I think that the primary issue with the Ridgeline is the design of the dual opening tailgate. They say that the padding is a tiny bit bunched in the Gladiator, accounting for how narrow the opening is on that truck. (50”).
Check out Latchit rack. www.latchitrack.com. They retail for $399. Pretty clever solution. The lock on the tailgate locks the rack, there is a cable lock included in the tup tube, it should give you plenty of length for your bikes and they can fit up to 5 bikes. I emailed them to see if the...