Front Bike Rack

[TCI]

Hey all, so we got ourselves 2 bikes and had a receiver with 2 pins installed on the front of our 2015 Silverado 2500HD High Country. Now we have to find a bike rack. I've done some research and Swagman xc2, Hollywood, Thule and Allen Sports seem to have ones that will work. Wanted your input on brands/models that you have that works well. Thanks for your input!!!!

[crosscheck]

rhagfo wrote:

Dusty R wrote:

stevenal wrote:

6door74 wrote:

This is why I abandoned the idea. Headlight reflection off the rims messed up my night vision.

The headlight reflection does not bother me on express ways, but does on back roads.

Well you may think it doesn't bother you, but I am sure that your night vision down the road where counts is reduced by the bright light near you.

We have an F350 which sits fairly high and our bikes come with black rims. Can't remember when we had shiny ones. Maybe thats why the headlights never bothered us.

Dave

[rhagfo]

Dusty R wrote:

stevenal wrote:

6door74 wrote:

This is why I abandoned the idea. Headlight reflection off the rims messed up my night vision.

The headlight reflection does not bother me on express ways, but does on back roads.

Well you may think it doesn't bother you, but I am sure that your night vision down the road where counts is reduced by the bright light near you.

[Dusty_R]

stevenal wrote:

6door74 wrote:

This is why I abandoned the idea. Headlight reflection off the rims messed up my night vision.

The headlight reflection does not bother me on express ways, but does on back roads.

[crosscheck]

ajriding wrote:
If you want a real bike rack, something an experienced cyclist would use, then you want one that cradles the wheels and hold them down instead of these that have the bike frame hang on the rack. That Swaggared one is a poor imitation.
Bicycle shops will have the good stuff.
RV stores will have ones you can toss in the trash on the way out after being ripped off.
Walmark will have junk.
But if your bike is junky then no point having a nice rack.

Kuat
Saris
Thulue
and others
It should be heavy because the good ones are.
Sturdy
folding
and expensive.
pay $400 or more.

We used a Swagman that came off of a 4 runner that was situated in the rear and flopped down to open rear door. I adapted it to work in the front receiver when we had our TC's for over 8 years. Was made for 4 bikes but generally we just had 2 but sometimes there were 4. Our touring bikes hung by the top tube and since our MTB have a crazy angled top tube, we just picked up 2 Thule top tube adapters that could fit any bike and hung the MTB so they stayed level. Before this system, we had a custom welded front rack that carried 2 MTB, a road bike and 2 small kids bikes.(early 1980's) Bolted to the frame, no receiver. When not hauling bikes, put my 30HP Mariner on the rack for my Zodiac that was on top of the Bigfoot.

Just make sure that no matter what rack you choose, the bikes do not move around if on rough roads.

An experienced rider? Would 18,000 KM touring in Europe with all your gear over the high passes qualify. How about last 8 years MTB in the some of North Americas finest riding areas. How about touring in Mexico, Cuba, Northern BC, Hawaii?

There is not one rack that fits all. We happened to use a very strong rack that we had and adapted it to the situation.(Swagman) We also have a newer rack for our Rav that is a Thule which cradles the wheels. Also a good unit.

Dave

[ajriding]

If you want a real bike rack, something an experienced cyclist would use, then you want one that cradles the wheels and hold them down instead of these that have the bike frame hang on the rack. That Swaggared one is a poor imitation.
Bicycle shops will have the good stuff.
RV stores will have ones you can toss in the trash on the way out after being ripped off.
Walmark will have junk.
But if your bike is junky then no point having a nice rack.

Kuat
Saris
Thulue
and others
It should be heavy because the good ones are.
Sturdy
folding
and expensive.
pay $400 or more.

[6door74]

It might be the angle of the dash cam but the glare isn't bad. I do realize that people's glare tolerance can vary but the pic is exaggerated.

[NEnative]

Well the best of the best rack on the market is a 1UP USA rack. Google Bicycle Magazine and Mountain Bike Magazine reviews. They are not cheap, but they are the best. I got mine from Craigslist.

[rhagfo]

The headlight glare off the front bikes would drive me nuts!

[profdant139]

6door74, thanks for posting those photos -- very helpful!

And I have a solution for the glare off the rims -- just allow the rims to get dirty! No more reflection. 😉

[stevenal]

6door74 wrote:

This is why I abandoned the idea. Headlight reflection off the rims messed up my night vision.

[6door74]

When i was planning our vacation last year, i had to figure out a way to carry 5 bikes. They make a 5 bike carrier but it was $$$$ and i had heard putting 5 bikes would be quite difficult anyway. It was suggested i look into a front hitch and that was the winner. I carried 2 bikes up front and 3 in the rear. Both bike racks were picked up on craigsist/letgo and I paid less than $150 for both! (plus $140 for front hitch) Both racks are older and discontinued but work well so search the classifieds! At least you'll spend less if you find you don't like it. The 2 bike rack required the adapter to 2". I haven't had any problems with it thus far.

Front Rack - Thule Roadway 2 bike
Rear Rack - Thule Trailblazer 4 bike

Here are some pics of the setup. Visibility isn't bad but I do remove the front seats to make the wife "happy". I also included screenshots of video from my dashcam. Headlight output does not seem to be affected. I still use the 2 bike rack on the front with one bike on any given day. People give me funny looks but i like it and it's convenient. I can get in and out of the back as needed.








view w/ seat



night view



view w/o seat



Photo taken from driver's seat (was only trying to get sign but should give you an idea of what to expect.)



rear rack




rear rack w/bikes




rear rack swing

[owenssailor]

The rack on the front of our truck does not obstruct visibility. It also has not been a problem with the lights. It does obstruct the front licence plate. I mount the rack in Nov before we leave for the winter and take it off when we get home in Apr. It is easy to load and unload the bikes. When not hooked up it is easy to take the bikes to an area we wish to ride in. The swagman rack is designed that the wheel support rings can fold up when no bikes are on the rack.

After many years and many many miles we have found this works very well.

[profdant139]

I've been thinking about a front bike rack because putting the bikes on the back of the truck means that even without the trailer, I still have to unload the bikes in order to get clear access to the cargo area.

And I don't want to mount the bikes to the trailer -- we often drop the trailer at the campsite and then take the bikes on the truck to go mountain biking elsewhere.

Just to be clear, at my age "mountain biking" no longer means "screaming adrenaline death defying single track adventure." It now means "gently rolling along a wide dirt road looking at the scenery." 😉

[rhagfo]

Hammerboy wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

Dick_B wrote:
Assuming it is a 2 inch receiver be sure to buy a rack that has a 2 inch leg not a 1 1/4 inch with an adapter for 2 inch. IMHO the smaller leg is not strong enough.
Our bikes in front bounce around quite a bit and we bunge them to the front of the TV. We have a Saris that is not made anymore.

Why place bike up front where they block some view, possibly turn signals and head lights.
Why not place on a pin box receiver, no added length cab protects from most bugs and zero bounce.

I know if I add a bike rack someday it will be on the front of the truck like what they are talking about here. On our previous fifth we had our bikes on the pin box. Some of the reasons why I would want it on the front of the truck is for the ease of loading vs standing on a ladder or my tailgate, bugs are an issue either way at least it was for me. Not to mention if one is close to their RAWR it takes that weight off the rear axles. I can't imagine bouncing is that much greater on the front either. Now that the kids are older and don't camp with us anymore, we keep our two bike in back with the seats folded up. No worry from bugs, weather, or theft and easy to load.

Dan

Well bikes on the pin box aren’t an issue if you have enough truck.
Even with the old 2001 Ram 2500 at 1,700# over GVWR still had axle and tire to spare.