The 4 best truck bed bike racks
Bikers love to see their two-wheelers riding safely in the bed of a truck or a pickup. A tailgate bed bike rack is super safe and easy for bikes as well the truck when you are on the move.
The tailgate bed rack is too irresistible if not entirely inevitable if you own a truck or a pick-up. It is the best bike rack option for your truck simply because it’s the economical, safest and easiest way to haul bikes.
This bike rack is nothing short of a blessing for an avid cyclist or a fitness conscious rider, who thrives on his daily dose of cycling. But the popularity of tailgate bed bike racks among owners of trucks is mainly driven by the fact that loading and unloading these bike racks is simple.
Let's have a look at the best bike racks to suit your truck
SPORTOURO Truck Bike Tailgate Pad
Best Overall
- Reasonably priced
Pros
- Pro-rear camera
- Versatile carrier
Cons
MNJ Motor Tailgate Bike Rack
Budget option
- good budget option
Pros
- Affordable price
- Versatile carrier
Cons
- hinder rear camera
MICTUNING Rear Tailgate Pad for Truck
Premium option
- Great all around option
Pros
- Universal fit
- Rear cargo access
Cons
- For single bike
A tailgate bed bike rack accommodates a range of bikes. It offers the best protection from damage to expensive bikes and also protects the truck, the racks are suitable on all terrains.
These racks are super easy to install. Moreover a tailgate bed rack scores over the hitch-mounted rack in stability and safety.
And why not install one when you know that trucks and pick-ups are the best modes to haul bikes. Mind you, a truck is compatible with various kinds of bike racks. A tailgate bed rack scores over hitch-mounted due to better safety and sturdiness. Tailgate bed rack is by far the safest and easiest rack to install, load and use. These racks fit on the tailgate of your pick-up. The bikes sit on the tailgate pad and this does not affect the driving experience.
It is reassuring to know that the bikes are placed in the bed of your truck rather than on a hitch behind the vehicle. These racks have tailgate pads that accommodate a wide range of bikes. The racks have thick padding that prevents scratches on the tailgate of the truck and bikes. They come with straps for extra stability that prevent sliding and rubbing between the bikes and the car.
These racks are compatible with all kinds of bikes whether they are MTBs, full-suspension bikes or big tyres. Here is the list of the best truck bed bike racks to help you out. Consider the number of bikes, the weight of bikes and also the width of the vehicle may play a role in selecting your ideal rack.
SPORTOURO Truck Bike Tailgate Pad
SPORTOURO is a superstar bike rack for avid cyclists as well as occasional riders. It’s a super easy, safe, economical and versatile bike rack for your truck. It goes with the rear camera and doesn’t interfere with tail lights.
This heavy-duty five-bike tailgate rack is a bonanza for the biker’s community. It is your ticket to become the leader of the pack when you are on the way to memorable vacations, cycling tours and events. Your cycling buddies will bless you for the safe transportation of their bikes. This rack does come fairly cheap compared to others given its amazing features. It is the best truck bed bike rack on the market.
SORTOURO is built with durable and weatherproof material for extra durability.
If your truck has a rear camera, this rack is the one for you. Its unique strap tailgate pad doesn’t interfere with the functionality of the tailgate or the rear camera as the rack has a specially designed fast buckle opening.
Unattended bikes on a truck are low hanging fruit for those looking for a five-finger discount (theft). SPORTOURO rack is equipped with industrial-grade eyelets. This allows locking of the rack with a cable lock for a tension-free travelling experience.
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It is an ultra-easy bike rack to install on the truck. It’s ready to haul bikes in a couple of minutes. All you need to do is hang it on the tailgate and tighten three wide straps. Your five-bike carrier is at your service to shuttle up to five- BMX or mountain bikes.
SPORTOURO is an asset with its versatility. A little imagination makes this rack fit to haul skis, snowboards, surfboards and not to mention a wide array of bikes on this rack.
Bike racks sometimes leave nasty paint damage or scratches on the tailgates of vehicles.
This rack comes clean. It has an abrasion-resistant heavy-PVC protective layer that separates bikes and tailgates. At 54 inches long, the SPORTOURO truck tailgate protector is wide enough to suit most pickup trucks. The maker of this rack has taken extra care to ensure the bikes don’t deface each other when loaded. The rack has extra dense bumper pads at each anchor where a bike is fixed.
Interestingly SPORTOURO comes with three-narrow straps instead of the usual 4-5 in other racks. The ultra-wide straps are strategically fitted to give a firm hug to your expensive bikes.
It is a light-weighted rack of 5 lbs, which is a feat given its load capacity of five bikes. Anti-theft cable-lock-friendly eyelets allow an effortless way to lock the pad to the truck. SPORTOURO has provided tool pockets to keep the required tools.
MNJ Motor Tailgate Bike Rack
MNJ Moto Tailgate bike rack is the widely popular super heavyweight carrier fit for most trucks. The laurels of this tailgate heavyweight six-bike carrier rest on efficient performance. But the economical price makes it an irresistible product for most bike riders who haul their bikes in trucks.
