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Bike Racks for Trucks

If you're in the maket looking around for bike racks for cars or trucks, you've come to the right place.

You might be inclined to think that if someone has a pickup truck, they can easily haul whatever they want and therefor there would be no real need for bike racks for trucks. The truth of the matter is that while you could just throw a bike in the truck bed, it would slide all over the place as you drove, potentially (and most likely) causing damage to both the bicycle and the truck bed. If you ever wanted to transport more than one bike at a time this way, you would just compound the problems. And when you consider the short roof line of your standard pickup truck, you realize that it makes total sense for there to be specifically designed bike racks for trucks.

For the most part, a truck bike rack is going to be set up to carry bikes in the truck bed. There is the option for truck owners who have a trailer hitch mount to use that for a hitch mounted bike rack, and it might be a good idea if you are going on a particularly long drive and the bed is loaded with too much other stuff. However, most of the time truck owners looking to be able to easily carry their bikes from place to place will be looking for a bed mounted bike rack system. Fortunately, there are a number to choose from, and most are very well made and easy to use.

There are a few things you might want to take into consideration when you start looking at your different rack options. For example, do you care if you need to remove the front wheel on your bicycle to rack it, or would you prefer to not have to worry about that? You really can go either way, but you will probably have more choices available to you if you're willing to do that little bit of extra effort and remove the front wheel. Most bikes today, whether mountain bikes or road bikes, come with quick release front wheels, so it really isn't a big deal for most people.

You'll also want to go into your rack research knowing how many bicycles you plan on transporting in your truck. If it's only you, then you will clearly have no concerns at all. Actually, the same is probably true if you want to have the ability to carry a second bike. However, there are some systems that are set up for only one bike, so it might be wise to avoid those (though you can usually get an accessory after the fact that will allow you to add a second bike). If you're looking at carrying 4 bikes, you'll still be OK as most racks have options for accommodating up four bikes, but if you plan on having 5 bikes back there, your choices will be seriously reduced.

Beyond 5 bikes... I think you can pretty much forget it. Your only option in that situation would probably be to have both a bed mounted bike rack as well as a hitch mounted rack such as the Softride Access Dura 4 Bike Hitch Mounted Bicycle Rack. But seriously, if you're carrying more than 5 bikes on a regular basis, you must be either a professional cyclist or running some kind of biking company, in which case you will probably have a custom vehicle or trailer made for you.

So back to the standard concept of a bike rack for a truck; mounted in the bed and capable of securing from 1 to 4 bikes at a time. Some of the more popular manufacturers and racks you might want to look at include the following:

Thule: Thule bike racks are among the most widely recognized and respected bike racks anywhere. Specifically for a truck bike rack you will want to look at the Thule Insta-Gator Truck Mount (not only does this rack rock, but you gotta love the name!) Most people who have tried the Insta-Gator have nothing but great things to say about it, and the few negatives are pretty unique situations. The consistent theme from consumer reviews is that the bike rack installs very quickly (less than 5 minutes to install the rack itself, and mere seconds to load the bike into the bike rack), and it holds the bicycles very securely, despite its relatively small size. One reviewer said that traveling at highway speeds of over 70 mph, his bicycles barely moved at all. Positive reviews came from people with Toyota Tundras, Ford F-150s and 250s, Nissan Frontier, Chevy Silverado and others. Another Thule truck bike rack that got great reviews is the Thule Bed-Rider.

Topline: Topline isn't quite as well known as Thule or Yakima racks, but it does make a bike rack for pickups called the Topline Bicycle 4 Bike Truck Bed Rack. As the name implies, it can hold up to 4 bikes and there is absolutely no drilling of the truck bed or rails required for installation. In addition, it holds your bicycles securely without the need to remove the front wheel, which is very appealing to many people. While there aren't as many reviews on this particular product, it does seem to be easy to install, taking only a couple of minutes to accomplish.

Hollywood Racks: Hollywood Racks has a patented Grip Rite clamping system that makes installation of their truck bike racks quick and easy on everything from mini trucks to mid sized and full sized pick up trucks with no drilling required. Their Hollywood 2 Bike Rack Truck Rack comes with 2 heavy duty 9 mm fork bike mounts, but you can purchase additional mounts that extend its capacity up to a total of 5 bikes. Also sold separately are front wheel holders (you do need to remove the front wheel on your bikes in this rack system). The front wheel holders allow you to secure the removed wheels so that they are not left free-floating and sliding all over the bed of your truck.