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This heavy-duty, padded vinyl cover provides an easy, inexpensive way to carry up to 6 bikes over the tailgate of your pickup truck. Included wraps let you tether bikes together on a daisy chain, and a built-in flap allows access to tailgate handle.
Features:
Specs:
Softride Shuttle Pad gives you an inexpensive and way to carry up to 6 bikes and save space in your pickup bed. Sling your bikes over your tailgate with the front wheels outside the truck bed, and carry lots of other gear in the room you'll save in comparison with other truck-bed bike racks that carry the whole bike in the bed. Designed specifically for hauling mountain bikes but will work with other types as well.
The pad is constructed of rugged vinyl and is cushioned to protect your truck and your bikes from scratches and abrasions. The pad secures with 4 sturdy straps that wrap around your tailgate and attach with adjustable buckles.
A daisy-chain tether runs across the top of the pad to securely hold your bicycles. You attach each bike with a wrap that loops around the bike frame and then under the tether, finally attaching to itself with an easy-to-use Velcro fastener.
The pad doubles as a tailgate protector for other long loads, such as ladders, lumber, kayaks and surfboards. And you can combine the included wraps to secure wider cargo to the tether.
Your tailgate handle is protected, yet easily accessible, covered by a flap that secures with a convenient Velcro fastener.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
93% were satisfied with this product
7% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
great product/durable. my only gripe is that there is no opening for the back-up camera. i think moving forward i would only by one with such opening.
Great selection of products and advice. Communication is well above average. My go to site for anything having to do with using hitch.
Good price and the best shipping cost of other sites I checked. It arrived today and is on our truck & ready to go.
Love this bike rack, easy to install and bikes hold upright well.
Well, I just got the Softride in and it's as advertised. Was easy to install, as I gave it a test run this morning. Going for an afternoon ride after work. It works great on my Honda Ridgeline, will take time to form it to the shape of my tailgate, but the sunshine will help that happen. Bike seems secure, and I can't wait to use it with wife's and my bikes.
Nice product, exactly what I needed without drilling or installing anything in my truck bed. Also don't like taking the front wheel off in some products, not the case with the soft ride tailgate pad bicycle transporter.
Works as advertised. Especially useful in comparison to other means of securing bikes in a pickup truck bed, because you don't need to remove the front tire. But for long trips, the bike(s) could probably use a bit more stability, which could easily be provided via a rope or strap extended from one side of the bed to the other, and wrapped around each bike fork to keep it from leaning to one side or the other as you go around turns.
fits perfect, serves the purpose very well, extremely satisfied glad i made the purchase, Thank you, would recommend it for the rider
Pretty easy to install on truck. Bikes are secure!
The only negative and it’s really not a negative, but you cannot use your back up mirror.
Very happy with product!
Literally the first line on the instructions says that this product may scratch or damage the paint on your truck. Also seemed overly complicated to install. Not something you can throw on/off the truck easily.
I've had this cover for about a year and it's one of the best investments I've made. It works great for bikes and it's also handy for any large object you need to carry. And being that I have a Honda Ridgeline, it's incredibly easy to slide on and off my tailgate!
I considered many options for bike carriers before deciding on the Softride. I have a Nissan Frontier with a short bed, which has some limitations. The Softride allows for more storage in the bed than other systems and also allows for more carrying options with protection. It was easier than I expected to install with one person. Shipping was quick and ordering uncomplicated. I expect many years of productive use from this excellent product.
Order arrived promptly. Had a hard time finding a tailgate pad that would fit an Avalance - etrailer.com made it easy with truck searching capability. Really nice packaging.
This is a great pad for a great price. Easy to tie down any bike to it and keep them secure. Well padded also.
Wayne M.
1/12/2021
The pad has held up excellent for a year. It still looks like new.
Drove from Reno, NV to Monterey,CA. 5 hours to get there and at times going 90 miles per hour. Bikes did not move at all. I have limited space in my truck bed due to having a tool box and short bed, so this is the prefect solution. This is an excellent product.
Slips a bit--need to pay attention on long hauls. But for shuttle, or when you can't fit all the kids bikes into the standard hitch-mounted carrier, this is a great choice.
Overall I am very happy with this product. It is easy to put on and it protects the tailgate of the truck from getting scratched up. Since the front end of the bike is outside the truck, it's a good way to keep the bikes from using up the whole truck bed and you don't have to worry about securing the front wheel like you do with fork mounts. It's also easy to remove and store in the truck for safe keeping. However, the little velcro straps that are provided to hold the bikes down are not nearly adequate to keep the bikes anchored, and they may not even fit your bike. After using the velco as best I could, I got a rope and secured it to one of the tie downs in the rear of the truck and ran a loop around the top of the seat post of each bike and secured the other end to the opposite tie down. That worked for holding the bikes anchored, preventing them from moving around during travel.
Used this to transport mountain and road bikes on a 2012 Nissan Frontier. I no longer own the truck but I can say ....Easy to put on and take off and stays snug to the tailgate while providing great protection. Don't do what I was doing before purchasing this and lay your bikes in the bed....this is the is way to go if you don't want to purchase a big hitch mount rack.
This product was a little tricky to figure out at first, I have a 2018 Tacoma and I had to let the tailgate half way down to get the straps through. After I figured that out, it was easy to use and protected my tailgate. Great product! We've loaded three bikes on it at one time (26.5", 27", 29") and it worked great.
Brian M.
6/29/2020
Continues to be a great product, would continue to recommend!
Arrived 2 days earlier than promised. Extremely easy to install. Just loosened up the straps and slid it off of the tailgate of my Ridgeline. All I have to do is slide it back on and tighten the straps. Will take less than two minutes. Padding is very thick and our bikes, including my wife's electric bike, will be well protected. If I could give the six stars, I would.
Lou M.
8/30/2018
It is one of those rare products that lives up to its promised performance.
Great price. Worked perfectly. I have a 2009 Chevy Colorado short bed with a tool box at the front of the bed. I put the soft ride strapped them down and they fit perfectly. We strapped the back wheels together for stability using the straps provided with the soft ride the bikes did not move. I ordered the product on Monday received it by Friday was ready for the weekend thank you would recommend this product to others.
Brian J.
3/20/2018
Great. Have left the pad on all year. No problems with it
Fast service and very friendly.
Received this tailgate cover very promptly, two days ahead of scheduled delivery date, and just in time to use yesterday. Cover was dry easy to install ( no directions required) and fit my tailgate well. I particularly liked the included Velcro tie downs and access pocket, which allows you to utilize your tailgate release. As you can see from the attached photo, it easily accommodated 4 additional bikes w/ front wheels still attached, and allowed me to transport 7 total bikes of varying design. Our 4 hr drive showed no indication of movement and the cover stayed in place securely. Great product!
Order process was easy & information was great. The order processed quickly & came on time. It looks & works greats. It was easy to put on & took only a few minutes to install. I have 2 expensive bikes & one is an extra large frame. It fits great. The only thing I had to add when transporting was a strap around the tires on my tailgate as a precaution & to prevent any movement. It would be fine without it & the product works exactly as I expected. I put in on a 2000 Toyota Tundra. Very Happy! Exactly what I have been looking for & the price was just right. Thank You!!!
Awesome product. Easy to install and I'm eager to try it out with my electric bike.
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Gloria
8/31/2019
Perfect!