i do a lot of biking and rather than getting a hitch rack., was wondering if anyone has tried to mount bike rack rails onto the top of the Undercover. i was thinking of drilling holes and putting rails for the mountain bikes, i'd be putting them closer to the edges and each bike weighs about 40lbs.

some people may have also tried to mount snowboard racks, additional storage etc....

any suggestions? will it hold up? or would the plastic Undercover just begin to bow over time. i would typically mount the bikes twice a week.

thanks,
jim

 

Pardon my ignorance...but what the hell is an "undercover"?

 

It is a great tonneau cover that is not available in a model that will fit your bed...

 

---------------------------------------------

YET .... but they're working on one. ( they'd better be )

I just can't believe the lack of love for the flareside .....
( the best darned bed on the planet !!!! ) lol lol
please NO wacked out retorts from the stylesiders ...
( it's just a joke ) that you own stylesides ...... lol
sorry Couldn't help myself ...... lol

 

I don't see why you couldn't put 3-4 bike mounts on the undercover. In the advertisement, they have an entire hockey team sitting on the thing... granted it's a kids hockey team, but you're still looking at 300-500+ pounds on that thing. If you're just thinking about 2 bikes then go for it. You're smart to mount them toward the edge, where the tonneau has more support. I'm thinking about doing the same thing. Do you know any super low profile bicycle mounts/tire rails that won't look bad when I'm cruising WITHOUT the bikes on.

Thanks!

 

Just call Undercover at 866-900-8800 and ask them what they think. They are extremely helpful and I've had nothing but great experiences dealing with them.

Jim

 

I mounted two fork mounts on top of my toolbox. They work great. If I were you I would just mount the fork mounts to a board or something and lay it in the bed. Or get one of those rail mount systems if you have money to burn.

 

I wouldn't do it.
Reasons why not
1. you lose the warranty
2. no fix if it starts to crack
3. looks ugly
4. you would have a hard time reselling it with holes in it

 

I don't think I'd worry about the weight, it's the wind jerking the bikes around that concerns me. Seems like it would only be a matter of time till the rack rips off as you're driving down the road...

 

Xport makes a bike rack for trucks, I have it mounted in the bed of mine. It expands and locks for security and will hold up to 3 bikes.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...1023&anum=6679[/IMG]

 

The best place for your bike is in the bed, the next best place for them is on a hitch mount rack. Unfortanately, the cover complicates things for you. Roof racks look great but it is just a matter of time before you drive into the garage, under the take out food canopy or under the cover of the atm machine ripping your fork from the frame.. Your gas mileage will suffer greatly as well. Personally, I like the bike tight fork mounts which attach to anything, tool box, 2by4. I know a guy who has his mounted to his bed rail. I've seen bike racks drilled to bed caps and they seem safe and look cool but drilling holes in the cover would scare me. Personally I would go with the hitch mount rack.

Scott

 

Nah. You can mount a bike rack on it no problem. Go to www.yakima.com and check out the many options. I have Rails on my truck cap with the Rail Rider's mounted to them. Very slick operation. Plus with one key I can slide the entire rack off the truck if I want.

Yes, you will have to drill some holes to mount the rails, big deal. Here's a picture of the same set up on my truck, although on a truck cap. In this case I went ahead and ordered the cap with the rails and then mounted the system. I drilled the holes on my old truck cap though and it's no big deal.

I've been using a set up like this for years and it's Ideal for me. 3 or 4 bikes in the back of your truck take up a Lot of space, especially when you have all your camping gear and maybe a dog or two. This get's the bikes Securely up and out of the way. Just don't be a moron and try to pull into your garage.

It will hurt your gas mileage slightly, but nothing drastic. Maybe a mile per gallon, it that (again, this is from Experience). If you search around, you'll find many that mount their racks on those tonneu cover things. I'm in the bike industry and deal with it all the time.


http://home.columbus.rr.com/coolpix/DSC00081.JPG

 

thanks for the feedback guys...i'm still on the edge about what to do, but i'm leaning towards throwing a bike mount on top of it...1. gives me a usable trunk,2. bikes don't produce too much drag, 3. can still use the hitch to tow a bass boat.

thanks again,
jim

 

I went to Florida this past Oct and bought a hitch mount bike rack. Its the swing away model, its real sweet(for a bike rack ). Anyway, while looking at all the different models of hitch mounted racks, I seem to recall one that you could still hook a trailer up to it. If memory serves me right, it was nothing more than an extended receiver with the post for the bike rack in the middle. Picture an upside down T with one end that fits into the hitch and the other end having the ball. Try Yakima or Thule.

Good luck!!

PS. I also have the Undercover and thought about what you are thinking of, time constraints (we decided a day and half before we were leaving to bring the bikes) forced me to go with the hitch mount.

 

I have thought about a bike rack on an under cover too. The over cover is the next option for my FX4 Screw. Some food for thought though. When you have 1 or more bikes loaded on your under cover, how will you open it to access the stuff in the bed, You can lift it, but it will not be as easy, and you will have to hold it up due to the weight of the bikes.

I think the under cover would support the weight, and that you would not have leak problems from drillikng the holes. But I think you might lose some of the functionality of your truck. I do think it would look cool, but cool is not always the best.