Pickup Bed Bike Rack Options
 

Hi, in the market for a new vehicle and a small/mid sized pickup ticks the boxes (most likely a Ridgeline). I know I can put a hitch mount rack on, but am looking at in-bed options.

Seems like a bar with a couple of front fork quick release attachment points is an obvious, straightforward, and reasonably secure answer. Any thoughts on if there's a better solution you've come across or generally any comments on this?

Thanks!

The bar with quick release hubs works. Check the below out. I'll be getting a new work truck in January and am gonna try these. They make 2 different kinds for depending on what type of bed rail. https://usa.innoracks.com/

https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.2...ime=1634060408

I rolled my own (with some yakima bits, so I could keep it all keyed the same as everythig else. First photo is the original setup, before I added a through-axle bike to the stable. But the thing works, obviously doesn't secure the through-axle bike. But I can install/remove it from the bed in a couple minutes, and until the truck went into the shop, was just leaving it on. For all of our bikes, I can put two bikes in the back with the Van Tech bed rack and iKamper Skycamp Mini mounted.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a2511bda9.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...592ab3bcd.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bf5ad0aeb.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c7f639f1.jpeg

KISS

Motorcycle tie down straps i have found to be easier to deal with than the racks where you have to pop the front wheel off and secure it with a quick release -- just undo the straps and go

I however, use a Thule hitch mount with my Tacoma because i like to leave a bed cover on it to keep my tool boxes , gearbags and drink coolers, etc secure

@TravellingFool, I saw these and they look intriguing, downside with those is that the Ridgeline does not have anyway to lock it into place unless you get some sort of bar like you would have for a Tonneau cover. I have a 2018 Ridgeline so I just keep that in your thoughts....

I personally have a 1UP Hitchrack and I like not having to pull the wheel.

Am i the only one that just throws their bike in the bed and... it doesnt move?

No need for all that. In my Silverado I just strap it down motorcycle style. A soft tie on each side of the bar attached to friction straps connected to the bed hooks. You can also attach a strap to each side of the rear of the bike. Takes about a minute to get her strapped in. Drove from New Jersey to El Paso like that with no problems.

You can get soft ties for three bucks.

https://www.harborfreight.com/soft-l...saAucDEALw_wcB

Thanks folks, it's appreciated.

hose , no you're not the only one. I'm just not willing to do that either with my tri bike, or for any distance. Personal choice.

On a website full of bicycle aficionados it would not be a surprise to me.

One bike yes. I do it all the time.

Multiple bikes...you want a rack system of sorts to stand them up. Otherwise they can get scratched / damaged if they are piled on top of one another or leaned up against the bed sides.

I made a rack out of a 2 x 4 and some PVC pipe for my thru axle bikes.

Me too. But it does slide back and forth in rush hour. The bed and sometimes the bike get a little scratched.

Position the crank up and lean that against the side of the bed. Tie it down with bungee cords.
I regularly carry 4 bikes in the truck bed with no rack.

He wants to use a Ridgeline, he will be lucky to get 1 in there.

scratched and damaged good...

I'm getting a new SUV (Honda CRV) next week to that can transport my bikes in inside and upright (the CRV is the only vehicle I found that can do that with a 29er mtb, and I actually brought my mtb to all of the test drives just to test it out., and if the bike didn't fit, I didn't even bother to test drive it), and you just gave me the great idea to use 80/20 for the fork mounts so that I can easily adjust their positions.

Is there anything 80/20 can't do?!!

Well, I guess the side of the pedal is kind of scratching the plastic liner of the truck bed.

I use a tailgate pad. Wrapping something around the downtube before strapping it in prevents abrasion from the strap. My pad is a Dakine and carries 7 bikes.

Show us your 4 bikes in there.

I personally use the Thule Insta Gator on my F150; picked one up cheap from JensonUSA that had the box damaged in shipping.

Another option is to make your own PVC pipe rack for the bed and use bungees to hold it all in.

I used a Thule Instagater when I had a truck, it does a pretty good job, however the bar that holds the tire down is too wide to fit between the front tire and the down tube on my road bikes. It’s still usable, but you have to cock the wheel to the side when putting the bike in there. I’d think that a Ridgeline bed would be too short for most modern mountain bikes.

I also do that on occasion with my bikes, but no way in the world your bike does not move if you are driving and it is unsecured in the bed.
It’s ofc doable but certainly not the best option.

To be fair, My kids' bikes are 650c wheeled road bikes and my wife's bike is a small Terry style bike as well, So they are not 4 full sized bikes.
But I don't see why you couldn't lean and tie down 3 road bikes along the two sides and the back of the truck bed.

+1. I just do not want to put my very expensive bikes in the back of my truck. It was worth it to me to spend the few hundred dollars for the hitch rack.

Bike in a small pickup
 

My favorite bike transportation method in my Ford Ranger is to run a 1/4" line from the saddle around the side rail at the top of the truck side bed wall and back to the stem. I do the line fastening with the bike standing upright a foot from the bed wall. When tied off, I brace my elbows on top of the bed side and grab the fork and seat stay and tilt the tires into the corner of the pickup wall and floor. The line is adjusted so the bike is leaning toward the mid-line of the truck at abut a 45 degree angle, and the tires perfectly span the wheel well, immobilizing the bike. We can fit two bikes in the Ranger short bed. To get the bikes out, just reverse the whole process. The Ranger bed is just long enough to close the tail gate. I have loops in the ends of my line, one with a slip knot, so adjustment is quick. For a longer trip I will tie the top of the bike to the other side of the truck bed, so if I was in a fender bender the bike would stay in the truck bed. This system also works on my Wife's Colorado.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0314c0a065.jpg

Much safer in the bed of a P/U if done carefully. A hitch always gets hit if you get rear ended.