Interior Bike Storage

[Morton2020]

I'm looking at my options for interior bike storage for 2 gravel bikes (no dropper) and have reviewed the other threads on this. I've used the fork mount option in a rented stow and go minivan for road trips a dozen times and it works great and like the security ... but have a 4 dr bronco on order for some new adventures. Doesn't look like this will work without at least removing or dropping the seat post each time. Dumb question...but how easy would it be to take out a second row seat for for more bike headroom for the road trips so I don't have to remove the seatpost each time? Major task? Anyone doing this? Thanks!

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[Black_Stallion13]

I used to have this setup which is similar to the OEM Bronco Sport rack. I made the mount using a Tacoma bed rail, just had to cut a few inches off of it. Mine and my wife’s gravel bikes fit perfectly next to each other but I did add quick release seat clamps so I could quickly raise and lower the posts to clear the roll bar. My floor is also a few inches higher than most because I have the slide-out tailgate option but it still worked fine.

In the end, I just went with a locking hitch rack. Way easier to mess with and accommodates my new electric mountain bike way better.

 

[Morton2020]

Picked up the new Bronco and test-fit the 2 road/gravel bikes in our '24 Wildtrak 4D Hardtop today - Not a problem with 2nd row seats down, not removed. Had to drop the bike seats, though. The larger bike is a 61 frame, so not small.

Planning a Sept trip to Moab for our Off-Roadeo and then 2-3 more weeks of combined road cycling, hiking and off-roading. We'll store the bikes inside on hiking, long travel or off-roading days for protection and security at the hotels and when on hikes. On cycling days or when the weather's nice, we'll just put them on the Yakima HD rack on top of the Bronco to get to and from our location -will be easier and quicker.

The board mount pictured is the one we have used in a rented stow-and-go van for our previous road trips ... sometimes we ship our bikes ahead of time if we are flying to the location, so the holes are just to cut weight. One fork mount bracket is blocked a little higher than the other (arrow) to allow the front bars to interlock and save a lot of space. I think I'll either use the Yakima 'sport' OEM rack (in the post above), or use the Saris triple track in the picture below and secure it to the cargo floor. Plenty of space on either side (and in a Thule box on the roof rack) for the rest of our gear. Should work well.

 

[Morton2020]

We just completed a 3week/5800 mile offroad and cycling vacation. After working on a setup to haul the bikes inside for the long road days and off-roading, and outside for the quick access rides, we finally got it dialed in and it worked great! 2 bikes, 4 suitcases, miscellaneous gear bags with traction boards and recovery gear. It’s possible! Looking forward to our next Bronco off-road cycling trip!

 

[Top Off Doors On]

We just completed a 3week/5800 mile offroad and cycling vacation. After working on a setup to haul the bikes inside for the long road days and off-roading, and outside for the quick access rides, we finally got it dialed in and it worked great! 2 bikes, 4 suitcases, miscellaneous gear bags with traction boards and recovery gear. It’s possible! Looking forward to our next Bronco off-road cycling trip!

Just want to thank you for posting these pics - your idea of elevating one bike enough to move them closer together is an excellent one. Hopefully our Bronco will be here in the next week or two, and I can put together something similar to yours.

 

[Top Off Doors On]

May I ask how far back you mounted the Saris rack, measured from the centre of the rack to the tailgate? And what's the total length from the back of the front seats when pushed right back to the tailgate?

Very occasionally we carry three bikes; I am hoping I can get three bikes on the 60 side of the 60/40 rear seat and leave one passenger seat usable.

I need our Bronco here but I can't help myself trying to prep a bike rack. Delivery should be this week and we're headed out on June 15th.

 

[Morton2020]

May I ask how far back you mounted the Saris rack, measured from the centre of the rack to the tailgate? And what's the total length from the back of the front seats when pushed right back to the tailgate?

Very occasionally we carry three bikes; I am hoping I can get three bikes on the 60 side of the 60/40 rear seat and leave one passenger seat usable.

I need our Bronco here but I can't help myself trying to prep a bike rack. Delivery should be this week and we're headed out on June 15th.

Sure. The mounting holes in the Saris rack (and also the position of the fork mounts) are 14" from the gate opening. This is what I measured so that the rear window will shut with no danger of hitting the handlebars or the computer mount on the bike when closing with a few inches to spare. Potential disaster. Lots of stories of shattered rear glass on this forum. Should test fit your bike with the front wheel off to check the clearances.

