I have a Trek Paragon 29er, 23" Frame and it fills the 6.5' bed on my F150. My bikes were the primary reason for buying the longer bed truck.

[SUP][/SUP]

 

I have a 2006 F150 Supercrew with a standard bed (5.5') and a Trek X-cal. Currently I am using http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/...age=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=36&category_id=9 to transport my bikes. it is a perfect fit. The rear tire hits the back gate as it is closed. There are several options for this type of carrier. Reason why I chose this one is be cause I have a tunneau cover and can't use the bed rails so I had to use one that is 'suspended' between the bed walls.

There are other options such as http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/...age=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=50&category_id=9 and tailgate pads which will allow you to transport more bikes.

Not sure where you live, but I am in CA where parking is a pain in the arse unless you have a compact vehicle. So going with the extended bed was not an option for me.

Will work on getting you some pics...

 

Thanks for the help. I'm in PHX.

I would likely fork mount them, just wasn't sure I there was enough length.

 

Here are a couple of pics of my bike fork mounted in the bed. There is enough space for a bike with the front wheel mounted if you want to run it catercorner.Notice that the wheel is up against the tailgate. I do have some space in front of the mount (6-8") if I have a longer bike or need some additional space.

Hope this helps

 

You could just mount them backwards like this. Then you don't have to remove the wheel.

 

Probably won't work with 5.5 bed without removing the front wheel, or flipping it around where the tire hangs off the tail gate. I have a supercab and usually use the tie down method (like you would with a motorcycle). With the 6.5 bed, you only have a couple inches of room behind the tire. If your only transporting one bike, you can also put it on an angle.

Anyways, if you have the option to get the longer bed, I'd go for it. Those are hard to find where I live. Plus you'll be able to fit a lot of other items aside from bikes. Its amazing what that extra foot in length will do.

 

My 29er fits in my 5.5 foot bed with the front tire removed and the fork mount all the way to the front or rear of the bed. You can also put a fork mount on the bed rail and fit the bike sideways across the bed.

I just set up something different mounting the bike directly on the bed rail that lets me carry 2 bikes but still have full access to the bed. I'll get some photos showing the setup tomorrow.

 

I have the 6.5' bed but still just hang the forks over the tailgate (cheap rug hanging over the tailgate to protect the paint) with the forks turned 90 degrees. Easiest way to travel.

This weekend on a longer trip with the bed loaded, I put on the Thule T2 hitch rack and hit the road.

 

I prefer to lay mine down in the bed (6.5'). It makes it less visible to potential thiefs. I have a bedrug which is nice and soft on the frame. If I'm hauling more than one bike I'll stand them up or put my hitch rack on.

 

I saw this idea posted at f150forum.com :

Build/Mod Thread: PFBZ's 2011 FX4-TT - Page 6 - Ford F150 Forum - Community of Ford Truck Fans

I made a couple of minor adjustments. I used the Origin-8 Bike Block fork mounts so I could swap between 9mm, 15mm and 20mm axle configs without having to use an adapter, and I changed the way the rear wheel mounted in order to be more secure and idiot proof. For the rear tire mount on my setup, I used a 7" piece of extruded aluminum channel. I used a 1" spacer under the channel, which combined with the offset of the plastic bed rail cover, lifts the channel about 1/8" above the plastic - which is perfect for the strap to fit under. The end result is a super stable way to carry 2 bikes while still allowing 100% access to the truck bed, no interference with the backup camera or sensors, and the ability to keep the tonneua cover closed. It also doesn't look bulky when not carrying bikes. Less than $100 to do both sides.

 

Here's my '08 Supercrew 5.5 bed. Pic is my 26'er but the 29er and my rodie both fit. I still have all my bed space for gear when we all go on out of town bike trips.[URL="

 

My truck is a 2004 with the 5.5' bed. Not sure if things have changed as far as sidewalls - mine are 22.5" tall.

The Leer cap provides enough room for my 29er to fit, but it's tight. If the cap was flat instead of raised in the middle, I'd have to remove the front wheel to load the bike. Maybe narrower bars would help too. My old 26er fit in easy. As it is, I can load and unload in seconds. I'm very happy with the setup.

