The ultimate truck bed bike rack. A unique solution to a common problem!
After buying my first “nice” bike I quickly realized that I didn’t want to throw it in my truck with tie downs like I always did with my dirt bikes. I know from experience that tailgate pads will gather dirt and sand underneath and scuff the shine off your truck’s paint as well as your bike frame. I am not a fan of tailgate hitches on a truck either because they stick way out, besides, I have a bed I can use. I did however like the idea of putting my bike forward facing in my truck bed with the wheels intact. I figured there had to be a bike rack made for trucks out there that did this very thing and so I went on the usual google search. I looked pretty hard and did not find anything like what I wanted. To me there should be a simple system with an arm that locked down the wheel and would install without any modification to my truck bed. Well I didn’t find anything like that so I decided to make it myself. I certainly didn’t think at that moment that this was something I would ever make for anyone else.
“By the time I had finished the 3rd design concept
I realized I had something very unique”
Anyone who knows me also knows I get a little obsessed on projects. This rack project became a big deal and I continued to think about how I could get it to be super efficient and simple to use. I wanted it to be something that I didn’t have to drill any holes to install. I was amazed that so many trucks had pre existing installation holes right where I needed them to install my rack design. By the time I had finished the 3rd design concept I realized I had something very unique and it worked awesome. At that point I decided I needed to consider a patent on this idea, I continued making prototypes and further refining the simplicity and functions and then applied for a Patent.
Once we received confirmation that we were in Patent Pending status, I began to share this design with the world. My wife and I started a Kickstarter campaign and had high hopes to fully fund and begin our first production run in Taiwan! It’s an amazing thing to see your wife join in and your dream becomes just as much her dream. Well Kickstarter didn’t work out but we kept in touch with all the people we met through the campaign. Many of our supporters were strongly encouraging us to pursue it anyway and they wanted RIDE88 to still happen. After careful consideration and some major design modifications I figured out a way to manufacture them myself in our home shop in Idaho. Wow this was a huge job! I spent 1 year cutting metal, welding, pouring molds and buying materials in my spare time after work. My dad, wife and even kids were in on the project. We all had a dream to see this one of a kind idea used in trucks all over America.
“The QR in QR3 stands for quick release”
We sold 150 RIDE88 truck bed bike racks by the time all was done and now we are at the point where we need to make more, a lot more. So we are once again turning our sights on Taiwan with 150 racks sold breathing confidence into our sails. I am excited and proud to be able to get back to our original rack design in round tubing. The round tubular design was our number one request from anyone who saw our Kickstarter campaign back in 2017. The new QR3 design has been further advanced since the original RIDE88 systems due to the quick release capability of the rack from the cross bar. The QR in QR3 stands for quick release and every piece of our system is designed to quick release so it can install and uninstall fast. Even the bike installation is lightning fast! In fact this is the fastest way to load and secure a bike on the market.
As our humble little brand is in it’s beginning stages and we hope you will consider looking our way and giving our one of a kind truck bed bike rack a shot. You won’t be disappointed. Our customers have loved their racks and we have heard some great feedback after months of use. Go see our photos section to see how customers have installed their systems and all the variety of vehicles you can fit. We would love to see you sporting this cool looking system in your favorite truck, with your sweet bike, all loaded up! If you do, shoot us an email with a picture. We’ll post it up on our site and we will be here to support you for the life of your product. Riding bikes has become a lifestyle for many of us and investing in high quality equipment is a logical decision every time.
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