# Laying bike in bed of pickup



## brianyzf (Jul 17, 2007)

I used to ride an old hardtail with an elastomer fork and just layed it in the bed of my pickup, underneath the tonneau cover. But I just bought a Jamis Dakar XCR Expert F.S. bike and was wondering if there are any issues with laying this bike down in the bed as well. It's got Juicy 5 hydros, Fox F100RL fork and Fox RP2 shock and I guess my main concern is for oil leakage, as well as possibly damaging the rotors from any kind of movement of the bike in the bed. I know there are better ways to transport my bike but for now this is all I've got. With my old bike I wasn't too concerned but now that I've spent a good amount of $$$ and have a much, much, much nicer bike I want to be as cautious as possible. Of course, it's a mountain bike and should be able to take much more abuse than just moving around in the back of a pickup. Maybe I'm just overly concerned because of how nice and new it is.


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## John_Michael (Sep 19, 2006)

I'd try using one of these.









For $10, you wont have to worry about it.
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14...sories-38-Racks/Sette-Hitch-It-Bike-Mount.htm

But if you do decide to lay it down, just remember it's always der' side up. A few bungies will keep it from sliding around too much and preserve most of your paint scheme.


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## flipnidaho (Aug 10, 2004)

you should have no problems laying the bike down in the bed of the truck.


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## fred-da-trog (Oct 28, 2003)

.....or use a couple straps to the handle bars and stand it up in the bed of the truck like a moto-x.

That way you can show off that nice new ride :thumbsup:

edit: oops just re-read "tonneau cover" ....nevermind...


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## brianyzf (Jul 17, 2007)

*b*

I actually prefer to have it laying down under the tonneau cover with the tailgate locked while I'm at work all day. In that situation I prefer having it out of sight even though the parking lot at work should be safe. But these days you just never know.


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## John_Michael (Sep 19, 2006)

I didnt catch that you'd be leaving it there unattended while at work...

Bungies should do the trick.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*A hunter learns the predictability of his prey*

Leaving it in the truck at work every day?. I really wouldn't worry about laying it on it's side. It may not be there long.


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## supermike (May 27, 2006)

I do it and haven't had any issues. My only concern is about air moving in the brake lines (if there happens to be any in the reseviors. 

Anyway, not that you asked, but for security, I got a long cable lock from Home Depot (like a bike lock, but thicker and longer). I ran it down between my bed and the tailgate and wrapped it around my frame/bumper mount (looped it back through one eye, and the other end lays in the bed and can be wraped around the bike frame and locked).


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## Gary H (Dec 16, 2006)

fred-da-trog said:


> .....or use a couple straps to the handle bars and stand it up in the bed of the truck like a moto-x.


Thats what I do. I dont like removing my front wheel because I have to readjust the front caliper


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

I've always felt uneasy about transporting bikes by laying them in the bed of a truck. But on some of my bikes I'm anal about paint scratches. I'd probably put a foam mat or old thin mattress or something soft to put the bike on then bungie it down.


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## gumbymark (May 25, 2007)

I've got a couple of roof racks that have skewers that with a lock. You could buy a roof rack with a lock and bolt it to the pickup bed.

But I wouldn't leave my bike unattended in a car park for long. Even locked on they are too easy to steal.


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## Ultra Magnus (Jan 13, 2004)

Berkeley Mike said:


> Leaving it in the truck at work every day?. I really wouldn't worry about laying it on it's side. It may not be there long.


There's actually a pretty simple solution to your problem. When you get to work, TAKE IT OUT OF THE TRUCK AND PUT IT INSIDE!!!

I used to work for Progressive Suspension. Our parking lot was on the side of the building, and anyone coming in our out of the gate would be seen by someone in the office, and still, none of us that rode left our bike in the back of our trucks during the day.

BM


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## skaplan86 (Oct 17, 2007)

i agree with most of these guys about leaving it unattended... dont do it... i havent even bothered purchasing a bike lock... if i go somewhere on my bike, the bike comes in with me... i have been walkin through walmart with my bicycle... nobody will say something because the bike just looks like its a $3000 machine, not a $250 pile. its not that hard to tell a good bike from a pile... let an idiot tell you not to bring it in...


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## brianyzf (Jul 17, 2007)

I actually do have a skewer that bolts nicely into the Utilitrac system in my Nissan Titan. The problem is that it doesn't lock and I just never got around to buying any kind of cable lock to secure the bike. I used to use the skewer until I got wider tires that I couldn't get off of my bike without deflating first. I had old cantilever brakes and couldn't get the tire past them in order to remove. And also my bike was 13 years old and I guess and I just found it easier to lay in the bed. I attempted to use the skewer on my new bike but I always had trouble getting the front wheel back on. It seemed that I always managed to catch the rotor on the brake pads and then I would have to adjust the pads in the calipers. It's become a real pain in the a**. I have been laying the bike deraileur side up on a nice thick blanket and everything's been good so far.


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## carrot_top (Aug 22, 2007)

i used to have a crappy bike that i would just toss in back of the truck with no concern...

but i just got a Jamis Dakar XLT...so im kind of wondering the same thing....i guess tying it up with some bungee cords will keep it from moving around too much...


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## Lawson Raider (Jul 24, 2006)

I have a rear hitch on my truck that I can run a Kryptonite (about 2 of them daisy chained) to lock my bike up in the bed of the truck. The cable runs through a mount hole on either side of the receiver. In order to steal the bike (other than hacking through the cables) is to remove the rear bumper and drop the hitch out and haul the bike off with the hitch and rear bumper attached. 

I would suspect a person hauling that in the parking lot would look suspicious but then agian, nowadays, no one would bother caring about it to call the coppers.


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## corec (Jul 29, 2007)

John_Michael said:


> I'd try using one of these.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have a couple of these mounted to a 2x6 in the bed of my truck, and it works great to hold up two bikes. I was afraid it would slide around, so I cut it long to wedge between the bed walls and it hasn't been an issue. For security, I have a 20 foot security cable from Lowes and padlock it to the cleat in the side of the bed. I thread it through the frames and both wheels of both bikes so nothing walks off.

Be careful though, these cables can be cut pretty easily. A friend of mine had his bike stolen last week from the same rack mine was tied to. It sucks for him, but it made me glad for my Kryptonite U lock.

You can also get a locking version of the mount for about $40, but it won't secure the wheels.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

I do have, not a big problem, an old blanket layed under the bike and the wrapped over top works wonders.


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