# Small Pick-up Setup



## Offtime3123 (Dec 28, 2006)

I am 16 and just getting my first car/truck . My dad and I have been looking around and are probibly going to get a small pick-up, like S10, Senoma, T100, Ranger. We need to have a truck in the drive way since my dad traded his for something more comfortable(he travels 60 miles to work and back) I wanted to know what people have done with there trucks to have mulitple bikes in it. I dont want to just lie my babies on top of one another, bumps, sliding around, etc. I also need it so I can haul other thing when I dont need my bikes.

If anyone as advice on the subject, pictures maybe? ?, I'd love to hear it. I don't need people telling me to get a different vehicle, so please don't.

Thank you!
ot

Now I feel really dumb cause I posted this thread on the wrong catagory.:madman:


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

I too have a small pickup.... I don't know if you saw this yet but, this is what i'm going to try...
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/bikerack/makerack.htm

came from this thread. 
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=268846


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## John_Michael (Sep 19, 2006)

You can probably fit 4 bikes in the bed if you install 4 of these:

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14...sories-38-Racks/Sette-Hitch-It-Bike-Mount.htm

Try alternating the direction of the bikes so the handle bars dont tangle (forward, back, forward back).


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## Sinker (Feb 3, 2007)

Do you mount that directly to the bed of the truck or to a 2x4 or what?


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## John_Michael (Sep 19, 2006)

Sinker said:


> Do you mount that directly to the bed of the truck or to a 2x4 or what?


I've seen it done both ways. Personally, I wouldn't want to drill right into the bed of my vehicle. I'd opt for the 2x4...but then again I have a Wrangler with a hitch rack.


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## TrikeKid (Sep 1, 2006)

FYI, The T100 is a mid size. You can pick up an 90's Toyota Pickups and Tacoma's relatively cheap, and they're comfortable, drive like a car and are more than capable of hauling bikes/dirt bikes/atv's etc... That's what I'd look for. (I have an 85 Xtra Cab 4x4 myself)


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## Offtime3123 (Dec 28, 2006)

Yeah... I was just naming for smaller trucks and my neighbor owns an older T100. Thanks for all the advice. Drilling into the bed isn't a hugh consern.


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## icamp (Apr 23, 2005)

I've got a S10 and I have 3 fork mounts spaced out on a 2x6 that sits on some ledges in the truck bed. Works great for me. I could fit more then 3 bikes on it, but I have no need for more then that.


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## summud (Jul 26, 2006)

*the pvc rack works great...*

i have an s-10 and i made the PVC rack because my new bike had a 20mm thru axle and i didnt want to take the front wheel off all the time. it works great i can get three bikes int he back of my truck, i shortened it from the plans so it goes in the front of the bed and i put the front tire in instead of the rear like they show int he plans. the great thing is that the S-10 bed is the perfect size and when i close the gate it hold the bikes in snugly so i don't need to strap them down unless im going on a really rough road. and it makes a great bike rack for the ground to...pay no attention to the dork in the pictures....


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## Offtime3123 (Dec 28, 2006)

Three questions for you...
1. Do the bikes stay up-right well? When you driving that is. They don't bounce around??
2. Is your S10 short bed or long bed?
3. What are the changes you made to the original plans? How much shorter/longer did you make what?

ok so that was five questions. But i like the PVC idea because I could easliy pull that out when I need to. (I'm on the local fire dept. so I need to keep my gearbag with me most of the time)

Thanks.
ot


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## icamp (Apr 23, 2005)

Heres a picture of mine that I mentioned above.


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## summud (Jul 26, 2006)

Offtime3123 said:


> Three questions for you...
> 1. Do the bikes stay up-right well? When you driving that is. They don't bounce around??
> 2. Is your S10 short bed or long bed?
> 3. What are the changes you made to the original plans? How much shorter/longer did you make what?
> ...


they actually stay up pretty good on the road, my ellsworth fits really snug in the back of the truck and stays up by itself, a couple of my bikes are shorter so i use a strap in conjunction with the rack, and they stay put, the only time i strap down the ellsworth is when i'm going somewhre with really rough roads that tend to flop the bikes around. the only time i had an issue was when i through one bike in and i put it on one side and didnt strap it in. i took a fast corner and it tipped over. cause the rack moved, but if you bungee the rack down like the original plans say its not a problem.

the truck is a shortbed

i cant remember exactly how much i shortened the original plans. i just made the three bike rack according to the plans then dry fit it all together and put it in the truck and measured the amount i was over and took equal amounts off of each middle piece to shorten it equally, if that makes sense. i didnt like how in the original design when you put your back tire in you had to be in the big ring up front and the big cog in back for the derailleur arm to clear the pipe. and even if it did it was a tight fit and looked like it would put lateral pressure on the deraileur arm when the bikes moves around.

on the plans i shortened the pieces labeled part number 2

hope this helps


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## Offtime3123 (Dec 28, 2006)

Thanks, to all of you. Helps alot.


