Bakkie bike carrier/rack

[_bob_]

Instead of putting in a towbar, just to carry a bike or two, I'm thinking of something like this:

 

 

Anyone have any experience with these loadbed carriers - good idea/bad idea? Should I just go for a towbar and towbar mounted bike carrier?

 

Thanks

 

[Wallee]

I have one of these:

 

   

 

Thule Insta-Gater Truck Bed Bike Rack.

 

They aren't cheap, but you can't beat them for convenience. I also like it because the taillgate on my Corsa Bakkie is lockable, and the clamp locks onto your bikes wheel. Certainly not theft proof, but fine if you just want to run into the shop.

 

Or you could be cool like Mylene from Mountainbker Magazine, and fit roofracks to your bin with two Thule Pro-rides mounted onto them. Totally awesome, but friggin expensive!

[Wallee]

Then again, fitting a towbar and buying a towbar mounted bike rack won't be cheap either

[_bob_]

Thanks. Will look into those as well. Just want something to keep the bike upright, rather than have it on its side. Just not sure whether I can fit it upright with the wheels on.

 

[Captain Slow]

Thule has them!! They also have another carrier specifically made for bakkies (Ute's)!! Very Neat!

[_bob_]

Only one I could find from Thule was their telescopic one. It looks like it fits onto loadbed sides, rather than inside the loadbed. Not so sure about that - wouldn't want bikes blowing off the back of the bakkie on the highway.

 

 

[Yeti Warrior]

Hi bob , see thule racks for sale as i am selling one of the telescoping thule racks.

used once only. I found it really easy to use, quick to install and locks in place. I really needed it for 2 reasons.

I used to lie my dual sus mtb down but the saddle was wearing out from rubbing on the loadbed and i could only use the bakkie for 1 bike and I now needed to carry 2 . I also had a trapezium for 2 bikes but they rub together when driving at more than 80k/hr (even with foam worm in between) and are only good for old style mtbs or road bikes. to buy the rideon thule bike system for 2 bikes costs min R2500. so this was cheaper easier, and can eaven be upgraded to 3 or 4 bike sdepending on loadbed space.

 

 

[Borriz]

I made a carrier that clamps to the bottom of my role bar and secures the front wheels via a little wedge action. It cost me less than R200 thanks to small pieces of scrap I had.

 

I looked at all these options you guys listed but didn't want unneccessary drilling to my trunk or something permanent.

 

It works like a charm and even had it rubberized - which doesn't work that lekker on things with sharp ridges. But I'm very chuffed with it. PM me if you like the pictures.

 

I'm upgrading to double cab now and all that is needed is to open my flap at the back when transporting my bike.

[DawieO]

Instead of putting in a towbar' date=' just to carry a bike or two, I'm thinking of something like this:



Anyone have any experience with these loadbed carriers - good idea/bad idea? Should I just go for a towbar and towbar mounted bike carrier?

Thanks
[/quote']

AWESOME!  That is a cool looking rack!

[Scalpel]

No drilling needed for any of the two Thule products mentioned in this thread so far! (The telescopic bike rack or the insta gater bike rack!)

[lou777]

Aah my first post. I have the Thule one, fits in my Ranger Supercab.

Works like a charm. Looks very similar to the one posted. All I do is

remove my front wheel, "hook" it in, and off I go.

 

Very stable in the load bed, bike not moving around and fits tightly (where it tightens to the fork).

 

Mine was just over 1000 and you get 2 fastners.

 

This is exactly it:

 

lou7772009-07-06 06:33:33

[Squier]

Been looking into this as well...

 

 

 

My main concern is when going on holiday or a weekend away, I want to be able to take the bikes and still use my bin for luggage. With the bikes in the bin there still is enough space for luggage, however, things like rain and dust will pose a problem. To this extent your best bet is either a tow-bar rack or the Thule ProRides mounted on your bin.

 

 

 

For the quick Saturday morning ride, the easiest is still just securing your bike with some good old fashioned rope. If you have a double cab your bike should fit pretty "snuggly" in your bin; just securing the seats and handlebars with rope does the trick for me...

[_bob_]

 

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

I eventually found the one I posted about. Looked at the Thule, but it only seems to fit on top of the load bed and I have read a few reports of it blowing off - maybe just due to it not being tightened enough. I haven't seen it in person, so I can't be sure, but there doesn't seem to be a locking mechanism on it to keep it from collapsing - not the same way as the one I was looking for (it's called a StableLoader, fyi).

 

This thing fits inside the loadbed, locks by putting a couple of bolts through it and also, the bike carrier part mounts using two bolts, going all the way through the main shaft, locking it that way too.

Removing is easy as releasing the tension using the wheel on one side.

 

This thing is made of steel and is solid. I'm quite a weighty fella, and I stood on the thing and even jumped a little and it went nowhere. Tried it out with the bike on and works like a charm.

Oh, and you can lock the bike onto it, by locking the skewer down with a Yale lock.

 

Thanks again

 

_bob_2009-07-06 08:43:43

[Sequoia]

Been looking into this as well...

 

 

 

My main concern is when going on holiday or a weekend away' date=' I want to be able to take the bikes and still use my bin for luggage. With the bikes in the bin there still is enough space for luggage, however, things like rain and dust will pose a problem. To this extent your best bet is either a tow-bar rack or the Thule ProRides mounted on your bin.

 

[/quote']

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, this was my problem as well. I ended up buying a tow-bar-mounted unit from holdfast. It is a ride-on type and has worked fine for close to 4 years now, with plenty of offroad trips, including some fairly serious 4x4 work. The only real problem with my ride-on type, is that it does reduce your 4x4's departure angle. But apart from that small niggle, it has served me faithfully on trips all over.

[Yeti Warrior]

I just dropped my tog bags into a black bin liner and put them between the bikes , covered them with the excess tarp.I used to do this anyway since my bin tarp was never waterproof or dustproof.

 

I must say I liked the speed of loading with this thule bar and the bar has a lever that expand as you press it down to really hold it in place.

I never used any additional rope and drove at 140 now and again with no bike vibration at all.

 

I also put 2 pieces of old tube bewtween the bar placements and the load bed to prevent scratching and slipage and that worked brilliantly. you couldnt even pull the bar up at all.

 

for photos fo the bar see the for sale post on bakkie bike rack.

[livetoride]

Hi there, please could you pm me a picture of this bike carrier, I'm keen to make one?

Thanks