Acceptable roof rack for eBikes?

B

bikeman242

Active Member
I would like to outfit my pickup truck with a tonneau cover and add some cross bars over the tonneau.

I would like to mount the bike on these crossbars. I would prefer this to a hitch mounted carrier, so the bike is better protected up higher from the road.

I figure a bike roof rack would work just as well on such crossbars that go over my pickup bed.

Now am looking for a roof rack that is heavy duty enough to carry my 50 pound eBike. I see the thule upride, and the 1up roof rack, but these are not exactly designed for our heavy bikes.

Any racks come to mind? Or an alternative idea to transporting the bike in the pickup bed while also having a closed tonneau cover and tailgate?

Thank you
 
Last edited:
I would thinking picking the bike up and putting it on a roof rack on a pickup could be a challenge. My stock Ram 2500 is about 5' at the Tonneau, then you need to figure the reach in toward the center of the bed. Pretty good lift.
 
How are you going to get the ebikes up on the rack? They tend to be heavy.
I put my fat tire in the truck bed and its a chore to get up in there.
 
I suspect the selection is very limited to non-existant due primarily to the practicality of lifiting a 50lb+ ebike onto a roof, compounded by the inability of some (many?) roof racks to support this concentrated, cantilevered load. Your specific application is a bit less strenuous, but manufacturers will design to their target market rather than a limited application of their product.

Good luck with your search.
 
Hi, sorry that I was not clear.

I do not plan to lift the bike onto the roof of my truck.

I plan to get some cross bars that will span the width of my truck bed. I will mount the bike on those crossbars.

So I only have to get the bike up on the truck bed. Like the pic below.

The problem is finding a suitable rack that will mount on such crossbars that will take the weight of the ebike. Most people use a roof rack stand on these crossbars, since the crossbars are basically the same as a roof rack.

I think the bike in the pic below is mounted on a yakima roof rack, which won't support an eBike weight.

Essentially, carrying the bike like this will let me make use of a tonneau cover, and keep the tailgate closed to use the backup camera.


1601518784212.png
 
Or you could affix this.
www.saris.com

Traps Single Track

A smooth ride. Treat your bike like a luxury passenger by mounting Traps in your SUV, mini-van or truck bed. Simply lay the 47" track on the floor or cargo area or mount it to the wall like a team sprinter van. Any way you mount it, your bike will be carried safely to your destination so you can...
www.saris.com www.saris.com
 
Law said:
Or you could affix this.
www.saris.com

Traps Single Track

A smooth ride. Treat your bike like a luxury passenger by mounting Traps in your SUV, mini-van or truck bed. Simply lay the 47" track on the floor or cargo area or mount it to the wall like a team sprinter van. Any way you mount it, your bike will be carried safely to your destination so you can...
www.saris.com www.saris.com
Click to expand...

So I want to have a tonneau cover, with the crossbars over the tonneau cover, and the bike on the crossbars. That saris wouldn't let me use the bed cover. This picture sums it up more exactly. The problem is what do i use to carry the eBike on.

1601520399386.png
 
I see what your trying to do now.

Be careful, you don’t want that bike going through a windshield. That mount looks very unstable.
 
I think it is hilarious that city pickup trucks can't even fit a bike in the bed. Add to that the top of the bed is already shoulder high or more, making new trucks even more useless since you need options to even be able to crawl into the bed. You sure won't be able to get fast food drive-up with bikes mounted like that. How do you get the bike up there with the tonneau cover? Where do you store the 6' step ladder needed to lift the bike up there? Tie it to the rack too? I suggest you put a sheet of plywood up there and see how you will get the heavy eBike up there before investing the money.
 
rich c said:
I think it is hilarious that city pickup trucks can't even fit a bike in the bed. Add to that the top of the bed is already shoulder high or more, making new trucks even more useless since you need options to even be able to crawl into the bed. You sure won't be able to get fast food drive-up with bikes mounted like that. How do you get the bike up there with the tonneau cover? Where do you store the 6' step ladder needed to lift the bike up there? Tie it to the rack too? I suggest you put a sheet of plywood up there and see how you will get the heavy eBike up there before investing the money.
Click to expand...

It's really no problem. Currently, I have a 1 foot by 5 foot piece of plywood that I leave in the bed of the truck. I drilled holes in each corner, and run a ratchet strap through the plywood to my D-Rings. This makes for a sturdy ramp that I use to wheel my bike into the bed. There is no need for any 6 foot ladder.

My 5 foot truck bed is perfectly adequate to hold my eBike with the tailgate closed. I would like to add a tonneau cover to the bed, and transport the bike on crossbars that run over the tonneau. The question I face is how do I mount the bike on such crossbars.
 
I carry my bikes inside the pickup bed using the slide out PVC frame shown in my avatar pic. I bolted these now discontinued Thule Sidearm roof racks to the frame:

thule-sidearm-universal-mount-bike-rack-black.jpg
www.rei.com

Thule Sidearm Universal Upright Bike Mount | REI Co-op

The Thule Sidearm Universal Upright rooftop single bike carrier is quick loading and accommodates most bikes.
www.rei.com www.rei.com

The Sidearm rack is not rated for a heavy ebike either so the bike sways excessively during transport and causes the ratchet arm to loosen. To fix this, I tie off the rear of the bike to the pickup D rings using pre-cut straps. They take just seconds to attach and keep the bike from swaying. It's worked fine for almost 8 years now without incident.

You should be able to use the same principle with almost any roof rack mounted on bed crossbars. Just move the rack inboard from the edge a little to allow for a good D ring tie off angle.

As mentioned above, check your clearance at drive thru windows and hotel porticoes.
 
There is no way I would want to lift my bike that high every time I needed to take it somewhere. Many good hitch racks allow you to load a bike one end at a time. That's enough of a struggle - and one end at a time is going to be impossible at a height over the top of the pick up bed. You're going to have to lift the entire weight of the bike to get it in a rack that high. OK with a light weight analog, but an e-bike? You'd be separating the men from the boys for sure with that lift. Maybe a folding ramp would help get it that high? Just walking the bike up a ramp like that might be dicey....

Another vote for ignoring the rear camera. Just not worth it.
 
bikeman242 said:
It's really no problem. Currently, I have a 1 foot by 5 foot piece of plywood that I leave in the bed of the truck. I drilled holes in each corner, and run a ratchet strap through the plywood to my D-Rings. This makes for a sturdy ramp that I use to wheel my bike into the bed. There is no need for any 6 foot ladder.

My 5 foot truck bed is perfectly adequate to hold my eBike with the tailgate closed. I would like to add a tonneau cover to the bed, and transport the bike on crossbars that run over the tonneau. The question I face is how do I mount the bike on such crossbars.
Click to expand...
I’m confused. How will a ramp into the bed work with a tonneau cover over the bed? You plan on the cover rolling under the supports after the bike is mounted? I thought most new tonneau covers had frames and folded instead of rolling up.
 
If the bike fits in the pickup bed with the tailgate closed, why not lay the bike on it's side in the bed and put the cover over it. Out of sight, out of mind as far as security goes.
 
Why not get a trailer from Harbor Freight? Mount one of their economy motorcycle wheel chock (or 2) and just strap it down. I can just see you scratching up the side of your pick up or having the bike fall on the tonneau or you injuring yourself lifting an awkward load up high. Be careful, whatever you decide to do.
 
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