Bike Rack for Toyota Tundra SR5

Hi, I have Toyota Tundra SR5 and want to transport our bikes on it for a DH ride but scared of scratches to the truck tailgate and bikes as well. Can anyone share some good options like car bike racks to transport our bikes securely?

 

Get a platform rack, bikes sit on it, don't hang from it.

 

Thank You. Can you please suggest some good platform rack?

 

I got one that works great and goes from 2 to 4, I cant remember the name. It's budget friendly but still like $600. I'll look around. The big boys are nicer and a grand or so.

 

I have the KAC
Heavy and strong, the more expensive ones will be lighter and strong. Here's a generic google best racks, but it had mine.

https://www.bestreviews.guide/platf...bn91Cp-850_MZh9JyyCl7XzEBONI3JjRoCAjgQAvD_BwE

 

Alright. I will research about it. Thank You

 

Hey Peter , My wife and I just bought 2 new Trex bikes. I also got the Thule bike rack T2 Classic. It’s awesome to load bikes. No issues or worry’s about scratching your truck. This will fit my 2 inch hitch and my wife’s Acura. Yes it was expensive. $549.00. But it’s easy to load the 2 bikes and both bikes will not touch each other. It lowers down for my wife to open her hatch. It locks but that just a deterrent. I also bought a cable lock to put thru the frames and the hitch. Hope this helps.

 

Any hitch mounted tray style rack would be ideal. Yakima hold up or thule t2 are great options. You could also do a tailgate pad and hang the bikes over the tailgate. you can hold quite a few bikes fairly securely doing that.

 

I have a Kuat platform rack. Goes right into hitch and you tighten the handle which expands a large ball to lock it in tight. I have the two bike rack which i transport our two mountain bikes. Taken it on many road trips to OC, NC, SC VA FL (from NY). Never an issue.

 

My friend has the Yakima and he said he don’t like it because the rack part going into the hitch is too sloppy. My Thule is tight because the lock screws into the hitch part and makes it tight. No movement.

 

I use a hitch mount bike rack, works great.

$70 MaxxHaul 70210 Hitch Mount Bike Rack 4-Bike Rack, Black For Cars Trucks SUV's Minivans, Large

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AK9YMIM?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

One up. Worth every dime.

 

As a family we race BMX (20” wheels) and ride MTB (29” wheels) with different frame sizes and I have to say the Hollywood Destination 4 bike rack has been awesome.
With the design we can switch from a mini 20” racing BMX bike to a large frame 29er MTB with ease. It is also pretty light.

I would recommend any platform rack. If you pick up a Yakima back swing as well you can drop the tailgate without removing the rack.

etrailer.com has a ton of great options, reviews, install videos, etc.

Good luck!

 

This is what you want...

https://www.1up-usa.com/shop/

 

1up all the way. Only rack I've found that can withstand the abuse of off road excursions. Also has a much shorter overall length when holding bikes, the yakima and thule options stick out super far. Kuat is alright but still too much plastic for my needs. I also have the yakima swing arm attachment so I can get in/out of my camper better but it comes in handy no matter what setup you have.

 

I have a Yakima Backroad4 hanging hitch mount with all the features that cost me 400 bucks. Built in lock, 3 braces for each bike instead of 2, sturdy. Quality stuff. Never had to worry about bikes hitting the truck as they're blocked by the vertical mast and each is braced in 3 spots. Cleared the the tailgate when folded down on my Tundra perfectly but the tailgate on my new Ford F 150 would hit due to the huge plastic cover. Kind of annoying if you want to be in and out of the bed for various things without having to take the rack off every time. It does not contact in a way that's going to damage the tailgate. But the enormous plastic tailgate cap that houses the "man-step" rests on the rack when folded down, so you can't step over the tailgate to get into the bed or slide something heavy over the tailgate without putting a lot of stress on the rack.

I kept that for long trips because it is so secure and sturdy but also just took a hand me down Allen 550RR off a friend. Cheaper, fewer features. No build in lock. A bit less beefy. Only 2 braces per bike so they will likely sway and contact each other more. Gets the job done with no frills, but completely clears the tailgate when folded down so I can put full weight on the tailgate and slide things across it without it hitting the rack.

I will use the Yakima for super long road trips where I'm only un-loading once and am otherwise constantly not in and out of the bed. I will use the Allen Sports for around town during peak season when I generally leave the rack in 99% of the time but also use my bed. Once I have settled in on the payments for this new truck maybe next year I will likely fork over the cash for a swing away unit and get rid of these two, so I am guaranteed tailgate clearance and the ability to load/unload with bikes on the rack.

A hanging unit that has two cradles for the horizontal part of the frame and one for the vertical and has no bikes mounted between the mast and the truck should protect your tailgate and protect the bikes from hitting each other pretty well.

For maximum flexibility you generally treat bike racks like you would a rifle safe. If you need to transport 3 get at least a 4 bike carrier. If you need to transport 4 get at least a 5. The manufacturer will advertise a certain capacity but if you use all of it things will be tight and difficult to load. Having the extra capacity means you can space the bikes out.

 

I use the four bike from Alta and love it. Works for 20”-29”. I need the rack for four bikes almost every time. If you only need it to carry two bikes the 1up is great. I personally wouldn’t run a tray style for more than two bikes. It gets long.

https://www.altaracks.com/

 

https://www.1up-usa.com/

Made in Wisconsin by Wisconsins. No plastic on it, all metal. I backed into a tree with mine.. Sure miss that tree.

 

You can also do it on the cheap and strap them in the box like mx bikes.
Having said that, we have a 10+ year old thule hitch mount that has been flawless.

 

I have a Küat and it works well.
To get a sense of its size, here are some pictures of it on my old Tacoma.

If I had to start over I would get a 1-UP instead.
The Küat I have is great, but a 1-UP will only touch the tires to hold the bike in place. With the type of Küat carrier I have, there is the possibility for the carrier to contact the fork of my bike and potentially rub if I am on a bumpy road.

Best of luck finding what works for you!

 

Have you considered using fork mounts the bed? I have a steel plate with three fork mounts.

 

Either a Recon (now owned by 1up) or a Velocirax. If you want a quality rack that you trust your bikes in (especially on crappy shuttle roads), you're going to have to pay good $ for it. I use a 5 bike Recon and a Dakine tailgate pad to space them all out, and the bikes don't touch, and are super secure.

 

Vertical racks are great, although that Alta brand way overcharges for the same design you get with other brands like Recon, Velocirax, etc. and the quality increase is negligible

 

I've heard many a horror story of fork mounts bending the fork lowers on rough roads. Plus more of a PITA to load them.

 

I would check out Velocirax. Love mine.

https://www.velocirax.com/

 

My brother probably bikes more than this entire forum combined, and he’s used that setup for five years with no issues. Same for us, although I don’t ride near as much as he does. Ive used both. Pros and cons to each.

 

Mine is a Rocky Mount.
It is hard to tell by looking at the picture, but the rack swings off to the right on a hinge and I have access to my tailgate and camper shell.
It works great, but it isn't as fancy as a Yakima or Thule.

 

I have the Kuat NV 2.0. I like it. Very stable.

 

You can use tailgate pads for transporting your bikes. I also own Toyota Tundra SR5 and I am using Raceface t2 pad, it works great for me. Never found a single scratch on truck as well as bike. Make sure to measure your tailgate size and purchase accordingly. You can read more details about tailgate bike pads at OGH