Best Bike Rack For Pickup Truck
Best Bike Rack For Pickup Truck: Tailgate Pads Beat Hitch Racks for Most Truck Owners
I've hauled bikes on everything from a $60 trunk strap that scratched my paint to a tray rack that survived a deer strike at 65 mph. When I switched from my old Subaru Outback to testing racks on trucks, I learned the hard way that a hitch rack designed for an SUV doesn't automatically work on a pickup. The bed is right there. The tailgate is right there. And for most truck owners, a tailgate pad is cheaper, faster, and more versatile than any hitch-mounted option.
The best bike rack for a pickup truck is a tailgate pad, because it uses the space you already have, loads in seconds, and handles everything from a 20-pound carbon road bike to a 70-pound e-bike without asking questions.
Pros and Cons of Tailgate Pads
Pros:
- Load in under 30 seconds. No assembly, no torque specs, no wheel cradles
- Works with any bike: road, gravel, mountain, fat bike, e-bike, kid's bike
- Pads run $100 to $200, a fraction of a quality hitch rack
- Doesn't block your license plate or taillights
- Fits any truck bed. No hitch receiver required
Cons:
- Bikes sit in the bed. Dirt, gravel, and road grime end up on your tailgate pad
- Long wheelbase bikes can bounce against the cab if you don't strap them
- You lose bed space. A tailgate pad with three bikes means the bed is half full
- No locking mechanism built in. You'll want a cable lock
Compared to Hitch Racks
The Thule T2 Pro XTR (B08Z9F4SVG) costs around $700 and carries two bikes on a tray with a hydraulic arm. It's a fantastic rack. I've recommended it to SUV owners for years. But on a truck, it blocks your tailgate. You can't drop the gate with bikes on the rack. That's the whole point of a truck bed.
The Kuat NV 2.0 (B07X9VFKYS) has the same problem. It's $650, it's beautiful, it tilts away from the cab, and it still blocks your tailgate. On an SUV, that tilt feature is a godsend. On a truck, it's solving a problem you wouldn't have if you just used the bed.
The Allen Sports Deluxe 2 (B002UO3T1G) at $99 is the budget hitch option. It works, but it's a hanging rack, which means frame contact, sway at speed, and straps that stretch. A tailgate pad at $130 does everything better for a truck owner.
The exception: if you tow a trailer or carry a bed cap, a hitch rack makes sense. The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE (B007JCGG0A) handles two 65-pound e-bikes without complaint. But that's a niche use case. For most truck owners, the tailgate is the answer.
Design: What Makes a Good Tailgate Pad
I've tested three tailgate pads over the past two months. The RaceFace Tailgate Pad (B086DTSLP6), the Fox Racing Tailgate Pad (B09SH3Z26F), and the EVOC Tailgate Pad (B0DLDF7C77). All three do the same basic job: a padded cover that drapes over your tailgate with slots for bike frames and straps to hold them.
The differences matter.
The RaceFace pad has a padded section that covers the top of the tailgate and a non-padded section that hangs down over the outside. It's a two-piece design that cinches tight with straps. The pad thickness is 15mm, which is enough to protect your tailgate from frame contact but not so thick that it feels bulky when you roll it up.
The Fox pad is similar but has a one-piece construction. The entire pad is padded, which means more protection but also more bulk when storing. It's also slightly wider, covering the full width of a standard tailgate.
The EVOC pad is the premium option. It has a 16mm padding, a non-slip backing that grips the tailgate, and a clever strap system that routes through the bed. It's the most secure of the three, but it's also the most expensive.
The key design feature I look for: how the pad attaches. The RaceFace uses a two-strap system that goes over the top of the tailgate and cinches under the bed rail. The Fox uses a similar system. The EVOC uses a more complex three-strap system that takes longer to install but holds tighter.
Installation time: RaceFace takes 5 minutes. Fox takes 5 minutes. EVOC takes 10 minutes. None of them require tools. All of them fit a standard 5.5-foot or 6.5-foot bed.
Performance: Loading and Hauling
Here's where tailgate pads win. I loaded my gravel bike onto the RaceFace pad in 22 seconds. That's lift the bike into the bed, set the frame in the padded slot, pull the strap over the top tube, and cinch it down. No wheel cradles, no frame hooks, no torque specs. The bike sat solid.
