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Shuttle rigs

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
^^ :rofl: It's been a learning curve coming from a more normal 7½' moldboard to finessing that bad boy. As I told someone else recently, it's like being in a 10' room full of glass cabinets . . . carrying a 12' ladder.
 

big-ted

Danced with A, attacked by C, fired by D.
Sep 27, 2005
1,400
47
Vancouver, BC
Did a few runs this weekend. Full writeup on the NS rack to come soon when I have time. Preview: It's expensive, but awesome.



I'm curious as to how having an NS rack on a pick-up affects fuel economy. It looks like the bikes would screw the aerodynamics quite a bit, no?
 

KavuRider

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2006
2,565
4
CT
I want one of those racks for my van.
I had a Thule T2, with the 2 bike add on, but wasn't really too crazy about it.

15 passenger van with a 6 bike NS rack = awesome...
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
I'm curious why people buy "trucks" with no bed anymore . . . so that they can spend more on racking systems.
Lol I got mine and the bike was 4" too long so I dropped the tailgate and now I can have typical 4-5 bikes as well as famine pad for easy shuttling... ill still buy a rack though so I can load calling gear and the kids stuff in the bed and still bring bikes...so even with a big enough bed ill opt for a rack. As well as kayaks for the ocean need radii g and paddle boards long boards etc....so I will have atleast 2 difernt racks.....
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
I'm curious why people buy "trucks" with no bed anymore . . . so that they can spend more on racking systems.
I would like to see you try to fit 4 people over 6 ft and 1 person who's 5'8" on an 8 hour roadtrip, with about ~60 ft^3 of gear/luggage and 4-5 downhill bikes in a double cab, 6.5 ft bed Tundra without a rack. Oh ya, and do it with everyone being 100% comfortable.

OR

Shuttle for 8 hours with 6 large adults (yes I know, illegal without a 6th belt) and 6 downhill bikes with spares, toolboxes, gear, etc.

Answer is, you can't without a rack and bigass cab.


Also, not quite sure how a 55 cubic foot bed translates into "no bed"

I'm curious as to how having an NS rack on a pick-up affects fuel economy. It looks like the bikes would screw the aerodynamics quite a bit, no?
Yes, without a doubt. The tundra gets about 19-21 mpg on flat ground at 65 mph. With the rack and 3-4 bikes that drops to about 16-17mpg. I've been toying around with the idea of getting a bed cap. I'm pretty sure that would improve mileage dramatically with the rack on. Hacktastic has been an endless critic of that in general. I haven't decided if i'm going to give it a try.
 
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MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
Also, not quite sure how a 55 cubic foot bed translates into "no bed."
Well . . . it's a perspective thing. I grew up in an era when the average pickup could haul a half-unit of plywood flat in the bed and not whimper. Nowadays, they're all about hauling people, with cargo as an afterthought. Why the pretentions of a 'bed' at all, when a Suburban would fill the bill?

And, yeah, 55 cu ft. might as well be no bed if it won't carry what you need it to.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
How long ago are you comparing it to? An early 90's ford f150 with the normal, 6.5ft bed, only had 3 cubic feet more of cargo room.
 

doc gravity

Monkey
Oct 25, 2004
152
0
highlands ranch, CO
I'm curious why people buy "trucks" with no bed anymore . . . so that they can spend more on racking systems.
Very real issue, I drive a dodge mega cab which I love for the interior room, and hate for it's 6 and 1/2 foot bed. Modifying the truck to a long bed hasn't been worth it yet. As much as I hate having racks and too small a bed, I really enjoy not having youngsters kicking the back of my seat when I drive:thumb:
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
I'm curious as to how having an NS rack on a pick-up affects fuel economy. It looks like the bikes would screw the aerodynamics quite a bit, no?
Good news. I finally got a camper shell. Used leer 100xq or something for $650.

I will begin the experiment with how the rack affects mileage with that thing. 2 weeks ago with the bed fully loaded and 4 big guys in the truck with 5 bikes on the rack I got ~16mpg round trip from Santa Barbara to Mammoth without the shell. That was going 70-ish most of the way. Windy desert highways and sitting in traffic for ~50 miles of the trip. I will be making an identical trip this coming weekend with the camper shell. Stay tuned. I'm guessing +2 mpg
 

downhill mike

Turbo Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
1,286
4
Here's my new shuttle rig:

6 wheel drive and runs on any kind of fuel!

Fits 18 riders and bikes comfortably and will go anywhere. Since this picture was taken, I have mounted a Saris bike rack on the front. Looks awesome! Next year the custom graphics will be sick!
 