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## nmba guy (Jul 28, 2005)

if you go the route of the front fork skewer type holder mounted to a 2x6 (thats what I had in my Ranger) it helps if you mount them at a bit of an angle so if you have two bikes in there with wide handle bars that are at the same height they dont interfere with each other, I had to remount my holders once cause of that.


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## chronicj82 (Jul 20, 2006)

Summud- Great input on the PVC rack I have been wondering how well that system really works. You have sold me on it, gonna go get the materials today. I am between trucks right now but love that S-10's Had a 98 and a 93, I will prob end up with another one. Since I wont have a truck bed to fit it in while I'm building can you give a me a ball park figure on how much you cut the #2 pieces. 1,2,3,....8 inches? I just don't wanna build it twice if I don't have to...BTW painted black makes 100% difference in the aesthetics


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

Just Finished my PVC Rack for my '04 Mazda B2300.... same truck as the Ford Ranger (basically).... thank you Summud for the motivation!
Right now I have the Dry Fit together and I am going to do Final Gluing today. This thing looks great in my truck and I can put Three bikes all side by side just like in Summud's S-10....
chronicj82, here is my 2 cents on the measurements.......... One helpful tip I think is to measure your Max Distance on the Floor of your Bed between the Wheelwells.... because this Rack has to lie between them, This distance will be the same Max distance of the Rack.... and try to make this snug because I think the wheel wells will help stabalize the rack.... My Max distance was 40 inches.... So my final cut on the pieces that are the only Variable in the instructions (which are the 16.5" peices, fits an F150) turned out to be about 12 3/4 inches.... I would would start big and then trim down.
by the way, once you make your cuts, and have all the peices.... this thing is a breeze to put together!
hope it helps.


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## summud (Jul 26, 2006)

*glad i could be helpful...*



chronicj82 said:


> Summud- Great input on the PVC rack I have been wondering how well that system really works. You have sold me on it, gonna go get the materials today. I am between trucks right now but love that S-10's Had a 98 and a 93, I will prob end up with another one. Since I wont have a truck bed to fit it in while I'm building can you give a me a ball park figure on how much you cut the #2 pieces. 1,2,3,....8 inches? I just don't wanna build it twice if I don't have to...BTW painted black makes 100% difference in the aesthetics


yeah i agree with greenhill its good to get it tight in between the wheel wells it definitely helps. i think i had to cut mine down from the original size no more than 2 or 3 inches. one more thing when your gluing it together. that pvc glue sets fast, when you put that stuff in there it basically dissolves the plastic temporarily and sets back up fast, so when you put the glue in make sure you push the piece in all the way the first push and try to push it in straight if you try to twist it in, it may set up at the wrong angle and make it hard to get some other pieces to match up towards the end, i found out the hard way and had to break a piece off and recut, but after that i was just real careful with it and it went fine.


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

*PVC Bike Rack*

hey guys, just wanted to follow up with some Pics of my Completed PVC Bike rack for a Pick-Up. I gotta say this thing works Great. I can easily place three bikes in my rack in a small-size pickup.

Summud, you were right about the cementing.... man, you got to move FAST! that stuff sets up quick! 
...also I wanted to share a helpful tip on Stabalizing and Securing the Bikes... I ran a Galvanized chain accross the Front Bed hooks, as tight as possible, (see pics) and secured it with a Galvanized pad lock...I don't remove the chain either, it just lives in the bed now. When going for a ride, I throw in the Rack, then the bikes, and I secure the front of the bikes to the CHAIN (not the rack) using the bungees(see pics) I feel like this secures the Bikes to the Truck (not the rack) and the rack just stabalizes the bikes.... Also, if you have to leave the bikes for some reason, you can lock the bikes straight to the chain.... or when you are out on the trail and have to leave the rack, you can lock the rack to the chain. anyway, this is how i did it and have to say i am quite pleased of the outcome.
happy trails!
greenhill.


