Swing outs and bike rack fitment question.

[Road Bull]

Just curious, why not use the bike racks that are attached to the rear spare tire, like the ones shown in the link below?


The 10 Best Spare Tire Bike Racks of 2020 (With Buyer's Guide)

Fair question. There are some drawbacks to the more common spare tire carrier style racks. They depend on contact points and tie-downs to provide stability, so more failure points. But, perhaps the most relevant is that typically those designs require you to hang the bike on the rack by the bike's top tube. Old school bikes still had top tubes that were parallel to the ground.

Modern bike frames are more problematic for those old bike rack designs. Top tubes are at crazy angles, those inner triangles are occupied by suspension parts and pivot points. Also, some people's bikes are more expensive than my 4Runner and made out of carbon and unobtainium. Anywhere where the frame is in contact with a rack will eventually expose bikes to friction and wear at the contact point. So the less contact with the bike frame the better.

I ended up going with the 1Up Super Duty 2" single carrier with single additional add on carrier. I will post pictures with a bit more detail concerning fitment with a 4X Innovations swing out when I can.

The short of it is that I didn't have to order the custom "side plates down" version of the rack. I added a necessary hitch extender and it fits just fine. The bike sits up high, (as is the design), and out of the way. The extender is variable, but in my configuration, it is about a 7" extender.

 

[Road Bull]

Here's a couple of quick crappy pics.

Now I just want to come up with a security plan for both the rack and the bike mounted on the rack.

The rack is pretty straightforward. Hitch pin locks mostly work for rack security. Their current design no longer features a mont hole set for locks in front of the proprietary lock ball adjuster. So there's that... Then their side slot in the receiver bar, where you'd run a hitch pin lock is so narrow that you will have to run a non standard thinner hitch pin lock instead of a standard diameter lock. Not too excited about rack security.

Bike security will need to be a mix of something like a U lock and a cable lock to cover the bike frame and both wheels. I'm still working this out

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

[MENTION=119532]Road Bull[/MENTION], thank you. I didn't realize that there's more to it than just hanging the bike on the rack, especially with the new and expensive ones. I was just thinking of the ease in opening the tailgate if the rack can be swung with the spare tire.



I watched this video on youtube about the 1UP rack and I'm sold:
Best Jeep Bike Rack - 1UP-USA With Reversed Side Plates - FULL CARGO ACCESS - YouTube

Fair question. There are some drawbacks to the more common spare tire carrier style racks. They depend on contact points and tie-downs to provide stability, so more failure points. But, perhaps the most relevant is that typically those designs require you to hang the bike on the rack by the bike's top tube. Old school bikes still had top tubes that were parallel to the ground.

Modern bike frames are more problematic for those old bike rack designs. Top tubes are at crazy angles, those inner triangles are occupied by suspension parts and pivot points. Also, some people's bikes are more expensive than my 4Runner and made out of carbon and unobtainium. Anywhere where the frame is in contact with a rack will eventually expose bikes to friction and wear at the contact point. So the less contact with the bike frame the better.

I ended up going with the 1Up Super Duty 2" single carrier with single additional add on carrier. I will post pictures with a bit more detail concerning fitment with a 4X Innovations swing out when I can.

The short of it is that I didn't have to order the custom "side plates down" version of the rack. I added a necessary hitch extender and it fits just fine. The bike sits up high, (as is the design), and out of the way. The extender is variable, but in my configuration, it is about a 7" extender.

 

[Endlessblockades]

Also, 1-Ups can ratchet out to 45 degrees allowing my TR4 hatch to clear it easily when it's as far into the receiver as it can go (with no swing out / tire however). I add this for other prospective buyers. I just dove about 1500 miles with my 1-Up on a rented Ford Expedition Max and it was great.

I also like 1Up mtb components and always get the two 'spellings' mixed up so pls. forgive me that. If you are looking for a great dropper post, I recommend their Ver.2 highly. Support NA companies whenever possible!

