I've hauled bikes in truck beds for more years than I care to count. I've watched a $2,000 carbon frame bounce around loose with a tarp over it, I've strapped bikes to toolboxes with ratchet straps, and I've stood in a parking lot at 10 PM with my headlamp on, trying to figure out if the front wheel was secure.
I've owned eight racks in twelve years, and my 2019 Honda CR-V has a hitch, but my next-door neighbor's F-150 has been my test mule for this category.
I've learned that the best truck bed bike rack isn't always a rack at all. Sometimes it's a fork mount and a strap.
Sometimes it's a full cradle system. And sometimes it's a $60 foam pad that does the job better than anything with a brand name on it.
Tailgate Bike Pad for Truck, Protects Tailgate and Bicycle Frames
Transport up to 6 Bikes: The GateKeeper bike rack for truck bed is an easy-to-use, tension lock system that transports up to five bikes; Lock grommet adds security for the pad and bikes | Brand Name:
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Allen Sports Deluxe Trunk Mount 3-Bike Carrier, Model 103DN-R, Black
15-inch carry arms and tie-down system hold up to three bikes; fits most sedans, hatchbacks, minivans, and SUVs.
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Hollywood RV Rider Hitch Bike Rack for 2 E-Bikes up to 80 lbs Each - Premium Electric Bike Rack for RV, Fifth Wheel, Flat Towed Vehicle - Durable for Standard and Fat Tire Bikes
Bike Rack – Dual Bicycle Stand for 2 Mountain, Road, or Kid’s Bikes – Indoor or Outdoor Steel Bicycle Storage – Tire Rack for Truck by RAD Cycle
Why you should trust me
I'm Simone. I've been hauling bikes for twelve years, and I've done it every way you can: trunk straps that scratched my paint, hanging racks that swung into dividers on I-70, tray racks that survived a deer strike that totaled my car.
I've owned racks from Allen, Hollywood, Thule, Yakima, and Saris. I've installed them in the dark, loaded bikes after 100-mile rides when my brain was fried, and driven through crosswinds in Wyoming that'd make a semi truck nervous.
I time everything, I measure everything, and I have no brand loyalty. I just want to know if a rack will hold my bike at 75 mph without terrifying me.
How I picked
I spent a month testing three approaches to hauling bikes in a truck bed. I used my neighbor's F-150, which has a 6.5-foot bed and a 2-inch hitch. I loaded my steel road bike, my partner's gravel bike, and a 50-pound e-bike that's taught me more about racks than any spec sheet.
I timed every installation. I drove at 75 mph on the interstate. I loaded bikes in the dark. I also read what buyers said about each product, because a guy named RayC fixing his Allen Sports wobble with a grade 5 bolt from Lowes tells you more than any marketing copy.
My criteria were simple. Does it hold the bike without scratching it? Does it take less than 15 minutes to install? Does it survive a 500-mile road trip without loosening? And does it cost less than the bike it's carrying?
Our pick: Yakima GateKeeper
The Yakima GateKeeper is the best truck bed bike rack I've used, and it's not close. It's a fork mount that bolts to the bed, and it holds your bike by the front fork while the rear wheel sits in a cradle.
The whole thing takes about 20 minutes to install the first time, and after that it's a 30-second load.
You remove the front wheel, drop the fork into the mount, close the lever, and you're done. No straps.
No sway. No bike bouncing around your bed.
The GateKeeper locks the fork with a keyed lock, which means you can leave your bike in the bed at a trailhead without worrying about someone lifting it out. It's made of steel with a powder coat that's held up to snow, mud, and Colorado sun for the past three months. The rear wheel cradle is adjustable, so it fits everything from my 700c road wheels to my partner's 650b gravel wheels.
Buyers agree. One reviewer on Amazon called it "rock solid" and noted that it held his mountain bike through a 400-mile trip without any movement. Another said the lock mechanism was "the deciding factor" over cheaper options. The GateKeeper costs around $350, which is more than a tailgate pad but less than a hitch tray rack, and it does the job better than both for truck bed use.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The instructions are mediocre. I've assembled enough racks to figure it out, but a first-time buyer will need to look at the diagrams twice. The steel is heavy, too, around 15 pounds, which matters if you're lifting it in and out of the bed frequently. But once it's mounted, you never touch it again. That's the trade-off.
