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Super fast, super stable bike carrier for most pickup beds
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Technical Details
- Ratcheting Quick Load System- Quick installation in pick up bed- no drilling or bolting required
- No wheel removal, no frame contact
- Fits Wheels from 20-29" and up to 3" wide tires
- Thule one key system compatible
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By E. Valdez (ABQ, NM)
I bought two of these for mine and my girlfriend's bikes. They are quick and easy to install in the bed of my Tacoma. I was a little worried that something so small would be able to hold up to high winds and fast speeds. I took it on the freeway yesterday and at 70mph the bikes barely move. It makes loading the bikes a quick and easy task so we can just put them in the bed and go. The only recommendation is to but a cable lock to make sure the bikes are secure.
By E. Ober (East Coast, USA)
Assuming there is no front fender on your bike, this is the best pickup truck rack where you do not have to remove the front wheel (I have tried others). It is well designed, sturdy and keeps the bike firmly anchored in the bed. Installation takes a few minutes and removal is even faster. It also folds down so that the bed can be covered without rack removal. Yes it is true that you have to lift the bike up over the side into the truck bed due to the fact that it works easiest with the gate closed. Keep that in mind if you have a heavy bike (which should have no bearing on a rating for this product). I have a Ford F-150 full size bed pickup truck with bed liner and 2 of these racks fit nicely, I doubt a third rack would fit. You can purchase lock cylinders from Thule separately or use a cable lock if you wish to provide moderate theft control.
By Happy
It is so nice when you buy a product and it works exactly as it claims to. I use this with my 29er in an 2006 Longbed F150 and it works perfectly. BTW, I also purchased the Topline Add-a-bike clamp ($30) to use with this so that you can use this rack to carry two bikes as well.
By Robert D. Martz (Columbia, SC United States)
The Thule 501 Insta-Gator Rack is great for quickly securing bicycles in the bed of a truck. The rack mounts at tailgate in minutes. It uses the tailgate as a wheel stop. I can secure 2 bikes in under 5 minutes including double checking secure fit and locking. The locking bar is well padded and has not scratched my forks.
The down side is that the tailgate cannot be lowered while using the racks. A small price in my view.
Improvents that I note:
1 - rubberize the bottom tubes in contact with the truck bed to increase friction.
2 - add a loop to run a locking cable through to the rack.
By J. Foster
The insta-gator will not work on a bike with a front fender. That I discovered only by looking at the installation picture (no fender on the bike used). The other (minor) problem is that my truck bed is high off the ground and my bike heavy. That means I have to open the tailgate to load / unload the bike. When I do that, the insta-gator comes loose and that means it has to be re-adjusted when the tailgate goes up again. For daily use, I found this annoying. However, once adjusted and the bike in place, it is secure and does a good job of holding the bike.
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