| If you are an avid mountain biker and don’t have any way to get your bike to the trailhead then this can get very frustrating very quickly. Nobody likes to require other people pick them up every time they go riding. Plus if you ever want to go solo and don’t have a way to get your bike there then you are pretty much out of luck unless you can ride to the trailhead and how often does that really happen? |
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One way to get around this is to use an in bed bike rack like the one made by Pipeline Racks. The Pipeline bike rack sits inside your bed and your bike is held in place by placing the wheel inside the rack. The other wheel is kept in line by what they call a wheelie bar which keeps the rest of the bike straight so it doesn’t slide around the bed.
The Pipeline bike rack comes in various configurations such as a full size and compact truck version as well as a 2, 3, 4 and 5 bike versions depending on your truck size. The arms that hold the tires in place are adjustable so you can make them fit the width of your tire. They also come with a Velcro strap to help keep the tire in place within the rack. The wheelie bars attach to the arm to keep the rest of the bike in line with the wheel that sits in the arm. If you get the 3 bike version then the middle bike will go back wheel first to avoid the handlebars hitting each other.
The rack will come unassembled and is not too difficult to put together once you figure out what part goes where. The hardest part is getting the arms attached to the main bar since you have to put them in place and try and screw them together at the same time. The whole process should take you less than an hour.
As for how the rack performs that will determine how you use it. For straightforward road drives its fine but if you plan on taking any windy canyon roads or bumpy dirt roads then the bikes will move around in the rack. Now we don’t mean they will be coming out of the racks but they will tend to sway from side to side. You can adjust how tight the rack holds down on the wheel but keep in mind that if you make it too tight and but a bike in there with a wider tire it won’t fit unless you loosen it.
The rack is held to the bed by straps so you will need to make sure they are tight so the whole rack doesn’t move itself. You will also need a way to lock the rack to your truck unless you want to take it out each time or risk getting it stolen. The hoops on the rack are not that wide so you will need to use a pretty skinny cable to lock it to your truck.
One issue you may encounter is not being able to close the tailgate of your truck if you bike is on the longer site or your bed is on the shorter side. On a standard 6 foot bed with an all mountain style mountain bike we were not able to close the tailgate. If you have a full size truck this shouldn’t be a problem. If you don’t mind having the tailgate open then it shouldn’t be a problem either and you can even get one of those fold out gates to keep you stuff in the bed. But when using this rack you don’t get much leftover room for stuff in the bed since most of it is taken up by the bikes. This is where an above the bed type rack would come in handy.
Overall it’s a decent rack and should do the job for most people. Just keep in mind like mentioned above that if the driving conditions get a little rough the bike movement may get a little rough as well. The best part about the rack is how quickly you can get the bikes in and out of the bed since there are no arms to disconnect and all you need to unhook is the optional Velcro strap. The rack will cost you anywhere from $200-$300 depending on what version you need and how many bikes you want to carry.
