C5tor
Chief Comedic Instigator
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- SF Bay Area, CA
Hey Guys, I posted most of this comment in another unrelated thread, but I'm curious about how others haul their Altas too. So, I'll post in this thread as well and expand a few items.
Some folks have posted about their moto-van builds and strapless tie-downs and similar. Those are way cool. What about us old-fashioned guys that haul our stuff in a truck, and use a ramp and tie-downs? What do you guys use? Lets hear about any loading tips or cool equipment that you guys use!
I love how convenient it is to use our electric bike power to load the bike and move it around. I've turned quite a few heads at the riding area by simply walking my bike (almost) silently up a ridiculously steep ramp like it was nothing. Makes you look like a superhero sometimes.
I used to have a lot of anxiety about loading my dirt bikes. Timing the sprint, building momentum, and then the awkward leap of faith at the end, hoping you had enough speed to make it to the top... The very thought of it would get me in a cold sweat imagining gruesome images of dropped bikes, broken hips, and all manner of viral YouTube bike-loading-fail videos. But just walking the bike up the ramp under its own power is very gratifying. Just one more reason I love this bike.
I used to use the traditional skinny bike ramp and a step. But that was precarious, awkward, and frankly stupid. Don't even get me started on folks that use a 2x4 and a lawn chair.
I then switched to a wider ramp from Harbor Freight. It is pretty nice and very convenient. This is nice for bikes and appliances and such. It worked quite well until I got a new (lifted) pickup. The bed on my new truck was a good foot higher than my old truck. At 6' long, the ramp became a bit too steep to load safely, at least in my opinion. (Remember, I'm an old geezer wimp.) But overall, this is a great ramp, and I'd still use it today if it was about a foot longer.
I've since switched to a much longer and wider (and overall much safer) ramp, and it is simplicity itself. The new ramp is kinda bulky to move around, but it makes loading a carefree experience. Even if I'm tired or hurting, or the ramp is slick and the bike is muddy, using bike-power and a gentle, wide ramp makes life easier. In my youth, I wouldn't have worried about the niceties of loading the bike. I would have picked the damned bike up and chucked it in the truck if I had to. But with my advancing age and increasingly unreliable knees, I gotta worry about dumb ass stuff like this now!
Here is my new Black Widow tri-fold ramp: (7' 10" long by 54" wide) Very plush! (Well, as "plush" as a ramp can get, anyway.) Easy incline on my taller truck, excellent "cheese-grater" traction across the whole surface. As wide as my tailgate, so easy to load multiple bikes and generators, etc. without having to angle them at awkward directions. Really like this ramp so far. It obviously works well for ATVs, golf-carts, and appliances as well. I like the gentle incline. Easier on my knees. Super study (the ramp, not my knees!)
The only downside of the ramp is that it is bulky and harder to carry. It is easy to fold, but doesn't have a good place to grip without the ramp unfolding. I'm using these Highland Rampart Ramp carrying straps to make things easier on myself. Takes a minute to install them, but they give a nice secure lifting point and keeps the tri-fold ramp from unfolding. I got two of them for two handles. So far, so good.
Another piece of equipment I like is my Bed Buddy tie-down rack, by CCR Sport. It mounts in the truck bed and serves a couple purposes. It gives you wheel chalks, so your wheels don't turn side to side. It gives you extra tie-down locations. And it strengthens the bed bulkhead so it doesn't flex when you tighten the straps. Overall, been very happy with this little device, and have used it for a couple years. Even moved it from my old truck to the new one.
As far as tie-downs, I've used quite a few over the years. I like ratcheting tie-downs, but they can often be hard to work, and I often over-tighten the straps. I've been using these Pro-Taper tie-downs for the last year or so, and I really like them. I like the built in soft-ties. I like the carabiner clip so that it won't come unhooked. I like the built-in velcro straps so that I can secure the excess strap so they don't flap around. The swivel hook is nice in that it keeps the straps flat. It is also probably the weak point in the design, but I'm not putting hundreds of pounds of pressure on them so I think they are fine for my application. So far, they are my favorite tie-down that I have tried. They are a bit pricey at $30 per pair, but I'd rather spend a few more bucks on quality tie-downs than risk my $10k bike from falling out of my truck.
