Acceptable roof rack for eBikes?
- Thread starter bikeman242
- Start date
ruffruff
Well-Known Member
I have a bed long enough to hold a bike, I have a roll up cover. I have a backup camera. I did A LOT of research to find a solution to mount the bike in the bed. I didn't like most of them for heavy ebikes. I went with a hitch rack.
Maybe I'm old school and backup cameras are a new thing for me....I just use my side mirrors to backup.
Maybe I'm old school and backup cameras are a new thing for me....I just use my side mirrors to backup.
WattsUpDude
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- San Francisco, Bay Area
bikeman242
Active Member
Right. This setup is what I want. The guy is using the Yakima Frontloader rack, which is rated for 40 pounds. My bike weighs a little over 50 pounds. So I need a solution to carry the bike on the crossbars over the tonneau cover.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
If you've mentioned how you plan on getting that bike up there, I missed it.
bikeman242
Active Member
A 5 foot piece of plywood that lives in the truck bed, with small a small hole drilled in each side. A strap that runs through the holes on the plywood and connects to the D-Rings at the end of the truck bed. This makes a ramp, and while it is a sharp upward angle, it is sufficient to get the bike up into the bed. I use a small step ladder and walk the bike up the ramp.
This is what I currently do every day to get the bike up into the open truck bed, and it should not be any problem to get the bike atop the tonneau cover. A strong tonneau can easily hold my weight plus the weight of the bike, so I can stand on top of the tonneau with the bike while loading the bike onto the rack on the crossbars.
So far the 1upUSA rack is the only thing I can find that might work. Though it is rated for 50 pounds, and my bike is a little over that.
Browneye
Well-Known Member
The over-the-tailgate pad preserves your camera and isn't as difficult for lifting. Still, for me, it would be a non-starter as it's too heavy. Lifting 50-60lbs over my head would give me a migraine. LOL
I was seriously thinking of one of those bike pads, but didn't like the reported frame finish wear at the pad, especially if any dirt gets in there, and it's still a high lift over the tailgate. I'm looking at a bed extender, even with a 6' bed - the ebikes are just a bit longer than regular bikes, so they stick out a couple of inches which prevents the gate from closing. With one bike you can cross it over, but two or more makes them hard to fit in.
Gee, what did we do before backup cameras????
I was seriously thinking of one of those bike pads, but didn't like the reported frame finish wear at the pad, especially if any dirt gets in there, and it's still a high lift over the tailgate. I'm looking at a bed extender, even with a 6' bed - the ebikes are just a bit longer than regular bikes, so they stick out a couple of inches which prevents the gate from closing. With one bike you can cross it over, but two or more makes them hard to fit in.
Gee, what did we do before backup cameras????
wszlectric
New Member
- Region
- USA
Just an option and an FYI. I have an F-150 with a tonneau cover with a bike rack over the tonneau cover. I had the rack before I got the Lectric bikes and all works very well.
Truck Bed option for carrying bikes
Pace Edwards UltraGroove Metal Retractable Hard Tonneau Cover
Thule Rapid Podium Feet for Thule Crossbars - Fixed Point - TH460R
Thule Podium-Style Roof Rack Feet – 3101
Thule ProBar Evo Crossbars - Aluminum - 78" Long
Thule UpRide Roof Bike Rack x 4
We carried four bikes, three Lectric and a Marin MTB over 4,000 miles without any problems.
The only downside is I must remove the front fender when transporting the bikes. Yes, the bikes are heavy but they are manageable. Even after breaking a rib on the MTB in the Teton’s, I could still lift the bikes up onto the carriers. I use a stool due to the height.
Truck Bed option for carrying bikes
Pace Edwards UltraGroove Metal Retractable Hard Tonneau Cover
Thule Rapid Podium Feet for Thule Crossbars - Fixed Point - TH460R
Thule Podium-Style Roof Rack Feet – 3101
Thule ProBar Evo Crossbars - Aluminum - 78" Long
Thule UpRide Roof Bike Rack x 4
We carried four bikes, three Lectric and a Marin MTB over 4,000 miles without any problems.
The only downside is I must remove the front fender when transporting the bikes. Yes, the bikes are heavy but they are manageable. Even after breaking a rib on the MTB in the Teton’s, I could still lift the bikes up onto the carriers. I use a stool due to the height.
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tspadventure
New Member
- Region
- USA
Bikeman242 did you ever end up finding something? If so, what? We had no luck with anything over 45 lbs.
My bikes go into the bed of the truck with a piece of thick cardboard between them. The bed has a thick rubber mat that keeps the bikes from sliding around in the turns. I purposely have bought SUVs and pickups with cargo areas that were long enough for me to put the bikes inside while leaving both of their wheels attached.
This is one of the reasons why I have put a cap or shell on my pickup trucks for the past 50 years. I can put twice as much in the bed of the truck with the cap as compared to using a tonneau cover. I use a platform bike rack for local use where I am not going to be leaving the bikes unattended on the truck.
I have hauled two 60 lb kayaks on a roof rack attached to a fiberglass cap with no difficulty. For bikes the top would have been to high off the ground. Suggest talking to the tonneau cover dealer as to your options and they will have product literature at their store. Cost wise adding a rack and a tonneau cover is going to be as expensive as a camper shell. This is one of those times where it pays to step back and consider all your options before proceeding.
This is one of the reasons why I have put a cap or shell on my pickup trucks for the past 50 years. I can put twice as much in the bed of the truck with the cap as compared to using a tonneau cover. I use a platform bike rack for local use where I am not going to be leaving the bikes unattended on the truck.
I have hauled two 60 lb kayaks on a roof rack attached to a fiberglass cap with no difficulty. For bikes the top would have been to high off the ground. Suggest talking to the tonneau cover dealer as to your options and they will have product literature at their store. Cost wise adding a rack and a tonneau cover is going to be as expensive as a camper shell. This is one of those times where it pays to step back and consider all your options before proceeding.
ruffruff
Well-Known Member
@wszlecric what Ford is that???
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