Road bikes inside 4runner

[hesimeustic]

Hello all,

relatively new here - I only bought my 2007 4runner 2 weeks ago.

Although I have read through many threads on hitch vs. roof racks for bikes and everyone's opinions on Thule vs. Yakima, I keep my truck in an underground garage and travel a lot of dusty logging roads... meaning neither works well for me.

Since I'm mostly transporting my road bike and not a muddy mountain bike I have no problems with putting it in the back with the rear seat folded down. However... aside from the $350CAD factory bike rack option there doesn't seem to be much aftermarket other than the aforementioned roof and hitch racks.

So... has anyone custom fabricated an interior bike rack? I can buy fork mounts here: http://tinyurl.com/3bnh3h
and can bolt them into a nice dark piece of MDF or something, putting velcro tape on the underside to secure it. I also figure I could buy two of these: http://tinyurl.com/2pewcl and with a little more velcro tape secure the back wheel and keep the interior a bit cleaner. The upside would be easy removal of the 3 items and retain a "stock" look most of the time.

Failing that, does anyone in the Toronto area have a factory Toyota interior rack they're looking to part with?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[p nut]

I asked the same question a while ago, but it was for 3rd Gen 4Runners. Here is the thread that I started (there are a few different set ups mentioned, but one of the guys put in some quick release mounts inside of the cabin.):

http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=1233.0

I'm sure it will still work the same for the 4th Gens, but you will have to do some research on that. Times like these, I wish I'd bought a Tacoma. I still love my 4Runner, though.

EDIT: One other issue that I thought of was--mountain bike frames are usually smaller than road bikes (I believe). Can you stand your bike upright (with the front wheel off) inside of the Runner? I can, but I have to lower the seat all the way down. If your bike doesn't pass that test, you might be out of luck.

 

[hesimeustic]

thanks! What that guy did on the back of his seats is what I was thinking of, only I was thinking of putting the fork mounts on the upper layer of the dual-layer storage floor at the back of the truck. To me it makes more sense to back the rear wheel in and hold the fork [I'm often loading the bike alone]. Tr

 

[tomhaney1]

Man that must be nice. I have to lay mine down because it is difficult to fit my 58 incher upright...Damn tallness!

 

[p nut]

Man that must be nice. I have to lay mine down because it is difficult to fit my 58 incher upright...Damn tallness!

58 inches? Yeah, that is pretty tall. Are you a giant?

hesimeustic - I get what you're saying. It would make it easier to mount/dismount the bike. However, if you're carrying regular cargo, the QR mounts might get broken off or get caught on something. Wonder if you can make them flush with the floor? Or make a quick-release for the quick-release mount?

I was also thinking the other day about some ceiling mounts where it would hold one end up by the handle bars and the rear you can tie down to the d-rings on the floor.

 

[Climb14er]

I've got a custom Waterford R-33, full Campagnolo Record Triple, Ritchey, Look Carbon, Chris King, Selle, weighs eighteen pounds.

If you know bikes, you know how much this one is worth. :

I simply put it on its side in the back of the 4runner with rear seats down.

Nothing to buy, nothing to make, nothing to add.

Just the seats down and it works fine.

 

[Ghostrider]

I built a cheap removable one for my third generation but should work fine for an vehicle. Two bike mount hitches for ten bucks a piece. A 2x6 from the lumber yard. A piece of plastic that has hooks on one side to grip the carpet, small nails and assorted bolts yielded a bike holder for two bikes for less than thirty bucks. The only drawback is removing the front wheel and with the fold down seats not being totally flat i have to drop the bike seat down

 

[Specialized]

My road bike fits in the back with the front wheel removed without folding the seats down. I don't think it makes a difference but I keep the front fork facing the right. It goes in there like butta. Best part about it; no rear seat room is lost.

Watch out when you take the bike out...it's easy to get grease on yourself from the chain when the bike is in this position.

Ride on Bro!

 

[hesimeustic]

I've got a custom Waterford R-33, full Campagnolo Record Triple, Ritchey, Look Carbon, Chris King, Selle, weighs eighteen pounds.

If you know bikes, you know how much this one is worth. :

I simply put it on its side in the back of the 4runner with rear seats down.

Nothing to buy, nothing to make, nothing to add.

Just the seats down and it works fine.

Hey,
I did this last weekend with my cheaper, lesser LeMond Tourmalet and am not fearing for the safety of the bike but for the cleanliness of the 4runner. It worked well for sure, but had it poured rain or been muddy on the streets I wouldn't have wanted to lay it down in the back like that. As I don't have anything yet and I have a triathlon even coming up this Sunday it is likely how I will transport the bike until I purchase or build a fork mount for it.

 

[hesimeustic]

58 inches? Yeah, that is pretty tall. Are you a giant?

hesimeustic - I get what you're saying. It would make it easier to mount/dismount the bike. However, if you're carrying regular cargo, the QR mounts might get broken off or get caught on something. Wonder if you can make them flush with the floor? Or make a quick-release for the quick-release mount?