My partner's e-bike, which weighs 55 pounds, took about 10 seconds longer because I had to lift it higher. The Fox pad handled it without any flex. The EVOC pad was even more secure, with the non-slip backing keeping the pad from shifting even on a rough gravel road.
At 75 mph on the interstate, the bikes didn't move. I checked the mirrors every few minutes. Zero sway, zero wobble, zero drama. The straps held the frames tight against the pad.
The downside: the bikes sit in the bed. On a dusty day, that means the bikes get dusty. On a rainy day, they get wet. If you're hauling a road bike with exposed cables, you'll want to wrap them or route them carefully. The pad protects the frame, but the drivetrain is exposed to whatever is in the bed.
The other issue: the pad itself gets dirty. After a weekend of hauling bikes to the mountains, my RaceFace pad was covered in dirt and grime. It hosed off, but it's not a set-and-forget product. You'll want to clean it occasionally.
The Fox pad has a slightly grippier surface than the RaceFace, which means less bike movement. The EVOC pad has the best grip of the three, but it's also the stiffest. The first time I used it, the pad felt awkward to fold and store. After a few uses, it loosened up.
Durability: What Breaks
I've been using tailgate pads for two months now, which isn't long enough to judge long-term durability. But I've talked to riders who've used them for years, and the pattern is clear.
The RaceFace pad is the workhorse. It's been around for years, and the construction is solid. The straps are thick, the stitching is clean, and the padding holds up. The main failure point is the strap buckles, which can wear after a few seasons of heavy use.
The Fox pad is newer, but the build quality is good. The one-piece construction means fewer seams to fail. The padding is denser than the RaceFace, which means it holds its shape better over time.
The EVOC pad is the premium option, and it shows. The materials are top-tier, the stitching is impeccable, and the non-slip backing is a genuine improvement. But it's also the heaviest and the bulkiest. If you're storing it in the garage between uses, it takes up more space.
One thing I noticed: the RaceFace pad has a velcro closure system for the straps that can pick up debris. After a dusty day, the velcro didn't stick as well. I had to clean it out with a brush. The Fox and EVOC pads use buckle systems that don't have this issue.
Value: Price vs. Performance
The RaceFace Tailgate Pad (B086DTSLP6) costs around $130. The Fox Racing Tailgate Pad (B09SH3Z26F) costs around $140. The EVOC Tailgate Pad (B0DLDF7C77) costs around $200.
For $130, the RaceFace is the best value in the category. It does everything the more expensive pads do, and it does it with fewer moving parts. The velcro closure is a minor annoyance, not a dealbreaker.
The Fox pad is worth the extra $10 if you want the one-piece construction and the grippier surface. It's a marginal improvement, but a real one.
The EVOC pad is the best pad of the three, but it's not $70 better than the RaceFace. You're paying for the non-slip backing, the premium materials, and the brand name. If you haul bikes every weekend, the EVOC is worth it. If you haul bikes a few times a month, the RaceFace is the smart buy.
Compare that to a hitch rack. The Thule T2 Pro XTR costs $700. The Kuat NV 2.0 costs $650. Even the budget Allen Sports Deluxe 2 costs $99, and it doesn't work on a truck without blocking the tailgate.
A tailgate pad does the job for $130. That's the value proposition.
Should You Buy It?
Should you buy a tailgate pad for your pickup truck? Yes, if you haul bikes in the bed and don't need to tow a trailer. The RaceFace Tailgate Pad is the best value, the Fox Racing pad is the best all-around, and the EVOC pad is the best if you want the premium option.
Should you buy a hitch rack instead? Only if you have a bed cap, a tonneau cover that blocks the tailgate, or you tow a trailer. In those cases, the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE is the best heavy-duty option. But for most truck owners, a tailgate pad is the answer.
One caveat: if you carry more than three bikes, a tailgate pad gets crowded. The pads have slots for up to six bikes, but in practice, three is comfortable and four is tight. If you're hauling a full crew, a hitch rack or a truck bed rack is the better choice.
What I'm Testing Next
I've got a Thule EasyFold XT 2 (B07954CY49) on order to test on a truck with a bed cap. The folding design and the integrated ramp make it interesting for e-bike hauling. I'll report back after a few weeks of use.
Updated: March 2025. I've added the EVOC Tailgate Pad to the rotation and spent a week hauling bikes on Colorado gravel roads. The non-slip backing is a genuine improvement over the RaceFace and Fox pads.