Bed mounted vs hitch mounted bike rack?

[SeaGeo]

Alright avid bikers I'm stuck on the fence. What're you thoughts on each option and the pros cons? Any ideas on which will be a bigger hit on range?

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[moosehead]

There’s multiple threads showing solid above crossbars bike racks, both Rivian/Yakima version and Yakima Front Loader. Leaves the hitch, bed, and tailgate usable. There will be some range impact and you must be cognizant not to drive your gear into a garage. Shit happens even to the most experienced bikers. Ask me how I know.

Hitch mount is also a good option as the smaller bed is accessible from topsides with no real need to drop tailgate. Perhaps a bit less range hit, but guessing. Bikes will get a bit more road muck in bad weather and are exposed to being rear ended.

Both you can leave front tires mounted. Have used both, call it a bit of a jump ball. Others will chime in.

 

[ciderarchitect]

I have never had a hitch mount; always done Yakima roof racks and appreciate the solid anchoring and “up out of the fray” location (haven't driven a bike mounted on top a vehicle into something yet…). That being said, my XC bike is too long to fit over the bed and I think going over the roof on an R1T has some drawbacks (aero impacts, risk of impacts, and awkward metal bits over a panoramic glass roof). If you can fit your bike(s) over the bed, that would get my vote. Second choice might be hitch mount for ease of use, thought it will interfere with rear camera FOV.

 

[stynes]

I've always hitch mounted mine. It does mess up cameras and sensors in reverse and depending on the vehicle you have to drop the rack down to access the rear but it lets me securely carry 4 bikes and move the rack to the vehicle I'm using.

 

[Riviot]

We're on a trip now with bikes mounted over the bed from Kitsap to Montana by way of Boise, first stop Walla Walla! I definitely noticed range impact today, 1.9 mi/kWh from Kitsap to Ellensburg and 2.05 mi/kWh from Ellensburg to Walla Walla by way of Hanford route both in Conserve no faster than 73mph. I haven't done these routes before, but compared to my I-5/WA-16 experiences those seem low.

Pros: up out of the way, bed is both usable and lockable, bikes are locked and secure up there at night, smaller footprint when parking
Cons: range impact, higher clearance to be mindful of, bugs all over the bikes, harder to load/unload compared to hitch rack (though it's getting seemingly easier the more times we move them)

 

[Slice]

For me a tailgate pad is the way to go for local rides. For road trips when I have a bunch of gear I use a hitch rack to free up bed space. I tried a bed mount rack and thought it was a hassle.

 

[fastwheels]

I transitioned from roof mounts to hitch racks 15 - 20 years ago and have no interest (and decreasing ability as I advance deeply into my 6th decade ) in mounting our bikes any higher. I've not done any highway mileage checks with bikes mounted so far, but I expect the range impact to be minimal.

 

[CabinCrusher]

Will be moving from hitch mount to bed mount for the first time w/Rivian. Stay tuned for ring camera footage of me pulling into the garage.

 

[FutureTruck]

I have a hitch mounted 4 bike rack setup for my Jeep currently. But it's a pain, and I want an easy way to toss two bikes in the bed of the R1T for when Mrs. FutureTruck and I go to our favorite riding area about 30 minutes away.

I want to get some sort of brace/rack to hold two bikes upright in the bed that installs and removes easily. Run the GearGuard cable through the frames and be done with it.

 

[Bigskyinminnie]

I'm running a single 1UP over the bed and liking that. I did use my hitch mount as well. It's dangerously close to the truck bed so I'd recommend an extender if using 1UP. Anyone use driver assist with hitchmount??? In my X5, driver+ would freak out and fantom brake hard on the interstate thinking the bikes were a vehicle. I'm hoping to avoid that with the R1T.

 

[Mark_AZR1T]

I'm running a single 1UP over the bed and liking that. I did use my hitch mount as well. It's dangerously close to the truck bed so I'd recommend an extender if using 1UP. Anyone use driver assist with hitchmount??? In my X5, driver+ would freak out and fantom brake hard on the interstate thinking the bikes were a vehicle. I'm hoping to avoid that with the R1T.

I'm using the 1Up Equip-D Double and can readily adjust the distance between the tailgate to my liking. First use with Driver+ on 10 miles of freeway was flawless.

 

[Nermal]

+1 for Yeti on over-the-bed 1Up.

Pros
- Least disruptive to tailgate and rear sensors
- Medium effort lift vs. roof
- Keeps bike in vehicle's "envelope" more than any option I've seen so far.
*wondering how an elevated bar (Yakima Overhaul, for example) with fork mount might do even better while lowering profile with rear of bike in bed

Cons
- A bit of playing and marking 1Up mounting position and bent arm position to assure least cantilever off back and avoid hitting spoiler with various bikes
- Opportunity to scrape bike off bed in low clearance scenarios
- Security of 1Up rack.
* Solutions offered in other threads, though) and gear guard should play here.
- Cantilevered off back.
* Its elevated so reduces many concerns and certainly less obtrusive than pad or hitch mount.
- Needs an allen wrench to remove, replace

We have a Yakima High Road (as available in Rivian Gear Shop) on my wife's Q5. I really wish (and have envisioned) ways to get the tray head to mount further aft to accommodate >70" bikes. It's a really nice rack in many ways. I can't believe Rivian didn't work through it not working over bed for most modern MTBs. Over roof is too high and too hard a lift, IMO.

 

[KeithPleas]

If you have an ebike in your future then I think that's going to dictate a (robust) hitch mount.

 

[crashmtb]

I'm running a single 1UP over the bed and liking that. I did use my hitch mount as well. It's dangerously close to the truck bed so I'd recommend an extender if using 1UP. Anyone use driver assist with hitchmount??? In my X5, driver+ would freak out and fantom brake hard on the interstate thinking the bikes were a vehicle. I'm hoping to avoid that with the R1T.

My plan is 1up over the bed

 

[danielvdm]

Hitch rack (1up Equip D let's me still open the tailgate) for longer trips, tailgate pad for local.

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