# Pickup truck bike carriers ?



## bubbleblower (May 16, 2004)

Hello and thank you for reading, I need help, I am about to buy either the VW Amarok or the Nissan Navara these are UK names not sure about US.
Here in UK we don't import stock whatever..... Carriers that fit inside the pickup bed, I see some can be full bike stand types others front wheel off and clip forks in type.
Are you pleased with your carriers, but more to the point, if your Turk is one of these
Do they fit?? 
I'd like to know before I try to import them.

Cheers Bubbleblower


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## cosmofromkokomo (May 3, 2012)

Bike rack for a pickup truck......never thought of that! 

I've got a pickup truck and I just strap that sucker in the back using some adjustable tie downs. Saves a lot of $$ this way! 

I did break down and purchase a Thule T2 for the Mazda 3......when my wife lets me take the nice car  

Wondering why you would need a rack in a pickup anyway....can you elaborate?


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

The Nissan Navara is the same as our Nissan Frontier and the VW Amarok isn't over here which totally SUCKS!!! Buddy of mine has the Frontier (Navara). What he did was made some cross bars from Aluminum stock that could be attached and removed from the bed rails easily. He then used a bike rack system that attaches to the cross bars of a car or SUV. Works fantastic and allows for lots of room in the bed under the bikes, which are raised to the height of the bed rails.


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## gmats (Apr 15, 2005)

This is what I have, it's not the cheapest solution but it works great. Thule actually bought the rights to it from someone else.

Thule - 501 Insta-Gater Truck Bed Bike Carrier


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## Mikecito (Jun 2, 2007)

Tailgate Pad | The Straight Dirt | MountainBike.com

Just get something like that (or even a blanket) with a tie down and your done. Plus you look cool. One of the benefits of a pick up is that you don't need a rack.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

One of my teammates had a couple fork mounts screwed directly into his truck bed. Worked great, although I don't know how well it worked for using the truck for other things.

I had an overpriced thing that pressed against the inward-facing walls of the bed. To its credit, it did work. I'm still using it to facilitate loading bikes into my current SUV.


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## bubbleblower (May 16, 2004)

*Saw these on Thule*

Thule Truck Bike Racks - 2012 Thule 822XT Bed-Rider Pickup Truck Bike Rack

2012 Thule 824 Gate Mate TailGate Pad for Bikes - 62" Wide for Full-Size Pickup Trucks

These are for sale ORS racks direct in US, any one use these?
Once again Heers and thank you for your help so far . I will contact you on here personally if that's ok for those who have advice.

Cheers


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## DaveS01 (Jun 19, 2012)

Get a piece of wood the width of your truckbed and mount as many skewer blocks (fork mounts) as you can (about a foot and a half apart). I have several of them mounted to a piece of wood that i put in the back of my commander then I have 4 mounted to the top of my surco safari rack on my other jeep. They are cheap (about 20 US dollars a piece) and work damn well. Here is a link to one. 
Delta Bike Hitch Pro 2 Locking Fork Mount: Amazon.com: Sports & Outdoors


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## 11 Bravo (Mar 12, 2004)

I set a rack up for my Tacoma the way Nubster is describing. 

I made 4 removable attachment blocks that bolt inside the bed rails and attached a roof rack to them. I have 2 Thule Sidearm racks on it. It is a nice set up. Bikes go on in no time, no removal of the front wheels, the bikes are secure, and the bed is fully open under the bikes for gear. Another nice thing is they are lower than a true roof rack. I can drive my truck into the garage with the bikes on and not hit the top of the door opening. 

I also have a Thule T2 hitch rack that goes in the receiver hitch. Same set up as the Sidearm. No wheel removal, bikes are in the rack or off it in literately less than a minute and nothing touches the frame.

I can haul 4 riders in my 4 door Tacoma for 3 day weekend trips and all the gear fits in the bed, including a cooler for beer.

The Thule racks are a little spendy but they are sure nice. I think they are worth every penny.

I will try to round up some pictures later.


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## J3SSEB (Jun 1, 2009)

DaveS01 said:


> Get a piece of wood the width of your truckbed and mount as many skewer blocks (fork mounts) as you can (about a foot and a half apart). I have several of them mounted to a piece of wood that i put in the back of my commander then I have 4 mounted to the top of my surco safari rack on my other jeep. They are cheap (about 20 US dollars a piece) and work damn well. Here is a link to one.
> Delta Bike Hitch Pro 2 Locking Fork Mount: Amazon.com: Sports & Outdoors


This is what it looks like. I also recommend this because it is cost effective and you can custom fit it to the bed of your truck. Oh and one more thing, are you a West Ham supporter?


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## DaveS01 (Jun 19, 2012)

J3SSEB said:


> This is what it looks like. I also recommend this because it is cost effective and you can custom fit it to the bed of your truck. Oh and one more thing, are you a West Ham supporter?


