Sportworks Announces Insta-Gater Truck Bed Bike Rack

Sportworks, a Seattle-based manufacturer of quick-loading bicycle racks is claiming it can reduce loading and unloading time of bikes in pickup truck beds to 10 seconds or less, by eliminating the need to remove the front wheel.

A Sportworks source reports the following:
"While Sportworks is not the only company to offer truck bike racks that transport "ready-to-ride" bicycles by securing the front wheel, the Insta-Gater is the only "wheel-on" rack designed for truck beds so far.

Other manufacturers, including Yakima Racks and Thule Racks, have wheel-on models but are currently limited to roof-mount systems using towers and crossbars, which would be somewhat impractical for an open bed pickup truck. And that's where the Insta-Gator shines: ease of installation and use.

The Sportworks InstaGator rack employs a base which is secured onto the bed of the truck by the closed tailgate with ratcheting anchors. An adjustable-length arm with a J-style hook swings up behind the back of the front wheel and ratchets down snugly around the tire just behind the fork crown. The front wheel rests on a cradle on the rack base, while the arm compresses the wheel against the tailgate to hold the entire bike securely. When loaded, the bike faces the tailgate (which causes an interesting reflection in your rearview mirror at night if your truck has a brake light at the top of your rear window and your bicycle is equipped with a rear reflector or taillight). The Insta-Gator bike racks can accommodate wheels from 20 to 29 inches in diameter, and tires up to three inches wide, although it's not recommended for use with bicycles that have head tube angles less than 68 degrees. Maximum bicycle weight for the rack is 50 pounds, meaning it will accommodate an upright tandem in an average long bed (7 to 8 feet). For tailgate openings of 51 inches or more, up to three InstaGater racks can be used side by side, while trucks with narrower tailgates can only support up to two racks.

The Sportworks Insta-Gator can be installed within one minute by inserting its two anchor straps into the gap between the truck bed and open tailgate, then closing the tailgate. The ratchets must then be tightened for a snug fit.

While compatible with most pick-up trucks, any pickup bed that does not fit a bicycle with both wheels attached and the tailgate closed -- such as some of the compact crew-cab trucks, Explorer SportTrac and Subaru Baja -- will unfortunately not work with this rack. For trucks with camper shells, vertical clearance will need to be measured with the InstaGator, as some bikes could be too tall when mounted. Shells taller than "cab-high" may offer enough clearance, as will deeper truck beds, depending on bike size. Also consumers will need to keep in mind that loading a bike into the Insta-Gater with a camper shell will mean climbing in and out over a closed tailgate.

Extensive testing of the Insta-Gator was performed using vehicles including Toyota Tundra and Tacoma, Dodge Dakota and Ranger, Ford f150, Nissan Titan, Chevy models as well as others."

news tags: sportworks bike racks : sportworks instagator pickup truck racks