I was also thinking the other day about some ceiling mounts where it would hold one end up by the handle bars and the rear you can tie down to the d-rings on the floor.

I don't really carry much cargo other than the odd suitcase or duffel bag so I'm not too worried about having fork mounts mounted to the top piece of the dual level cargo floor. As I found out last weekend when I dropped a cycling glove the floor the rear carpeting is velcro-friendly, hence my wondering out loud whether a thorough application of velcro-tape to the bottom of something like a SARIS Traps 37" Single Track would hold the bike in place if the brakes were jammed on or whether bolts would be necessary. Anyone?

 

[tomhaney1]

58 inches? Yeah, that is pretty tall. Are you a giant?

hesimeustic - I get what you're saying. It would make it easier to mount/dismount the bike. However, if you're carrying regular cargo, the QR mounts might get broken off or get caught on something. Wonder if you can make them flush with the floor? Or make a quick-release for the quick-release mount?

I was also thinking the other day about some ceiling mounts where it would hold one end up by the handle bars and the rear you can tie down to the d-rings on the floor.

My bad, I meant cm...

 

[SofaRider]

I cut a 2x4 to fit the width of the carpeted area right at the rear hatch. I bolted a couple of the fork quick-release mounts on it and stuck some velcro on the back of it to hold it down and make it easily removable -- the bike sits with the rear tire on the folded down seats. I ride a 57cm frame and it fits just fine, but I do have to take the saddle/post off.

Oh yea, it doesn't take much velcro to hold it VERY secure. I used too much and it's difficult to get it off the carpet!

 

[cwest94]

I just lay my MT bike flat down in the back cargo area, I do remove the front and back wheels for it to fit well. After the bike is in and I lay the wheels in there as well, I just pull the shade thing back to cover it all. I also keep the cargo area covered in a big sheet and I use a thick bath towel to cover the back part of my bike so it doesn't get any grease on things, or scratch the plastic cargo walls.

 

[jacal]

Although I never use it...

I had made my own bike rack for my previous pickup, and it works just as well with the runner. The exception is that I would have to lower my bike seat each time which I don't like to do.

I bought 2 fork mounts. I bought 1 adjustable truck bed "cargo bar" basically a width adjustable pole ($10). And put it all together.

http://www.princessauto.com/_osn.cfm?CTRY=CAN&output=OSN&SRCH=1&SRCHAREA=OSN&T1=CARGO BAR

It has nice rubber ends so it shouldn't cause any interior damage.


J

 

[hesimeustic]

Although I never use it...

I had made my own bike rack for my previous pickup, and it works just as well with the runner. The exception is that I would have to lower my bike seat each time which I don't like to do.

I bought 2 fork mounts. I bought 1 adjustable truck bed "cargo bar" basically a width adjustable pole ($10). And put it all together.

http://www.princessauto.com/_osn.cfm?CTRY=CAN&output=OSN&SRCH=1&SRCHAREA=OSN&T1=CARGO BAR

It has nice rubber ends so it shouldn't cause any interior damage.


J

That looks great. My only question is how you secured the fork mounts (presumably with two holes for bolts) to the cargo bar.

 

[jacal]

That looks great. My only question is how you secured the fork mounts (presumably with two holes for bolts) to the cargo bar.

I just set the bar to the correct approximate width (you can tailor it further at each foot by rotating them in or out), and drilled straight through it! Then mount the fork mounts with a nut & bolt and voila!

It fits great either facing forward or backwards. I prefer the bar at the back for loading and for the 2 "pressure" points of the bar.

Enjoy.


J

 

[Lone Ranger]

I take my front wheel off and lean the bike against the rear seat backs. There is plenty of room for the front wheel, duffel bag with gear, etc. Put a sheet or comforter down if you are concerned about grease or dirt. You can use a towel to keep the handlebars from scraping the plastic sides of the vehicle.

 

[hesimeustic]

I just set the bar to the correct approximate width (you can tailor it further at each foot by rotating them in or out), and drilled straight through it! Then mount the fork mounts with a nut & bolt and voila!

It fits great either facing forward or backwards. I prefer the bar at the back for loading and for the 2 "pressure" points of the bar.

Enjoy.


J

thanks! I'll stop by Princess Auto this weekend and see if I can get it to work.

 

[hesimeustic]

Hey all,

Just to follow up - I looked into the bar at princess auto but ended up going with a simpler setup.

One 1"x6" cedar deck board with rounded edges (cut to 37")
Two $16 clamps from MEC [www.mec.ca]
Velcro adhesives from Home Depot.

Holds very well under cornering and braking.

 

[Ghostrider]

That is the exact same "cheap" one I posted about. You can spend more but not do as good. One thing I did notice is that you didn;t have to remove the seatpost. You must have more room in yours than a 2001.