That looks almost identical to my setup except for my commander I just lay it on the folded down seats, plus I have some mounted to the stock cross bars on the roof. Are you referring to west ham as in the soccer team? Why do you ask haha


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## BeeRoose (Jul 14, 2011)

Link to an old thread and pix of my solution: Unistrut w/ beam clamps, foam padding and my Thule Sidearms.

http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/truck-bike-rack-715411-2.html


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## J3SSEB (Jun 1, 2009)

DaveS01 said:


> That looks almost identical to my setup except for my commander I just lay it on the folded down seats, plus I have some mounted to the stock cross bars on the roof. Are you referring to west ham as in the soccer team? Why do you ask haha


Yeah, the soccer team, but I was asking bubbleblower because of his name.


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## natrat (Mar 20, 2008)

really happy with this, when not in use it's pretty compact and just goes on the shelf or inside the truck while on a ride, Will fit 2 bikes

Thule*-*501 Insta-Gater Truck Bed Bike Carrier


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## Mike Aswell (Sep 1, 2009)

May not work with the trucks you're looking at, but my F150 had 8mm holes in the bed wall. I tapped them, bought $20 locking clutches on pricepoint, two flat washers, two lock washers and a two hex bolts...done.


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## TitanofChaos (Jun 13, 2011)

This - Make your own Bike Rack

I've had mine built for 2 years, it's super easy and super cheap


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

BeeRoose said:


> Link to an old thread and pix of my solution: Unistrut w/ beam clamps, foam padding and my Thule Sidearms.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Very close to what my buddy did on his Frontier and it works excellent. Definitely the way I'd do it if I ever get another truck. Bikes are secure and you maintain lots of bed space.


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## 11 Bravo (Mar 12, 2004)

I found a couple of pictures of mine from when I was setting it up. I rearranged it a little, have the bikes facing forward now. I thought I had some current pictures but I can't find any. Anyway, you get the idea.

Just used 4 pieces of 1 inch key stock about 6 inches long. Drilled and tapped one and put it inside the bed rail. You just hold it in there and bolt the outside one to it clamping the bed rail between them. Set the rack on top and bolt it down. It only required drilling six 1/4 inch holes (2 factory holes were used). 

Whole thing completely removes from the truck when I need to haul other things. It breaks down in pieces and stores on the corner of the basement when not in installed.


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## iamspartacus (May 21, 2012)

Great examples, but I am very curious about these gate mates. Do they really work? Do the bikes jostle around at all? I am sure you strap them in, but I guess I would worry about getting rear-ended. I like the other ideas, too, but with a tool box in the back of my truck, I am limited on space. Sorry, these noob thoughts just come to me sometimes.


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## nicoslam (Mar 7, 2012)

*Try this*

I have one of these and absolutely love it. No need to remove front wheel and easy to load and unload. about $200 US


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## laherna (Jun 14, 2009)

I have one of each of these on my Nissan Frontier. They look cool (important if your truck is new) and work great. They fit into the built in bed rails for a clean fit.

DriveShaft SD- car racks, bike racks, truck racks, thru-axle racks, thru-axle truck mounts, truck bike carriers
RockyMounts - Clutch SD Truck Mount Bike Carrier


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

Another vote for the tailgate pad and hanging the bikes off the tailgate. I do this all the time with no issues. Plus I dont need to worry about height restrictions

*pic borrowed from "rideactionsport"


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## heyyall (Nov 10, 2011)

Third vote for throw the bike over the tailgate trick. I just use a towel or a couple of shop blankets. By the way, I also have a two bike fork mount on a 2x4 like shown above. That's great if you want to take your wheel off and only want to carry 2 bikes. When I go solo, I just put the bike in the bed on its side.

Here is a family outing where we needed to move 5 bikes + a bike trailer. It all fits nicely and doesn't move an inch while down the road.


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## c_m_shooter (Mar 8, 2007)

nicoslam said:


> I have one of these and absolutely love it. No need to remove front wheel and easy to load and unload. about $200 US


I have something similar that I made out of PVC. About $20 in pipe and fittings from home depot. There are instructions online somewhere.


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

One of the cheaper solutions Thule makes, if you don't mind putting holes in your truckbed's walls.

They also sell adapters for through-axles if you need them.


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## markj2k4 (Jan 20, 2009)

bolted through the drainholes in the bed. It was also strong enough to tie down motorcycles for transport. I even had a 700# touring bike tied down at one point.


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## Jim Hike (Jul 31, 2010)

WheelWally - Truck Mounted Bike Rack - Wheel Attachment System

Nice solution using the drain holes. Here's another option that's fast and works well for long bed trucks.


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## ZmyDust (May 13, 2011)

Call me a simpleton but I just throw the bike in the bed and drive off. I can wedge it in the back of my frontier to where it doesn't move while driving. Works great for one or two bikes with nothing else in the bed. Any more than that would present an issue.


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## Sarguy (Sep 25, 2010)

Friend of mine uses the Rec Rac. @ recrac.com (picture is from website) Ugh.


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

Yakima Beddy Jo has been good.


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## crtfour (Jan 29, 2007)

nicoslam said:


> I have one of these and absolutely love it. No need to remove front wheel and easy to load and unload. about $200 US


What kind of rack is this?


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