Anyway, those are some of the things I use. What about you guys?
Some folks have posted about their moto-van builds and strapless tie-downs and similar. Those are way cool. What about us old-fashioned guys that haul our stuff in a truck, and use a ramp and tie-downs? What do you guys use? Lets hear about any loading tips or cool equipment that you guys use!
I love how convenient it is to use our electric bike power to load the bike and move it around. I've turned quite a few heads at the riding area by simply walking my bike (almost) silently up a ridiculously steep ramp like it was nothing. Makes you look like a superhero sometimes.
I used to have a lot of anxiety about loading my dirt bikes. Timing the sprint, building momentum, and then the awkward leap of faith at the end, hoping you had enough speed to make it to the top... The very thought of it would get me in a cold sweat imagining gruesome images of dropped bikes, broken hips, and all manner of viral YouTube bike-loading-fail videos. But just walking the bike up the ramp under its own power is very gratifying. Just one more reason I love this bike.
I used to use the traditional skinny bike ramp and a step. But that was precarious, awkward, and frankly stupid. Don't even get me started on folks that use a 2x4 and a lawn chair.
I then switched to a wider ramp from Harbor Freight. It is pretty nice and very convenient. This is nice for bikes and appliances and such. It worked quite well until I got a new (lifted) pickup. The bed on my new truck was a good foot higher than my old truck. At 6' long, the ramp became a bit too steep to load safely, at least in my opinion. (Remember, I'm an old geezer wimp.) But overall, this is a great ramp, and I'd still use it today if it was about a foot longer.
I've since switched to a much longer and wider (and overall much safer) ramp, and it is simplicity itself. The new ramp is kinda bulky to move around, but it makes loading a carefree experience. Even if I'm tired or hurting, or the ramp is slick and the bike is muddy, using bike-power and a gentle, wide ramp makes life easier. In my youth, I wouldn't have worried about the niceties of loading the bike. I would have picked the damned bike up and chucked it in the truck if I had to. But with my advancing age and increasingly unreliable knees, I gotta worry about dumb ass stuff like this now!
Here is my new Black Widow tri-fold ramp: (7' 10" long by 54" wide) Very plush! (Well, as "plush" as a ramp can get, anyway.) Easy incline on my taller truck, excellent "cheese-grater" traction across the whole surface. As wide as my tailgate, so easy to load multiple bikes and generators, etc. without having to angle them at awkward directions. Really like this ramp so far. It obviously works well for ATVs, golf-carts, and appliances as well. I like the gentle incline. Easier on my knees. Super study (the ramp, not my knees!)
The only downside of the ramp is that it is bulky and harder to carry. It is easy to fold, but doesn't have a good place to grip without the ramp unfolding. I'm using these Highland Rampart Ramp carrying straps to make things easier on myself. Takes a minute to install them, but they give a nice secure lifting point and keeps the tri-fold ramp from unfolding. I got two of them for two handles. So far, so good.
Another piece of equipment I like is my Bed Buddy tie-down rack, by CCR Sport. It mounts in the truck bed and serves a couple purposes. It gives you wheel chalks, so your wheels don't turn side to side. It gives you extra tie-down locations. And it strengthens the bed bulkhead so it doesn't flex when you tighten the straps. Overall, been very happy with this little device, and have used it for a couple years. Even moved it from my old truck to the new one.
As far as tie-downs, I've used quite a few over the years. I like ratcheting tie-downs, but they can often be hard to work, and I often over-tighten the straps. I've been using these Pro-Taper tie-downs for the last year or so, and I really like them. I like the built in soft-ties. I like the carabiner clip so that it won't come unhooked. I like the built-in velcro straps so that I can secure the excess strap so they don't flap around. The swivel hook is nice in that it keeps the straps flat. It is also probably the weak point in the design, but I'm not putting hundreds of pounds of pressure on them so I think they are fine for my application. So far, they are my favorite tie-down that I have tried. They are a bit pricey at $30 per pair, but I'd rather spend a few more bucks on quality tie-downs than risk my $10k bike from falling out of my truck.
Anyway, those are some of the things I use. What about you guys?
