Pro Fork Mount Bike Rack for Front Runner Platform Racks - Channel Mount - Thru-Axles

Video Transcript for Feature Breakdown: Pro Fork Mount Bike Rack for Front Runner Platform Racks

Hi everyone, Aiden here with etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at the Pro Fork Mounted Bike Rack and seeing how it fits on our Front Runner Platform Racks. Now this option from Front Runner is gonna work with their Slim Line II or their Slim Sport Platform Racks and it gives you a good way to carry your bike by the forks. Let's check it out. So the one thing with a fork mounted carrier to keep in mind is that you're gonna have to find a spot for your front tire, probably in the vehicle. But I do think that for a roof mounted option, fork mounted is the way to go.

And it's my preferred way because it's just going to add a little bit less height to your roof, but also it's gonna be a little bit more secure as opposed to something that clamps onto the front tire. On the roof, it just seems to have a little bit more movement. I've used that style in the past because it's just easier to not take your front tire off sometimes, but I think this is going to be a more solid option and it's gonna work great for your through axle bikes. Now this is designed to work with a variety of different through axle bikes, so it won't work with quick release skewers, but your kit's gonna come with various inserts of varying diameters. We've got the middle size on there right now, and then you can pick to insert it in this way or this way to accommodate for the different lengths of axles you might have.

So, what we have up there right now is a 15 by 110 millimeter through axle, but we could very easily, if we wanted to, flip these around a different way to accommodate a 15 by 100 millimeter through axle. So obviously we've got that fork mount up front with our through axle and on the back it's just going to be this platform with a wheel strap that does have a ratcheting mechanism built into it. So what you do is feed the strap through and you can use this lever here to ratchet it in, which helps get a stronger hold on that back tire. This is gonna be a pretty easy setup process and the way I got this all set up is just first measuring my wheel base to see about what spread I was gonna be looking for and then all of these pieces just channel mount in. So that front fork mount will channel mount in with just two M8 bolts.

And then same for the back, two M8 bolts with lock nuts on top, channel mounted to match the spread wherever it fits best. And both of those are gonna be offset a little bit. This back platform here is pretty long, so you really just have to get it plus or minus five inches. There's a fair amount of wiggle room there and your tire should be able to make contact perfectly fine on that platform. Now as far as capability goes, the rack can support a 55 pound bike.

I don't know personally that I would want to lift 55 pounds above my head to load it up, but if you're comfortable with it, then go for it. I would personally maybe advise just not pushing the weight capacity if you're going on some really rough off road terrain just because it's gonna be really shaking your bike around a lot. But Front Runner doesn't list a specific off-road capacity, so on paper you should be fine. That's just more of a personal thing for me. But as far as construction goes, that front piece that the fork is attaching to is gonna be in aluminum construction, which I actually like because it's gonna be in more contact with metal pieces on your bike so that powder coat is prone to scratching more and the metal underneath should be the most rust resistant. Whereas on the back, this bracket is steel, again, still powder coated, but it's going to be in contact with your soft rubber tire. And because that bracket has a pretty strong overhang here, you're putting a little bit more weight on it so it's nice that it's gonna be a stronger metal. Now, one thing you might be thinking about with a roof-mounted bike rack like this is how easy it is to use and that's really gonna come down to a lot of different factors. For me, with this bike on this Four Runner, I actually found it pretty easy. The bike's not super heavy. The Four Runner has a running board here that I was able to step up onto and also kind of hook my foot under the vehicle to anchor me. Plus I'm a little bit on the taller side so I don't have to worry about reaching as far. But for someone different with a heavier bike on a taller vehicle that maybe doesn't have a running board, then you might be running into more issues and troubles with loading and unloading. So just look at those things and keep that in consideration when you're considering whether this is gonna be the right fit for you. If you're worried about it, then maybe go with a hitch mounted alternative. So as far as our roof-mounted bike rack goes, for your Front Runner Platform Racks, I think is gonna be a really solid option. It's fairly easy to load and unload. It's going to be solid with a really nice weight capacity and it doesn't take up much space on the roof either. So you've got plenty of room for other accessories all around the platform, that will vary depending on the platform you have on your vehicle, but it doesn't take up much space, so it's good in my book. Now, one thing I will say is that while this is a great fit for the Slim Line and the Slim Sport Platforms, you might find yourself if you've got the Slim Line Platform for a truck bed, maybe wanting a different option, and there is one available that side mounts the bike rather than putting it on the tray. This will still work on a truck bed application, but I think that other kit would be a better fit because it shifts it closer to the side of the truck bed and makes it a little easier to reach and doesn't take up any space really on the platform at all. But if you're just looking for a roof mounted carrier, this is gonna be the one for you and I think it's gonna be a really nice fit for your Front Runner Platform Racks. Thanks for watching.