This rack is the owner’s delight for being user friendly. The six-bike carrier can be installed and loaded in minutes. Just place the pad on the tailgate properly and fasten the securing strap.
This rack comes with six-concave slots on the tailgate pad and fixing straps design to provide a safe hauling experience. Two-enlarged pockets on the pad are adequate and convenient to secure the required and other things. To make the pockets safe to keep things during travel, they come with double closures security which includes a magic sticker and zipper.
MNJ rack’s tailgate protection pad and straps make it good to load lumber, surfboard, construction supplies and hold ladders. This rack size is 62 inches long x 7 inches wide x 20 inches high which suits most of the trucks. But it is wise to ensure that the size is suitable for your truck before you go for the purchase.
MNJ moto will win your heart just for its simple installation and effortless loading procedure. You are set to commence your journey in minutes with the entire haul of bikes. The rack fits on the vehicle’s tailgate just by simply placing the pad on the tailgate and the straps do the fixing job. The straps snug the bike frames and this prevents sliding or loosening of the bikes.
In this rack, the tailgate remains easy to open and close due to the open design of the tail door switch.
The outer of this rack is made from high-strength PVC material which extends protection from the weather. The rack has soft flannelette as the inner layer material, which is wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant.
The rack has an enlarged tailgate pocket which makes it easy to access the latch of the tailgate. It’s soft inner lining on the tailgate pad keeps your tailgate scratch-free.
MICTUNING Rear Tailgate Pad for Truck
MICTUNING rear is your heavy-duty bike carrier if the nasty scratches on the tailgate of vehicles discourage you to fit a bike carrier on a stylish pickup. It is designed to provide extra protection to the bike and tailgate of the vehicle. This rear tailgate pad is a universal fit, compatible with most pickup trucks. This rack is widely popular for its compatibility to carry a wider range of bikes, including mountain bikes, and also due to accessibility to rear cargo.
This five-star heavy-duty carrier performs efficiently in tough conditions due to its top safety features and sturdy design. To do all this with a haul of five bikes is a great feat.
Bike racks are a great asset for travelling with your bikes. But many vehicle owners are discouraged by the nasty scars left on the tailgate pick-up truck after a telling journey. No one wishes to see such damages after a thrilling cycling outing on your vehicle. Mictuning has gone ahead of the competition to tackle this issue and provided a protective layer with a thick inner layer of soft flannelette. This layer does not allow damage to paint.
The outer layer is made of PVC laminated cloth, which is wear-resistant, rainproof and moisture-proof.
It has unique concave slots which effectively grips the bike even in the bumpy road, making the bike easier to store and transport to other places easily. The rack has two straps to prevent the bikes from sliding and two fixed blocks on the end to stop the toppling of bikes during transportation.
Mictuning is easy to install. Just put this pad rack on the tailgate and fasten two-fixing straps. The rack has one big tool pocket on the pad to secure the tools of your vehicle. Zipper and magic sticker provides a double closure facility for the pocket.
CyclingDeal Tailgate Bike Pads
Bike pad racks fitted on the tailgate can play spoilsport with the rear cameras. It’s a huge drawback if your truck has a camera. Cycling Deal tailgate bike pad rack brings the solution to your woes. This five-bike carrier built from aluminium, scores high as it allows full functionality of the rear cameras, whether fitted near or below the tailgate of the vehicle. The backup camera is a necessary driving assistant on most modern vehicles, and car owners who are used to it, cannot do without it.
Cycling Deal also brings to the table most of the other advantages of a tailgate bike pad rack. It’s super easy to install and use. This rack has cushioned cradles to protect costly aluminium and carbon fibre bikes. The high-quality frame straps on the pad easily and quickly secure the bikes. It fits almost all bikes. It protects both your bikes and tailgate paint. Cycling Deal rack can be installed literally in a couple of minutes. Once installed, it’s even easier to load the bikes. Hang bikes over the tailgate and your costly bike is fully secured for the long haul.
Many tailgate racks hinder the functioning of the rear camera which is just not acceptable when you need to reverse the loaded vehicle. But this rack ensures that the rear camera is fully functional whether it is located near or below the tailgate handle. The camera’s view is not obstructed by a bike fork or wheel. This rack allows opening the tailgate even when the tailgate pad is on.
The use of a high-quality foam pad that is 3/4″ thick provides top protection to a truck and the tailgate when traversing through off-road conditions. The foam pad comes with a PTV trap waterproof on the outside to protect bikes and trucks in long and gruelling road conditions. This pad rack has an extra-soft underside to prevent damage to paint on the tailgate.
Final word on truck bed racks
The best tailgate bike rack will make your pickup truck the safest mode to haul bikes. The best tailgate pad rack will keep your vehicle scratch less and your journey stress-free. The best bike rack will deliver you unmatchable driving as well as bike riding experience.