 

I only saw one reply mention a cap? This will have an effect on the capacity since most caps have a sloped door that reduces the effective length of the box.

I drive an older Dakota with a 5'3" box and an ARE cap. I chose the ARE because it's 4" higher than the cab of the truck so I didn't have to remove the saddle to stand the bike up.

I carry the bikes using floor mounted fork holders (just bolted to a 3/4" piece of plywood). So front wheel off, rear wheel in first. This means that the handle bars touch the glass of the cap door. So the bikes have to be pushed back a bit.

My 26" MTBs fit fine as do road.

The 29ers need to go in with the tail of the bike turned a bit - on an angle to the bars so they are 'shorter'. That means I can only get 2 bikes in standing up.

Short answer? You'll likely never regret the longer bed.

Rob

 

I have a SCrew 6.5' bed. IMO, you are shooting yourself in the foot by getting the 5.5 - It's a truck after all. I do tons of city driving and parking and so far I have no regrets or issues, just make sure that it has the backup camera/sensors. After coming from a Tacoma Dbl Cab with the measly 5' bed, the extra 1.5' makes the world of difference.

 

I drive a 2007 F250 Supercab with a 6.5' bed and an "Undercover" hard tonneau cover. My 19" frame 29er fits well in the bed, but the tonneau cover won't close: unless I take the front wheel off.

 

Trucks come with shorter than 8' beds? eff'n travesty.

 

Just modified my "drop in" style mount to accommodate a second bike (GF's 29er)....mines a short bed....this mount I fabricated just out of scrap I had laying around...held down using just one bolt (existing truck bed bolt)....Works great for me!

 

here is my custom setup i made with some wood laying around the house,
only have 26in wheels and with the wheel turned it fits in my 12 f150 supercrew 5.5ft bed, if i had 29er i would def go for the 6.5 bed.

 

Nice set up, simple n effective

 

rack option

I'm in the process of building a rack like this:

For my 2005 Screw with 5.5' bed.

As I wanted to still have bed space for storage, expecially with the pop up behind.

But it ain't cheap, even with finding all of the components (except the tracks) used.

 

Bringing back a dead thread just to show another option. 5.5ft bed, BakFlip G2 trifold cover. Two long aluminum bars sandwich the cover with 8 bolts, locking Blockheads bolted to the aluminum bars. Great setup that has withstood tons of abuse. Real cheap, real easy.

IMG_6559 by Charl Coetser, on Flickr

IMG_6562 by Charl Coetser, on Flickr

 

I used to drive a Ranger with a 6' and my bikes would fit, barely. I recently bought an F150 with 6.5' for bike fit. The more interesting thing I've found is for one bike I just pop F wheel and put the whole works in the supercab. This is great to keep the bike locked and out of sight, and to keep the suspension warm when riding Ray's in the dead of winter.

An ex had a 5.5' with a segmented taneau. We had to hang bikes off the tailgate and did not like the set-up. The only upside was we could easily take 4 bikes that way. Unless you're hauling 4 or more, go with the 6.5'

 

I have a 15' with 5.5 bed. I'm gtitng a Leer top with a rack on top. I'm going back and forth between top rack mount or hitch mount. I wonder how rough it is going to be hoist the bike up that high. Waiting to see with the top installed.

I picked up my 29er Remedy and it fit in my truck bed no problem. Tail gate up.

 

Nice set up, simple and effective

 

Great thread with a lot of good ideas! I'm taking delivery on a 2015 SCrew this week, and I'm worried about the switch from my 6.5' Tundra double cab bed to the 5.5' bed on the F150...

I have one bike with a 15mm skewer and the others are the older style 9mm. I'll be eventually be adding a cab height shell on the back, so rail or top mount racks aren't an option for me.

Has anyone found an in-bed solution for 15mm skewers that they like? I almost just bought a Beddy Jo, but then realized it won't work without an extra $50 adapter that looks pretty kludgey...

 

Love this mount Rack Man. Any chance you could provide some drawings/dimensions of this to build it my self.

Thanks