I also have a Tacoma and for hauling my mountain bike I don't mess with a tailgate pad or hitch mounted bike rack , all I do is lay the bike down backwards in the bed of the Tacoma the only thing that I need to do is turn the front wheel of the bike perpendicular to the frame so the front wheel fits in when the tailgate is shut
I used to have a Tahoe and used the hitch mount bike rack. I no longer have my Tahoe but bought a Tacoma similar to yours. I looked at all the tailgate pad options and watched tons of RUclips videos on them. After visiting my local dealer and purchasing a new mtb from him. I asked him about his Yakima Gatekeeper pads. He said, "Take it out and put it on your truck and see what you think. At the time, he was selling it for $199 but on sale for $160. I thought about and said all that money just to haul my bike where I could use that money for bike upgrades. I told him I saw some guys just buy those furniture blanket pads from Harbor Freight for $5-$10, depending on size and drape over the tailgate. My dealer said that's all he does with his bikes. I thought well if he does that, why not. It's all in what you want to spend money on. I just do that to mine and use a small bungee cord to hold the bike down. I also run a locking cable through the bike frame to prevent theft. Works perfect for me.
Nice video, but the question I have for all of these tailgate pads is how does it affect the downtube? It seems all these designs are flawed since the padding is the left and right of the downtube, but none on the downtube itself.
You may want to turn the wheel to where the disc brake is facing out and take a chance of bending or warping the disc against the tailgate or bumper
I also have a Tacoma and for hauling my mountain bike I don't mess with a tailgate pad or hitch mounted bike rack , all I do is lay the bike down backwards in the bed of the Tacoma the only thing that I need to do is turn the front wheel of the bike perpendicular to the frame so the front wheel fits in when the tailgate is shut
I used to have a Tahoe and used the hitch mount bike rack. I no longer have my Tahoe but bought a Tacoma similar to yours. I looked at all the tailgate pad options and watched tons of RUclips videos on them. After visiting my local dealer and purchasing a new mtb from him. I asked him about his Yakima Gatekeeper pads. He said, "Take it out and put it on your truck and see what you think. At the time, he was selling it for $199 but on sale for $160. I thought about and said all that money just to haul my bike where I could use that money for bike upgrades. I told him I saw some guys just buy those furniture blanket pads from Harbor Freight for $5-$10, depending on size and drape over the tailgate. My dealer said that's all he does with his bikes. I thought well if he does that, why not. It's all in what you want to spend money on. I just do that to mine and use a small bungee cord to hold the bike down. I also run a locking cable through the bike frame to prevent theft. Works perfect for me.
Great video! Slick vehicle - that seems like a really durable pad too.
Awesome truck! Perfect MTB truck!
Nice! You’ll love the pick up! Get a camper shell and you love it even more. I guarantee it. I’ll never own another truck without a shell.
Funny you say that about a camper shell It actually came with one 😊 I took it off but still have it and plan to use it on trips.
@@RunBikeMike I threw a huge OneMTB sticker on the window. Now I’m a rolling billboard. 😂
Awesome idea
Hey! Are these good options for a Gravel bike as well? Thanks!
Do you use a secondary strap for the bike? Or just that one strap holds it secure?
Just the one strap is all I used. It holds the bike really well. No issues so far.
Nice video, but the question I have for all of these tailgate pads is how does it affect the downtube? It seems all these designs are flawed since the padding is the left and right of the downtube, but none on the downtube itself.
I agree. I wish they had the padding where the downtube sits. I haven’t figured out why they are all designed that way.
I don’t see any padding where the frame rests against pad This was same problem I had with the Dakine
Yeah oddly the padding is placed low. But I haven’t had any issues with my bike on it.
I have a Tacoma as well. What size did you buy to fit your taco?
I bought the medium and it fit perfectly
@@RunBikeMike thank you so much. It looks great!!
Does the tire rub the paint on the rear bumper at all?
No it is close but has enough space.
Mine came with two verco straps. Do you know what their for?
The only straps I know of are for holding the down tube on the bike. Maybe they are extras.
Can this be kept on truck or it can easily be stolen ?
It has rings to run a cable lock through. That is what I do.