I’ve been modifying my vehicles for years now. Roof racks, running boards, cargo organizers, extra lighting — if it bolts onto a truck or SUV, I’ve probably tried it at some point. I’m not a mechanic, and I don’t consider myself an overlanding expert either. I just like getting more use out of my vehicles, and I’ve learned a lot by making both smart purchases and a few dumb ones.
This time, the lesson came from something that sounds simple: hauling bikes.
I live in Utah, so between the mountains, the desert trails, and the number of people around me who ride, bikes end up in my vehicles a lot. I own a 2021 Ford Explorer, which is my daily driver and the vehicle I take on hikes and weekend trips. I also have a 2022 Ford F-150, which handles work, hauling, and the longer outdoor trips where I need real cargo space.
I figured hauling two bikes wouldn’t be a big deal. I was wrong, and that mistake is what pushed me to actually understand bike racks instead of just buying whatever looked reasonable.
The Explorer Experiment
My first attempt was loading two bikes straight into the back of the Explorer. On paper, it seemed doable. The Explorer has a decent amount of cargo room, especially with the rear seats folded down.
In practice, it was a hassle every single time.
To fit both bikes, I had to fold the rear seats flat, pull the front wheels off, and angle the frames just right so they wouldn’t scratch the interior panels. Once both bikes were in, there was barely any room left for anything else — no coolers, no bags, nothing.
Then there was the mess. After a ride, the bikes were covered in dirt, mud, and trail dust. All of that ended up on my seats, my cargo floor, and eventually my carpet. I spent more time cleaning the inside of my SUV than I expected, and it started to feel like the bikes were taking over a vehicle I also needed for regular daily use.
I loved that the Explorer could technically carry the bikes. I did not love what it turned into every time I actually used it that way.
The F-150 Wasn’t Automatically Better
I assumed the truck would solve everything. More space, an open bed, no worries about mud on carpet. For a longer cycling trip with camping gear packed in, I figured the F-150 would handle it without any issue.
The bed space wasn’t the problem. The organization was.
With camping gear, coolers, and two bikes all sharing the same bed, everything shifted around during the drive. The bikes rubbed against gear bags. Pedals and derailleurs poked into things they shouldn’t have. I had to keep repacking the bed at each stop just to make sure nothing was getting crushed or scratched.
Having space isn’t the same as having a good system. That trip made it obvious that I needed something designed specifically to hold bikes securely, not just an open bed where I hoped everything would stay put.
Time to Actually Research Bike Racks
After those two trips, I stopped assuming I could just wing it. I started looking into different types of bike racks, what they’re actually built for, and which ones made sense for how I use each vehicle.
Here’s what I learned.
Roof Bike Racks
Roof racks mount to a crossbar system on top of the vehicle. They’re a solid option if you already have roof rails or a crossbar setup, since they keep the bed or trunk completely free.
The tradeoff is loading height. Lifting a bike over your head onto a roof rack isn’t difficult once you get used to it, but it’s not fun if you’re short, tired, or dealing with a heavier bike. I also had to think about garage clearance, since a roof-mounted bike adds real height to the vehicle. I know at least one person who forgot their bike was up there and clipped a low garage entrance — an expensive way to find out roof clearance matters.
Hitch Bike Racks
Hitch racks mount to a receiver hitch at the rear of the vehicle. These seemed like a natural fit for the Explorer, since it already had a hitch installed for other cargo accessories I’d used in the past.
The loading height on hitch racks is much lower than roof racks, which makes loading and unloading noticeably easier. Cargo access is another advantage — most hitch racks can tilt or swing away from the vehicle, so you can still get into the trunk or rear hatch without unloading the bikes first. That was a big deal for me, since I often need to grab something out of the back mid-trip.
Truck Bed Bike Racks
For the F-150, a truck bed bike rack made more sense than trying to force a hitch rack onto a vehicle that already had a bed built for hauling. Bed-mounted racks secure the bikes upright or on their side within the bed itself, keeping them separated from other gear.
This solved my biggest complaint from the camping trip — bikes and gear no longer competing for the same space. The bikes stayed in one section, gear went in another, and nothing shifted around during the drive.
Tailgate Bike Pads
I hadn’t considered tailgate pads until I started researching truck bed racks. A tailgate pad is a padded cover that goes over the lowered tailgate, letting you rest bike wheels or frames against it without scratching the paint. It’s a simpler, lower-cost option compared to a full bed-mounted rack, though it doesn’t secure the bikes as firmly and works better for shorter trips or quick hauls rather than long drives on rough roads.