I drilled through the fiberboard lid to the cargo area storage compartment and put the mounting bolts though with wingnuts on the bottom. That way I can still open the lid by lifting up the rack to get to the compartment. It just keeps the rack from sliding around, and after 2 trips, hasn't damaged the lid. I didn't want to drill into the floor of the cargo area. You might want to move your rack closer to the '60 sidewall if you are trying to use the '40 back seat, so you might have to drill new mounting holes in the rack to slide it over while still using the cargo compartment lid for stability.

The rear gate opening to the front seats is 64" in my 4door with my seat positions. Obviously that could be more or less with your seats adjusted.

 

[Top Off Doors On]

Thanks for the excellent info!

I’ve been loading bikes under a canopy on a Tacoma five foot box for about fifteen years. It’s got the same challenges you’ve described - keeping the front ends of the bikes away from glass, pulling the saddles and seat posts, etc.

I’ve got the fork down blocks, wood, and mounting hardware all gathered. Shouldn’t take long once the Bronco gets delivered.

 

[Top Off Doors On]

Sure. The mounting holes in the Saris rack (and also the position of the fork mounts) are 14" from the gate opening. This is what I measured so that the rear window will shut with no danger of hitting the handlebars or the computer mount on the bike when closing with a few inches to spare. Potential disaster. Lots of stories of shattered rear glass on this forum. Should test fit your bike with the front wheel off to check the clearances.

I drilled through the fiberboard lid to the cargo area storage compartment and put the mounting bolts though with wingnuts on the bottom. That way I can still open the lid by lifting up the rack to get to the compartment. It just keeps the rack from sliding around, and after 2 trips, hasn't damaged the lid. I didn't want to drill into the floor of the cargo area. You might want to move your rack closer to the '60 sidewall if you are trying to use the '40 back seat, so you might have to drill new mounting holes in the rack to slide it over while still using the cargo compartment lid for stability.

The rear gate opening to the front seats is 64" in my 4door with my seat positions. Obviously that could be more or less with your seats adjusted.

Finished mine up. There's no way to get three bikes in and still use the 40 back seat. I built this to use in both the Bronco and our double cab Tacoma if we do have three bikes and three riders. The blocks are spaced so that it provides clearance to the side and rear of the Bronco, and if I flip it around, it provides clearance to the front of the canopy. I put a couple strips of tread tape on the bottom but there's really no place for the bikes to go unless we're in a wreck. Then they hit the back of the front seats. The last image is looking up in the rear of the Bronco at the space between the back glass and wiper motor.

 

[Morton2020]

Finished mine up. There's no way to get three bikes in and still use the 40 back seat. I built this to use in both the Bronco and our double cab Tacoma if we do have three bikes and three riders. The blocks are spaced so that it provides clearance to the side and rear of the Bronco, and if I flip it around, it provides clearance to the front of the canopy. I put a couple strips of tread tape on the bottom but there's really no place for the bikes to go unless we're in a wreck. Then they hit the back of the front seats. The last image is looking up in the rear of the Bronco at the space between the back glass and wiper motor.

Looks great! Regarding the seat posts, I was able to just drop the seat posts down into the tube and not actually pull the seats. In that position, the seats are actually up against the roll bar, and since I have the fork mounts bolted to that lid, I don’t think they’d go far in anything but a serious accident. I used to run a rachet strap from a floor tiedown, looped around the seatposts and back down to a floor to down when we travelled in a minivan, just so they wouldn’t be flying around in an accident. That worked well too.

 

[Top Off Doors On]

Regarding the seat posts, I was able to just drop the seat posts down into the tube and not actually pull the seats.

We both have carbon posts that would end up defaced if I pushed them into the seat tube. I wish I could just drop them like that. Not a big deal to pull them.

Thanks again for the idea to raise one block - made ALL! the difference. I set the higher block ahead a bit to accommodate the cross top levers we both have on these rides. They are the only bikes we can get 32s on, and we ride some broken pavement and a bit of gravel, so the cross bikes are getting lots of use. We do ride 23s occasionally on other bikes - man, they seem narrow now.

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