 

[Road Bull]

[MENTION=119532]Road Bull[/MENTION], thank you. I didn't realize that there's more to it than just hanging the bike on the rack, especially with the new and expensive ones. I was just thinking of the ease in opening the tailgate if the rack can be swung with the spare tire.



I watched this video on youtube about the 1UP rack and I'm sold:
Best Jeep Bike Rack - 1UP-USA With Reversed Side Plates - FULL CARGO ACCESS - YouTube

Yup. That's the same video that I watched. I used that to try to decide if I wanted to order it with the reversed side plates in the downward configuration. But I knew that with my swing out I wouldn't be able to open the back with bikes mounted anyway. I decided to wing it as I wanted the bikes mounted higher rather than lower. This rack is NICE. I will test it out this weekend.

Also, 1-Ups can ratchet out to 45 degrees allowing my TR4 hatch to clear it easily when it's as far into the receiver as it can go (with no swing out / tire however). I add this for other prospective buyers. I just dove about 1500 miles with my 1-Up on a rented Ford Expedition Max and it was great.

I also like 1Up mtb components and always get the two 'spellings' mixed up so pls. forgive me that. If you are looking for a great dropper post, I recommend their Ver.2 highly. Support NA companies whenever possible!

I could be wrong, but I thought that they were different companies. 1 Up does the bike carriers, and One Up makes bike components. At any rate, I upgraded my dropper to the V2 180 mm. It's pretty sweet! Mind you, I am just getting used to all the (new to me) bike tech. My last new mountain bike was purchased back in college in 1995. So... let's just say things have come a long way. I am going from a hardtail 26" bike to a FS bike with crazy brakes and new slacked out geometry. At least the bike makes it fun to get back into shape.

And life would have been a lot easier if I didn't have a swing out. Then I could actually store it. I think if I set the receiver extension out a bit more I might be able to fold it to the stowed position. Maybe somewhere down the road I will pick up a vehicle that I wont mod to death. Maybe a Taco or a 470...

 

[Endlessblockades]

I could be wrong, but I thought that they were different companies. 1 Up does the bike carriers, and One Up makes bike components.

Most def 2 different companies!

MTB OneUp is Canadian: OneUp Components - The mountain bike specialists

I was adding to the confusion, I'm afraid, and I was using the MTB stuff before i got the rack from the similarly-named US outfit. Both are excellent IMO.

 

[Road Bull]

Most def 2 different companies!

MTB OneUp is Canadian: OneUp Components - The mountain bike specialists

I was adding to the confusion, I'm afraid, and I was using the MTB stuff before i got the rack from the similarly-named US outfit. Both are excellent IMO.

Agreed that they are both great companies and make some pretty awesome products. And I did the exact same thing as far as the names go. Who knew that there were so many companies, with the same name, in the same industry. LOL.

How do you lock your rack up? And how about locking up your bike on the rack?

 

[itskohler]

Agreed that they are both great companies and make some pretty awesome products. And I did the exact same thing as far as the names go. Who knew that there were so many companies, with the same name, in the same industry. LOL.

How do you lock your rack up? And how about locking up your bike on the rack?

I ordered the hitch lock and multiple wheel looks when I ordered from 1up. If I was doing my road trip to the west coast like I should have been doing this week, I was going to get heavy duty chain and run it through the triangles of my bikes then locking them to the hitch with a beefy lock. For just tooling around town I use the wheel locks, and the hitch lock is always on. Those are just deterrents at best, I make it a point to back in to spots so I can see my bike if I stop for a beer.

 

[turbodudey2]

How do you lock your rack up? And how about locking up your bike on the rack?

The rack should have come with the hitch lock. Although it's not a super beefy lock, combined with the security wrench I feel like the rack is pretty secure on the hitch.

