Originally Posted by TheNJDevil
Does anyone else transport bikes in a pickup? I need something that can be taken out of the pickup bed when not transporting bikes. (I use my pickup for other things also)
I really wish Thule or Yakima made a rack that would fit on the roof of my pickup.
Any suggestions?
Sure... I built myself a rack that works great. And it's transportable; I've attached 2 pics - the green truck is my old one, the blue is the new one. Same rack.
Start with Thule "Artificial Raingutters" and bolt them to your bed rails. That's the only permanent part. Then mount the rack of your choice (Yakima, Thule whatever) over the bed using the generic raingutter mount.
The whole thing comes off in 5 minutes and you have your whole pickup bed to use. Or, when you have, say 4 or 5 bikes you're carrying, you still have a whole bed for the rest of your gear.
You can use an upright mount like the Ankle Biter Duece (I use these for my MTBs) and/or a fork mount (I use these for my road bikes). I've had bikes up there at 80MPH or so with no problems at all. For longer road trips, I do recommend a bike bra, though.