Rockymounts BackStage 2: Initial Thoughts

[El Duderino]

It is holding up great so far. Took it on a roadtrip to Moab UT and back, as well as another trip to the UP. I obviously took the rack off when I did the harder wheeling as it reduced the departure angle and I had no need to haul the bikes locally while doing those trails.

I ended up going with a 7" extension on amazon. Like I said, you can get away with shorter in theory but it doesn't exist in the real world, each end of the adapter needs a certain amount of overlap. The Rockymounts style adapter probably has a better locking feature, but I ended up getting one of those shim/bolt sets for the adapter to keep it from rocking. It helps a ton over just a straight pin, but it will work loose over time so periodically check on it. Not loose enough to fall out, but loose as in excessive rocking back and forth. I also added a bit of tape around the adapter just to take up a smidge more excess gap between it and the receiver.

I also recommend putting a rag or napkin between the bike rim and the strap for long and/rough trips. It will help keep that strap from scratching and marring the rim/stickers. That is the case for basically any rack though.

Thanks for the feedback, man, I appreciate it. Excited to throw the BackStage on the Bronco and get the 29er out for some riding.

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[AJKitebrder40]

Any updates on the Backstage? I'm looking at it since it includes the swingarm, I really only need a single mount, so it's between it and the 1UP Quik Rack. I can get the RockyMounts for 15% off ($615) or the 1up for $420 or so....without the swingarm.

My thought being if the 1UP is in the way (when I'm not biking as much), it's only 23 lbs and I can remove it fairly easily and put it in the garage.

 

[TeocaliMG]

Any updates on the Backstage? I'm looking at it since it includes the swingarm, I really only need a single mount, so it's between it and the 1UP Quik Rack. I can get the RockyMounts for 15% off ($615) or the 1up for $420 or so....without the swingarm.

My thought being if the 1UP is in the way (when I'm not biking as much), it's only 23 lbs and I can remove it fairly easily and put it in the garage.

I still love it, used it for over about a year in totally stock form. I dont have any complaints for the rack, it does what it says on the tin. I think it's a no brainer to have the swing arm integrated to the rack as one unit to keep the length to a minimum.

It is a bit tedious to open but that's true of any swing out rack, and not even an option for racks without. Also, it's nice to have room for a couple bikes in case you want to take a buddy somewhere with you he may not want to go with his car or pickup.

My biggest gripes with the rocky mounts bike rack were more bronco specific. You need to get a hitch extender to fit the rack on if you have your spare tire still, and the departure angle is fairly poor. Also, like any hitch mounted rack, it rocks back and forth when offroad. There are different types of clamps or locking bolts you can use to mitigate the rocking (actually it has an excellent anti-rock feature built into itself, but another is needed for the hitch extension), but when you are off-road it's always a challenge to keep it from rocking more than you want.

I liked my rocky mounts backstage 2 so much that I decided to retrofit it with some very extensive modifications so I could take my mountain bikes with me on my off-roading in Colorado. This included cutting, welding, and also a new rear bumper. You can see the details in this thread here: TEOALMG's Bronco Build | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community

I know that most folks won't want to do that kind of niche project, but it turned out awesome and now I have a legit bike rack that can handle level 6 or 7 trails all day long.

I liked this rack so much in fact that I used it as the basis for my cargo rack. I can pop off both bike mount rails and bolt on this platform to have a storage rack that also doesn't hang me up on high level trails. I use the storage rack more than the bike rack now actually (but part of that is life with two little girls now lol).

My Homemade Off-Road Cargo Rack | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community

 

[TeocaliMG]

If you wanted to do a light version of these modifications I would recommend drilling a new hole in the hitch extender (you can probably get it 1" further into the receiver than the stock hole allows. And if you have access to a welder or buddy with a welder, I would recommend ramping the rear of the rack (as seen in my thread) for a bit better depature clearance and I would also consider mounting the rack on top of the hitch extender (welding) instead of just inside. Just make sure you don't go too high so that the base part of the rack is in the way of the spare tire when opening the tailgate.

Those few things alone would get you most of the clearance I gained. The custom swing arm was mainly to add rigidity (major upgrade there) and also get the arm itself up and out of the way.

I have not shopped around recently since i've had this for a couple years. I think there are racks out there with better clearance, but not ones that can swing out. So that's kind of the trade-off unless you are comfortable modding as I have, and you can have it all.

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