray and tray to load bar. The only downside was cleaning the bugs off the leading edges of the bikes after lengthy road trips.

I also have a Fox tailgate pad but use it exclusively for the MTBs and not the road bikes. You can simply thread a long cable lock through the frames. We routinely pile four or five of us up front and four or five bikes in the back for Moab/Fruita shredfests, with room to spare in the back for the Mtn Dew cooler

There's an easy solution to the difficulty in loading/unloading those 50+ lb e-bikes but not knowing how ruff the room is, I'd better not speak it 🤐

 

Most riders don't like taking off the front wheel, even back when I rode.
I had calipers on one of the bikes, I had an insert to keep the brakes from closing.. think someone posted the insert in a post above.

 

My current setup. Used a roof rack on a car for 10+ years so removing the front tire to transport my bike was something I didnt want to deal with when I got the truck. So easy to mount and dismount my bike using the Kuat NV 2.0. Worth every penny

 

I have the same rack with the 2 bike extension (4 total). Agree ... rock solid and easy on/off.

 

Not sure if DIY would be better than just buying one. I think I rather keep it in the bed than hanging off the hitch, but I wouldn't mind seeing what is out there.

I like some of the ones I've seen which stand the bike up (similar to how you'd typically transport a motorcycle). I think the 5 foot bed on the gen 3 trucks is not long enough so either the tailgate would have to be down or angle the bike up. I am picking up a new mountain bike this weekend, so I don't have all the dimensions for it yet.

I'd assume there are at least some cyclists here who have one for their truck. Any recommendations?


EDIT: Did some searching and this is a very clever rack design:

https://www.etrailer.com/Truck-Bed-Bike-Racks/Swagman/S64702.html

View attachment 477067

View attachment 477068

I’ve been mountain biking since the 90s and have had every style of rack. They all have drawbacks. I got tired of pulling the front wheel off with fork mounts. The tailgate pad I liked but you’ll need your own security solution. If you have a bedcover then the only tailgate pad that works with them is the new raceface which is $260. For a pad? No thanks. These trucks are so much taller than my 2nd gen Tacoma and I have a hard tonneau cover. So hitch rack is my preferred solution. Yeah I have to put it on when needed but it’s the most secure option and leaves the bed available for camping gear on big trips. My hitch rack is a 1Up. Bombproof, no plastic parts to degrade.

 

The only thing I lose lately is my wife at Walmart, at least I don't leave without her

 

So I think this solution will work quite well! At least I hope so.

So right now it's mounted on a piece of wood, but I'll cut the mounting block out of aluminum eventually. Getting the bike up there isnt that big of a deal. It's only 50 lbs minus the front wheel. I connect it to the axle mount and then when I close thw tailgate it slides the bike back (toward the front of the truck). Then to get the bike off, lowering the tailgate actually slides the bike closer to you and makes it easier to lower to the ground.

I did put two holes through the lid of the storage compartment, but I don't see that as a big deal. All the hardware will be locked away in that storage compartment so it will be slightly secure. And I plan on using some thumbscrews to hold the bike mount so I won't need tools to remove it.

Only minor issue is that the bed is too short and the bike too long to sit in the bed straight. I have to angle it a little. I might add brace for the rear tire if I see it bounce around too much. Still messing around with it.

Anyways, sorry for the long write up, but maybe this will help others out there looking for a bike solution.

 

Nice and simple, plus moving it back and forth on a hinge so to speak. My brain only thought of set ups with forks towards the front.

 

Yeah when I was searching pictures everyone had the bike facing the front so I started brainstorming some ideas and figured out that if I mount it backwards toward the tailgate I can use that hinge motion to also make it easier to grab the bike and get it on the ground. we'll see how it holds up.

I was reluctant to drill into that storage bin in the tailgate, but if anything happens, I know I could fill in the holes with some black silicone.

 

I never had a problem with drilling into any of my trucks, proper precautions not withstanding. I would only suggest putting a back plate to the mount, (inside the lid) especially since the mount is pushing/pulling the bike.
My first instinct would be mounting the skewers on the backrack you have and have the bike on a 45deg.. more for extra bed space.