The Details That Actually Matter
Once I understood the basic rack types, I realized the type alone wasn’t enough. A few specific details determine whether a rack actually works for your setup.
Vehicle fitment. Not every rack fits every vehicle. Hitch racks need to match your receiver size. Roof racks need compatible crossbars. Bed racks need to match your truck bed’s dimensions and rail system. This sounds obvious, but it’s the detail people skip most often.
Bike weight. Standard bikes are usually fine on most racks, but heavier bikes — like e-bikes — need a rack rated for that extra weight. Overloading a rack isn’t just bad for the rack; it’s a safety issue on the road.
Rack capacity. Some racks hold one bike, others hold two, three, or more. It’s worth buying for how many bikes you actually carry regularly, not just for one occasional trip with friends.
Loading height. As I mentioned with roof racks, this affects how easy day-to-day use actually is. Lower loading heights are generally friendlier for regular use.
Installation. Some racks bolt on permanently, others are designed to be removed easily. I preferred something I could take on and off without needing a full toolbox each time, since I don’t haul bikes every single week.
Cargo access. This mattered more than I expected. If a rack blocks your trunk, tailgate, or hatch, you’ll notice it fast, especially on trips where you’re constantly grabbing gear.
Bike and vehicle clearance. Between bike pedals, handlebars, and vehicle body panels, there’s more potential for accidental scratches than people expect. Checking clearance before buying saves paint and frustration later.
A Mistake I Made Before, and Didn’t Want to Repeat
This wasn’t the first time I’ve had to learn a lesson about fitment the hard way.
A while back, I bought a set of running boards for a previous truck almost entirely based on price. They were cheap, looked fine in photos, and I figured “a running board is a running board.” When they arrived, the mounting brackets didn’t line up correctly with my truck’s frame. I spent an entire weekend trying to make them fit, then eventually gave up and returned them.
That experience taught me something I try to remember with every accessory purchase since: the cheapest option isn’t a good deal if it doesn’t actually fit your vehicle or match how you use it. I carried that lesson into researching bike rack options for cars, and it changed how I evaluated everything — checking exact hitch sizes, bed dimensions, and weight ratings before looking at price at all.
A Quick Comparison
Here’s a simple breakdown of how these options compare, based on what I found during my research and my own experience testing a few of them.
| Rack Type | Best For | Loading Height | Cargo Access |
| Roof Rack | Vehicles with crossbars, keeping bed/trunk free | High | Full access, unaffected |
| Hitch Rack | Easy loading, frequent use | Low to Medium | Good, many tilt or swing away |
| Truck Bed Rack | Trucks, mixed gear + bike hauling | Medium | Bed space shared with gear |
| Tailgate Pad | Short trips, budget-friendly hauling | Low | Full bed access, less secure |
None of these is universally “best.” It really depends on the vehicle and how you use it.
What I Ended Up Doing
For the Explorer, I went with a roof rack. I already had crossbars installed from an earlier project, so it made sense to put them to use instead of adding another hitch accessory to the mix. It also meant I could keep my hitch free for other cargo gear I already run back there. The loading height took a little getting used to, but once the bikes were up top, the trunk and rear seats were completely free again. No more folding seats or pulling wheels off just to fit two bikes.
For the F-150, I went with a bed-mounted rack. It keeps the bikes secured and separated from camping gear, which was the exact problem I ran into on that longer trip.
While comparing options, I spent a good amount of time on the Joytutus official website looking at specs, hitch sizes, and weight ratings side by side, since that made it easier to check fitment details before buying instead of guessing.
The Real Lesson
Looking back, my mistake wasn’t picking the “wrong” type of rack. It was not thinking about my actual use case before buying anything at all. I was treating bike hauling as an afterthought instead of something worth planning for, the same way I’d plan for towing capacity or bed length.
If you’re dealing with the same situation — muddy bikes in your SUV or gear fighting for space in your truck bed — it’s worth slowing down and actually looking at fitment, capacity, and how you use your vehicle day to day. Choose a bike rack based on how you actually use your vehicle, not just how the rack looks or how much it costs. That one shift in thinking saved me a lot of wasted time and a lot of dirt in the back seat.