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## summud (Jul 26, 2006)

*looks good*

the rack looks good. i was out at bootleg canyon here in vegas this weekend and i saw a guy with a pvc rack, except he put a T joint on the top corners instead of a 90. he then put short pieces in that extended to the lip of his bed that snugged the rack in between the top edge of the bed, (dont know if that makes sense)...it looked really solid. he did have a spray in liner so that when he wedged it in there he didnt have to worry about scratching his bed, i just thought it was cool to see a variation. he said he had seen my truck out there and decided to make his own :thumbsup:


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## Demonsmasher (Aug 1, 2006)

I did this to my s10 zr2. Got most stuff off ebay and got the bars at dicks sporting goods total about 100 bucks. I can carry 3 bikes right now and still have room under the bikes.


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## tsacain (Sep 21, 2006)

I made that PVC rack yesterday and it works fantastic. I would highly recommend it.


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

*PVC guys.*

for the PVC guys..... anybody come up with a way to Stabalize the back of the Bikes from the occasional rocking...... I've noticed going over bumps or whatever would make the Truck rock from side to side, especially at slower speeds. i've noticed the bikes can sometimes start rocking..... I was trying to figure out a way to stabalize the back of the bikes to prevent this..... but hav'nt come up with anything yet..... I don't think it is a problem or that the bikes are being harmed but, i thought i would ask...... just wandering if there was a simple solution out there that i was missing.
thanks, 
greenhill.


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## Demonsmasher (Aug 1, 2006)

greenhill said:


> for the PVC guys..... anybody come up with a way to Stabalize the back of the Bikes from the occasional rocking...... I've noticed going over bumps or whatever would back the Truck rock from side to side, especially at slower speeds. i've noticed the bikes can sometimes start rocking..... I was trying to figure out a way to stabalize the back of the bikes to prevent this..... but hav'nt come up with anything yet..... I don't think it is a problem or that the bikes are being harmed but, i thought i would ask...... just wandering if there was a simple solution out there that i was missing.
> thanks,
> greenhill.


Build another small version of the pvc. I would think that would work.


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

*tie down strap (ratchet)*

yeah, i thought of a smaller version of the pvc thing too.... i think i was trying to go a bit simpler....
Actually, I think i figured out that my Bungies probably had a little too much slack... So I replaced them with Tie Down Ratchet straps..... I put these ratchet straps in the exact same position as the bungies in my above photos, and it made a huge difference... Much less Rocking now, and it seems alot of stress is taken off the Front wheel from the rocking...... I was carefull not to Over-Torque though.... just snug enough for stabalization.


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## Offtime3123 (Dec 28, 2006)

Demonsmasher, Do you have any other photos of your setup? Just interrested.

Thanks


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## icamp (Apr 23, 2005)

Offtime3123 said:


> Demonsmasher, Do you have any other photos of your setup? Just interrested.
> 
> Thanks


I'm also interested in the setup on the ZR2 because I have one and am planning on taking a trip from Ohio to Moab and some other places in between in my zr2 this summer with a friend.


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## Demonsmasher (Aug 1, 2006)

Offtime3123 said:


> Demonsmasher, Do you have any other photos of your setup? Just interrested.
> 
> Thanks


Shure here are 2. I used yakima rail rider towers. Screwed them to the bed of the truck. Got them off ebay for 20 bucks. The rails I am using are the SRL model, but any will work aslong as they work with the Yakima system. Then bought the 48" bars at Dicks Sporting Goods.


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## Caffeine Powered (Mar 31, 2005)

I used to have a 1992 Mazda B2600i 4x4 SE-5 extra cab with a tapered tall topper. Under the topper I had the top parts of a Yakima 1A tower bolted to a 2x4 with the load bar. The 2x4 was the width of the bed but it would still slide fore and aft so I put two other 2x4 pieces, one toward the cab and the other toward the liftgate. Sort of like a "t". I used door hinges at the joints so I would be able to remove the rack and have it be storable. There were many road trips to races where I could have the bike on one side and I had a cot that fit on the other side of the bed. I could store luggage and a cooler between the two. That made going to race weekends more affordable if there was no camping or if I was short on funds.


