# Bike fit in Tacoma 5' bed (shortest bed)



## dman_mb1 (Jan 19, 2007)

I'm thinking about a Tacoma Double Cab Short Bed. My current older XtraCab Toyota has no back doors and I'm tired of struggling to get stuff behind the seats. And if I get a new truck I'd really like a true double cab so we could sell our car. And I prefer a manual transmission and TRD Off-road package, and the double cab long bed is not available in that config in either 2nd gen or upcoming 3rd gen. My current truck has a 6.5' bed but the DCSB Tacoma is only 5'. I'll probably get a shell so over the tailgate shuttle-style is not an option; besides I want to have the bikes totally enclosed so no hitch rack. I'm OK with removing the front wheel though and would use a fork mount on a board on the bed floor just behind the tailgate. My 29-er is 57" long from rear tire to front of fork and around 60" to front of cables ahead of the bar. So it should fit fine in the bed, and the cables should clear or at worst gently touch the camper lift gate. That's what the tape measure say - anyone have a real world perspective. Please, don't say van, SUV or Tundra. I know my options, just want to get input on this one.


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

dman_mb1 said:


> My current truck has a 6.5' bed but the DCSB Tacoma is only 5'. I'll probably get a shell so over the tailgate shuttle-style is not an option; besides I want to have the bikes totally enclosed so no hitch rack.


Is it just you, or you Plus one? Diagonal should work if you can mount your bike in the middle and stuff the rear wheel in the corner. Though if you have a buddy with a L or XL 29er riding along then that might be pushing it pretty close. My Giant FS 29er is 61" from fork to rear tire as an example (L) then you have the cables and bars another few inches so that wouldn't work inside the bed and under a topper. Remember you can always let air our of your rear wheel to get another inch or so. It's going to be a tight fit no matter how you build it.

If you are not married to Tacoma's, I think Nissan offers a Frontier 6' bed with the manual tranny as an option. But honestly, be prepared to be disappointed if you have a 6'5" bed now. That extra foot+ makes a huge difference in gear/bike hauling ability. My buddy recently got a '12 Tacoma DCSB coming off of a 2004 Tundra DC 6'Bed and he is pretty bummed about the lack of space and cramped interior. It's a small truck. It's also super tight for three or four 6' dudes for sure plus all the gear for a day going out and he has a 4 bike hitch rack. I guess if you are single or single +1 it would work well but even then it is tight back there.

I know you didn't ask, but note the newer 2-3 year old F150 ecoboost's get 10-15% better gas mileage, are way bigger, and are not much more it seems than a similarly priced Tacoma. My other buddy gets 24-25mpg on the hwy with his 2013 Ecoboost Ford F150, can pull a small trailer 100mph+ up the mountain passes of Colorado which the Tacoma can barely hold 70 loaded with just bikes and struggles.


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## rearviewmirror (Jun 14, 2006)

I have a Hilux. One 29er fits diagonally using the Thule Insta-Gater. Not ideal, but works fine.


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## dman_mb1 (Jan 19, 2007)

rearviewmirror: I will mostly carry two bikes plus want room for gear, and I need to remove the front wheels anyway, to lower the bikes to fit under a shell, so diagonal is not desirable, or needed. Is your Hilux a double cab, and how do you find the usefulness of the rear seats for passengers and storage?

My wife's current 26" HT is much smaller than my Tallboy but she's going to upgrade soon, but I expect her new bike will still be shorter than mine. Still I'm surprised GSJ1973 that your Giant is so much longer than my bike. 

As for your other input GSJ1973, it does seem like the DC Toyota may be a poor compromise. And though I don't early want to move up to a true full size truck, the EcoBoost F150 is an interesting option that I hadn't really considered. The shortest overall length on the Ford is with a 66" bed, which combined with a roomier cab may be better compromise. Thanks for the inputs so far ... is there anyone who does have a DCSB who is happy with its carrying capacity and all-round usefulness?


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## rearviewmirror (Jun 14, 2006)

It is a dual cab, I run a Kuat on the hitch to carry more than one bike. Lots of space to carry all the necessary gear for a trip, just need a plan to carry the extra bikes. With wheels off you shouldn't have any issues at all. The Toyota is great to drive on long trips and easy on fuel. Of course, we have the 3.0l diesel option here.


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## deuxdiesel (Jan 14, 2007)

On my last DCSB, I used fork mounts attached to the track just below the rear window. Raising the fork mounts off the bed floor gave me enough room to carry a fat bike or 29er within the bed and have the tailgate up. It is also a very secure and safe way to transport the bike. I used a Saris 100mm fork mount and Kuat fork mounts for the fatty.


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## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

No experience with the truck you're considering, but I love my '11 F150 ecoboost crew cab. Huge back seat, lots of power, decent mileage, lots of space. I don't think a smaller truck will get much better mpg, and Toyotas aren't cheap to buy, anyway.


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## dman_mb1 (Jan 19, 2007)

Thanks for continuing responses. I broke my collarbone yesterday so won't be riding for few months and can put off this decision. I also showed my wife a DCSB Tacoma parked at the curb, and with one glance at the bed, she pointed out there's no point if we can't sleep in the back. So back to full-size or long-bed. The broken collarbone (right side, I'm in the U.S.) is a good reminder of one downside of stick shift. I can barely turn the wheel with power steering let alone shift left-handed


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## amish_matt (Aug 18, 2006)

I have a friend with a DCSB. The cab space sure is nice, but man, that bed is small. He uses a combination of a hitch rack and tailgate pad to carry bikes. Putting your bike entirely in the bed doesn't leave much room for additional gear.

I have an access cab, and my Spitfire with 45"-ish WB fits perfectly in the long bed with the wheels on, or over the gate, which is my preferred method for shorter trips. 