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RD3

Monkey
Nov 30, 2003
661
14
PA
doesnt run on any fuel btw
Any flammable liquid or a mixture there of. It would burn used motor oil mixed with gasoline, veggie oil, used suspension, brake, trans fluid, gear oil, bio diesel, heating oil.
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Well . . . it's a perspective thing. I grew up in an era when the average pickup could haul a half-unit of plywood flat in the bed and not whimper. Nowadays, they're all about hauling people, with cargo as an afterthought. Why the pretentions of a 'bed' at all, when a Suburban would fill the bill?

And, yeah, 55 cu ft. might as well be no bed if it won't carry what you need it to.
This one kid with a Ridgeline who goes zipping by getting 20+ mpg with 5 guys inside staying dry and warm with 5 bikes hanging off the bed and all their gear makes me pretty jealous.
 

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
Simple, direct, effective. No racking, no pads. Lockable storage for gear and still plenty of bed; Secured with $3-on-clearance-at-REI canoe lashes.

Dana 60 front/Dana 70 rear; hauls material or bikes in the summer; clears my road the winter.



 
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Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
I dunno about all the hooplah about northshore racks. I wish I knew someone in a fab shop who could put one together for me. The arbutus racks look good too. And no fork rub.

Audi Allroad is on my list of wants...
 

jeepmauler

Monkey
Mar 9, 2004
178
0
Lynnwood
This is what I run my wife up the hill with. Only good for one bike.....but we both have fun so it works out. Yes it's the thing in my avatar.Oct 2, 2011 031.JPG
 

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
I dunno about all the hooplah about northshore racks. I wish I knew someone in a fab shop who could put one together for me. The arbutus racks look good too. And no fork rub.

Audi Allroad is on my list of wants...

Where you located? Threw the folding one together in a day, holds four, and the single tray with the Legend in it took me about 40 minutes... Kinda out of the loop now for building for a bit as I had to sell all my equipment to move the family to the PNW... but SOON!

Dig through this folder a bit, racks are like half way down I think... And I actually thought I was onto something new with the crown-mount setup, I thought the North Shore racks mounted by the tire. Never really looked as I will never BUY something made out of steel from anyone when I can buy the materials to make what I need for a few bucks...literally.

http://dirteveryday.pinkbike.com/album/Custom-racks-tools/
 

JohnnyH

Chimp
Sep 1, 2011
10
0
Here's a pick of my truck (2002 S-10 ZR-2) with a few bikes in the back to go shuttle. I can run five bikes total with two Thule Insta-Gators and two Rec-Racks, plus one with tie downs in the center. I can also do a couple more with a hitch rack if I want. Seems excessive for a truck that can only hold three people, but I also do a fair amount of pick-up and drop-off bike tunes, so it comes in handy...
photo(1).JPG
 

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Here's a pick of my truck (2002 S-10 ZR-2) with a few bikes in the back to go shuttle. I can run five bikes total with two Thule Insta-Gators and two Rec-Racks, plus one with tie downs in the center. I can also do a couple more with a hitch rack if I want. Seems excessive for a truck that can only hold three people, but I also do a fair amount of pick-up and drop-off bike tunes, so it comes in handy...
View attachment 108187
I've shuttled 8 with no racks in a standard cab S10. Try harder.;)
 

jeepmauler

Monkey
Mar 9, 2004
178
0
Lynnwood
lol; coolest shuttle rig evar. does that beast run the hammers?
Yup...the Hammers,Phoenix,Moab etc......Last month we ran the Rubicon and some trails around Reno. We go up to BC a fair amount as well as local stuff. It's alot like the freeride scene....all the good stuff is hush hush except we have to hide the tow rigs...lol
 

JohnnyH

Chimp
Sep 1, 2011
10
0
I've shuttled 8 with no racks in a standard cab S10. Try harder.;)
I've run a dozen rental bikes in this thing with no racks (in all fairness, a few were kids bikes...) With the racks though, I can run client's bikes without them touching so they don't get scratched.

Or did you mean 8 people? I hope one of them was a chiropractor!:shocked:
 
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kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
I don't shuttle much, but for road trips this can easily haul a few bikes "racked" which is a priority for me so they don't bounce all around, and with it mounted over the bed I can still easily pack my cooler of beer and as much gear as I want without taking up space in the cab.

 

OffCamber

Monkey
May 27, 2005
405
6
Loxahatchee, Fl
I don't shuttle much, but for road trips this can easily haul a few bikes "racked" which is a priority for me so they don't bounce all around, and with it mounted over the bed I can still easily pack my cooler of beer and as much gear as I want without taking up space in the cab.

I had that same set-up on my 04 Tocoma with a Rollin-Lock. The best bike vechicle I've owned. Still pissed I had to trade it in on a mini-Van. Ha