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

I started consturction of my PVC rack tonight. I have a 98 Ford Ranger stepside. It took awhile to get the rack to fit inside the bed itself, I cut off 1.5" and it just fit inside the bed, but then i realized that it has to fit between the wheel whells.. I gave up and called it a night  I thought that it had to fit snugly in the BED of the truck not inbetween the wheelwhells.. thats what happens when you get tired. 

Instead of painting it black (which looks really sick) I think im going to paint is Safty Blue  wont that look dandy with a green ranger...


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

motormonkeyr6 said:


> I started consturction of my PVC rack tonight. I have a 98 Ford Ranger stepside......................QUOTE]
> 
> Make sure you post some picks of the finished product MotorMonkey, with bike mounted..... lov'n the PVC.


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## Demonsmasher (Aug 1, 2006)

yea post some picks. Someone should do a good how to for PVC. I think that would be good.


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

Assembly was preaty smooth until I tried to put it in the truck, I had the gap for the tires alittle more than the mock up. So I took a PVC saw and cut off the edges and it sliped right in. The rack is outside drying at this moment. (primer) I should have the ratchet rope ties and gloss black paint on by the weekend. Will definatly get pics up. Best Rack under 30 bucks for a pickup! no doubt!!!!


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

Just finished painting the rack, its a sparkly blue shinny in the sunlight (cant see it in the pics) It looks freekin awsome. Just a word to the wise if you are going to paint the rack apply at least 1 coat of primer. Im going to do one more coat later tonight and then maybe a gloss finish to protect it, not sure yet.


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## Demonsmasher (Aug 1, 2006)

Looks great. Can you post how many and what type of pices you had to use?


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

I followed the plans, except I cut almost 4 inches off in the width. (3.5" I think) because I have a stepside bed. After it finished drying I tried putting it in the bed it was so wide to I took a PVC saw and cut off the edges of the 90 degree bends. It fits perfectly now. 

If you want to go to the extreme (like me) Take an old inner tube cut some peices off and glue them to the connectors that make contact with the bed to prevent sliding. Alittle added confidence.


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## greenhill (Jul 30, 2006)

MotorMonkey, ......the Blue looks good man! great job. I like the idea of Rubber feet on the bottom.... may have to do that.


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

greenhill said:


> MotorMonkey, ......the Blue looks good man! great job. I like the idea of Rubber feet on the bottom.... may have to do that.


The only reason Im putting the rubber on the feet is because I have no bed liner at this point. With a bed liner I doubt that it would slid that much.

*the only reason I chose to paint it blue is well, we have over 10 cans of that stuff... and I have NO money, trucks are expensive...*

I put the top coat on last night and will hopfully have pics with the bike all tied up in the back today. One thing I did differently than what alot of people is, I did not glue the T connectors in the middle of the rack. I didnt glue them together so I could take it apart and store it when it is not in use. Parents already complain my bikes take up to much space...:skep:


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

Lets see how many times I can post today on this thread!

Well the rack is complete!


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## Jwind (Mar 1, 2006)

This is Awesome, I just got a Tacoma to replace one of our vehicles and I needed a trasnport solution for my bike (with 20mm). 

Any of you PVC folks have plans?


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## dragonhead08 (Mar 19, 2007)

These PVC racks are awesome. I've been using a pair of yakima blockheads but it gets annoying having to take the wheel on and off every time. I love the fact you mount three bikes as I have two buddies I ride with and it would let me fit all our bikes in there


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

All these pics have convinced me to put together a pvc rack for my truck. I've also got a 98 Ranger stepside, so it's great to see one of these things in my truck. Mine is the autumn orange metallic color, so I'll have to look for potential color matching. Black may be the best, but we'll see.


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

NateHawk said:


> All these pics have convinced me to put together a pvc rack for my truck. I've also got a 98 Ranger stepside, so it's great to see one of these things in my truck. Mine is the autumn orange metallic color, so I'll have to look for potential color matching. Black may be the best, but we'll see.


the paint is going to wear off. I did 1 coat primer and 2 coats blue paint (just cause I had it in the garage) the paint gets scratched. Dont worry about the color to much. Its in the bed of the truck anyways!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I just went with black, anyway. Today, I start assembly. Oh, I also replaced the top set of 90's with T's so I can wedge it more securely in the bed like a previous poster mentioned he had seen done.


