# Ride 88... possibly the best bike rack for your truck



## RangerMTB (Dec 25, 2020)

I finally pulled the trigger and bought a truck for Mtb and towing my toyhauler. Search everywhere for bike rack options and thankfully came across Ride88 bike racks. Extremely well designed and simple to use/install. Clean look and very secure. Best part is it is able to safely transport up to 4 bikes without having to install a heavy and bulky rack that extends your truck another 5ft.


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## J_Bone (Dec 14, 2014)

Yeah, they are pretty sweet. If somehow they made it so you can close the tailgate, then I would get it.


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## RangerMTB (Dec 25, 2020)

J_Bone said:


> Yeah, they are pretty sweet. If somehow they made it so you can close the tailgate, then I would get it.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Completely agree with you but still would rather have the gate open then to throw bikes over the gate.


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## sherwin24 (Jul 23, 2010)

I don't think you can blame the rack for why the tailgate won't close. For that you need a full length truck bed or shorter wheelbase bike it looks like to me. Other option if your worried about stuff sliding out of the bed might be to get something like this: BedXtender HD Max U-Shape Design - Silver | AMP Research


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## J_Bone (Dec 14, 2014)

I'm not blaming the mount. Bike length and bed size forces me to use a different method since I can't leave the tailgate down while I'm towing my travel trailer. But for local rides I could leave it down. 
I use the din-rail fork mount inside the bed but that forces me to remove my front wheel. 

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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

My buddy built something similar for the back of my truck out of 2" x 4"'s in a couple hours. Holds 4 bikes very securely. If you back the bikes in and turn the bars you can fit modern crazy long bikes in the bed with the tailgate closed. The rack can be removed in a couple minutes if I need the whole bed for hauling something. The out of pocket cost was something like $40.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

OP- how long is your bed? I have a 5.5' bed and am trying to figure out the best bike-carry option. I guess I could do the fork mount thing but that seems tedious and I risk leaving the wheel somewhere. I use the 1UPUSA rack on the other vehicles but the truck is too long for that.


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## crank1979 (Feb 3, 2006)

vikb said:


> My buddy built something similar for the back of my truck out of 2" x 4"'s in a couple hours. Holds 4 bikes very securely. If you back the bikes in and turn the bars you can fit modern crazy long bikes in the bed with the tailgate closed. The rack can be removed in a couple minutes if I need the whole bed for hauling something. The out of pocket cost was something like $40.


I have a simliar set up I welded together 16 years ago. 3 utes later and it's still going.


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## dsciulli19 (Apr 14, 2014)

Flyer said:


> OP- how long is your bed? I have a 5.5' bed and am trying to figure out the best bike-carry option. I guess I could do the fork mount thing but that seems tedious and I risk leaving the wheel somewhere. I use the 1UPUSA rack on the other vehicles but the truck is too long for that.


I have a Crew Cab 5.5ft bed full size pickup truck and I was searching for an in-bed solution that worked for me for a few years. I was set on building a PVC rack similar to the wooden one above and buying a U-shaped bed extender, but ended up finding a SWEET deal on a Yakima HoldUp hitch rack (before the pandemic bike boom) and decided to at least try that for a while.

Lengthwise It really isn't all that bad -- I put the rack on the truck for the weekend and it's folded up when not in use and I put it away when I know I won't be riding for a while. If you're worried about length I'd say it's probably not that big of a deal unless you're trying to fit into a specific garage/parking spot. The best part about the hitch rack is being able to use the bed of the truck and also haul bikes -- last fall I went on a few day trip to a riding destination before I had the rack and had to cram all of my bike gear, fishing stuff, ETC. into the bed of the truck and it would have been MUCH easier with the rack.

I'm not saying there aren't great solutions for hauling bikes in or over the top of the bed, just that a hitch rack + pickup truck length isn't too awful and might be worth a look as a turnkey solution for some.

-DS


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

sorry but the name and logo *88*...yeah, horrible connotations with that. not feeling that name whatsoever

look it up folks


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## shone237 (Apr 23, 2020)

127.0.0.1 said:


> sorry but the name and logo *88*...yeah, horrible connotations with that. not feeling that name whatsoever
> 
> look it up folks


 I did and nothing came up other than this rack. So rather than drive by troll, why not give us a link so we can understand your paranoia a little better?