As to shifting left handed, yeah, it sucks. I had to do that last fall for a few weeks when my right hand was in a cast. I'd still rather do that than be stuck with an auto.


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## deuxdiesel (Jan 14, 2007)

Sorry to hear of your injury- hope you heal up soon. The DCSB is a serious compromise- the bed is to too short for much stuff, and the rear seats are too upright for comfort. I am waiting to see pricing on the new '16 Tacoma's in either DCSB or ACLB, but it has to be stick and 4WD, so it will probably limited choices. There may still be hope for a DCLB manual transmission though.


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## KentheKona (Jul 6, 2013)

I feel your pain, I went Truck/SUV shopping and wanted a 4x4 with a manual transmission. I ended up with an Xterra. Good truck (one of the last SUV's that's frame on body let a lone on a truck chassis, so I'll call it a truck), but I know how slim the pickens are. Good luck and get well soon.


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## deuxdiesel (Jan 14, 2007)

X's are great trucks- I owned a first-gen with a manual trans and really liked it. If the new Tacoma does not pan out for me, there are still left-over stick second-gen X's on the dealer lots right now, especially the 4X models. With the death of FJ's and now X's, we are left with only Mommy-wagons (Wrangler Unlimited) that have manuals.


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## DOCRIGID (Sep 16, 2009)

tailgate pad and hang em' strap em down







06 nissan frontier se 4x4 6 speed :thumbsup:


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## AK 59 (Aug 16, 2015)

I have a 2013 Tacoma double cab. I can lay my specialized stumpy inside in still close the gate


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## farmdog (Jul 15, 2015)

I have a 2012 Nissan Frontier DCSB with a topper and while it's a great truck and good for many things, Hauling bikes in the back just isn't possible. Hitch mount is the way to go.


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## TonyTx (Nov 26, 2013)

Not sure if you got this sorted out yet....I have a 2015 Tacoma DCSB...have a fork mounted rack that goes across the bed and mounts to the top of the side rails...can carry two bikes but you have to remove the wheels...you can get wheel carriers that mount to the rack...when I carry them in the bed I usually remove the wheels and secure them to the cleats with Velcro...unless I stop to go inside then I just put the wheel in the back cab...and lock the bike to D ring...

I also have a Thule T2 on the back since I already had it from the Subaru days...my road and cross bikes fit perfect in the back and ride secure...my Mountain bikes will fit also though I have to set them at a slight angle to close the tail gate..I usually just throw them on the rack.

There are a few companies that make fork mounts that fit into the C Channel for the Tacomas...some good info over on the Tacoma Forums about them...tacomaworld.com


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## dman_mb1 (Jan 19, 2007)

Hi, I'm the OP. I ended up buying a used 2016 DCSB that came with a nice, sleek cab high ARE shell. Good news, I can fit our two 29-er FS trail bikes (one large, one medium) with the fork mounts on boards on the bed floor and close the tailgate and rear window. With the bikes angled slightly there's a surprising amount of room left for the wheels and camping gear, plus of course all the room in the back seat. Bad news is that's very tight to actually get the bikes in, mostly because the low shell height is further exacerbated by ARE's brain-dead hinge and interior light design and locations, which intrude on another couple of inches of space. But with a boxier cab-high contractor shell or a mid-rise shell with a continuous hinge on the rear window ... or the new AT Tacoma Habitat flip-up camper, there would be more than enough room for the two bikes. And otherwise I love the truck and think the shorter wheelbase of the short bed version is worth the slightly tighter fit.


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## xxxxx (Aug 29, 2011)

dman_mb1 said:


> Hi, I'm the OP. I ended up buying a used 2016 DCSB that came with a nice, sleek cab high ARE shell. Good news, I can fit our two 29-er FS trail bikes (one large, one medium) with the fork mounts on boards on the bed floor and close the tailgate and rear window. With the bikes angled slightly there's a surprising amount of room left for the wheels and camping gear, plus of course all the room in the back seat. Bad news is that's very tight to actually get the bikes in, mostly because the low shell height is further exacerbated by ARE's brain-dead hinge and interior light design and locations, which intrude on another couple of inches of space. But with a boxier cab-high contractor shell or a mid-rise shell with a continuous hinge on the rear window ... or the new AT Tacoma Habitat flip-up camper, there would be more than enough room for the two bikes. And otherwise I love the truck and think the shorter wheelbase of the short bed version is worth the slightly tighter fit.


Would you be able to post a picture of the bikes mounted in the bed under the topper?

If one was going to buy an ARE cab high topper would you recommend not getting the light option because of its intrusion into the usable space?

Thank you.


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## dman_mb1 (Jan 19, 2007)

xxxxx said:


> Would you be able to post a picture of the bikes mounted in the bed under the topper?
> 
> If one was going to buy an ARE cab high topper would you recommend not getting the light option because of its intrusion into the usable space?
> 
> Thank you.


The light is pretty poor quality and it just adds more wires to snag on things ... in addition to the 3rd brake light and power latch if you get that (I have it and it's very handy). In addition, it's shape tends to snag things and it's also not very rugged so would eventually break IMO. You can have mine There are bright battery-powered LED lights that could be attached in a less obtrusive location.

I'm traveling now and have a poor internet connection but here's a couple shots. I have now switched the fork mount for the other bike to the front of the bed. It's actually easier to get in, though I do have to crawl in to attach it, and by having both handlebars up front, the back (tailgate end) of the bed is much more usable and accessible. I don't have any pictures of the current setup.


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## xxxxx (Aug 29, 2011)

Thanks for the images. It looks pretty tight. It looks like your seats are lowered, I t is disappointing if the saddle/post has to be lowered/removed every time. 

A taller topper might help a lot but I don't like the look.


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