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

zhope everything goes smoothly. Just be prepared to cut it down alittle at a time to make it fit snug. Then post up some pics  Over the weekend I had 3 bikes in the rack and 2 over the tailgate worked like a charm.


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## tedsti (Oct 22, 2004)

Here is something similar that I set up on my Dakota.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=3010281&postcount=19



icamp said:


> I'm also interested in the setup on the ZR2 because I have one and am planning on taking a trip from Ohio to Moab and some other places in between in my zr2 this summer with a friend.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Well, on my first attempt at assembly, I screwed up and glued before I got everything lined up. Wasted 2 T-joints. Bought 2 more and did it right today. I'm going for a ride tomorrow...will post pre-paint pics. I'll start painting it in the afternoon.

EDIT: Here are a couple pics from my ride today, where I used the rack for transport purposes. The first one shows the bike in the rack without any supplemental tie downs. My tires (which are only 2.0's) are a nice, tight fit. I've got some 2.1's, that I'm concerned might only fit deflated. I thought I'd be fine since I don't have anything approaching a 3.0, but apparently Specialized tires are meaty for their size. The second photo shows the tie down method I use...straps over the wheels. I tried using the bungee to the rack method, and didn't really like how much the bike moved. So, I did this and the bike is in there SOLID. The straps are attached to the cleats in the bed of the truck. The rack is also bungeed to those same cleats.


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## jetta_mike (Feb 26, 2007)

or if your really cheap.....an old sleeping bag.


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## Nilsson (Jan 8, 2007)

Anyone tried the PVC rack whit downhill bikes? is it stable enough?


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

*PVC rack + DH bikes = awsome*



Nilsson said:


> Anyone tried the PVC rack whit downhill bikes? is it stable enough?


:thumbsup:

yup I have one in my little 98 ford ranger. Today we had a sinister R9, and two IH 7points, no problem. I have a 2x4 under the tires to keep the disks from getting mangled.


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## smilin-buddha (Sep 10, 2005)

Here are plans I saw on the net hope it helps. Todd

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/bikerack/makerack.htm


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## Xjman1 (Nov 12, 2007)

Awesome thread. Gues what I am doing this holiday week.


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## GTScott (Nov 19, 2007)

I am so glad that someone linked me to this thread. I was just starting to get tired of taking the front wheels on and off to mount to my extendable load bar.

One question though...does anyone have any idea how to build the 3-place MTB rack and then come up with some sort of insert-type material to make the rack also work to haul a single road bike? Obviously the tire width is vastly different.


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## floorguy724 (Apr 20, 2004)

GTScott said:


> I am so glad that someone linked me to this thread. I was just starting to get tired of taking the front wheels on and off to mount to my extendable load bar.
> 
> One question though...does anyone have any idea how to build the 3-place MTB rack and then come up with some sort of insert-type material to make the rack also work to haul a single road bike? Obviously the tire width is vastly different.


I have the pvc rack and haul a road bike. All you have to do is put the front bungee on and tie down the rear. You should'nt have any problems.


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## GTScott (Nov 19, 2007)

I built this over the past weekend (not yet glued it) and can say it goes together very easily. 

I built mine with spacers at the recommended length on one end and then 1/2" longer in the other two spaces to fit some wider tires. I will post some pics after it is glued and painted.


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## NE2NM (Dec 5, 2006)

*Diy*

Has anyone had experience in installing a hitch?

I was thinking about getting one on-line and installing it myself. It looks like it only takes a drilling a few bolts.

I think a hitch mount rack is next to the Christmas tree.:thumbsup:


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## Demonsmasher (Aug 1, 2006)

NE2NM said:


> Has anyone had experience in installing a hitch?
> 
> I was thinking about getting one on-line and installing it myself. It looks like it only takes a drilling a few bolts.
> 
> I think a hitch mount rack is next to the Christmas tree.:thumbsup:


Hitches are pretty simple depending on the veh. you have. Most trucks you just drop the spare tire and remove some bolts to install the hitch then you replace the bolts that you removed and they hold the hitch on. normally a 15-30 min job.


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## NE2NM (Dec 5, 2006)

Demonsmasher said:


> Hitches are pretty simple depending on the veh. you have. Most trucks you just drop the spare tire and remove some bolts to install the hitch then you replace the bolts that you removed and they hold the hitch on. normally a 15-30 min job.


Thanks,

I just bought a 2006 Nissan Frontier, so I'm eager to get it set up as a bike hauler.


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