I recently came across this Rivian R1T with a couple of mountain bikes mounted out back and thought it would be great to see what everyone's setup is like.
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Post your mountain biking setup!
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Not sure on the Sea Sucker mounted to the rear window but you shouldn't need a ratchet strap for rear tires. The biggest issue is length. I mounted a small pieces of 8020 extrusion near the rear tailgate of mine and it's barely long enough for my kid's 26" Trailcraft. Adult bikes would need to be angled. This would be less of an issue with a roadbike than a modern mountain bike, however.
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I've tried a few different configurations and figured I'd post a few pictures. My go to, when not hauling a trailer, is the hitch rack and I've used both the 2 position and 6 position Kuat racks with great success. I have a Yakima swing out adapter paired which makes access to the bed through the tailgate possible. Otherwise, the tailgate hits the Kuat rack - even when it's tilted down. Some of the time, though, I want to haul my camper (or motorcycle), family, and all of our bikes.
Obviously anything will fit over the cab. I was hoping that I could cut down on the wind resistance by putting bikes over the bed. I have a Kuat trio fork mount and a couple of Yakima Front loaders that I loaded with my gravel bike, mountain bike, and even my 29+ hardtail. The tightest fit was my Trail Bike (Esker Rowl) with a 29"x2.5" Maxxis DHF up front. When the bike rack is in "29er" mode, this gets closest to the rear fairing. However, it doesn't hit and I think you could probably cheat it backward by adjusting the rack for a smaller wheels size.
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I believe that Rivian recommends that flipping these the other direction but this works great in this configuration and allows for long wheelbase bikes (like my Rowl) to fit.
Obviously anything will fit over the cab. I was hoping that I could cut down on the wind resistance by putting bikes over the bed. I have a Kuat trio fork mount and a couple of Yakima Front loaders that I loaded with my gravel bike, mountain bike, and even my 29+ hardtail. The tightest fit was my Trail Bike (Esker Rowl) with a 29"x2.5" Maxxis DHF up front. When the bike rack is in "29er" mode, this gets closest to the rear fairing. However, it doesn't hit and I think you could probably cheat it backward by adjusting the rack for a smaller wheels size.
I believe that Rivian recommends that flipping these the other direction but this works great in this configuration and allows for long wheelbase bikes (like my Rowl) to fit.
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Not a rakattach but here is a Kuat NV 2.0 on a Yakima Backswing. The tailgate still hits the NV rack. The Rakattach is a similar design where the bike rack attachment sits immediately above the 2" tube that slides into the hitch receiver. If you are looking to lower the tailgate while the bikerack is in the position below, I think you'd run into the same problem I have.
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Thanks, this is useful. Looks like the closer bike would not fit on an R1S without a hitch extender, assuming the configuration is the same.
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So everyone knows what we are talking out, both the Kuat Backswing and 1UP Rakattach are swing arms that pivot the entire bike rack 90 degrees.
Thanks for the Pic ipadl. My concern was when the swing arm is opened, and you have the tailgate down, how much clearance there is between the tailgate and rack. I think the Rakattach is an inch or so taller and concerned the tailgate will hit it when down, or not pivot all the way out of the tailgate path.
I like the Kuat backswing, but I but the rakattach has a bit more weight capacity that I need due to my ebikes weight.
Think you could post a couple of pics of the rack opened and tailgate down showing the clearance?
Tia!
Thanks for the Pic ipadl. My concern was when the swing arm is opened, and you have the tailgate down, how much clearance there is between the tailgate and rack. I think the Rakattach is an inch or so taller and concerned the tailgate will hit it when down, or not pivot all the way out of the tailgate path.
I like the Kuat backswing, but I but the rakattach has a bit more weight capacity that I need due to my ebikes weight.
Think you could post a couple of pics of the rack opened and tailgate down showing the clearance?
Tia!
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Is it possible to open the tailgate? I am considering the same setup! looks awesome
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I had forgotten about this but, in case it's still useful, here you go:
The Yakima Backswing adds about 14" of length from hitch pin (where it slides into the R1T) to hitch pin (where the NV2.0 slides into the Backswing).
For those of you looking for a minimalist setup, I’ve found the individual bike pads by Tsuga to be great.
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www.tsuga.us
Pisgah Pad - Single Set | Tsuga
Ditch the bulk from traditional bike pads - protect your gear, and transform your ride with the Pisgah Pad. The single bike pad set is perfect for those who love to ride solo.
www.tsuga.us
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Cool solution! I've never seen something like that, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, cool option. are you getting much movement/rubbing on tailgate?For those of you looking for a minimalist setup, I’ve found the individual bike pads by Tsuga to be great.
View attachment 8088
Pisgah Pad - Single Set | Tsuga
Ditch the bulk from traditional bike pads - protect your gear, and transform your ride with the Pisgah Pad. The single bike pad set is perfect for those who love to ride solo.
No, because the tie downs that come with it secure the bike down well.
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I'd recommend (If you even care) to have PPF applied to the top portion of the tailgate above the lightbar to prevent any rub through on the clearcoat eventually...
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I just learned that my Canyon Neuron 29er will not fit backward on the Yakima racks. Seeing yours I wonder why it was recommended to go backward. My wife and I share a Kuat hitch rack, which is why I went with the over-the-bed setup. My tri bike fit fine backward, but 29er hit the spoiler. Is there any downside to pointing the Yakima forward? I cannot recall where I saw this recommendation made in the first place... total bummer when I realized it wouldn't fit. I came right in to see if there was another setup to be used.
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Which Yakima rack do you have? Mine is a frontloader.
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I got the High Road x2 along with my R1T. I'm thinking of adding either a Front Loader or a 1Up to manage my mountain bike.
How far out to the side is the Front Loader mounted? Is that how you are clearing the spoiler? Also, trying to determine how far off the back of the truck does the rack stick out. I'm just short of applying grease to the front and back of my R1T in order to get the garage closed. My next house will have a garage I can full on turn around inside...
After reading about the problems with other bike pads I just picked up the Thule. It fits perfectly and has extra padding right where dents have been happening with other pads. The tie downs should stop the bikes from moving off the heavily padded areas. I haven't used it yet, but I'm optimistic there won't be any problems. I'll post an update in a few months. I've also got an older hitch-mounted rack for long trips, so the pad is just for local trails.
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