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

shone237 said:


> I did and nothing came up other than this rack. So rather than drive by troll, why not give us a link so we can understand your paranoia a little better?


88 is commonly used amongst white supremacist groups.

google '1488'


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## shone237 (Apr 23, 2020)

when I hear that year I assume it's the year the company was founded or the birth date of the owner. To just jump to white supremacy seems like projection and slander.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

shone237 said:


> when I hear that year I assume it's the year the company was founded or the birth date of the owner. To just jump to white supremacy seems like projection and slander.


Ok.

Take it for however you want. That's just what he's referring to.


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## TooTallUK (Jul 5, 2005)

I mean, it does the job but that's a lot of money to drop on a rack that takes away the bed space, means you need to keep the tailgate down and can't be used when you haul anything.


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## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

Not to derail and I’m positive it has nothing to do with this business. However, 88 is one of the most common Nazi markers there is. Translation: 88=Heil Hitler. When you see a white guy with an “88” tattoo, I guarantee it ain’t the year he was born.


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## RangerMTB (Dec 25, 2020)

TooTallUK said:


> I mean, it does the job but that's a lot of money to drop on a rack that takes away the bed space, means you need to keep the tailgate down and can't be used when you haul anything.


It's definitely not the cheapest option but I wanted a system that Had the following:
1) securely held the bike in place without straps 
2) light and easy to install- the weight of a 4 bike tow hitch carrier is crazy heavy and takes up a lot of room in my garage when stored
3) looks good in the bed of my new truck (I realize not an important wish for most) 
The only downside is gate has to be open but gave me reason to purchase a bed extender for when I put my street bikes in the bed. 
as far as "88", I try to think positively about people's intent unless they show me reason to not to, therefore I'm not looking to much into the name of a company.


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## chris15706 (May 12, 2006)

I'm doing something similar with recrac and just turn my bike to the side for the short bed. Another bike can be attached to mine to the right.


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## chris15706 (May 12, 2006)

I should mention as well that the company recrac no longer exist. Wonder if something like the ride88 product could be turned to the side so I could mount like I have in the short bed?


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## RangerMTB (Dec 25, 2020)

chris15706 said:


> I should mention as well that the company recrac no longer exist. Wonder if something like the ride88 product could be turned to the side so I could mount like I have in the short bed?


Yes it can be turn so that you can close the gate. But will only work with one bike.


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## MNSparky (Sep 27, 2020)

RangerMTB said:


> Yes it can be turn so that you can close the gate. But will only work with one bike.
> View attachment 1910704


Could you put the rear wheels in the rack and then turn the front wheels to fit them in? I'm also looking for a solution like this, my bed is 76" long between the front wall and tailgate, which is exactly the length of my bike so no room for a rack. Or is there some reason you don't want to reverse it like that? I guess I've never seen a bike transported backwards other than over the gate but I can't think of a reason why not....


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## andrewdoherty (Jan 20, 2021)

I was thinking the same thing. Might need to secure the front wheel somehow so it doesn't flop into your TT. Otherwise I can't see why it wouldn't work.


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## MNSparky (Sep 27, 2020)

Found this thread that discusses it as well, see Samdemo's pics of the backwards bikes. I like it and will make something of my own (I can weld) so I don't have to pull the front wheel off all the time.









Best Truck Bed Bike Rack?


I wasn't sure which group to post this in. I live at least 45 min from any trails and I'm looking for a good bike rack to carry my 2012 Reign X in the bed of a '08 Chevy Silverado Crew-cab. I have a "rack" arm that clamps to the bedside and attaches to the seatpost, but I'd like something...




www.mtbr.com


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Good to know. My bikes are pretty long so I will test them out (been riding the fattie only) soon. My bed is 6'4" ( I took the Tundra back and got another truck that better suits my needs) and in a Thule InstaGater, my fattie fits straight with an inch to spare. I think my other bikes are a bit longer. Anyway, that Thule I have is not that great. It will work for now but I need a better solution before the season starts for real, since I want to take the truck more.



dsciulli19 said:


> I have a Crew Cab 5.5ft bed full size pickup truck and I was searching for an in-bed solution that worked for me for a few years. I was set on building a PVC rack similar to the wooden one above and buying a U-shaped bed extender, but ended up finding a SWEET deal on a Yakima HoldUp hitch rack (before the pandemic bike boom) and decided to at least try that for a while.
> 
> Lengthwise It really isn't all that bad -- I put the rack on the truck for the weekend and it's folded up when not in use and I put it away when I know I won't be riding for a while. If you're worried about length I'd say it's probably not that big of a deal unless you're trying to fit into a specific garage/parking spot. The best part about the hitch rack is being able to use the bed of the truck and also haul bikes -- last fall I went on a few day trip to a riding destination before I had the rack and had to cram all of my bike gear, fishing stuff, ETC. into the bed of the truck and it would have been MUCH easier with the rack.
> 
> ...


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## Mchmnd (Dec 26, 2016)

I pull our travel trailer and want to bring the bikes, so I wound up building this setup. It's just 1/2" plywood and some unistrut bolted to the bed and then used UHMW plastic as runners to support the tray. We just finished a 5700 mile trip, and this rig worked great. Taking the wheels off does suck though.


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## Stray Mutt (Dec 3, 2011)

I got a two bike Ride88 rack a few months ago. I had been using a pipeline rack and a modified Thule Instagator that I mounted to a crossbar in the front of the bed so I can open and close the tailgate. I'll sell either one now.

The Ride88 is far superior to anything I've used. I have a Jones Plus LWB Spaceframe that is really long, it is about an inch too long to fit in my F150 with a 6.5' bed. So I put the rear wheel in the rack and turn the front wheel slightly into the corner of the bed. It doesn't move at all. With a road bike or my SIR9 they fit fine front wheel forward. It takes 30 seconds to change between bikes. It also takes maybe a minute to remove or install the whole rack after the first time which might take 15 minutes from picking up the box. 

If you have one of those vestigial truck beds you could probably put the front wheel in the rack and put your rear wheel on top of the closed tailgate. 

The people at Ride88 are really nice, they'll make anything you need to mod it to fit your truck. You will not regret buying a Ride88 rack.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

Very similar to the Thule Insta-Gater Pro that has been around for over ten years. This one does look better, but I owned the Insta-Gater Pro close to ten years ago and didn't care for it much. You have to secure the back end of the bike otherwise it can possibly swing back and forth which looks like this one will have the same issue. I preferred using a ratchet strap and strapped down my bike moto-style instead.


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## Fixer24 (Jul 28, 2021)

I grabbed one of these today for my truck, along with the locks. Ride 88 also gave me a military discount so helped with the high cost of these. I'll report back when I receive mine.


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## rozinkafitness (10 mo ago)

RangerMTB said:


> I finally pulled the trigger and bought a truck for Mtb and towing my toyhauler. Search everywhere for bike rack options and thankfully came across Ride88 bike racks. Extremely well designed and simple to use/install. Clean look and very secure. Best part is it is able to safely transport up to 4 bikes without having to install a heavy and bulky rack that extends your truck another 5ft.
> View attachment 1908699
> View attachment 1908700
> View attachment 1908701


I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on this rack? Is it worth the price? I can't really find any recent reviews and it's going to cost about $815 with shipping for a 2 bike system!


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## procos (Jan 7, 2006)

Wow looks super cool. And according to the website when not in use you can drop it down and use your tonneau cover. I was pretty set on the 1UP Heavy Duty Double but this might be the ticket. Only thing is I would have to know if I put my back tire in the rack on my short bed Silverado and turned the front wheel would my tailgate close? I would have more than just bikes in the tailgate and don't want to keep the tailgate open.


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## procos (Jan 7, 2006)

Bummer was pretty pysched to get this rack but with a short bed my Yeti even with the front tire turned to a 90 degree angle is off by about an inch. Bummer.


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## rozinkafitness (10 mo ago)

I finally pulled the trigger and I really do love this rack. It is going to be really nice in the winter with my fat bike to keep it away from all of the salt on the roads here in Minnesota. I had a Recon rack that I really liked, but it just doesn't work as well with my truck, then it did my SUV.


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