DIY Bike mount in the R1T bed

[HokieHaden]

I’m 3 days into R1T ownership and already making it my own. I’m a recreational road cyclist and wanted a way to secure my bike in the bed of the truck. Inspired by a post I found on Reddit (I believe that’s where it was?) where someone had done something similar, I ordered a basic MBP bike block for $20 on Amazon, and ran to Ace hardware today for a bracket to attach the block to the front of the bed using the factory attachment points (those are nice to have, by the way). In about an hour I had her ready to go (see pics).

I still want to paint the hardware black for aesthetics, but otherwise I’m ready to go. And if I decide to take more bikes, I figure it’s another $20 bike block to attach each to the bracket. Can probably fit 3 easily.

The only thing that had me nervous was the tonneau cover clearance (when the bike isn’t being carried). As it turns out, it clears by about 1 mm. ?

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[Singletracker]

My low tech system. Attached the axle mount to piece of plywood. I use a couple of tie downs to secure it and a piece of rubber mat to protect the bed. When not in use, I just throw everything in the spare tire cubby or wherever. This makes it easy to mount the bike, without having to climb into the truck bed to reach the axle. In fact, I attach the bike to the axle mount before even loading into the bed and reverse the process for unloading. Much easier to do it this way, without having to putz around with the bike in the bed. Easy, cheap, has been very stable, and it keeps the bike in the lowest profile, short of laying it down. This is a large frame 29er bike and you can see that it is well below the roof line, even with the dropper post seat raised (as shown).

 

[HokieHaden]

My low tech system. Attached the axle mount to piece of plywood. I use a couple of tie downs to secure it and a piece of rubber mat to protect the bed. When not in use, I just throw everything in the spare tire cubby or wherever. This makes it easy to mount the bike, without having to climb into the truck bed to reach the axle. In fact, I attach the bike to the axle mount before even loading into the bed and reverse the process for unloading. Much easier to do it this way, without having to putz around with the bike in the bed. Easy, cheap, has been very stable, and it keeps the bike in the lowest profile, short of laying it down. This is a large frame bike and you can see that it is well below the roof line, even with the dropper post seat raised (as shown).

That works! With my setup, I’m actually thinking I won’t need any straps/tie downs at all. Only because the length of my bike means it is wedged at an angle with the back held tightly in place by the tailgate.

 

[Singletracker]

In my setup, the rear wheel is wedged into the front corner, which I also secure with a Velcro strap, which, if you look closely, you can see in one of the photos.

 

[Singletracker]

Your bike is way lighter than my E-MTB and should be much more stable, without straps.

I also needed to keep my bike below the roof line, as I have a bed rack that supports my RTT, among other things. The bike needs to fit under the rack. Needless to say, attempting to mount the forks in the front of the bed would be a nightmare with the rack and tent in place. The rack, the RTT, and the locked tailgate should limit access and slow down any opportunistic thief.

 

[HokieHaden]

Your bike is way lighter than my E-MTB and should be much more stable, without straps.

I also needed to keep my bike below the roof line, as I have a bed rack that supports my RTT, among other things. The bike needs to fit under the rack. Needless to say, attempting to mount the forks in the front of the bed would be a nightmare with the rack and tent in place. The rack, the RTT, and the locked tailgate should limit access and slow down any opportunistic thief.

Love the RTT idea. Which one is that?

 

[Singletracker]

The RTT is a James Baroud.

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