I did get some wheel locks at the same time too, so they would all be keyed the same. I have stealth maxles, so it would make it a tiny bit harder for some rando to take the wheels off (no quick release). I was thinking for overnight parking in a high risk area some sort of additional cable/chain lock for the frame would definitely be a good idea.

The OneUp components are good stuff. I really like the "switch" chainrings. Very clever idea. Makes it so much easier to change out the Shimano direct mount ring.

 

[Endlessblockades]

How do you lock your rack up? And how about locking up your bike on the rack?

I have a length of heavy chain that I run through the bike frame, the rack and an ear of the receiver. I also use a 1-up hitch lock. I have managed to lose both of the 1-up bike wheel locks I had, however. Basically, I don't leave my bikes anywhere a real thief could spend a minute with a cordless angle-grinder unseen. "Locks keep the honest people out" I have 2 carbon race MTBs - 1 Enduro and one DH and I can't afford to replace either!

 

[phattyduck]

I have 2 carbon race MTBs - 1 Enduro and one DH and I can't afford to replace either!

Check your owners/renters insurance policy and make sure they are covered, which will help the sting if anything were to happen.

I had a failed bike rack (that ruined a Foes FXR - not cheap!) covered by insurance, and the deductible covered by the rack manufacturer. Theft may be similar.

-Charlie

 

[Road Bull]

Answer to fitment.

Situation:

Vehicle: 2002 Toyota 4Runner (lifted ~3", modded, armor).

Hitch: 2" 4X Innovations swing-out bumper with tire carrier loaded with a 315/75/16" (35") spare.

Bike rack: 1UP 2" Super Duty Single +1 Add On.

Problem: What will it take for the bike to mount and clear the spare tire?

also: Do I need to order the bike carrier with "Reversed Side Plates" (this lowers the orientation of the rack downward rather than standard / upward).

TLDR: With about an 8" hitch extension, the standard configuration will clear my mounted bike by about 2".

Oh! You have time to kill? Say no more!

Further revelations: I wanted the standard configuration as long as it would work for my current vehicle. I wanted to avoid having to give up clearance on my current set up by having to order the reversed sided plates. This loss of clearance would be a greater annoyance with a non-lifted vehicle.

Security? I can't say that I have a warm fuzzy feeling about security. First the 1UP rack security with my situation is not ideal. For one, it looks like it might just be on older, perhaps, the 1UP 1.25" version, but there is no hole for running a lock "in front" of the security anti-wobble allen key. Maybe it's a trade off between the two designs between the 1.25" and the 2" versions.

The 2" version has a long skinny channel to pass a hitch pin lock through. BUT the best you can do is use the teensy-weensy 1UP or like thin shaft lock. A standard hitch pin lock will not fit. Booooo. LOL. I think they could have opened up the channel a bit to allow for a standard / larger hitch pin lock to be used, but... they didn't. I am using their hitch pin lock and even when it is all the way tight, it still has some room between it, and the hitch.

Also, with an extension, the rack body is too far from the hitch chain mounts to think about using a U / D lock like so many seem to do. That's what I get for driving a YEE YEE 4X4. Hahaha.

Possible security solutions: At first I was going to just go with the 1UP wheel locks, but... I thought I might try to find something that could work both on the rack, and out in the world. I still might go with the 1UP wheel locks. I mean, when it comes down to it, you could put the best lock in the world on the rack to secure the bike, and in under a minute, someone with a portable angle grinder could cut it, or the rack to get access to you bike. My research has enlightened me to the fact that ALL bike locks (foldable, chain, and U /D lock) can all be defeated in about a minute.

I am leaning towards an Abus ABUS | An error has occurred This is one of the few that has the length to connect the main frame with the bike rack, and not much else. There is also an Abus ABUS | An error has occurred that caught my eye. At some point, if someone is bringing an angle grinder to the table, it wont matter if you went with $120 or over $200 lock, they will all be defeated.

 

[Road Bull]

Some more pics for sizing up security options.