How to Make a Truck Bed Bicycle Rack

If you've got a bicycle you carry in a pickup truck, and you just lay it in the back of the truck, it's time to stop now. Lying loose, your bicycle can slide around, chipping the paint and possibly damaging components. There's a simple way to build a bike rack in the back or your truck that will let you mount your bike in style and safety.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 x 6 pressure-treated lumber
• Saw
• Drill
• 3/4-inch drill bit
• 1/2-inch drill bit
• Wrench
• 2 1/2-inch diameter lag bolts
• 2 1/2-inch diameter washers
• 4 wood screws
• Two bicycle fork mounts

1. Cut a length of 1 x 6 pressure-treated lumber so that it is 4 feet long. Use a hand saw or a power saw to make the cut.

2. Drill two 3/4-inch diameter holes in the board with a power drill, each 6 inches in from the ends of the board and centered 3 inches from the edges of the board.

3. Lay the board in the bed of your truck, parallel to the front edge of the bed and two feet back.

4. Have an assistant hold the board firmly in position, and drill two 1/2-inch holes in the sheet metal of the bed, using the holes in the board as your guides. Check below the bed for any fuel lines or cables before you drill.

5. Slip a washer over the threads of a 1/2-inch diameter lag bolt and insert it into one of the holes in the board, so that the tip lines up with and enters the hole you drilled in Step 4. With a 1/2 inch wrench, turn the bolt so that it screws into the sheet metal of the truck bed. Don't tighten it all the way down yet. Repeat with a second washer and lag bolt and the other hole in the board. Tighten both sides down evenly until the board is snug against the bed of the truck and doesn't shift position.

6. Install two bicycle fork mounts (available at most bike shops) onto the board, each one nine inches in from the ends of the board. The fork mounts install with wood screws -- simply place the mount in the desired position and screw it into place with two woodscrews and a screwdriver. Your bicycles will mount to the fork mounts and sit upright in the back of the truck.

References

• "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance;" A. Zinn; 2005

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish