Bike Racks... Tailgate Pad or Hitch Rack for frequent use.

[bgn]

With all these bikes in the back, the Maverick is the new Tacoma.

Cool to see everyone's setup. My Raceface T2 works well, but I wish I had something for just one bike. Might look at that Bomber Strap more closely.

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[tkammen270]

Looks like you need to have your handle bars an 90 degrees. The knock block headset on my Trek prevents that so a Bomber Strap wouldn't work for anyone with that.

 

[hdrider02]

I'm trying to get out on the MTB 3-4 times a week this summer. After works rides / weekend adventures. Trying to decide which kinda bike rack solution to go with. Any frequent Mountain Bikers happy with their rack choice for the Maverick? 99% of the time will be 1 bike. Full Squish 29er. I do like the tailgate pad idea, cheap and easy, but long term damage to the tailgate paint seems inevitable with that route. Guess I could have the tailgate wrapped with PPF. Living with a hitch rack on all summer could be a pain as well. Any thoughts / reviews?
Bike photo for attention

Identical bike to mine! I use a Saris bike rack. Very easy on and off. Holds bike stable without any part touching the frame.
https://saris.com/products/superclamp-ex-2-bike

 

[tkammen270]

I like how high up the rack sits. It holds the bike well with minimal shaking.

 

[colinl]

Looks like you need to have your handle bars an 90 degrees. The knock block headset on my Trek prevents that so a Bomber Strap wouldn't work for anyone with that.

The Bomber Strap is interesting, but the pricing seems high, especially if you buy more than 1.

I often haul 3 bikes. My Fox overland tailgate pad holds 5 bikes in theory - I have found 4 is a tight squeeze in the Maverick- and I believe it's about the same price as one Bomber Strap. (I paid even less for mine, it was a closeout when they changed the graphics back in late '21.)

 

[lavaspill]

I decided to replace my F150 with a Maverick for my mountain biking vehicle. Loaded up 5 bikes on the raceface tailgate pad. Bikes fit fine in the bed and the riders had no complaints in the cab. Obviously it isn't as spacious as the F150, but it worked fine.

To answer the OP, I absolutely love the simplicity of using a tailgate pad.

Those bikes added up cost more than the Mav.

 

[BLachance75]

I went with a set of Yakima cross bars and a Yakima rack. Works brilliantly for me. I do have a hitch mount rack as well, but I am deathly afraid of being rear ended and the bike getting destroyed so I dont use it much.

Nice setup, I might end up doing something very similar. My other thought is using the cross bars that go into the bed rails and put the rack on that so the bike sits a little lower. I'd most likely have to drop the tailgate to do that though.

 

[Noahma]

Nice setup, I might end up doing something very similar. My other thought is using the cross bars that go into the bed rails and put the rack on that so the bike sits a little lower. I'd most likely have to drop the tailgate to do that though.

Thanks, it works really well. I wish I could get the bike a little lower, but I can get the bike on and off really easily. And I keep the bars on only when I am transporting the bike, The bars are easy to put on and take off as well.

 

[bgn]

Is there anything that would work with a soft trifold tonneau outside of the Billie Bars?

 

[Joshick91]

I went with 1UP van trays in the bed to try out something different

Do you have any problems with the bikes falling over when making turns?

 

[colinl]

I used my Yakima Dr Tray for the first time in about a year with my Maverick; normally I use a tailgate pad, but I'm getting ready for a road trip where I'll have the bed full of stuff under my soft tri-fold tonneau and 3 bikes on the hitch rack.

I got horrific gas mileage at 82mph on I-35 and I could feel the bikes like a sail. I only went about 40 miles each way to get to the trails, but I was lucky to get 20 mpg. I've made that run with the tailgate pad and gotten 26mpg at the minimum. Yes, I'm saying the hitch rack cost me at least 6 mpg going 80+.

I know several in this thread do use hitch racks. Do you notice a huge hit on the interstate? I-35 is 75mph here, going 82 is not anything crazy.

 

[Drifter]

Pretty sure the stanchion doesn’t touch
It’s been a while but feel like they really can’t
Doubt that many people would use them if it were an issue

I was lookin at buying a pad that a lot of MTC posters recommended, but the one or two I liked were not available in a small/mid truck size at the time or at a good sale price. However, I did find a temporary solution that has turned into a long term solution. Instead of a $100-$200+ tailgate pad, I use a $5-$8 moving blanket from Harbor Freight and a bungee cord! It works great. It doesn't need strapped on or unstrapped to close my hard rollup cover. Nice to sit on while resting and/or changing out clip shoes on the tailgate before or after a ride.

 

[colinl]

I was lookin at buying a pad that a lot of MTC posters recommended, but the one or two I liked were not available in a small/mid truck size at the time or at a good sale price. However, I did find a temporary solution that has turned into a long term solution. Instead of a $100-$200+ tailgate pad, I use a $5-$8 moving blanket from Harbor Freight and a bungee cord! It works great. It doesn't need strapped on or unstrapped to close my hard rollup cover. Nice to sit on while resting and/or changing out clip shoes on the tailgate before or after a ride.

The advantage of a tailgate pad is that it straps to the truck and the bikes strap to it, so they can't move, fall over, etc.

They're worth the small investment.

 

[tkammen270]

I used my Yakima Dr Tray for the first time in about a year with my Maverick; normally I use a tailgate pad, but I'm getting ready for a road trip where I'll have the bed full of stuff under my soft tri-fold tonneau and 3 bikes on the hitch rack.

I got horrific gas mileage at 82mph on I-35 and I could feel the bikes like a sail. I only went about 40 miles each way to get to the trails, but I was lucky to get 20 mpg. I've made that run with the tailgate pad and gotten 26mpg at the minimum. Yes, I'm saying the hitch rack cost me at least 6 mpg going 80+.

I know several in this thread do use hitch racks. Do you notice a huge hit on the interstate? I-35 is 75mph here, going 82 is not anything crazy.

I can definitely feel the wind resistance with my bike on the hitchrack. I haven't calculated the MPG's but I'm not too worried about it.

 

[tkammen270]

Another rack picture because why not.

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