[Jameez]

Has anybody used this rack for there DH bikes? I'm looking for a four bike carrier for my Pickup but I don't want to use up the bed space cause I need it for our gear. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290410296960&viewitem=&_trkparms=algo=LVI&its=I&otn=1&category=33651

 

[mattmatt86]

I wouldn't use anything but Yakima, Thule and the other big name manufacturers when transporting DH bikes, especially more than one. My buddy had a rack very similar to that one and all we would ever transport with it was our XC bikes and his would fall off of it at least once a month. I would have never put my DH bike on it.

I always justified my rack purchases based on the cost of my bikes and the bikes I would be transporting. If you and your buddies have Sub 800 dollar bikes then I think its acceptable to only have a 200 dollar rack. But if you and your buddies are going to be driving around with 10k in bikes hanging off your hitch you owe it to your bikes to buy a respectable rack.

You'll be a lot more pissed spending hundreds of dollars to fix a bike that fell off a crappy rack than you will spending hundreds of dollars on a quality long lasting rack.

 

[Kntr]

I dont like haling my bikes on a hitchrack. We do a lot of driving on gravel roads and the bikes take a beating. Sometimes, when we would get to the top of the road, the bikes would be so covered in dust you couldnt tell what color they were. Then when you started riding the brakes would make terrible grinding noises and pivots would creak. I got tired of it and converted my T2 rack to the back of the truck. I can still haul a ton of stuff under the rack.

If you are still set on a hitch rack check out NORTHSHORERACKS.com.

 

[Jameez]

Yeh we will have atleast 10 grand on the back of the truck, Now that you put it like that it does sound crazy using a 200 dollar rack for our bikes. Thanks for knocking some sense into me. Off the top of your head is there any platform bike racks you would use personally or know of anyone who has one that has been in use. I'm going back to the google drawing board but if you have suggestions i'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[Konabumm]

http://www.northshoreracks.com/

 

[mattmatt86]

I made my own rack that mounted to the bedsides of my truck and could use whatever tray mounts you wanted. It only cost me 50 bucks in steel and mounting hardware.

 

[Jameez]

I dont like haling my bikes on a hitchrack. We do a lot of driving on gravel roads and the bikes take a beating. Sometimes, when we would get to the top of the road, the bikes would be so covered in dust you couldnt tell what color they were. Then when you started riding the brakes would make terrible grinding noises and pivots would creak. I got tired of it and converted my T2 rack to the back of the truck. I can still haul a ton of stuff under the rack.

If you are still set on a hitch rack check out NORTHSHORERACKS.com.

$hit another valid point with the road grime, I think i'm gonna try to get a rack for the top of my bed cover that mounts to the top bed rails somehow, THis way the bikes are mounted above the bed cover. I'm not dead set on a hitch mount I just want the bed available for gear.

 

[Kntr]

Here is what I did with my T2. I already had the rack so it didnt coast very much to do this. I can haul 6 bikes without them even touching. If I had another T2 or NorthShoreRack I could really haul some bikes without them touching.

 

[Jameez]

I actually made this one but I dont think it will handle 3 DH bikes let alone 4. It works great for the xc bikes. Ill have to see what it will cost to make a beefier one for thru axles. Its an idea though. I like the idea you have with the mount you leave the wheels on.

 

[Jameez]

I like the receiver hitch set up you put in the bed, I hope you don't mind me taking some of your ideas there. that is sweet, right down to the bed liner coating you put on it.

HEY matt do you have any pics of how you attached it to your truck.

 

[Kntr]

I like the receiver hitch set up you put in the bed, I hope you don't mind me taking some of your ideas there. that is sweet, right down to the bed liner coating you put on it.

Thanks
I used stainless hardware in the bed too. I also replaced all the hardware in the bed with stainless. It works slick. I had the pieces sprayed in LineX, when I had the bed done. It works awesome. If it rains the bikes get wet, but if you have your bags under the rack and close to the cab they stay pretty dry.

 

[gemini2k]

Northshoreracks.com. From what I can tell, there are no better racks DESIGNED for DH/FR bikes.

 

[Kntr]

A northshorerack mounted in the front of the bed would be sweet. Then all your stuff could fit in the bed.

 

[mattmatt86]

HEY matt do you have any pics of how you attached it to your truck.

I wish I had more pics but I didn't take too many. I didn't really care too much about the truck and it was already all beat to hell from my off road days in high school so I just drilled 8 holes (2 for each mounting plate) and used really heavy duty Grade 8 bolts, nuts and washers. It was sturdy enough for me to grab onto one of the corners where it was mounted to the bed and shake the entire truck. It was nice because it was low enough to keep most of the bike below the roof line of the truck to keep down on wind resistance and killing mpgs but it was high enough that I could still have full functionality of the bed.

When I took the trays off I could also get 5 whitewater kayaks in the bed of the truck no problem.