Mountain Bike Carriers For Sierra

[crepitus]

Getting into mountain biking and hope to order a bike in the next few days. what do you guys use to transport them around in your trucks?

[oldmann]

Seems like a wheel holder in the bed would work but a hitch rack would be easier.

[Matt_]

ill post a link to my thread when i get home.

 

what kind of bike you going to order? where you planning on riding?

[crepitus]

ill post a link to my thread when i get home.

 

what kind of bike you going to order? where you planning on riding?

Looking to ride a combo of woods and street. I live in norther NJ and there are alot of trails. Nothing to technical or at least to start out with. I was looking at ordering either a:

 

Marin Bobcat

Motobecane

 

My local shop has an 09 Trek 4500 for $470. Going to check that out as well. Any input as to what to go with. Dont want to spend more then $500. I road a 29er and like the feel of it. I am 6' 1" and the bigger bike felt better. Just kinda of scared to order one sight unseen nor be able to test ride it.

[Matt_]

im a huge 29er fan, i ride a 2009 gary fisher x-cal thats more modded than my truck is .

 

if you're using it for both trail and street, definitely save up for a 29er... you can get some good speed on the street.

 

there are great deals to be had online... but if you dont know what you're doing then you'll lose the cost savings when you have to go to a shop for repairs.

 

i have a 19" 2001 trek 4500 thats id give you for $200 if you just want something to get started on. then save up for a nice 29er.

 

regardless of what you get, if $500 is your limit then you WILL be buying another bike in a year or two if you really like the sport.

[crepitus]

im a huge 29er fan, i ride a 2009 gary fisher x-cal thats more modded than my truck is .

 

if you're using it for both trail and street, definitely save up for a 29er... you can get some good speed on the street.

 

there are great deals to be had online... but if you dont know what you're doing then you'll lose the cost savings when you have to go to a shop for repairs.

 

i have a 19" 2001 trek 4500 thats id give you for $200 if you just want something to get started on. then save up for a nice 29er.

 

regardless of what you get, if $500 is your limit then you WILL be buying another bike in a year or two if you really like the sport.

thanks for the advice on the 29er. I did really like it when I saw it. And the fit was great. Where do you ride?

[Matt_]

i ride allaire state park most of the time.... best trail system around my area. ill also ride clayton park (in cream ridge) once in a while.

 

sporadically ill hit up hartshorne (rocky and technical), 6mile (flat, a lot of pedaling and turns) and neshaminy (also rocky and technical)

[358429]

I use a hitch rack for my bikes. I like this set up because its easy to load and unload, the bikes are reasonably secure and I can still use the bed. Matt's set up is definitely nice, though.

 

ETA: Trek 6000 rider here. Next time, a 29er it will be.

[androgelrx]

This is what I used for my road bike but work the same way for the mountain bike. Simple and reliable. When I have to go into a store or something, I just throw in the back with the seat folded up. Fits perfectly.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Thule-Insta-Gator-Tr...t/dp/B003RZ5GU4

[Sierra89]

Man, Mountain biking is a great sport that you can have a lot of fun with. The best idea I have seen recently was at a race I was at. Some guy with a 06 sierra had rigged up a 2x4 with two sets of fork clamps that fit into the tie down holes on both sides of his bed. Snapped and and out real easy, it could hold 2 bikes, no modification and held the bikes securely in the bed by the front fork. I wish I had a picture as I can't properly describe it. But I think can get an idea. Probably cost him $30-40 bucks.

[Matt_]

i made a fixture out of 2x4s that would hold 4 bikes in the bed via fork mounts. it didnt need to be bolted down and was secure/sturdy. total cost was around $60 in materials (fork mounts were the expensive part)

[jryan51]

Thanks to some previous posts and help by Matt I put the attached on mytruck. It holds downhill bikes, cross country, road, 29rs, kids bikes with 16"+ wheels...

 

Keeps the trailer hitch free for towing.

 

If you use a trailer hitch the Thule T2 is solid. There is similar by Yakima and a few others if you look at the forums on mtbr.com.

 

Alot of guys at the mountain just use a Dakine mat. Enough of them use it so it must work. They are huge out in Whister. A pretty cheap solution. I've seen 5/6 bikes strung across a tailgate and the trucks were not beat up.

 

http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?Item=100029416

[b00001]

The Thule Gator is the ticket, as long as you have a 6 1/2 foot bed (ext cab not crew cab). Until I can save up and get some Thule Gator's, I just use a couple tie downs and haul it like a motorcycle. Works great!

[Matt_]

Very Nicely done J!!

 

FYI, I went riding yesterday with 4 other friends... ALL 5 of us and 5 bikes fit in my truck. I now have 2 rear facing fork mount racks in addition to my 2 thule side arms. The 5th bike went in the bed with the gear and wheels.

 

 

 

[Matt_]

Here's the 4 bike mount i made for the bed. It'll hold 4 bikes via fork mounts. The bolt holes are counter bored on the under side so it sat flush with the bed. It fit right in between the bed sides.... with a bike attached, it would be near impossible to take out. VERY secure. I sprayed it with some rubberized under coating for a finished look.

 

Note: it was designed/built for a GMT800 bed and would have the bikes forward facing. The GMT900 bed is different so I had to trim the edges of it to use it and made it rear facing. The reason I made if rear facing for the GMT900 was due to the PITA it was to get 4 bikes attached in the front of the bed. With the bikes rear facing you do all of the work at the tailgate... live and learn!

 

 

 

 

 

The design obviously was not optimized for rear facing GMT900s. If i built one today, it would sit perfectly with the contours of the bed.