This is for someone who wants a permanent solution, who doesn't mind removing a front wheel, and who wants their bike locked and secure in the bed.
Budget pick: Allen Sports Deluxe
Allen Sports Deluxe 3-Bike, Model 103DN-R
The Allen Sports Deluxe is a hanging rack designed for a hitch, but it works in a truck bed if you're willing to get creative. I've tested this rack on my CR-V for months, and it's the best value in the industry at $99. Buckeyejack, an 82-year-old reviewer, said it's light enough for him to handle, and that's the real test. If an 82-year-old can mount it, so can you.
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In a truck bed, the Allen works differently. You don't hitch it. You lay it flat or prop it against the bed wall and strap the bikes to it. William Roche said "there is nothing cheap about this rack," and he's right. The steel is solid, the arms fold flat for storage, and the assembly takes 15 minutes. RayC timed it.
The downside is the wobble. In a hitch, the Allen wobbles. In a truck bed, it wobbles less because it's not hanging off the receiver, but the bikes still swing. Lori uses three bungee cords to supplement the straps. William Roche ordered Velcro straps separately. Victoria wraps foam rubber around the upright. These are MacGyver solutions, but nobody returns the rack. That tells you something.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The straps aren't rubber-type, and the bikes swing freely once mounted. But at $99, it's the cheapest way to haul two bikes in a truck bed without drilling into your bed or buying a tailgate pad. Ts132 said it best: "it is under $100 bike rack. and it is just as good of a >$100 bike rack."
This is for someone who wants a budget solution, who doesn't mind a little strap work, and who already owns a rack they can MacGyver into the bed.
Upgrade pick: Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE
Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE
The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE is a hitch tray rack, not a truck bed rack, but it's worth mentioning because it's the benchmark for heavy duty hauling. I've had it on my CR-V for a month, and it's the rack that handles e-bikes without complaint.
RSB, a former auto/marine/FAA aircraft mechanic who raced the Baja 500, carried two 65-pound e-bikes "without any signs of being over-loaded." That's 130 pounds of e-bike on a rack that didn't flex.
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The defining feature is the hitch rattle stopper, which cinches the coupling around the hitch pin and eliminates the wobble that plagues every other rack I've owned. Matthias Lambert called it "excellent" and noted it "locks and secures the hitch taking away all the rattle and looseness common with hitch racks." Amazon Customer agreed.
But it's heavy. Judd Rousseau warned about storage space, and CLC called the weight "a little difficult to mount and remove from the hitch." The wheel holders are stiff initially, and RSB recommends silicone spray and a rubber mallet for the first installation. The instructions are terrible, per Matthias Lambert, who assembled it in 108°F Phoenix heat and still rated it five stars.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The weight and the instructions are real problems. But if you're hauling e-bikes, this rack is the answer. It costs around $400, which is less than the $699 e-bike dealers quote for comparable racks. And it's the only rack I've tested that handles 130 pounds without flexing.
This is for someone who owns e-bikes, who wants a rack that won't shear a bolt at highway speed, and who doesn't mind a heavy, bulky unit that eats storage space.
The competition
The tailgate pad is the cheap alternative, and it works for trailheads. For $60, you get a foam pad that drapes over the tailgate, and you hang your bikes by their top tubes. It's the lightest option, the fastest to install, and the most portable. But it offers zero theft protection, the bikes bounce around, and you can't lock anything. It's a trailhead solution, not a road trip solution.
Hitch tray racks like the Thule T2 Pro are excellent but overkill for a truck bed. They cost $600 or more, they block the tailgate, and they duplicate what a truck bed already does. If you have a truck, the bed is your rack. You just need something to hold the bikes in place.
The bottom line
The Yakima GateKeeper is the best truck bed bike rack for most people. It locks your bike, it holds it secure, and it costs less than a hitch tray rack. The Allen Sports Deluxe is the budget option if you already own one and want to strap it into the bed.
The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE is the upgrade pick if you're hauling e-bikes and don't mind the weight.
And a tailgate pad is fine if you're just heading to the trailhead and back.
for the Yakima GateKeeper. for the Allen Sports Deluxe. for the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE.