Bicycles in a Pickup Truck (with everything else)

MtView wrote:
I'm starting to think about the upcoming camping season as the temperature hits 60 today during a New England winter. It's exciting and therapeutic - should have done it sooner LOL.

This year I want to bring two of the kids' bikes with us. How do you bring the bikes in a pickup truck along with everything else we need to put back in the bed like our Coleman stove, cooler, bins that don't fit in our TT storage compartment, etc?

This is my first pickup and I thought it would be easy, but it looks like the bikes take up a lot of space.

Install a front hitch on the truck.. Get a reciever bike rack..

I have over 600lbs left on front axle when towing the travel trailer. This makes the most sense.

Or you can get a trailer rear bumper support and put them back there. But thats iffy IMO..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Ys33KTxHg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnzmesG4_bY

I fought the "bike in truck bed" issue for years. Finally, I spent the money for a front hitch.

It works fine and the bikes are in front where I can see them.

Great ideas! I never thought about a front hitch.

Added hitch to back of TT for mine. Also used bike tights ie block fork mount in truck bed too.

Quality bicycles shouldn’t be on a truck front rack. In rain that’s a pressure washing.

Two kids bikes should be easy in the back of the truck. I used to carry up to 5 (2 Adults, 2 Teens & 1 Kids) and still have room for coolers, etc. You need to consider this - PVC Bike Rack

I now have a BH model TT with the bike door so I use the PVC Bike Rack inside the BH now.

One other thing, if you build the PVC Bike Rack don't glue the joints as you go. One misaligned piece and you can throw the whole thing away and start over (ask me how I know this). I put it all together then just surface glued it at the joints.

A hitch of any kind to carry bikes is unnecessary ... a few scraps of plywood and you can easily carry up to 4 bikes in a 1/2 ton truck bed, even a short bed.









The last few years I haven't bothered taking bikes as our boys no longer camp with us so I cut this DIY bike rack down in size, hung it off my garage wall, and still use it to this day to store my fresh water Aquatainers. However, I could and may still use this season to carry bikes for my wife and I, along with the usual stuff I carry in the back of the truck. Works like a charm and cost nothing to build. :B

I made a rack so that the bikes would fit under the topper and take up the least space. The front wheel is swapped out with a lawnmower wheel to lower handlebars. I like to keep the bikes out of the weather, and with me most everywhere I go.

You have a travel trailer?
Here's how I do it.

There are also racks and rails that go over the top of your pickup bed and hold the bikes above the bed, so you can store stuff in the bed, and the bikes on top. I don't have a photo of that, but several have been posted on this forum, as I recall.

Here's my set up.

We carry our two (adult) bikes with one of these. Also use a couple of bungee cords to help secure them. Works great in the bed of our truck and still lots of room for other stuff.

Bike rack....HERE