Pipeline Bike Rack - Thoroughly Tested and Reviewed

[@joexray77]

Great video. Helped me decide on Pipeline as the right solution. Assembly not surprising given all the various applications. But glad you called it out. From your install video it doesn't appear the rack needs to mount up against a hard front surface if you use the Surface Mount Conversion Kit. I plan to use that in the bed of my truck for a more secure install. Thanks again.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, Joe - this is great to hear! I'm glad this was helpful. I didn't really see any detailed videos of this product so was hoping that I could help anyone else along that wanted a closer look. Yes, I do think that if everything lines up properly with the spacing of the grooves in the bed floor, it should work. Or if you're really handy, I'm sure there's ways around that too. Let us know how it goes and thank you again for your feedback!

[@joexray77]

@@BigfootDadExploresMontana thanks for the quick response. I have a 2017 Honda Ridgeline. The bed at the floor measures 58" and the Pipeline specs say Full size is for 59," so I went with the Compact one at 49." In retrospect I probably could've cut an inch off the top bar and refitted the corner. Oh well, I'm only every going to mount two bikes so the shorter version is fine. It really comes down to where the unit hit on my floor bed as I ordered the Surface Mount Conversion kit to mount with a more solid connection. I expect a fair amount of trial and error planning to get the right fit. Have to give Pipeline credit for how versatile the system is. Nothing this specialized is truly plug and play. My order arrives next week and I'll plan to snap pics (not as competent as you are with the video install). Thanks again.

[@joexray77]

@BigfootDadExploresMontana a quick update. After some additional homework I determined the Full Sized top bar (59") would be a better fit for where the surface Mount Kit hits the bed of my truck (I had order the Compact Truck Bed 2-bike Unit). So I shot @pipelineracks an email this morning asking if it was possible to buy just the 59" top bar separately. A couple of hours later I got a notification from @pipelineracks that they had already processed an order for just the 59" top bar and support tubes. To my surprise, the $39 charge was discounted $39 and had free shipping. So in less than half a day they not only answered my question, they shipped out the parts I wanted for FREE! Wow. I'm so stoked to get it installed (with the help of your video) and start to spread the word on what a great product and company @pipelineracks is. Again, just wow!

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Wow, this is great, Joe! Thank you for sharing your plan and for the update. This really goes a long ways for the reputation of Pipeline! Would love to see a picture when it's complete. Maybe we can post it on our community page along with a short description how you got it to work in your unique situation. Nice work!

[@mkv.exe21]

I like the Ride88 rack, with that being said, I believe you could take a play out of their playbook for the strap that runs dowm the bed, hooks to the bed/bumper/frame, and has a velcro strap to secure the rear wheel.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, @noro1390 - this is a great idea! I really appreciate your advice here. I will look into this as a possible solution. 😎

[@LILM79847]

Wow fantastic video there love it, and very helpful awesome job ya'll 👏 ❤😮

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Thank you, Mike! Crossing fingers this one picks up a bit more. A lot of work went into this. But mainly glad it's been helpful so far. I appreciate the feedback!

[@entrecourier]

I did the utility trailer thing as well, but instead of laying bikes on their side, I used the trays from a Rocky Mounts hitch rack. The wheels rest in the trays and there's a swing arm to clamp down on the wheel to hold the bike in place. Took the trays off the rack and mounted them to the floor of the trailer. We did this because it was getting to be a pain to lift our e-bikes onto the rack. This worked pretty well for awhile. However, we're getting a travel trailer and we don't really want to haul a utility trailer behind that, so we want a good pickup mount. Thinking of either something like this or maybe the fork mounts - appreciate the part in your video where you have it at the campground, something that wouldn't work so well with fork mounts.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, @entrecourier - that's a pretty good solution! I love hearing about the ingenuity in some of these ideas. I'm thinking because the ebikes are so heavy that, if you were to go Pipeline, you might want to find a good way to plant the rear tires. Given your previous solution, I'm sure you'll find a creative way.

[@iVolkswagen]

Fantastic video as always! I think I would have looked into a DIY PVC build that way you could build it as needed- or maybe even look into actual sidewalk bike racks and retrofit them.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Thank you, iVolkswagen! I always appreciate the thoughful feedback. The PVC is an interesting idea. Funny enough, I was looking through the traditional sidewalk bike racks and trying to figure out how to fit them into the trailer. The only reason I didn't execute that idea was because it seemed all of them (that I was looking at, anways) potentially came in contact with various parts of our particular fleet of bikes. Our bikes are so diverse in size and models, it was hard finding one that fit the bill for them all.

[@iVolkswagen]

@@BigfootDadExploresMontana makes sense! Just thought of this though… Did you look into hanging style racks? Wouldn’t help with modularity for the truck or campsite but could be the best style for the trailer.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, iVolkswagen. That's a good point. I didn't see any in particular that caught my eye, but it's totally possible I missed a good manufacturer. I think my focus was lasered in on finding something that I could use in a few other scarios. However, I am interested in a hanging bike rack for our garage. If you have any recs, please feel free to send them along! Any bike rack manufacturer out there want to send me one for evaluation? 😅

[@mdmattmann]

I was wondering if you could tell me if the all the black connection pieces are made out of plastic or aluminum? Thanks

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, @mdmattmann - excellent question! The black connection pieces on mine are metal. There's a lot of force that is exerted on them so they have to be pretty strong. Hope this helps! New video Short out tomorrow morning giving our update on why the Adventure Trailer (and bikes) is/are in storage!

[@mdmattmann]

@@BigfootDadExploresMontana Thank you! I have a friend that has an older version of this rack, his pieces are made of plastic and are failing!

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

@@mdmattmann - you're welcome. Just to be 100% sure, I can try to drop by where our adventure trailer is stored and try to confirm. I may not be able to get there this weekend, but it should be within the next week or so.

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, @mdmattmann - I did stop by and looked at our rack. Yes, all the black connection pieces are metal - most likely aluminum. Hope this helps!

[@mdmattmann]

@@BigfootDadExploresMontana Fantastic! Thank you so much for checking.

[@corneliushaynes9510]

Would this rack work on a mesh floor utility trailer aswell, if anyone knows?

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Hi, Cornelius - if your mesh is big enough to fit a bolt through for the adapter brackets, that would be optimal. If not, you may have to drill out a hole through it, which may diminish the floor strength in that area. In either case, you're going to want to use larger washes on the bottom to help spread that load across the mesh. Can any other viewer out there with more experience help Cornelius out?

[@8513Damo]

I just want to tell you thank you for this video! It would taken me longer than 3!!!

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

You're welcome and thank you for the feedback! Hey, we all have our own pace - nothing wrong with that. 😎

[@stringztoo]

why are all your videos ADR'd?

[@BigfootDadExploresMontana]

Clever that you caught that on this one. While not all of them are post-narrated, this one was. Quite simply, I have terrible microphones. In particular, the audio while in the trailer was so echo-y (is that a word?), it was unusable. I'm looking to upgrade to a nicer wireless microphone, but my channel doesn't create much revenue so I pay for most everything out of pocket, hence my lag on equipment.