How to transport a nice bike?

Hi all

Got a nice new bicycle coming and i am wondering what the best way to transport and secure it is.

I need to be able to lock it under the tonneau cover when i am not using it, and also drive it along the highway.

I figure i cant just throw it in the bed and close the tonneau, because then it will bang all around while driving. Is there a way to secure a bicycle underneath the tonneau while driving so it doesnt get damaged?

Otherwise, is my only option to get some crossbars that go over the tonneau, and drive with the bike on the bars? Then, lock it under the tonneau when not in use?

I dont have a tonneau yet but i will be buying one to secure the bike.

 

@Gunshot-6A how do you transport your mountain bike??

 

just done get fenders. complicates things exponentially.

 

depending on how often you're going to be doing this I might just skip the crossbars and mount it right in the bed. Can your tonneau be locked in place while retracted? Just lock the tonneau open and mount the bike. If you need to leave it out of sight I would just add some nice cable locks and leave it mounted. Or you can just toss it under the tonneau while parked.

 

I use Rockymounts hm to mount mine. It's locking and works with my roll-up tonneau cover. I got a rail on the front of my bed I use to mount it.

https://rockymounts.com/collections/adaptor-and-truck-mounts/products/driveshaft-hm

 

OP try over here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/all-things-bikes-and-tacos.445155/

 

^ What style tonneau are you looking into?

With certain trifold covers you can fold it all the way forward and vertical to open up the full bed space and use pretty much any bike mount you want. Or go a totally different style and run an Undercover Ridgelander tonneau and add a bike rack to the included cross bars.

Either style cover you can toss the bike under the cover, lock the tailgate and you're good to go.

 

I mount a bike rack up on bed bars, it is a good way to carry as the bed is still free for carrying other stuff.

 

Sounds like this is pretty up your alley @JacksTurdGen

I toss em over my tailgate or use a shuttle rack for my MTBs. For whatever reason, I get the vibe that he is talking more about a road bike, which don't work very well with these designs.

 

If your bike would slide around if you laid it in the back I would assume that you do not have a bed mat. If you don't then you do need one.

 

It is a thru axel mountain bike.

I know of rocky mounts and i actually have one already for a different bike.

The problem is, that i have other stuff in the bed that i need to keep secured while driving. So i cant have the tonneau partially open to allow the bike to be mouned to the rocky mounts, because then the other stuff in the bed might come flying out.

I have yet to purchase the tonneau, so i can get any hard locking tonneau.

 

To attack the problem from another angle, why not put the other stuff in the bed in something like this? Seems an easier issue to solve than dealing with how to close a tonneau around a bike.

 

As @Skidog1 says, a bedmat matters. My bike doesn't move at all under the tonneau.

But no soft tonneau is secure, they just stop lookers. Even if the tailgate locks, a pocketknife is all that's needed if they want whats in the bed.

As far as highway travel, I just take off the tonneau and strap them in. May not work well for those who offroad to their starting point. Although straps on the rear could be all thats needed in some cases.

 

Get a tonneau that gives full bed access. Strap the bike like a motorcycle when driving around. When you want it stored under the cover, take the wheel off and hide it. If you're bike cost what mine do, you never leave them unattended very long, even secured.

 

I do have a bed mat.

If i unfold the tonneau to drive with the bikes strapped to a rocky mount, then all my other stuff in the bed is exposed and liable to bounce out of the truck bed when driving at highway speeds. I do have those rubbermaid containers that somebody posted, but i still worry about them flyibg out of the bed.

The only way I can think to transport a bike and stuff in the bed at the same time is to get a tonneau with crossbars...

 

They also make bike racks that attach to the tow hitch.

 

Is there any way to lay a bike down flat under a tonneau and also secure it in the bed so it stays put and doesnt move around while driving?

I am worried that i might damage the bike if it bounces around inder the tonneau while driving.

 

Bed mat and a couple bungee cords would probably do the trick.

 

You can use ratchet straps to secure almost anything in the bed, storage containers, bicycles...etc...

 

I use a few pieces of those foam interlocking flooring squares to protect our road bike's under the tonneau. Have a pace-Edwards ultra groove with Thule bars on top. But can put the bike out of sight and locked when needed.