Tacoma w/6ft bed / Fleet / 1Up Bike Rack ?s

WhimsyM

Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2019
Messages
15
Location
Colorado
Hello,

I'm picking up my Fleet in June. It'll live on my Tacoma extended cab with 6ft bed. I have a 1UP bike rack and I want to ensure I'll have clearance using the 1UP Extender, which provides an additional 7 inches. Does anyone have this set-up? Plenty of space for the handlebars?

Thank you for input!
Christa
 
Sorry don't have any helpful info but I am shopping for a bike rack that will work with my Tundra/Hawk combo. How do you like the 1up? They are some of the beefiest bike racks I think I've ever seen. I would think with the extender you should be fine. I doubt the fleet will stick out more than 7 inches past where your tailgate was.

I was thinking about getting a yakima exo system to use a bike rack/storage box combo but worry about the durability off road.
 
I love the 1UP! Expensive, but worth. Super easy taking the bikes on and off and they always feel very secure.
I'd like this swinging set-up:)
 
+1 on the 1Up. Super sturdy. We added a front hitch receiver to be able to mount it up front occasionally too. It is usually on the back for longer trips, and then once at a base camp we move them to the front. Allows for more secure locking, etc.
 
Hi Vic,
What's your set-up (truck/camper model)? Do you think the 7" extender will accommodate the required space for the handlebars on the back? I like the idea of moving them to the front!
Thanks!
Christa
 
Truck and camper details are in my signature block? Maybe you can’t see that. 2015 chev 3500HD, ATC Puma/Grandby. The 1up will allow you to tilt it back to improve clearance. I don’t need to do that on my rig. Camper exactly fits the truck bed
 
Christa, I’ve got a 2014 Tacoma extended cab with 6ft bed, a 2014 Fleet, and a 1 UP bike rack for two MTB’s. I use a 12” hitch extension to give me proper clearance for the handlebars. I picked up a really sturdy one from a trailer supply store in Denver (Lampert Hitch). To eliminate rack rattle, I use a Roadmaster Quiet Hitch for 2" Receiver. The entire setup has worked flawlessly for 8 years.
 
Awesome, thanks everyone! RAK4, perfect! I will just copy you! :) I'm driving to CA to pick up the camper and want to bring the bikes, but didn't want to deal with taking them apart if I had the dimensions wrong. Thank you thank you!
 
Vic Harder said:
You can always turn the handlebars ?
Fyi, For many if not most bikes built within the past 10-15 years the small hex bolt you see at the top of the handlebar stem actually also tensions the steering tube bearing within the bike stem. Although you could turn the handlebars by removing that cap and usually a couple of hex bolts on the side of the upper handlebar attachment, you have to torque it back in place at somewhat low levels like 5-nm or less to reload the steering tube bearing. It's not a process you want to do on a regular basis for risk of stripping threads. The handlebar stem attachment on new bikes is often aluminum. Be aware that this can vary significantly by age of bike and manufacturer.

Probably more than you want to know about bike construction but by removing those 3 bolts and lifting off the handlebars you can usually easily drop/remove the entire front fork through the bottom. Pretty nifty and simple construction which now allows many companies to design and sell their own bike frame (Trek, Specialized, and smaller bike manufacturers) but obtain forks from a third-party producer.
 
Hi, I just went through a similar exercise, so let me share my experience.
I have Hawk on a Tundra double cab. The camper sticks out of the bed by maybe an inch, but doesn't extend past the tail lights...so pretty darn flush.

I bought a Rockymounts Backstage. This is a swing out rack which I figured would be rather handy with the door. I selected the Rockymounts because, in addition to being a bit less expensive than similar platform hitch racks, the integrated swing out means it extends a bit less from the truck which I believed would result in more clearance, ie. better departure angle, when traveling on rough roads.

When I got it home, I quickly discovered how half-baked all these plans are. Handlebars of mountain bikes do, indeed, contact (admittedly barely!) the back of the camper. I considered just padding this in some way, and, honestly, this might work, but I went ahead and bought an extension. Rockymounts 8 inch extension has their anti-wobble feature so I really wanted that, and wound up having to wait an extra couple of months because it was out of stock (Note: Rockymounts customer service has been perfect--they emailed me the moment it came in and helped me get it absolutely as soon as possible.)

As you probably know, most racks of this type have a tip down feature that tilts bikes away from a hatch back vehicle. The Backstage is no exception. Well, with the extra 8 inches, you don't really even need the swing out feature of the rack to open the door and access the camper. With the bikes tilted we can get in and out, swinging the door not exactly all the way, but with plenty of room. (I added some traction tape to bar extending from the receiver so we could use this area as a stair...worked very well) We actually preferred this tilt option sometimes on windy nights when the bikes might be swinging out there too much with the rack were folded out. And one time when, parked in a BLM campground it meant that the bikes weren't sticking a bit farther into the campground road next to us.

However, my brand new rack does, now, have some scuffs on the bottom after going over some dips and ditches which cause the rack to drag in the dirt. Trade-offs.

I hope this is helpful, feel free to ask me any questions--I have multiple different bikes on there at times, so I can address that, too. And also describe wobble performance, mounting, whatever. Pictures can be taken, just let me know!
 
Hi,
We have a 2019 Fleet on our Tacoma. We researched extensions and decided not to go with a swing out extension: heavy, expensive and more opportunity for movement / rattling on rough roads.

While it would be nice to swing the bikes out of the way, we opted for this step extension. With bikes on, plenty of clearance for the handlebars. Our rack tilts down with bikes on - doing this leave enough room to open the door to get into the camper (picture of this is not great, but you get the idea). With bikes off, the step is great for getting in and out of the camper - no need to bring a separate step.
 

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