Laying Bike Down In Truck Bed Is A Great Way Of Transportation
Putting your bicycle on its side inside your truck bed is a great method to move it from place to place. Sure it doesn’t look too elegant, but it gets the job done.
As far as if it does any real damage to your bike, this is rather false, based on my knowledge.
Sure it can get scratched up if you just lay it on a plain bed, but as far as mechanical parts such as the pedal, crankarm or bottom bracket going bad, that likely won’t happen.
Especially if you put it on something soft, like a thicker moving blanket (link to Amazon). Even better if you are willing to remove the pedal that is going to come in contact with the truck.
The video below explains the solution well.
It’s important to mention that the drivetrain is facing up – this is how you must do it too. Otherwise you can really mess something up.
What I would add to the guy’s method is some sort of strapping down, like a pair of bungee cords. The tie down points in your pickup bed are made for this exact reason. Use ’em up!
Doing so will prevent the bike from moving around too much during driving; that’ll alleviate unnecessary stress on your crankset, in particular if you wish not to remove the pedal.
To be frank, many folks never remove the pedal to begin with and put the bike there just like that for many years, without any issue. Take it as it is.
You can also mess around with taking off the front wheel. What this may allow you to achieve is better positioning of the bike, depending on how tight the bed is.
You may also be able to turn your handlebars vertically too once the wheel is off, so the bar end doesn’t come in contact with the truck. Ultimately, less contact points means that the bicycle will lay more flat, therefore easier to keep still once it’s bungeed.
What I love about hauling a bike this way
You can hide it under a tonneau cover! Now if you’re anything like me, you like to hide your prized possessions out of sight and out of mind, and there’s no better way to do it than with a tonneau.
You can park your vehicle who knows where for long periods of time, knowing that the bike is safer and sounder from the prying eyes.
I also enjoy utilizing the truck for what it’s worth, and in this case it’s definitely for carrying. To have to buy a rack just to carry a bike here and there sounds like a bit of waste of money.
You’ll also probably end up leaving those racks be, whether they are installed in the bed or hitch, simply because it’s a pain having to take one off and on all the time.
A bicycle under a tonneau is also out of the elements. I’d rather go for this than leaving it out in the open when all it does is rain and pour.
What if you got an expensive bike?
I’ve read of people doing this exact same thing with carbon bikes too. I guess it’s just a matter of how you view your bicycle.
I could imagine a road bike user having a harder time justifying stashing their bike in the back of a truck like that, in comparison to a MTBer.
Cheap or not, how well it’ll handle the bumpy ride back there depends on the precautions you take I’ve talked about earlier.
In conclusion
A truck comes with a bed for a reason. A single bike can fit there pretty good, depending on how long the bed is. So why waste that precious space by not utilizing it to its full potential?
I’ll say go for it – I’m sure the bike gets more beat up out on the trail, than in a pickup’s bed.